Aurora
The world around me is fading. I feel the cold seeping into my bones, the earth beneath me turning as hard and unforgiving as the life I've lived.
My breath comes in ragged gasps , each one more labored than the last.
The cold has crept into my very soul, wrapping around me like an icy shroud.
Am lying on the ground, my vision dimming.
The sun is setting, painting the sky in hues of red and gold. It's beautiful - a cruel reminder that beauty still exists in a world that has given me nothing but pain.
The blood is warm, though. It trickles down my skin, mingling with the dirt and grime , it's a reminder that I am still alive. Barely. I can hear the whispers of the wind, carrying the voices of those who have judged me all my life.
"Aurora Ashford, the fallen daughter. The cursed one. The disgrace".
Their words cut through the darkness, a relentless chorus of condemnation that has followed me throughout my existence.
I close my eyes and let the memories take me. If this is my end, then let it come.
But first.... let me remember. Let me remember all the hell I have endured.
Born to Gideon Ashford, but never his true daughter. I was always an outcast, even in my own home.
My father's disappointment was a constant shadow, looming over every moment of my life, my stepmother Lyla viewed me as a burden... a constant reminder of her husband's prior marriage, Lily my stepsister was the golden child, the one who carried the werewolf gene.
Lily with her perfect werewolf gene, the one who had everything I lacked. She was the golden child, and I was the unwanted one, the one who didn't belong. The one who was always in the way.
Lily was the pride of the Ashford family, the daughter who fulfilled every expectations. I was the one who didn't fit, the one whose mere existence was a disappointment.
The contrast between us was as stark as night and day. She was the cherished one, and I was merely a shadow.
But it wasn't until that night..... that night.. that my life truly became hell.
The night an unknown man violated me, leaving me broken and with a child I hadn't asked for.
I remember the cold terror, the feeling of my world shattering into a thousand irreparable pieces.
The child I carried was a beacon of hope amidst the darkness, a fragment of my shattered dreams.
I had hoped the child would give me purpose, a reason to live... a reason to hold on to something precious amidst the endless suffering, only for that hope to be ripped away, when they told me my baby had died.
Buried before I could even hold him.Or her. They wouldn't even tell me.
The grief was an unbearable weight, a sorrow so profound that it felt like it would crush me entirely.
And then there was Elias.My first mate, the one who should have been my salvation , but instead became another source of pain.
Elias the powerful alpha, was supposed to be my protector, my guide, my savior.
Instead he tried to distance himself from me, to ignore the bond that Tied us together.
He hated me... hated the rumors , the scandal, the disgrace I brought to his name.
He made it clear that I was a burden, a complication he didn't want. He locked me away in his castle, a prisoner rather than a queen.
I lived in a gilded cage, surrounded by luxury but deprived of freedom and dignity.
The pain of rejection was a constant companion, a shadow that loomed over every moment of my existence.
And I hated him for his cruelty , for locking me away in his castle , a prisoner rather than a queen .
But even that pain pales in comparison to what came after the escape. The running. The endless fear. The feeling of being hunted, of never knowing where safety lay.
And then.... him.
Kaden..
His name is a whisper in my mind, a dark shadow in my soul. The second mate I never asked for. But the one who saved my life. The alpha King of Veloria.
He found me on the verge of death, bleeding out in the wilderness, my life slipping away. His presence was both a blessing and a curse, a beacon of hope amidst the encroaching darkness.
And he Marked me.
The moment his fangs sank into my flesh, I felt the bond snap into place. It was meant to save me, to heal me from the wounds that should have killed me. And it did. Life slowly began to flow back into my battered body.
But even as life flooded back in my body, I knew the truth. Kaden didn't want me. He had marked me out of necessity , not desire.
I was nothing to him.... just another burden , another problem to deal with.
His words echo in my mind even now, as the darkness closes in.
"I didn't want to do this. Aurora. But I had no choice. You're my mate now , but don't think for a second that I want you".
And so, here I am. Alive but not living. Marked by two mates . Yet belonging to no one. Hated by one, rejected by the other.
My existence is a mockery of what it should have been . I should have found peace, love, belonging. Instead I found only more pain , more rejection.
But then....Julien.
The memory of his face, his innocent smile, cuts through the haze of my despair.
That sweet boy, the one who looked at me with such warmth , such trust. The boy who became my reason to keep going, even when I wanted to give up.
Why does he look like me? Why does he feel like.... home? I don't know but I can't let go of him. Not yet. Not till I understand.
The sun is gone now, The world bathed in darkness . I can feel the cold creeping in again, but I hold on. I hold on to Julien's smile, to the promise I made to myself.
If I survive this... If the Gods grant me one more chance .... I will fight
For him. For myself . For the life that was stolen from me.
And as the darkness finally takes me, I make one last vow.
Kaden may not want me, but I'll prove to him that I am worth more than he could ever imagine .
And Elias.... Elias will regret the day he pushed me away...