Chapter 2

• Riya's Pov
• I thought I knew grief.
• When I lost my mother to the hands of rogues that shredded her skin like that of an animal, and then my father died not long after.
• I thought nothing could be compared to the pain that took me to my darkest moments.
• But here I was, staring down at my body.
• At every glance, my entire world crumbled beneath my feet. I covered my mouth with my hands as a cry left me. Tears welled up in my eyes, yet none stained my features.
• “This can’t be possible!” I rushed for my body but I couldn’t touch it, nothing was working, and I needed it to. My heart plummeted when I saw how pale I looked inside the coffin. It was like something was squeezing my chest, making it hurt terribly.
• "No…I'm not pale. This isn’t real." A tear dropped as I tried to dissuade myself.
• The muscles of my chest tightened terribly, such that I had no air. I gritted my teeth, stopping my lips from trembling and refusing to believe I ended up like this.
• I bent over to try and touch the body again, but then, my hands went through it.
• My hands went through my body.
• Oh, goddess, what was happening? I was so frightened. I couldn't understand how I had gotten here. It was like I was hollow on the inside, shivering from a mental cold.
• My eyes wavered around in search of help but no one met my gaze. It felt as though I was invisible, but I was standing right there.
• The pain shredding me from within was unbearable. For a moment, I was helpless, but when the doors opened, Adrian walked inside.
• A breath of relief escaped my lips.
• I stared into his eyes, and unlike others, he met my gaze.
• But Adrian looked dishevelled. His clothes were rumpled and he looked like someone who had drenched himself in alcohol.
• 'What happened during the war?'
• Those were the thoughts that crossed my mind.
• I forgot my existence for a minute, as I stared into his beautiful brown eyes.
• They were narrow and gloomy.
• I walked closer to him with hands spread apart to pull him into a warm embrace but then-
• I went through him.
• The world seemed to pause for a moment as my feet were suddenly rooted to the ground. The sun shone through the door, its light penetrating my body.
• It was sunny, yet I couldn't feel the heat. I gently spun around, my gaze the ray to the coffin.
• Tasha stood beside the coffin holding a note as she read, "Riya was an exceptional Luna."
• Instantly, I fell to my arse and struggled backward on the floor. My heart thumped faster by the second as though the organs in my body were about to explode. No, this couldn’t be...
• I died, I had fucking died—It finally dawned on me.
• My fingers clenched onto my dress tightly and just then, Adrian walked to the coffin, his eyes dripping tears like a cascade.
• "Riya!" He screamed, hitting his chest hard.
• One of the eldest wolves in the pack walked to the coffin and placed a flower. "Rest well Luna."
• Suddenly, the doors opened and a wolf ran inside the hall, "She's a traitor. Riya was no good Luna. We lost hundreds of wolves during the fight all because of her!”
• The silence in the air was threatening, and not one said a word to the wolf about his claim.
• After what seemed like a long while, Adrian turned to him and gave him a death glare then he said in a low threatening voice, "Arrest him."
• "Not yet." Mr. Parker, one of the wolf council members who was also Adrian's uncle, interrupted. "Who told you this?"
• "I saw her go to the dungeon and release the captured rogue. She betrayed the pack."
• The hall fell into chaos as everyone mumbled between themselves.
• Adrian was stunned, and after a while, he yelled, "There's no evidence to support your accusations."
• The wolf knelt and pleaded, "I saw her, I saw the Luna."
• "Then we will have a public investigation," Adrian ordered some wolves to search through my room.
• I could feel the tension in the air as everyone waited for the wolves to return.
• In no minutes, they were back.
• "Alpha, we found the keys to the dungeon."
• That's insane. As a rule in our pack, the dungeon keys were never to be in the hands of the Luna.
• I've been set up!
• They presented the keys to Adrian, and his countenance suddenly became cold.
• He held the keys in his hands and then said, "These aren't the original. These are forged." He grunted, "Luna will be tried. If she is guilty, she will be stripped of her title and buried as nothing but a traitor. She will be buried in the forest without a coffin."
• I brushed my hand through my hair anxiously. My body was trembling.
• I could feel my anxiety slowly eating me from within.
• "What trial?" One of the most respected elders stood up. "The Luna was with a forged key, and there's an eyewitness. Do we need any trial? She is guilty."
• Everyone in the hall seemed to agree with him.
• At that very moment, I feared for the life which I had lost.
• Panic surged through my veins. I started to scream in agony.
• I whimpered, tears rolled down my cheeks. No one defended me, not even my husband.
• How could he not know that I'm not guilty?
• Adrian's gaze was lowered to the ground as the elders passed the judgment.
• "Like traitors, the Luna has been stripped of her title and her corpse will be buried without a coffin and in the forest."
• Adrian walked out of the hall and I followed him. But then -
• "Adrian!"
• Tasha's voice caused me to stop in my tracks.
• "Where the heck are you going?" She scolded him as if they were close friends. She further dragged him into a room.
• "What if someone sees us." Adrian scolded but Tasha didn't seem bothered.
• There were no tears on Adrian’s face any longer like he had just been acting back there. I shook my head, feeling my heart plummet.
• "It went well." She giggled.
• I gasped, there were millions of thoughts going through my mind but never was I prepared for what happened next.
• Adrian wrapped his hand around Tasha's waist and pulled her in for a kiss.
• "That bitch can no longer prevent us from being together, mate."
• I was torn apart from the inside.
• "She's such a loser. I'm glad we were able to get rid of her."
• What? Get rid of me? They got rid of me?
• It felt as though a storm had hit me. It was as if the world I knew and the life I've lived were fake.
• 'Why did they do that?'
• I was dead, but I felt like I was dying all over again. How could they do this to me?
• How long had they been having an affair behind my back?
• Suddenly, I felt a force pull me out of the room and I found myself beside my body.
• It was bandaged like that of a mummy. Two wolves carried my body on their shoulders.
• They left for the forest but no member of the pack followed.
• Not even Adrian.
• While following them, I noticed Kalix in the woods and I diverted immediately. He was standing by a river when I got there, head lowered.
• I moved closer, knowing he couldn’t see me as well because by now he should have. I stood by his side, heart wrenching out at the sight of the necklace he held.
• A tear dropped, staining his cheek and I wanted to wipe it off, but my hand just went through his face.
• As I walked away from him, tears spilled down my face. I was so sorry. I never meant to leave.
• I joined the wolves when they were deeper inside the forest.
• They had begun digging up a grave and threw my lifeless body inside.
• Night came just as fast as I died. The moonlight spilled on the grave.
• I stared at the moon, wondering if this was just an illusion.
• I could feel the fury in my veins, as memories of Adrian flashed through my eyes.
• I trusted him. I trusted Tasha.
• How could they do this? Because they are mates?
• I screamed into the night. The heaviness in my heart crushed me to pieces. The hunger for revenge caused my eyes to become bloodshot but then-
• The moon suddenly became brighter, its light blinded me. A sudden migraine caused me to whimper until I lost all the strength I had left.
• "Riya, Riya!"
• The snapping of fingers alerted me and instantly my eyes opened.
• It felt strange. I was dead, but somehow I found myself in my dressing room. Of course, it was mine, how else would it look like mine if it wasn't?
• "What happened? Are you okay?" A familiar voice asked and when I turned, it was Tasha.
• "What's going on? What am I doing here?"
• Tasha's eyes squinted as she said, "What do you mean what you are doing here? We are here to dress you up. So get your act together girl. It's your wedding."
• I looked up at the dress in her hands. A wedding dress?
• I had been reborn?!