Chapter 3 : Second Life?
1356 Words
Hhh...
The heart that had stopped beating started beating again.
Dugg.
Her body trembled slightly. Fine cracks appeared on her bruised skin, and a golden light flowed from the wounds.
The blood dried. The bruises faded, though they were still visible. Her broken bones fused back together.
Her eyelids opened slowly. They weren't the usual hazel color. Instead, they were bright silver with vertical pupils like a wild animal's.
Moira sat up slowly, breathing heavily. She held her chest because her heartbeat felt unfamiliar. Too strong.
"Where am I?"
She raised her trembling hand. Her nails were sharper, but a moment later, they returned to normal. Her skin was clean, without any wounds. She stared at her fingers as if she were seeing them for the first time.
"Who am I really?"
Suddenly, foreign memories flooded her like a storm.
Fire. A golden palace. A cracked sky. The blood of demons. Voices cursing from the sky. The gods have been expelled.
She saw in the thin fog...
A white wolf with fur that glowed like moonlight, with a few golden hairs on its tail.
"I'm alive again."
Moira looked up. The night sky was still dark, but the stars seemed closer. It was as if the world recognized her again.
She stood up slowly. Her body was straight, strong, and cold.
Her steps were slightly unsteady as she left the bloodstained ground. Her dress was torn, and her body was covered in scars.
"Olivian, I promise you will repay me for all the pain you caused me," she muttered, letting out a small sob.
The wind blew through her hair. Leaves fell, as if welcoming her resurrection.
***
Night fog filled the air as Aidrian's car drove through the forest.
Aidrian was about to close his eyes when his driver's voice sounded slightly panicked.
"Mr. Quinn," Sebastian said, sounding tense. "There's someone— A woman. Lying on the ground. Injured."
Adrian sighed. "Just drive on."
The car drove a few meters, and then—
—Dug!
Adrian felt like his heart was being ripped out.
His breath stopped for a moment. The wild part of him that he had always kept locked away burst forth.
That scent.
Soft. Warm. Intoxicating. It filled the air like a melting full moon.
It wasn't the scent of a human. Nor the scent of a predator. It was a scent an alpha encounters only once in a lifetime.
Mate.
"Stop! Now!"
Sebastian was startled but slammed on the brakes immediately.
Adrian opened the door violently. The night wind pierced his skin. It wasn't the cold that made his skin tingle, though; it was the scent, growing stronger with every step he took.
With each step, heat crept up his neck. His breathing was heavy. Dark. It was as if his body had found someone he had been searching for for centuries.
There, under the car's headlights, a woman lay.
Her hair was tangled on the ground. Her dress was torn.
Her skin was covered in wounds. When she opened her eyes, her gaze pierced Adrian's heart.
The mate bond struck them both.
His heartbeat quickened. The world seemed to shake. Something hooked his soul, pulling him mercilessly.
"You," he said, his voice almost inhuman.
Moira stared at him, breathing heavily. Her lips were dry and cracked.
"Help me..."
Adrian knelt in front of her, his large, warm body moving closer. Only an inch separated their faces.
Moira's scent hit his nose again, stronger this time. Sweeter. More intoxicating.
His throat felt constricted. His voice was low and hoarse.
"Your scent is driving me crazy."
Moira blinked, confused.
"Scent?"
Adrian leaned down slightly, getting close enough that their breaths mingled.
"It's as sweet as vanilla and as fragrant as moonblossom. Your scent hypnotizes me."
Moira fell silent. Her cheeks flushed slightly. The mate bond crept up her neck like a gentle electric shock.
She raised her trembling hand not to defend herself but because this man made her body feel alive in a strange way.
Her fingers lightly touched Aidrian's jaw.
Aidrian held his breath. His pupils narrowed. His Alpha aura intensified sharply.
"Don't do that," he whispered, but he didn't pull away. "I could lose control."
Moira swallowed hard. "Who are you?"
Adrian gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. His movements were gentle, but his hands trembled as if he were holding back desire.
"I am the person destiny has chosen to find you and destroy anyone who hurts you."
Sebastian came with a blanket, but Adrian turned his head and stared at him with dark, warning eyes.
"Don't touch her. I'll take her myself."
Aidrian grabbed Moira, lifting her easily. Her body leaned against his chest, and once again, the scent pierced her.
She hissed softly.
She closed her eyes when she felt Adrian's hard, warm chest pressed against hers.
"Why is my body reacting like this?"
Aidrian leaned down to her ear. His breath brushed against her skin, giving her goosebumps.
"Because your body recognizes mine. Even before we knew each other."
The mate bond pulsed strongly. An invisible thread connected their hearts.
Adrian carried Moira into the car, sat next to her, and covered her shoulders with his jacket.
Moira looked at him, weak but captivated. "Why are you doing all this?"
He held her chin with two fingers, forcing her to look into his eyes.
"Because when I see you, I feel like my whole life has been waiting for this moment."
He moved a little closer. Only a few strands of hair separated them.
"If any other man touches you, I'll kill him without thinking twice."
The car started moving.
The mate bond continued to vibrate between them—wild, hot, and unbreakable.
For the first time since his birth, Adrian Quinn looked afraid.
He was afraid of how deeply he would fall for the woman he had just met.
***
The Dunne family living room was lit by sparkling crystal chandeliers that night.
Wine glasses clinked, porcelain plates held the finest dishes, and unabashed laughter echoed through the house, which was always full of intrigue.
Tristyn leaned languidly against Olivian's side. She wore a striking maroon dress and played with the pearl necklace around her neck. Her face was radiant.
"Thirty million dollars," she said admiringly. "From a man who doesn't even know what he's buying."
Olivian sipped her wine and laughed briefly. "Adrian Quinn, the genius CEO who, they say, can't be fooled. Turns out he's nothing more than a rich man in love with a strange stone."
Olivian's mother, Evelyn Dunne, laughed along with her. "You're right, son. At least that pendant, even though it's broken, brought this family a huge profit."
"And we're free from that curse," replied Fiona, Olivian's younger sister. She sat casually on a long chair with her legs crossed. "Ever since Moira brought that thing into this house, the atmosphere has never been peaceful. I always felt she was hiding something dirty."
"You're being too subtle, Fiona," said Tristyn, turning with a cynical look. "That girl has been a jinx from the start. Her parents' company went bankrupt, and then they died tragically. Now, she's brought all her bad luck here with her. She should have been gotten rid of long ago."
"And now she has been gotten rid of," said Evelyn, raising her glass. "To Moira MacEvoy, who will never return."
They all laughed.
Olivian glanced at Tristyn with a satisfied smile. "Are you sure our people did it cleanly?"
Tristyn nodded casually. "Her body was dumped in the middle of the forest. They made sure there were no traces, no witnesses, and, of course, no voices."
"Too quiet a death for a woman like her," Fiona muttered. "But I guess it's enough."
Evelyn stood up, raising her glass high.
"Here's to the Dunne family's freedom from that despicable woman posing as nobility. Here's to new days filled with luxury and free of Moira's fake tears."
"To the Dunnes!" Olivian exclaimed.
"To Dunne!" they all replied in unison.
The glasses clinked. Laughter echoed again. That night became a very happy one for them.
- Writer
