Chapter 2
Aurora's POV
I had never been something in my life.
I had been blinded by the illusion that my revenge plan would kick start as soon as possible. Bit until I realized where I was.
And where I was, I didn't belong there. Not by race nor by blood.
I never expected to find myself in this wretched existence. Not by a long shot.
Where was I?
In a goddamn wolf pack!
Everyday, the damp scent of wolves clung to the air like a thick and suffocating blanket.
Everyday, my arms would ache from endless work. My knees were raw and red from the cold, unyielding stone floor.
Everyday, I would carry a heavy wooden bucket filled with murky water, its filth soaking through the rough fabric they call a dress.
A dress unworthy of me!
A dress for a slave!
I had been reduced to nothing. The Queen of the Vampires was turned into a slave for wolves.
My eyes burned with tears and my fingers trembled as I scrubbed the floor for the 14th time that day. The more I scrubbed the floor, the more dozens of people walked all over it.
Bile rose to my throat at the sheer humiliation of wiping dirt off the floor.
I had once ruled legions of vampires. At the sound of my name, people quiver with fear. I had my throne built on the skull and bones of my enemies and I reigned supreme.
But now?
I was not Aurora, the Vampire Queen.
I was Melissa, the daughter of a slave.
“Faster, slave!” A voice snapped above me followed by the sharp sound of a whip.
“Aargh!” Pain shot through my spine and I collapsed on the drenched floor.
“You little bitch!” A boot connected with my rib before I could brace for impact. “Get up and clean the floor!”
The slave master lifted his boot to hit me again and I moved out of the way, knocking over the bucket making dirty water spill across the floor. His face had never been so red.
Laughter echoed from others in the hall and I clenched my fists.
Stay calm.
Endure.
For now.
“What was that, Melissa?” A low growl rumbled behind me.
Melissa…
The name alone made my stomach churn. I don't only despise it, I loathe it.
How easy had they taken my identity.
How effortlessly had they stolen everything from me!
“Can't you speak?!” A hand ran across my cheek before I could stand up and I toppled forward.
More laughter rang out.
My nails dug into my palms as I clenched harder. I would make them pay.
I struggled to my feet, my legs wobbling. Then I forced a bow. “I am so sorry, sir. It won't happen again.”
I hated myself for apologizing to the filth that called himself a werewolf. If this body hadn't been weak, I would've sworn at him every curse word known to man and faced the consequences.
But I wasn't strong like I was before.
Instead, I was small, weak, and dirty. This body wasn't mine. This life wasn't mine. I had no fangs. No fangs meant no powers and no powers meant nothing.
“Sorry, don't clean the floors.” The slave master snapped and the hall reverberated with another round of laughter.
A cloud of rage enveloped me and I wanted to rip their throats out. I wanted them to taste their screams and watch me bathe in their own blood when I was done with them. But I was powerless.
My vision blurred with tears, not from pain but from rage.
I was powerless. For now.
“Get out of my sight.” The slave master gave me a shove as he walked past me.
“Eww. Look at her. She's so dirty.” A female onlooker said.
Her companion replied with a stuttering laugh. “D - Did you - Did you see the way she fell?”
Both of them burst into laughter.
I sucked in a breath and steadied myself.
Enough was enough.
They had had their fill of laughter from my humiliation.
Tonight was the end.
Tonight, I was getting the hell out of here.
I waited till the dead of night, until the entire packhouse was asleep and quiet stole the sound.
When the moon was high, I moved.
My bare feet barely made a sound as I slipped past the outskirts of the pack's territory.
Every step I made, every breath I took was calculated, controlled. I had never been this focused to survive in my life.
Silence thickened the forest air, save for the hooting owls I saw perched up on the trees.
It was cold and I regretted not wearing enough layers.
The moon's silver light shone up ahead and my eyes trailed forward.
Alas, the end of the forest loomed ahead. I could already smell the freedom.
My eyes darted left and right and when I saw no soul was in sight, I took off in a sprint, nor caring less.
A quiet laugh tore through my lips as I ran, the chill breeze sweeping past my unruly red hair. I had waited weeks for this moment. I had studied their patrols and memorized the path to escape. It was clearer now. I was going to make it.
But then I heard extra footsteps, footsteps that weren't mine.
Hold up.
I froze, instinct telling me to hide.
I quickly pressed myself against the trunk of a gnarled oak.
Shadows darted between the trees, fast, desperate. Like I was.
My eyes narrowed. Were they escapees?
A familiar scent clung to the cold air and I rose to my feet, wide-eyed
Glowing pale skin, swift movements, red eyes, their steps too silent for mortals.
Those weren't wolves.
One of them turned his head slightly and I saw it — the unmistakable gleam of a fang.
Vampires?
The man gasped when he saw me. “Run!”
Sooner, more people began to brush past the trees.
My pulse pounded. These people were my people… My kind.
They were terrified.
I turned back to look.
They were running.
But from what?
I barely had time to look before a deep snarl echoed.
“They're escaping! Get them!”
Chaos erupted.
Shouts filled the air, heavy footsteps pounded against the ground and the heavy scent of wolves filled the air.
No! No!
I turned in the opposite direction to dart through the trees when I suddenly collided against something hard.
No!
A rough, calloused hand grabbed me. “Found one!”
“No!” I fought and kicked. “Let me go!”
“Kick.me.one more time and I'll kill you!” He warned.
I fell silent not because I was afraid but because he would do it. The look in his eyes said it all and I didn't plan to die just yet not when I haven't taken my revenge.
The guard forced me on my knees and made me look.
The other guards rounded up everybody. Some were killed in the struggle, others surrendered willingly but in the end, the vampires, every last one had been captured.
But why?
Why were vampires running from the BloodMoon pack?
What were they doing there in the first place?
The guard pulled me to my feet. “Let's go, little wolf. The Alpha will decide what to do with you.”
“The Alpha?” I whispered.
Before I could get an answer, a sharp blow struck my head and the moon disappeared.