Chapter 3

• Aurora
• I drifted to sleep not long after I was thrown into the dungeon to rot throughout the night.
• I could feel the worms in my stomach growl in hunger, reminding me that i hadn't eaten throughout yesterday.
• I was so engulfed in chores that I didn't eat.
• Nathalia made sure of that.
• Despite being fast asleep, I couldn't stop my teeth from chattering in fear as I hugged my battered body tighter.
• The night was going to be a long freezing one.
• Panicked shot through me as I felt a pair of tiny legs scurried across my body.
• It could only be one thing.
• Rats!
• The Moon goddess knows how much I detested those creepy creatures.
• A scream tore from my mouth as I sprang up to my feet in a flash of light, running to a rat-free spot. I muffled another scream as my head hit the hard brick wall and I fell to the cold floor at once.
• For some seconds, everything went blank as my head rang repeatedly.
• I massaged the throbbing spot on my head as I sat, resting my back against the wall, wincing in pain.
• Peeking into the darkness that surrounded me, fear clawed my heart and I quickly looked away. My heart pounded hard against my ribs and my breath became heavy.
• By the Moon goddess, I hated dark places. It made me feel as if I was in the midst of gigantic monsters.
• To crown it all, I was the only one in this part of the dungeon.
• Quietly, I crawled carefully until I found a safe spot. I curled into a ball and buried my face in-between my palms.
• Slowly, I fell into a deep slumber. That was the only way I could survive in darkness.
• The last thing I heard were the repeated chattering of my teeth as my torn clothes could cover my body and the fast beating of my heart as I was petrified.
• As soon as I shut my eyes, I teleported to another world.
• Fear filled my heart as I walked in the midst of two women gawking at me.
• My mother and the Luna.
• "Mother, help," I called unto her, stretching my hand as the wind blew me away but she remained unperturbed, watching me in scorn as I struggled to get on my feet with the wind tossing me about.
• "Please, mother, help me!" I screamed louder, desperately struggling to reach out to her, "Mother…"
• "Don't you dare call me that!" She yelled, growling at me like a wild beast.
• The Luna on the other hand stared at me quietly with compassion unlike my mother whose appearance was like that of a fire-breathing monster.
• "I'm sinking! Help, mother!" I screamed, struggling with the sand that was about to swallow me and the wind that made me fall repeatedly.
• "You think I care? You ruined my life, I hate you!" She spat angrily turned her back and walking away nonchalantly.
• "I'll help you, dear," Luna's smooth voice filled my ears and a gasp rolled off my mouth.
• “How?”
• “Find your mates.”
• “My mates? I have more than one mate???”
• I was about to stretch my hand to meet hers when the wind caught me and threw me off balance, burying me in the sand, overwhelmed by confusion.
• I jerked with force as I woke up from the nightmare, snapping my eyes open as my heartbeat accelerated.
• The dream was so vivid, I could almost smell my mother's scent.
• I had dreamt of my mother's nonchalant behavior toward me…but there was something strange about this dream.
• About my mother. About Luna. About my mates.
• I screamed in fear as my eyes met with the terrifying darkness.
• It was as if my mother's figure was staring at me.
• I swallowed the hard lump in my throat, hugging my knees and burying my face into them.
• Why my mother hated me so much? Why Luna told me I needed to find my mates?
• Exhausted, I fell asleep with more questions.