Chapter 3 Run, Aurora

AURORA

The moment Victor walked out of the dressing room, I felt like I could breathe again.

Not completely.

Never completely around him.

The door clicked shut behind him, but his warning lingered in my mind.

Don't be late.

Five minutes.

That was all he had given me, and I knew exactly what would happen if I embarrassed him in front of the pack.

My fingers tightened around the edge of the vanity as I stared at my reflection. The diamonds decorating my gown sparkled beneath the lights, while the silver necklace around my throat seemed to grow heavier with every passing second.

Everyone would see a beautiful bride.

No one would see the fear buried beneath my skin.

No one would see the bruises hidden under layers of expensive fabric and careful makeup.

No one would see a woman trying not to fall apart before her own wedding.

A shaky breath escaped me.

God.

Was I really about to marry him?

The thought made my chest ache, and before I could stop it, another memory dragged me into the past.

Only two months ago, I had still believed things could get better between us.

I had still believed Victor loved me in his own broken way.

The morning I discovered I was pregnant had been one of the happiest days of my life. I remembered staring at the test result in disbelief, tears filling my eyes as I pressed a trembling hand against my stomach.

I was going to be a mother.

Victor was going to be a father.

For the first time in years, hope had felt real.

I spent the entire drive smiling. I even stopped at his favorite bakery before heading to his office because I wanted to surprise him with the news.

I wanted us to be happy.

I wanted us to be a family.

The memory turned bitter almost immediately.

I could still hear the laughter behind his office door.

Still remember the excitement in my chest as I pushed it open.

And still remember the exact moment my world shattered.

Victor's secretary was sitting on his desk with her skirt pushed up, while Victor stood between her legs with his hands all over her.

The pregnancy results nearly slipped from my fingers.

For a moment, I couldn't move.

Couldn't think.

Couldn't breathe.

But the worst part wasn't catching him.

It was what happened afterward.

Victor didn't look ashamed.

He didn't look guilty.

He looked furious.

"How dare you walk into my office without knocking?"

Even now, the memory made me sick.

His secretary had smirked while fixing her clothes before walking past me as though I were the one who didn't belong there.

Back then, I still made excuses for him.

I told myself powerful Alphas cheated.

I told myself Luna duties required sacrifice.

I told myself that if I became prettier, quieter, and more understanding, maybe Victor would finally love me the way I loved him.

I hated that version of myself now.

The woman who kept forgiving things that should never have been forgiven.

"I’m pregnant," I had whispered, holding out the test results with shaking hands.

Silence filled the room.

Victor stared at the paper.

Then he laughed.

Not with happiness.

Not with surprise.

With cruelty.

Cold, heartless cruelty.

"How dare you carry my pup without my permission?"

The words still cut as deeply as they had that day.

I remembered stepping backward while fear crawled through me.

"Did you really think I wanted this?" he snapped.

That was the day something inside me finally broke.

The day I stopped believing love could save us.

The day Victor destroyed whatever remained between us.

"Ma'am?"

A soft voice pulled me back to the present.

I blinked and realized tears had gathered in my eyes.

Elena stood behind me, carefully holding part of my veil.

"The ceremony starts in two minutes."

Two minutes.

My heart immediately began pounding harder.

The room suddenly felt too small.

Too warm.

Too suffocating.

I nodded weakly while the omegas finished adjusting my dress.

Then my phone vibrated.

I frowned.

Almost nobody contacted me anymore.

Victor had made sure of that.

Slowly, I reached for the device.

Unknown Number.

A knot formed in my stomach as I opened the message.

I know you're still strong, Aurora.

The woman you used to be is still inside you.

My breath caught.

For a moment, I simply stared at the screen.

Who sent this?

How did they know?

A strange mixture of fear and hope rushed through me.

Before anyone could see it, I quickly deleted the message.

Especially Victor.

Over the years, he had stripped away everything that belonged to me.

My friends. My freedom.

My connection to the people I loved.

Zane didn't even know I was getting married today.

The realization hurt as much as it always did.

My phone vibrated again.

At the same time, bells rang somewhere outside.

The ceremony was beginning.

One of the omegas stepped forward and opened the large doors.

Music drifted into the room.

My body froze.

This was it.

The beginning of the rest of my life.

Or the end of it.

I tightened my grip on the bouquet.

Then the message echoed through my mind once more.

The woman you used to be is still inside you.

I wanted to believe that.

I really did.

But Victor had spent years breaking me apart, piece by piece.

Still, for the first time in what felt like forever, I heard something I thought I had lost.

My wolf was there, soft and weak, barely a whisper in the back of my mind, yet unmistakably present. It urged me to run, Aurora.