Chapter 3
968 Words
Aurora’s pov
Sleep became my most wanted desire for the rest of the night, but no matter what I did, it would not come.
I lay in the unfamiliar soft bed that felt too comfortable, staring at the ornate ceiling above me. The silk sheets felt too luxurious and suffocating against my scarred skin. The room smelled of roses and lavender, a scent so sweet it almost felt like mockery. The pillows were too plump for my head to rest properly on. Everything about the room screamed luxury, yet it only made me feel more trapped, more aware of how temporary this false kindness was.
But none of that was what kept me awake. It was him, Lucien Newmon.
His cold steel-blue eyes kept flashing in my mind. The way his strong arm had wrapped around me and had grabbed me so easily, the low, dangerous warning in his voice, the strange flicker of something almost like conflict I thought I saw when he looked at me. Made me wonder, did he stop me from escaping because he gets a thrill from killing his mates? Or was he trying, in his own twisted way, to give me a chance to survive?
Not knowing was slowly driving me mad.
I turned on my side, wincing as the movement pulled at the fresh lashes on my back. The pain was a constant companion, but tonight it felt different; sharper, more personal. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face again. The lightning scar, the cold disappointment in his gaze, the way his voice had dropped when he warned me.
Why did he come? Why not just let the guards catch me? Was he saving me or preserving me?
The questions circled endlessly in my head until the first rays of sunlight crept into the room.
The morning came slower than I wanted, which was both a blessing and a curse. It delayed the inevitable, but it also gave me more time to worry about whether Lucien would report my escape attempt to my father. If he did, there would be no mercy this time.
As the sun peeked into the sky, a sharp knock sounded on the door.
Before I could even sit up, Luna Serapina’s sharp voice cut through the wood. “Why are you knocking like she’s someone important? Enter and do the job I told you to do.”
The door opened. Two maids and a healer stepped inside. The older maid gave me a stern look. “Aurora, stand up. We need to prepare you for the ceremony tonight.”
I quietly rose from the bed. They pulled my shirt off without any care for my privacy, even though the healer was a man. At this point, it hardly mattered. They had all seen me naked during countless punishments. No one saw me as anything worth respecting.
The healer examined the fresh lashes on my back and clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Her healing is slower than most wolves'; it is almost as slow as a human's. Apply the ointment gently and make sure the wounds are clean.”
He handed the ointment to one of the maids, and the other whisked me off to the bathroom.
As they continued working, the maids gossiped among themselves, barely lowering their voices.
“I wish I could be accepted for the scholarship the Alpha King’s academy hosts for Omegas,” one said dreamily.
“What’s the name again?” the other asked.
“Lingard Academy,” the first replied. "It's the most elite school in the North, mostly for Alphas and Betas. But the King started a special programme for Omegas who meet certain criteria. They say a weak omega can become as strong as a mid-level Beta wolf through the training the scholarship offers.”
“Prince Lucien became one of the strongest wolves there in just his first year,” the second maid added with a sigh. “The news travelled everywhere last month.”
I stayed silent as they dressed me, but my mind was racing. Lingard Academy… a place where even weak Omegas could become strong. The idea refused to leave me. What if I could actually become stronger? Would people finally look at me differently? Would my father finally see me as something more than a disappointment?
Maybe this is my only chance.
By the time they finished combing my hair, applying expensive perfumes, and dressing me in fine clothes, I had made up my mind. If I were going to die anyway, I might as well die trying to become something more than this broken, worthless girl everyone saw me as.
This was my opportunity. The chance I had been praying for all these years. It was not my s*******r.
If I could be determined enough, maybe…just maybe… I could survive.
The healer finished preparing a healing medicine and gave it to me to take. “You should feel better by tonight. Try not to move too much until then. The ointment I gave Miss Cara to apply to your back should help the bruises also close up faster.”
I nodded quietly; of course, they were trying to ensure I healed fast and reduce any evidence of maltreatment. It would look completely crazy if the Alpha king found out that the mate of his son was valued less than a slave despite being the Alpha’s daughter.
My thoughts, however I tried, kept spinning.
The maids continued their gossip as they adjusted the gown, but I barely heard them anymore. All I could think about was Lingard Academy and the small, fragile hope growing inside my chest.
For the first time in my life, I had something to fight for. I had hope of surviving and becoming something more.
- Writer
