Aurora
“I want to assume you’re in your right senses as you say those words,” Dominic mused. “Because last I checked, you said you’d never ask a rogue like me for help.”
I pressed the phone tighter to my ear, swallowing down the shame. “I changed my mind.”
"You sure you're not just calling because you missed me, little wolf?"
"I’m not calling because I missed you... I’m calling because of your promise." My fingers twisted in the hem of my apron as I forced the words out. "Treat it like you handed me a gift certificate six years ago, and I’m just... finally cashing it in. That night you let me live, you gave me a chance. I’m taking it now."
Silence stretched on the other end, tense and unreadable.
My pulse stuttered. "You meant it, didn’t you? That I could call you when I changed my mind?"
Then came a soft, dark chuckle—one that wrapped around my nerves like smoke.
"Now that's more like it," he murmured. "Alright. I’ll fetch you at the Moonlight Gala. Be ready. And wear something scandalous. Wouldn’t want your Alpha to forget what he threw away."
Then the line went dead.
My chest rose and fell in uneven breaths as the memory of our first meeting.
That arrogant rogue. That infuriating, sharp-tongued man who should have left me to die but didn’t. Who haunted me with his promises.
I wasn’t sure if I was making the biggest mistake of my life.
Or finally reclaiming it.
My mind drifted back to the night he first spared my life.
Six years ago, a rogue siege was underway along Riverbank's northern border. I had been sent along with some scouts to the outskirts as a diplomatic envoy, told to negotiate peace with a rogue faction. Dunstan insisted it was safe.
But it was a trap.
I was tied to a tree, beaten, and readied for execution by sunrise. They called it justice for Riverbank's past sins.
That was the first time I saw Dominic.
Out of nowhere, a massive wolf lunged from the shadows of the firelit grove—dark as obsidian. His body slammed into the rogue holding the blade, fangs sinking deep with a sickening crunch.
The others shouted in shock, stepping back as the black wolf shifted mid-motion, bones cracking and reforming into a tall, dangerous man whose wolf aura still shimmered around him like lightning stitched into his veins.
"You kill her and you start a war none of you are prepared to finish."
They called him mad. But no one dared stop him.
Dominic fished into my pocket and pulled out my phone, casually unlocking it like he’d done it a thousand times before. My brows furrowed. Then I gasped as he dialed a number and let it ring once—his own.
“What are you doing?” I asked, stunned.
He handed the phone back, his smirk slow and maddening. “Would you believe me if I said I saved you because I wanted us to be phone pals?”
I stared at him, speechless.
"Don’t mistake this for mercy," he said, now in a serious tone "I just don’t like cowards using women to fight their wars."
I ran, and the forest behind me burned. And after that day, the messages started coming.
[Still pretending he loves you?]
[One day, little wolf, you'll stop lying to yourself.]
[Next time, scream louder. I’ll be closer.]
I never answered. But I kept every message.
---
Aubrey's voice snapped me back to the present.
“Why are you so slow?”
I was in what used to be our bedroom—mine and Dunstan’s.
Now it reeked of sex and satin and betrayal. Lust hung thick in the air, along with bitter traces of her perfume and his sweat.
My hands scrubbed harder.
Aubrey strutted toward the bed, pointing to a deep stain on the desk. “Oh, forgive me for that,” she said sweetly. “Dunstan was working there last night, and I was working on him.” She giggled.
I didn’t look at her. I just kept cleaning, even though my stomach roiled and my throat burned with bile.
She continued talking, describing in crude detail the things they did in every corner of that room—on the rug, against the mirror, in the shower.
Even though I tried to block them out, the pain still seeped in.
Especially as I looked around.
Everything in that room was mine—my dresses, my jewelry, my memories. All handed to her like leftovers.
When Dunstan forced me into the servant quarters, Aubrey handed me a former maid’s torn apron and shoes.
When I finally finished, I straightened and murmured, “Excuse me, Luna. I have other things to do.”
“Wait.”
I paused, spine stiff.
“Anything else?” I asked without turning around.
She walked toward me, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
“Is this how stupid you are?” she sneered. “Still clinging to a man who sees you as trash? Honestly, I think he values garbage more.”
I turned to her slowly, meeting her gaze.
“If there’s someone stupid between us, it’s not me. Stupid is the one trying to fit herself into something that was never hers to begin with.”
She stiffened. Her wolf flashed in her eyes, but she didn’t attack.
I returned to the servant quarters and took a long, scalding shower. Scrubbing until my skin burned. Until the stench of them was gone. Until I could almost pretend I wasn’t suffocating.
When I stepped out, dripping wet, there were warriors in the room.
My body tensed.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
Aubrey stood in the corner, crying into her hands.
Dunstan barged in. “What happened, babe?”
She sobbed louder. “The bracelet you gave me… it’s gone.”
I blinked. “And what does that have to do with me?”
One of the warriors held something up—gold, glinting. “Luna, is this the one you’re looking for?”
Aubrey gasped. “Yes! That’s it!”
Then she glared at me.
“Why would you steal from me, Aurora? If you wanted jewelry, I could’ve given it to you as a gift.”
My mouth dropped open. “What—? I didn’t—!”
Dunstan’s voice cut through me. “I’m disappointed in you, Aurora. The more I tolerate you, the more disgrace you bring.”
“I didn’t steal it!” I shouted. “You think I would sink that low?”
But he wasn’t listening.
“Throw her into the Dire Oval.”
My blood froze. “No. Not there.”
He slapped me across the face, and I stumbled back, pain flaring.
“You’ll work day and night with the other slaves. Maybe then you’ll learn some respect.”
“Babe,” Aubrey said sweetly, pretending to plead. “Don’t be too cruel. Not that punishment.”
But Dunstan shook his head, jaw tight with mock regret. “Sorry, love. She crossed the line.”
Aubrey smiled like the snake she was as I was dragged out of the room, fists clenched, heart screaming.
But I didn’t fight. Not yet.
