Luna

• 43 •

What Happens Now?

Aurora's P.O.V

The pain was unbearable. 

Before getting bitten, I never believed a pain like this could exist. If I had known this is what vampire venom does to a person, I would have chosen death. In this moment I welcomed my demise if that meant the end of my pain. 

The venom burned the second it was injected into my bloodstream. With every inch it spread my body was acutely aware as the pain heightened. However, it was not a searing burn that I had always imagined vampire venom to be, but rather a blindingly freezing pain. It prickled at my body, as if ice was being pressed upon my skin. Yet with even second it lingered, the ice grew colder, burning my body and leaving my skin to peel away and curl upon the edges. 

I remember Paul holding me in his arms. While I couldn't open my eyes, the jostling spiked my pain tenfold. I had to tell him though; I had to tell him I was sorry. 

I tried to speak to utter such simple words that meant so much more, but I wasn't certain if I was actually able to speak them. The pain became so horrendous that I froze my body, trying not to scream. I wasn't going to make Paul suffer even more because of my choices. 

"Something's wrong." Bella spoke. 

"No shit!" Paul snarled, yet the next thing I felt was Paul tearing at my jacket. That simple friction of clothing against my skin caused a raw burn of even more pain. 

Bella's voice was somewhat hazy against my ears. "Vampire venom doesn't do that."  

Do what? What's going on? 

Under my delirious nature, I managed to hear their words, but processing them was a bit slower.  Yet, Paul's tightened grip on me clearly conveyed their message- something far worse than vampire venom was at play. 

I strained my mind and energy to catch on to Edward's almost silent words. "I think you're right." He voiced. 

Even with the pain, I internally screamed at Edward for clarification. What the hell was happening? Someone needs to tell me!

A cry of pain erupted from Paul. "Not her, god dammit! Sam and I thought for months Aurora was going to shift; she was getting angry all the time and healing too fast for a normal human."

What the fuck? 

The pack thought I was going to shift- for months?!

Underneath the venom, I held onto the rising feeling of utter betrayal. It helped steer my half- conscious mind to sanity, but I didn't want this moment to get lost in my transformation. They should have told me . Paul and I made a decision to not keep secrets and he let me live my life in ignorance. I could've shifted earlier, I could have stopped Carter. 

Attempting to ignore the pain and focus on the conversation, once more I picked up on Edward's words. 

Edward answered.  "Vampire venom is lethal to wolves."

I stopped listening, once more falling prey to overwhelming pain, but I didn't want to know anything else. There was no denying I was angry with Paul, but I condemned him to a life without an imprint- I selfishly decided that. 

Maybe I was naive to think there could have been a future for us with me as a vampire, but now the most likely outcome was that I was going to die. I know I could come to terms with my own death, but the fact that Paul would suffer was even worse than me dying. 

The next thing I was vaguely aware of was wind brushing against my face. Whatever was happening surprisingly didn't spike my pain as it simply remained constant.