3

-ANNA-

The beeping of the monitor rang in my ear. My eyes slowly open, the lingering scent of incense blending into my nose. I tried to stand, but my body ached, my hands were burning, and my tummy felt hotter than fire. I groaned as I tried to sit back, taking the pain in as I tried to check myself out.

I was all bandaged up. My body, which was once filled with fat, had undergone a drastic change. I had become moderate and slender, like I was a new soul entirely.

"You shouldn't try to get up—well, not yet." A masculine voice echoed in the room.

The scent of sandalwood with a touch of tobacco wafted through my nose. I could swear the incense had gone out at that moment. My whole body tingled as he approached, the danger signals increasing with each step. Suddenly, I felt something choking me. It was his sinister aura, so bland and cruel, like that of a wolf who had murdered countless warriors.

I felt suppressed by his aura, my heart thumping with fear. After a few more steps I could see him, that perfect jawline, that handsome face, that icy gaze that could make any woman weak in the knees, and those piercings with diamond rings on both ears. He was definitely the bad boy my mother warned me about.

He grabbed a chair from behind, setting it by the side of my bed before adjusting into it. We stared at each other for a moment, gazes colliding like we were communicating with our sight. For a while, I didn't bother to ask myself the most important questions. What did he do to me? What happened after Jake clawed me out? Why was I sleeping in a bed so cozy and unable to move my limbs?

"You're lucky to have survived that intense surgery. Your baby was already dead, and you were going to die any moment. The operation was enough to get you and your baby back on your feet, and I must say, you've struggled a lot over the coming years, Anna." He rested on the chair, grabbing a pipe from the drawer next to him.

My eyes widened for a bit. The urge to question his authority is filling me up. "How do you know my name?"

He chuckled. It seemed like he was toying with my intelligence on purpose, and to top it all off, he didn't seem to give a single care in the world. That just made me more enraged. Even though he went through all the trouble to save me, I still had a life outside, a life where I was lo…

"There's no life for you outside these four walls." He exhaled, the scent of tobacco taking over the atmosphere. "He's still searching for you after six months of your death. He doesn't believe you died, but he can't undo what he already did, right? "

After I died? Am I in the afterlife? What did he mean by Jake didn't believe I died? That's all he's ever wanted so he could take control of the throne and watch me fall.

Love was never in his dictionary. I was just this girl that he could manipulate and take away all she's inherited for himself and that turkey he called his next Luna. If only I were stronger, I would have ripped her throat apart and made her eat her words. "He's dead to me."

He motioned towards me, his muscles tensed with a smirk on his face. I could feel something mysterious clouding his system, but for some reason, I didn't want to know what it was. He rose to his feet, taking a walk to the door and back to me. At first, I thought the tobacco had taken over, but he proved me wrong.

His voice was calm and wanting, like he was ready to save me from what I so feared. "Do you want your power and inheritance returned to you, Anna?" He asked.

My power and inheritance were restored to me. Becoming the first female Alpha who rules without a man beside her, she laid off anyone who tried to betray or attack the peace of the pack. It's been all I've ever wished for apart from Jake. But knowing Jake, he'd never give it up so easily, and I'd still be falling for his deep treachery like a little lamb.

"Jake is powerful; no one can touch him. Not even my father could scratch him during the rite of passage. What makes you think we could do him any harm or toss him off the throne just like that?" I inquired.

He burst into laughter. After a little while his face became stern and his eyes became darker. He adjusted into the chair with his index finger settling on my boobs. "You just have to say the word and watch your ex-husband fall into despair."

He was quite a big talker for a bad boy. If he thought he was some bad boy rider that could cause trouble or make Jake bow before him, then he was in the dark. I've seen this over and over again, people getting killed by ignorance, and also because of their confidence that they were above Jake.

"If I may ask, what's your name?" My curiosity finally got to me.

"The name is Nicholas Sleeze, but you can call me Nick." He flashed me a smile.

My body began to tremble when I finally realized who was sitting before me. He wasn't an ordinary bad boy, nor was he an alpha of a little pack who could get squashed. He happened to be the legendary Lycan king, the one they addressed as the million-year demon.

I tried to run, but my body kept me still, giving him an advantage as his sinister aura suppressed me. If he truly was the million-year demon, then I couldn't be here; I couldn't accept any form of help from him.

"I'll take that as a yes." He chuckled evilly. "And just so you know, you're not to be addressed as Anna anymore. Anna is dead along with the supposed heir of the Flaming Moon pack."

He placed his hand on my head, a smile on his face.

"From now on you'll go by the name Noelle."