Chapter 4
1153 Words
Kora's pov
Air rushed into my lungs like I'd been drowning.
My eyes flew open to fluorescent lights and cream-colored ceiling tiles.
This was definitely not Carter's room that I was previously in. My hands immediately clasped to my stomach, but disappointment flushed through me because it was empty. The baby was gone.
"No….." I widened my eyes, gasping in confusion as I tried to make sense, but nothing was making sense.
I looked down and realized that I was dressed in a black silk. These weren't my clothes. This wasn't my body.
The room came into focus. There was a Mahogany desk, Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a city, and framed jerseys on the walls, a professional team, all signed. A trophy case glittered near the door.
Where the hell was I? Lilly! I reached for my wolf, but she was silent.
The bond that had always been there was gone. My chest tightened. I was alone in someone else's body.
The door swung open. A middle-aged man in a gray suit walked in and dropped a white envelope on the desk.
"You alright?" He stared at me with a perplexed expression. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Where am I?" My voice came out sultry, with my eyes still scanning around my environment in confusion.
He raised an eyebrow. "Did you start day-drinking? Why are you acting weird?" He tapped the envelope. "Just open it. Trust me, you'll want this one."
I hesitated for a moment before I grabbed the envelope with hands that weren't mine. At the back was a bold stamp: HILTON ACADEMY.
My heart pounded heavily.
"Did they….." I swallowed. "Did they accept my scholarship back?"
The man's expression shifted from amused to concerned. "Maya, are you sure you're okay? You've been talking nonsense since I walked in."
Maya?
"The Hilton Academy wants you to coach their national hockey team," he continued slowly, like I might not understand. "It's the offer you've been waiting for. Championship potential. Big money. Are you seriously asking me about a scholarship?"
Coach. Hockey team. Championship.
None of this made sense.
I stood up too fast. The chair rolled backward and hit the wall. There was a mirror near the window, I could see my reflection in the glass.
I walked toward it on legs that felt too long and strong, like it had undergone years of training and self-control.
The woman staring back had honey-blonde hair that fell in perfect waves past her shoulders. Sharp cheekbones, Full lips, and a body that looked like it spent hours in the gym. Designer clothes that fit like they were tailored.
She was beautiful.
She wasn't me.
I touched the glass. The reflection touched back. I pressed my palm to my cheek, smooth skin, no bruises, no blood.
This lady had never been beaten. Never crawled across a floor begging for mercy.
"What is this?" I whispered as my lips trembled while I wondered if I was slowly losing my mind, or it was as a result of all the beating I got from John.
Then something stirred at the back of my mind. Familiar but distant.
‘Kora,’ the tiny voice called out.
Relief washed over me. ‘Lilly?’ My wolf was back to me, which means I wasn't dead.
‘You died. But the Moon Goddess heard your prayer. She gave us a second chance.’
‘A second chance?’ I said out loud.
"Maya!" The man's voice cut through. "Seriously, what's going on with you?"
I turned. He was standing now, phone in hand, like he was ready to call someone.
"I'm fine." I forced my voice steady. "Just had a nightmare. Still waking up."
He didn't look convinced, but he pocketed his phone. "Well, wake up fast. Hilton won't wait forever. If you're taking this job, you need to respond today. Someone else will grab it if you don't."
I looked down at the envelope again. Hilton Academy's crest gleamed in gold foil.
The same school that expelled me. The same hallways where students laughed and filmed me. Principal Nora's cold dismissal, My father's shame, Carter's betrayal, Luna's smile as John beat me to death.
All of them were coming to place, the pain was still there. Deep in my heart, and ached each time I breathed.
‘You're Maya Keeler now,’ Lilly said. ‘Twenty-two years old and the Youngest coach in professional hockey. Every team wants you, but you only work with the best.’
‘How do I know how to coach hockey?’ I asked silently.
The Moon Goddess gave you her memories. Everything Maya knew, strategy, plays, training methods, it's all here. It'll come back to you when you need it.’
I caught my reflection again in the window. No longer the girl everyone thought was worthless. No longer the omega Carter Ace used and threw away.
Now I was the one they needed.
“Tell them yes," I said. My voice,Maya's voice—came out cold and clear.
The man blinked. "Yeah?"
"Tell them I'll take the job." I picked up the envelope and pulled out the contract. The Hilton Academy logo was embossed at the top. Below it, a salary that made my breath catch.
But I wasn't doing this for money.
I was doing this because Carter Ace's face was on every poster in that school. Because his future, his championship, his legacy, and his path to becoming Alpha depended on that hockey team.
And now I control it.
"You sure?" The man was watching me carefully. "You were on the fence about this yesterday. Said you didn't want to work with high school kids."
"I changed my mind." I signed my name at the bottom. Maya's signature flowed easily, like muscle memory. "When do I start?"
"Monday. Pre-season training begins in two weeks."
Two weeks until I walked back into Hilton Academy. Two weeks until I saw Carter again.
He wouldn't recognize me. None of them would.
They'd killed Kora Gabriel and buried her like trash.
But Maya Keeler? She was their ticket to victory, their hope for championship glory.
And I was going to destroy them with it.
‘Slow and painful,’ Lilly agreed. ‘We'll take everything they love.’
I looked at my reflection one last time. This face would smile at them, gain their trust, make them believe she was on their side.
Then I'd rip their world apart, piece by piece.
Starting with Carter Ace.
"Send the acceptance letter today," I told the man.
"Tell them Coach Keeler is looking forward to working with Hilton's finest."
He grinned and pulled out his phone. "Now that's the Maya I know."
I turned back to the window. The city stretched out below, tall buildings, busy streets, people who had no idea what I'd been through.
But they would.
They all would.
Because Kora Gabriel died begging for mercy.
Maya Keeler didn't beg for anything.
- Writer
