(Aurora's POV)
The morning sun streamed through my window, but I could barely focus on its warmth. Last night's vision from my mother's diary kept replaying in my mind – Sarah standing in a pool of blood, that savage smile on her face. My hands still trembled when I thought about it.
A knock at my door startled me from my dark thoughts. "Aurora?" Marcus's voice. "Can I come in?"
My heart did that familiar little flip, even as Fiona growled in my mind. "Don't trust him. Not after last night."
"Come in," I called, hating how my voice softened automatically at his presence.
Marcus entered, looking contrite. He was wearing the blue shirt I'd given him last Christmas, the one that matched his eyes perfectly. "I wanted to apologize for last night," he said, running a hand through his sandy blonde hair. "I know how it must have looked..."
"Do you?" I asked quietly. "Do you really know how it felt to see you with her in our special place?"
He crossed the room to sit beside me on the window seat. The familiar scent of his cologne mixed with something else – something that made my nose wrinkle slightly. Sarah's perfume.
"I was just trying to help her adjust," he said, taking my hand. His thumb traced circles on my palm, a gesture that used to make my heart race. Now it just made my stomach clench. "You know how hard it can be, being new to a pack. You were once in her position."
"I was eight," I reminded him. "And I didn't spend my time pressing up against someone else's fiancé."
Marcus sighed. "You're being oversensitive again. Look, It's almost time for the Spring Full Moon Festival. Why don't we go shopping for your accessories? Just you and me, like old times."
The offer was tempting – a chance to pretend everything was normal, that the last few days hadn't happened. "Don't fall for it," Fiona warned. But I found myself nodding anyway.
An hour later, we were walking through the pack's shopping district. Marcus held my hand, pointing out various displays. For a moment, it felt like before – before Sarah, before my mysterious powers, before everything started falling apart.
Then I saw them. A set of pearl jewelry in a shop window – delicate earrings and a matching necklace that seemed to glow with their own inner light. They reminded me of my mother's ceremonial robes, elegant and timeless.
"They're beautiful," I breathed.
Marcus smiled, leading me into the shop. "Try them on."
The pearls felt cool against my skin as Marcus fastened the necklace. Standing before the mirror, I felt something shift inside me – like I was seeing an echo of someone else, someone powerful and graceful. Someone I could become.
"You look..." Marcus started, but a familiar voice cut him off.
"Oh my goodness, those are gorgeous!"
Sarah stood in the doorway, her long black hair flowing loose around her shoulders. She wore a simple sundress that somehow made her look both innocent and seductive. My happiness shattered like glass.
"Marcus!" She glided forward, her movements fluid and practiced. "I didn't expect to see you here." Her eyes fixed on the pearls around my neck, something hungry in her gaze. "Those are absolutely stunning. I've always loved pearls..."
"Sarah," Marcus's voice softened in that way that made my chest ache. "What brings you here?"
She stepped closer, her hip brushing his arm. She squeezed in and stood between the two of us. "Oh, I was just looking for something small to wear to the festival. It's been so long since I've had anything nice..." Her voice caught. "Back home, before the attack, I'd saved for months to buy a pearl necklace. But then..." She trailed off, her eyes welling with tears.
I touched the necklace, suddenly feeling like an intruder in my own moment. "We should probably go—"
"No, no!" Sarah grabbed my hand, her fingers ice-cold against my skin. "Please, don't let me interrupt. I just..." She bit her lip, looking up at Marcus through wet lashes. "It's just that seeing these pearls brought back so many memories. Of everything we lost..."
Marcus's expression shifted, that protective look I used to love now directed at someone else. Sarah pressed closer to him, her breasts brushing his arm as she examined the necklace.
"They look lovely on you, Aurora," she said softly. "But... they remind me so much of the ones I lost. The ones my mother wore...No, I didn't mean anything else."
"Well... " I interrupted before Marcus could open his mouth. "Marcus," I said quietly. "Could I talk to you for a moment?"
We stepped aside, but I could feel Sarah's eyes on us. "She's manipulating you," I whispered. "Can't you see it?"
"She's been through hell, Aurora," he hissed back. "Her whole family was killed by rogues. The least we can do is show some kindness."
