Chapter 3 Shadows Of A Forgotten Life

As he came in, the doctor excused himself leaving her alone with the sight that made her heart pound: The sight of Alpha King Derek Dumbledore of Moonhaven Kingdom startled her, and she couldn't help but wonder within her what he was doing in the hospital at that moment.

She gasped for breath as she thought What happened? I thought I would be reincarnated to another kingdom entirely? How come I am still seeing this man? But the name Alpha Derek called her now shocked her more than his presence.

''Daphne, how are you feeling?" He asked, his deep voice filling the room as he gently took her hands in his "I came as soon as the Doctor called. Your Father and siblings were really worried about you"

"Daphne?" The word felt strange on her lips, but she had no choice now-The owner of the body she now possessed belonged to Queen Daphne, The wife to the Alpha King Derek: The same Derek she had admired from afar.

Beatrice's heart raced as realization struck- Was this some sort of joke that fate was playing on her? She wondered, why she was reincarnated into the body of a person she thought of as her enemy? What was supposed to be the correlation?

"Daphne, are you sure you are okay?" he asked, his voice growing with concern.

"Yes I'm... I'm fine she stuttered, but..."

"But what?" He interrupted cutting her off with a sharp gaze

"No, it's nothing," She tried to fake a smile, but it felt wrong.

But she wished she could be alone, with time to come to terms with this sudden upsurge of emotion. She fancied him. Her libido had risen to slap her in the face and had drawn her to the man that definitely wasn't interested in her- In Daphne. But maybe she should be happy about possessing this body. She could use that as a medium to get close to Derek. But then she thought again. Was it a blessing or a curse to be in this body?

"I have called Josh and Zoe. Immediately I heard that you were awake. They would be here any time soon, they have been worried sick about you," Derek said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

It was normal for him to have called them. At least they were worried about their sister. But she didn't know how to act when they finally got there, how could she pretend that she was their beloved sister?

"Okay, but I need to tell you something before Josh and Zoe get here," she said carefully.

"Okay, what is it? You don't seem to be yourself. You have been acting strange since I got here. Are you sure you are okay?" He frowned, his brows furrowing.

"It's just that," she paused and hesitated a bit, she had to be careful not to reveal much, she took a deep breath, "I don't seem to remember anything at all," she said in a low tone, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't worry, I'm sure with time you will recover your memory, when you recover completely," his voice sounded cold and detached. He had said that with no emotion at all, his expression was flat, as if he didn't believe her.

He knew Daphne was always up to no good. She would use any trick to keep him by her side at all times, and he was not ready to buy into any of that for now. He was already burdened with the sad news of Beatrice's death, and he wouldn't want Daphne to add to his burden, and so he just threw that off.

"Josh and Zoe will be here any time, I'm sure you'll be happy to see them. But right now I have to head back to the castle. I have so many things to do. Take care of yourself," He said abruptly and left, his departure was swift.

He should be happy that his wife who was involved in an accident had woken up, but his expression showed nothing but sadness, Could he be mourning me? Beatrice heart sank at this possibility, she felt trapped between two lives- was she doomed to be in a loveless marriage even after her previous life was filled with chaos?

Now that he had gone, she wondered how she would act in front of Josh and Zoe. Should she tell them that she had lost her memory, since she had no memory of Daphne? She thought, but those two are always up to no good, including Daphne.

They have always been mischievous, all their lives, and she thought that when they arrived, she would know exactly what to do. After a few hours, the both of them came into the hospital room. She was already prepared, and she had braced herself up. She knew she had to act flawlessly, so that they would not know that she was somebody else.

"Sis, we were so worried about you," Zoe said, giving her a warm hug, "Are you sure you are okay? Does your head still hurt?" she asked hurriedly, the excitement to see her sister was evident in her expression.

"No, I'm fine. How is father?" Beatrice said, trying hard to suppress the confusion clawing at her.

"Father is fine. He said he would come to check on you later," Zoe responded.

"I have good news for you," Josh interrupted their conversation, grinning from ear to ear.

"What is the good news?" she managed a smile, but she knew that whatever good news Josh had, could have nothing to do with Beatrice.

"We finally did it," his grin widened "We got rid of Beatrice, your husband's fated mate," he said with a hysterical laugh.

With this revelation, her heart skipped a bit.

"You got rid of Beatrice? How? she asked as her heart pounded so hard in her chest.

"Yes, we did. It went smoothly," he said as his voice tinged with excitement, "But what do you mean by how? You knew this was the plan all along" He asked, his voice laced with curiosity.

"I mean, I thought she was killed in an accident- by a speeding vehicle," she stammered.

"How did you know that?" Josh's eyes narrowed.

"The Alpha must have told her," Zoe replied in her defense, "isn't it?" she asked, turning her gaze towards Daphne trying to confirm what she had just said.

Beatrice realized she needed to be more careful, she couldn't say things that would reveal her true identity.

"Yes, you're right," she nodded gently, "it was Derek that told me about it," she lied.

This sudden revelation has set a fire of fury within her, but she needed to be careful so as not to reveal her true identity.

"Alright, she's gone now and we have gotten rid of the only thing that's taking Derek's attention," he replied.

"Has she been buried?" Beatrice asked, trying to submerge the anger fuming in her.

"No, and why do you suddenly care?" Zoe asked curiously.

"The thing is, I don't care. I just want us to avert all forms of suspicion. Let's hold a funeral service for her," her voice tight with suppressed rage

"That will be a total waste of time and money," Josh snapped.

"I think Sis is right, it'll be the last thing we are doing for her, and who knows if we'll finally win Derek's heart with this act," she responded.

Josh's eyes narrowed with suspicion. He knew something was not right about Daphne but he couldn't place his hands on what was wrong. He knew how much Daphne hated Beatrice since they were little, she had even tried to poison her but she failed. The sudden compassion baffled him and made his mind unsettled.

"Daphne, you don't sound like yourself, Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, more concerned than surprised.

"I am fine, I already told you that I want us to avert all suspicion, it'll keep Derek from getting suspicious," she replied smoothly.

So they had killed her because of Derek's interest in her, but she was an ordinary slave, why was she a threat to them? She had thought that it was an accident but she was wrong. It was indeed planned. She will be needing all the patience in the world to discover more of their heinous plan.

They were a deadly family filled with vicious people, and now Fate had made her part of the family- The family that caused her death. She wondered what it was that she had done to deserve such a cruel fate.

But one thing is certain: She needed to unravel their secrets before they unraveled her.