Ava's POV
My eyes opened once again and I realized I was still alive. At first, my vision was blurry with a headache hitting me so hard all over my head that it felt like it would rip out my brain, forcing a loud groan out of my lips as I blinked my eyes continuously to clear my view.
Everything was hazed in my memory and I couldn't remember anything that happened or how I ended up in this strange room.
I shut my eyes again, taking deep breaths and trying hard to recall all that happened, but nothing was registering in my head. All I could feel was so much heaviness in my heart that was causing me sadness.
The door made a creaky sound, and my eyes fluttered and opened, directing my gaze to the door to see who was there.
My jaw dropped on seeing Nana walk in with a smirk. Something about her was triggering submission in me, as if I was her slave.
"How are you, my slave?" She spoke out, folding her arms, and just then, I felt a very sharp pain in my neck region. The part where my mate should mark me.
It was at that moment, everything about the past began to return to my memory, but yet, I couldn't get myself to believe it wasn't a nightmare. Last night, under the full moon, I couldn't shift, and a witch pulled an allegation on me.
The voice of my father began to echo in my head. That order he made to get the knife used to mark me as Nana's slave was all that battered my head, and I couldn't help the tears which began to flood down my cheeks.
Yet, I don't want to believe it was all real.
With a heavy heart and panic, I jumped off the bed and scurried over over to the mirror hanging on the wall at the corner of the room.
I stood upright in front of it and my reflection appeared right in front of my eyes.
My eyes trailed all the way to the corner of my neck, and I saw it clearly.
The mark of slavery was carefully carved right there. I froze. My heart stopped right inside my chest as hot tears seared my eyes, streaming down my cheeks. My lips were wavering while I tried to push back the sob threatening to burst out of my mouth.
My heart squeezed so hard that I had to clutch my chest and fix my eyes at the mark, which was so humiliating. With the mark, no one can ever love or respect me. According to the stories I had heard, no one with this mark had ever been accepted by their mates, because it was a huge shame.
I tried talking, but my breath hitched at my throat, forcing a gasp off my lips. My heart was broken and shattered into pieces as it dawned on me that my little hope had been washed away.
I thought finding my mate would end my suffering, but it was all wishful thinking. This mark would chase them all off me. I will be under Nana forever, doing all she orders, even the ones I wish not to.
I was breathing heavily now as my heart thumped harder inside my chest, forcing me to gulp for air, especially when I heard Nana snickering behind me. I was weakened and almost fell, but I was able to clutch at the table edges to support myself.
"Aren't you done checking out yourself? You have to start following me around to abide by my orders. You know how lazy I am.." Nana's voice came through from behind, followed by her mockery giggles, which broke my heart more.
As much as I wanted to yell at her for doing this to me, I found out I had no strength to do that. I was officially her slave with the mark on my neck.
"My father did this??" I sobbed, carassing my finger around the slave mark.
"Don't you think it is an abomination to call him your father?" She chuckled, and as I glanced at her through the mirror, I could see the huge smirk on her face.
"You planned all this with that witch because you knew my father would spare me from punishment for not having a successful shift, but then, why did you make me a slave, thereby destroying my future?" I whimpered, feeling so hurt as I remembered how passionately Jaden had looked at me.
He seemed to be interested in me, which everyone saw, but now with this mark, I will appear like a pig to him. Slaves have no connection with the royal members. He is definitely going to hate me once he sees it.
"I needed to put that mark on you so you wouldn't steal Jaden away from me. If the suffering is too much for you to bear, kill yourself. Destroy your heart core and die. It is so easy to escape this torment!" She scoffed, walking closer to me.
"You are very wicked." I sighed with a broken heart, but she only shrugged and pulled me through the collar of my gown, dragging me away.
There was no power to resist.
"I need to taste these whips I bought for you to know which is better," she snickered, feeling so satisfied. All I could think of was Jaden. What will be the outcome when he sees me again?
I was ready to kill myself and end it all before he came into the picture. He appeared in my life like a breath of fresh air and a storm in the hot summer, giving me so much hope and reasons to live.
Just when I thought my life was getting better, Nana destroyed it all.
Aurora's POV
It was at mid-night and I was alone in my room, drinking a lot of alcohol and laughing all to myself as I felt the greatest happiness of my life.
I had not felt this satisfied for a long time, and it felt like I was on cloud nine. I thought it would be so hard to bring an end to this pack, but I overestimated them all, including Ava.
With a huge smirk plastered on my face, I left the bed and moved over to the corner of the room, facing the wall as I mumbled some magic spell.
Since I first kept her here, I had never had the courage to revisit her because I was so unsure about my victory, but at this moment,I really don't need a soothsayer or witch doctor to foretell how it will all end, because I can already see it myself.
The wall made a little crumbling sound before a door appeared, I placed my right palm on it, and the door gave way to me.
Just as I stepped in, the door shut behind me. The fire lamps all came on, illuminating the whole room, thereby helping me see clearly the young woman lying helplessly on the ground with chains bounding her legs and arms to the four corners of the room.
That was Selene's spirit.
"Hello, Selene... been a long time!" I announced my presence and she looked up at my face with her eyes blinded with tears.
She burst into a heartbreaking cry, which echoed through every corner of the room. I had bound her soul here, just so she would see how I would destroy everything she loved and feel how torturous the pain felt.
Her hope was Ava, because she was a special child with the moon goddess spirit that could destroy the demons, but now that hope had been crushed because Ava had just gotten the wrong mate.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Selene screeched, with the rattling of chains following her voice, but all I could do was laugh harder till my stomach began to hurt.
I could feel the depth of her misery, and it felt like heaven to me. I was so glad to meet Jaden, as that just gave me so much hope. It just seemed like the moon goddess was on my side by giving Ava a mate like Jaden
"But how will you ask why I am doing all this to you when you know it all? Ava must be in so much pain now after being marked as a slave. Wow, that slave mark will also help in sparking up the repulsion in Jaden towards her very soon." I grinned, and she sprawled weakly right there on the floor, whimpering in sadness.
"Ava will be shocked to realize she was mated to the same man who would kill her." I laughed harder.
This is getting more interesting than I imagined.