Betrayed

1

~*~

  I watched in silence as they lay my body to rest. Standing in the realm between life and death as I witness my own funeral. Watching how everyone was pretending to have cared about me. My father, my mate, and even members of our pack. The very same people who made me feel inferior just because I did not have a wolf. The very same people who treated me like trash because of something I had no control over. Vincent, my mate or so I thought... He is so good at deceit, there he was, crying his eyes out as if he did not betray me. I was too stupid to think that he'd stop cheating on me with my best friend, Hannah, but death has taught me the biggest lesson that life could not. It enraged me as I watched my father perform the last rites as if he did not disown me for not having a wolf. He has no right to cry now, not when it is too late.

As I watched the charade of my funeral, as my lifeless body rests inside a coffin that will soon be lowered into the ground, something catches my attention, or someone: A strange man walked into the temple, his face was covered with a black cloak. I could not tell who he was and from the looks of it, no one else could either. He walked straight to the coffin in which my body lay, and then, he fell to his knees. I watched in confusion as this stranger broke down in tears. The sound of his wailing filled the air around us, his crying pierced my heart. It was as though he knew me from somewhere, but where?

Who is he?

I tried to move toward him to see his face, but my feet were frozen. Ghosts are not allowed to move around at their funeral, we only get to watch from one spot. Unfortunately, from where I was standing, this man did not seem the least bit recognizable. It was my funeral, but I was the one feeling pity for this man. Why does he cry so much for a woman he has never met?

Less than a minute later, a loud rumble was heard from his chest. The rumble slowly got to his throat, until I heard the most powerful roar come out of his mouth. He growled and bared his fangs. He looked up to the sky: HOW COULD YOU LET HER DIE?!" He asked in a loud, guttural voice.

The hood of his cloak pulled backward to reveal his elongating snout and his blood-red eyes; his fingers grew into long sharp claws. By the time his cloak had torn to shreds, the stranger had completely transformed into a large, midnight-black wolf. The largest wolf I have ever seen! He towered over everyone in the room, there was rage in his eyes as he glared at them. I could feel his anger, he was enraged for me; for all my failed dreams, for my misfortunes. I could feel his anger for the moon goddess as well, just like me. He growled again; even louder this time.

Terror was evident in the eyes of my father and everyone in attendance. Their bodies were visibly shuddering at the fearful sight in front of them. This deadly werewolf launched an attack on everyone, from my father to Vincent, to Hannah, and to as many people as he could grab. He snapped their necks in two, bit their jugulars, or just tore them in half. Those who were lucky escaped him, but as for the unlucky ones...well, they get to join me in the land of the dead. After all, I was the most unlucky of them all.

My funeral had just turned into a bloodbath and there was nothing I could do. Maybe I should be happy with how everything turned out, but I was nowhere near happy. My heart was broken in two. Why is all this happening? Why do misfortunes follow me like a shadow?

Slowly, I got sucked out of that world, away from my funeral. And just like that, I felt myself in a transition between realms, my head felt lighter and my body was stiff. I could not speak nor think, all I know was that something was happening to my spirit. My eyes were shut and I couldn't see anything.

Suddenly, it all came to a stop and my eyelids fluttered open. The first thing I saw was the face of the woman I despised; Selene, the moon goddess. She was smiling, her hair and clothes were pure white. She has an aura of tenderness and even though I had seen her before, it gets more fascinating every time. Above us was a purple sky, and surrounding us was a paradise like nothing I had ever seen.

"Welcome home child". She greeted and stretched out her hand.

I refused her help and forced myself up. "How could you act as if you did not make my life a living hell?! It was all because of you that I ended up this way!"

She seemed confused, which I am sure is just an act. "What did I do wrong, child?" She asked. "I gave you a family and a pack to call your own. What wrong did I do?"

"You never gave me a wolf, you surrounded me with enemies and made me a weakling. Do you see now what you did wrong?"  I felt weird to be challenging the most powerful deity of the werewolves, but being a ghost has now removed my fears. I was prepared to be thrown into Hades if it meant that I express how I felt.

She bobbed her head, and a look of mischief suddenly appeared in her purple eyes.  "So, you are saying that if you were not a 'weakling', things would have been different?"

"Yes," I answered without hesitation.

She furrowed her brows. "Okay, Melissa. I will give you one more chance to change your life."

My eyes widened in surprise: "What? Seriou—?"

"On one condition!"  She pointed a warning finger.  "If you fail in this one last attempt to rewrite your destiny, then I will send your soul to Hades, where you be tortured and tormented for all eternity... Do you accept?

I thought long and hard about her offer... I have to take this risk, maybe things will be different for me, or maybe I will fail again!

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. "Yes, I accept."

What have I done?