"And what about me?" The words burst out before I could stop them. "What about my family? I lost everything too, or have you forgotten?"
"That's different—"
"How? How is it different?"
"Because we took you in!" His voice rose slightly. "My parents treated you like their own daughter. We gave you everything – a home, a future, a position as Luna. And this is how you repay that kindness? By being jealous of an orphaned refugee?"
The words hit like physical blows. Behind us, Sarah made a small sound of distress.
"I should go," she whispered. "I'm causing trouble again. I just... I thought maybe..." Her voice broke. "The pearls reminded me of home. Of better times. But of course they should be Aurora's. She's your fiancée. I'm just... nobody."
"You're not nobody," Marcus said firmly. He looked at me, then at the pearls, then back at Sarah's tear-stained face. "Aurora has plenty of jewelry. These would mean more to Sarah."
The shop seemed to spin around me. "What?"
"I've bought you dozens of necklaces," Marcus said, his tone defensive. "Sarah has nothing. As future Alpha, it's my duty to take care of all pack members."
"Your duty," I repeated numbly. "And what about your duty to me?"
"Don't start—"
"Start what? Questioning why you're giving my festival jewelry to another woman? Wondering why you care more about her feelings than mine?"
"That's not fair!" Marcus's eyes flashed. "Sarah and Charles have nothing! Their parents were killed by rogue wolves. They came to us with nothing but the clothes on their backs. As future Alpha and Luna, we should be setting an example of compassion!"
"And what about the compassion shown to me?" My voice cracked. "I was orphaned too, Marcus. Or did you forget that part?"
His expression hardened. "How could I forget? My parents took you in, raised you as their own. They decided you would be Luna, gave you everything you could want. And now you're acting like an ungrateful—"
"Ungrateful?" The word tasted like ashes. "For what? For watching my fiancé fawn over another woman? For having my feelings dismissed? For being told I should be grateful for basic kindness?"
Marcus had an impatient expression, "Aurora, can you not always be like this, you know that's not what I mean. She saved my life, as my fiancée, why are you always inconsiderate of me?"
"Don't I understand you? There are many ways to express gratitude, but I can't choose to give you to her --"
Sarah's soft sob cut through our argument. She pressed a hand to her mouth, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I never meant... I should never have said anything about the pearls. I'll go..."
"No," Marcus said firmly. He unclasped the necklace from my neck, his movements brusque. "You stay. Aurora's being unreasonable."
The room swam before my eyes. For a moment, I saw them together – Marcus and Sarah, bodies entwined, her dark hair spreading across his chest... The vision was so vivid it stole my breath.
"Aurora?" Emma's voice cut through my haze. It's my best friend, Emma, I hadn't even noticed her enter the shop. "Are you alright? You look pale..."
"She's fine," Marcus snapped, already fastening the pearl necklace around Sarah's throat. "Just being dramatic."
Emma's warm brown eyes narrowed. "The only drama I see is coming from the bitch who can't keep her hands off another woman's fiancé."
Sarah gasped. "I would never—"
"Save it," Emma cut her off. "I've watched you since you arrived. The helpless act, the convenient tears, the way you press against him every chance you get. You're not fooling everyone."
"How dare you?" Marcus stepped in front of Sarah protectively. "You're out of line, Emma."
"No, you're out of line," Emma shot back. She grabbed my arm, steadying me as the room tilted again. "Come on, Aurora. Let's get you home."
As Emma led me from the shop, I heard Sarah's soft voice: "Marcus... thank you for understanding. The pearls... they mean everything to me."
The last thing I saw before Emma pulled me away was Marcus gathering Sarah into his arms, her face buried against his chest, the pearls gleaming at her throat like drops of moonlight.
All of it slipping away, like water through my fingers, while Sarah's blood-soaked smile from my vision danced behind my eyes.
"Something's wrong with you," Fiona's worried voice echoed in my mind. "Your power is fluctuating. These visions..."
But I couldn't focus on her words. All I could see was Marcus and Sarah together, the image burning itself into my brain until Emma's worried face blocked it out.
"Come on," she said softly. "Let's get you home before you collapse."She held my arm tightly and helped me walk to my room.