His Cursed Luna

2. Back in Time

She found herself in a state of complete disorientation as a blinding white light enveloped her, rendering her unable to perceive her surroundings. In an attempt to shield her eyes from the intense glare, she employed her arms. In the midst of her confusion, a voice spoke to her, "it's too soon for you, Princess Penelope. Go back."

Suddenly, she was pushed, causing her to plummet downward with her hair and gown whipping around her in the free fall.

“Aaah!” even as she screamed in terror, the voice called out to her once again, commanding her, “you must survive, Penelope! You must!”

Penelope jolted awake; her body drenched in sweat. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her eyes darted around the room, searching for something that wasn't there. She ran her hand over her face, rubbing her eyes and nose, desperately trying to catch her breath. Her mouth was dry and parched, so her left arm reached for the glass sitting on the round, wooden bedside table almost mechanically. She took the glass with her trembling hand and gulped down the water. Slowly her racing heart began to slow, and her nerves began to calm.

"Just a dream!" She mumbled, her voice shaking.

She slowly leaned against the bed frame, hugging her knees. The voices from the dream echoed in her ears. The familiarity of her surroundings confirmed that she was in her room. Her gaze swiftly roamed around. She hadn’t been in her room in days since she mated with Alpha Elijah. Then a sudden realisation hit her.

Why am I in my room? She thought to herself, her brow furrowing in confusion. Her palm touched her stomach, and the answer came to her in an instant.

My baby! A shiver ran down her spine at the realisation that her child was gone. She couldn’t feel the presence in her womb anymore. Her lips trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember what had happened earlier. The reflection of the hall shook her again. Her mate rejected her and humiliated her and, in the end, gave a verdict to prosecute her. She trembled as she could still remember the pain she had suffered.

This makes no sense! Didn’t I die back there? She questioned her existence, sighing inwardly.

Her eyes slowly got accustomed to the darkness of the room. A mild moonbeam was peeping inside the room through the slit of the curtains. Penelope dragged her torso to the corner of the bed. Slowly she stood up and walked near the window. She was on the first floor of the castle. The hasty reflection of herself on the window shocked her again. She quickly lit a candle and stood before the mirror. Her heart stopped for a moment as she realised she looked a few years younger than her usual self.

Before she could grasp the newly learnt pieces of information, the door opened with a gentle knock.

Penelope was bewildered as she saw Bridget walking in with a tiny lantern in her hand, “you are awake at this untimely hour. Do you require any assistance, princess?”

Penelope took a step back. Her limbs trembled as she saw Bridget taking steps towards her. She held her head to focus as she clearly remembered Bridget had died a couple of days back! How could she be alive? Above all, she looked like she was in her early twenties! The princess placed a palm on her chest to subdue the racing heart. Something felt unreal.

“You… You are alive!” She muttered.

Bridget kept the lantern on the table before proceeding towards the Princess of Goldenrealm. Her worried eyes scanned Penny once, “are you alright? You look pale, Penny.”

“Here, sit down,” she made Penny sit on the Chesterfield while she sat on the carpet, holding her hands.

Penelope felt like a doll. Her brain gave up as she couldn’t understand any of these. How could they be alive? Or perhaps they both died and ended up together in the afterlife.

“Are you worried about tomorrow?” Bridget asked again.

“Tomorrow?” Penelope looked at her friend, puzzled.

“The ball, Penelope. The Lycan King is hosting a ball to present Princess Isabella in front of the Lycans and Nobles. After all, it is her eighteenth birthday, princess,” Bridget clarified.

“Izzy’s eighteenth birthday?” Penelope was beyond surprised. She was twenty-five, and Isabella was a few months older than her. She had been married for the last five years. Above all, she met her husband for the first time on Isabella’s eighteenth birthday! Nothing made sense!

Her eyes slowly moved to the sky through the window. She stood up gently and walked near the window. Her eyes met the full moon in the sky! She was back in time somehow! A sigh left her lips as her eyes went to the garden. The silver moonlight was making everything magical. Was she given another chance? She shook her head. A stroll in the garden could help her to shake off the heavy thoughts in her head.

“I am going for a walk, Bridget,” she uttered while grabbing the housecoat. Wrapping it around her torso, she left the room.

Penelope took the usual route to the garden. She walked along the short hallway, which led her to a flight of stairs. Soon she reached a long corridor. This was the main floor of the castle. The fresh air touched her face as her eyes caught the velvety green grass next to the corridor. She walked along the hallway, crossing the open arch, towards a couple of steps that met the tiled path through the garden. This area was quieter. The soft susurration of the fountains and chilly wind filled the air.

The castle was peaceful at those late hours. But many guards weren’t around this area either. After all, her security wasn’t a priority. Her mind was again occupied with thousands of thoughts when a sudden pain rose in her heart. An uneasiness emerged on her chest, and her eyes desperately looked towards the nearby woods. The deadly thoughts of her death disappeared from her mind as the mysterious feelings occupied her entire attention.

She walked to the woods like a puppet, as if something was calling for her, pulling the invisible strings. Her mind was in a daze when she heard his growls that shook the entire forest. But somehow, she could sense the pain hidden in his thunder-like growls, as if he was asking for help. Her ears picked up the howl again, making her heart shatter into pieces.

‘What is this feeling?’ She thought to herself.

Focusing on the source, she chose her direction. The growl was taking her deeper into the woods. The mist around her was thickening, almost making her disappear in the surroundings as she rushed towards the cries. The woods became dense as well. The moonlight could hardly reach this area. The rustling and wild wind blew around her, touching her disheveled hair, but her mind paid no attention to the surroundings since her heart only wanted to find the source desperately. The discomfort and the pain increased as she got closer to the source where the haze became thicker, making it hard to see. Again, she didn’t have to watch her way since her other senses were heightened for some reason.

Finally, she found the source. Her senses brought her near a river. She stood still as her eyes met a golden pair, standing on the other side. A shiver ran down her spine as she smelt the most divine scent ever! Was it pinewoods? Or sage? Her mind couldn’t distinguish what it was exactly. She couldn't move, as if someone had tied her down with an invisible thread. The eyes were staring back as if they could eat her alive! Soon realisation hit her. He was a Lycan!

He was half-transformed into his Lycan form. Penelope gasped as the Lycans barely took their original Lycan forms. She knew that they weren't always able to control their beast, and hence it was considered to be dangerous to shift at their original beast. Only a few lucky ancient born could do so.

Before Penelope could react, the beast surged towards her, crossing the river in a blink. She fell on her back as she saw the huge torso gawking at her. She hadn't experienced this in her past life!

His burning gaze fell on her as he growled, suddenly pulling her closer to his chest. She felt another surge of emotions. Happiness? Worries? Pain? Lust? There were so many more. Elijah never made her feel that way. She trembled as she felt his furry arms embrace her in a warm hug. Her head was pressed against his chest. His heart was thumping louder and faster. A tingling sensation ran through her skin. Her heart warmed up as if he was taking away all her pain, making her forget about her miserable life. Slowly she felt the warm fur disappearing. A part of her became relaxed in his embrace. She wanted to stay there forever. Slowly, Penelope closed her eyes, giving in to the exhaustion as she heard his voice, “Found you.”