THIS TIME I CHOOSE ME

The moon was beautiful that night. That was the cruelest part. It hung above me, enormous and silver, casting its pale light over the forest as though nothing terrible had happened. As though I wasn't lying there, bleeding. As if my entire life hadn't just been ripped away from me. My body trembled as I tried to lift myself from the cold ground. I couldn't move. Blood stained my clothes and covered my hands. A few feet away, they stood watching me. The people I had trusted. The people I had loved. And the man I had once believed would never hurt me. My mate. But he wasn't looking at me anymore. His eyes were on my sister. My heart broke all over again. I had known he loved her. I had known for a while. But knowing didn't make it hurt any less. Especially when the pact between us meant neither of us could simply walk away. If the pact was broken, one of us would die. It could be him. It could be me. And somehow, despite everything, I had still wanted him to live. But they had made the choice for me. They killed me. I stared at my mate, desperately searching his face for the man I had once loved. There was nothing. No regret,apology. Nothing. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “So this is how it ends?” Nobody answered. My sister stood beside him, silent. I looked at her. Once, I had loved her too. I had protected her. Trusted her. Called her family. Now she was standing there while I died. My vision began to blur. The pain was becoming unbearable. Someone grabbed me and dragged my body deeper into the forest. I barely had the strength to fight. Then they left me. Alone. In the darkness. I lay beneath the moon, staring up at the sky. My breathing became weaker. I could feel my life slipping away. But beneath the pain was something stronger. Anger. A burning anger that refused to disappear. I clenched my bloody hands. “Moon Goddess…” My voice was barely audible. “If you're really watching…” The wind moved through the trees. I swallowed painfully. “Then hear me.” My eyes filled with tears. “They took everything from me.” My voice cracked. “They betrayed me. They killed me.” I stared directly at the moon. “So I swear…” My breathing grew weaker. “I will come back.” The words left my lips with everything I had left. “I will be reincarnated.” A tear slipped down my cheek. “And when I return…” I smiled through the pain. “I will make every single one of them pay.” Thunder echoed somewhere beyond the forest. For one brief moment, the moon seemed brighter. Then slowly my vision began to darken,Then darkness swallowed me. I gasped. My eyes flew open. I sat upright in bed, desperately grabbing my chest. I was breathing. I was alive. My eyes darted around the room. The familiar walls. The wooden wardrobe. The curtains beside my window. My old desk. I slowly looked down at my hands. No blood. No wounds. Nothing. “What…?” I stumbled out of bed and ran toward the mirror. A young girl stared back at me. My face. My body. But younger. Much younger. I touched my cheek. Then my hair. My hands began to tremble. “No.” I looked toward the calendar beside my desk. My heart stopped. I knew this date. I remembered it. I was eighteen. Eighteen years old. I had returned to the past. The Moon Goddess had actually answered my vow. A laugh escaped me. At first, it was quiet. Then it became louder. I covered my mouth as tears filled my eyes. I wasn't dreaming. I was alive. I had another chance. I looked at my reflection again. The girl staring back at me was the same Alora who had once trusted everyone. The same Alora who had loved blindly. The same Alora who had been killed in that forest. But she wasn't the same anymore. I wiped my tears. This time, I knew everything. I knew who would betray me. I knew who would lie to me. I knew what would happen if I followed the same path. And I knew exactly how my story was supposed to end. But I had no intention of letting it. I looked toward the window. The moon was still faintly visible in the morning sky. My fingers curled into a fist. “You gave me another chance,” I whispered. A small smile appeared on my lips. “I won't waste it.” This time, I wouldn't beg for love. I wouldn't blindly trust anyone. And I certainly wouldn't allow the same people to destroy me twice. They thought Alora was dead. They thought they had gotten rid of me forever. They had no idea. I was back. And this time— I remembered everything.