REBIRTH OF THE ROGUE KING'S LOVER

/

/-Isabelle-/

"Thomas! Alisa!" I screamed and both heads snapped to me.

He rolled his eyes and pulled out of her, while she adjusted her skirt.

I couldn't believe my eyes. My sister was sleeping with my husband!

"Why are you yelling? You didn't react this way when your ex sent you that letter," he huffed and I stared at him in disbelief and fury.

"Are you kidding me?! It was just a letter! A harmless birthday wish! It has nothing to do with you cheating with my sister!" I yelled.

My chest was hurting. It felt like my lungs were closing up on me. I was angry, heartbroken, and betrayed. I looked at Alisa who was actively avoiding my gaze.

"How could you do this to me?" The tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Well, it's no one's fault you can't keep your man. He just happened to be attracted to me, and as two consenting adults, we went after what we wanted," she shrugged, and I felt my head spinning.

This wasn't happening. It just can't be happening to me!

"I can't take this..." my voice was breaking. "I won't take this... not after everything I've been through! Because of you, I was forced to abandon the one I love. I couldn't have the life I always wanted for myself.. because of you, I swallowed everything that was thrown my way just to be a good wife to you, and this is how you repay me?"

"Cut the sob story, Isabel. What exactly are you expecting? You want the Alpha to go down on his knees and beg you?" Alisa retorted.

I couldn't believe she was the one saying this. Out of everyone, I always thought she was the one who truly had my best interest at heart.

But I was wrong.

It was all a front so I wouldn't discover her true nature.

I was angry and bitter.

"He doesn't need to beg me. I don't need your apologies but be well aware that the Elders and everyone else in the pack will hear about this!"

With that, I stormed out of the room to my room. Tears poured down my cheeks as I clutched tightly to my pillow.

How could they do this to me on my birthday? Couldn't they respect me for just today?

Even if the day was going a little rough, it was still my birthday!"

EARLIER THAT DAY

Baby clothes.

Baby shoes.

Baby bags.

Baby cot.

Baby closet.

My eyes watered. My birthday gifts were all baby items. Nothing for me. Not even a birthday card.

Everyone was more concerned about the pregnancy than they were about me.

"Just wait until you deliver, Isa. The ceremony will be the talk of the town. People from far and near will come and your child will be flooded with many more gifts," my father said.

That was all I ever heard.

Baby! Baby! Baby!

If it wasn't the baby then it was about my husband, Alpha Thomas. No one cared about my feelings or ever considered it.

They were more concerned about what they would gain from the union and the baby's arrival. They somehow managed to make my birthday centrentrethese two people, just like the rest of my life.

One of the maids walked in with a gift.

"This was delivered for you, Luna," she bowed. I took it from her with a nod, ignoring the curious gazes from my family.

The gift was rather flat and I tried to imagine which baby items it was as I opened it.

Surprisingly, it was an envelope.

I opened it curiously and my heart skipped the moment I saw the handwriting.

It was one I would never forget.

The cursive letters were the writing of the one man who had my heart. One, which, unfortunately, I couldn't marry because my father set his eyes on Thomas' wealth and affluence.

Damian, the rogue king.

"Happy birthday, Fireball. I know we've been apart for a year but I hope you are having the best life. I hope this birthday is a memorable one for you and hope you like my gift. Safe delivery, princess. Love, Damon."

My eyes watered as I read it over and over again. If only he were here...

If only things worked out between us.

I checked the contents of the envelope and found a customized infinity necklace.

My insides were overwhelmed with emotions. This was the first real gift I've received today. And to think it was from my ex.

"What is that?" Thomas asked out of the blue, and my heart skipped. The man had a rotten temper and this was certainly going to anger him.

"Are you deaf?" He snapped and I gulped.

"It's just a letter," I tried to keep my voice steady.

"If it's just a little then read it out and stop stalling!" He fired. My hands trembled around it.

There was nothing bad in it but I knew he would flip the minute he heard who it came from.

I read out the letter to avoid angering him but intentionally left out the part where it showed it was from Damian.

"Fireball?" He spat the name with distaste. "Whose fireball are you?"

My throat went dry. I couldn't come up with any explanation because it seemed like he already knew the answer and I wasn't wrong.

"It's from Damian, isn't it? As far as I know, he's the only one who addresses you by such a ridiculous name," he demanded.

I couldn't deny it.

"You are still communicating with your ex while you are married to me?" He growled snatching the letter from me.

I watched in horror as he tore it to shreds.

"You think he's better than me? I provide you with everything you could possibly ask for and this is how you pay me back?"

"You need to calm down, Thomas. It was just a letter. You are blowing things out of proportion!" I tried to explain, but a slap met me across the face, igniting gasps from all present.

"Are you stupid? How dare you address me in that tone, you lying bitch!" He barked and I flinched.

I didn't say a word as he stormed away.

A tear slipped down my cheeks. How did I end up like this?

"Look what you've done, Isabelle! What were you thinking?" My father, of course, took his side.

"What do you mean by that, father? You just saw him hit me!" My pitch rose in annoyance.

"He only did that because he was angry, which he had every right to be! Why would you be gushing over a gift from your ex?" He scolded.

"Well, this ex would never be violent towards me! Especially when I'm pregnant!" I fired, angry tears pouring down my cheeks.

He was just going to ignore the fact that Thomas hit me all because he didn't want to get on his wrong side.

I had never seen a more shameless asslicker.

"Everyone, calm down please!" Alisa, my sister said suddenly. She placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, Isa. Calm down, alright. I'll go talk to him and see if I can calm him down, okay?"

I nodded tearily and she walked away.

"Just look at you. You were the one who offended him yet you are sending in your sister to apologize on your behalf," he hissed.

I didn't understand why the man always had a problem with me. Nothing I did was ever right in his eyes.

In fact, this marriage was the only value he saw in me. He told me that multiple times after forcing me to leave Damian.

He didn't care if I was happy or not. As long as I married Thomas.

After thirty minutes of glaring and silence, he snapped, "Why are you still here? Go and apologize to your husband!"

I didn't want to argue with him so I went upstairs. As I got closer to his room, I could hear the faint moans.

My chest tightened as I thought of many possibilities and just as I pushed open the slightly opened door, my worst fear came true.

There was my supposedly angry husband, buried deeply inside my sister.

/-Isabelle-/

I ended up crying myself to sleep. I woke up at nine o'clock and decided to go downstairs but just as I opened the door, I saw a maid with a tray of breakfast.

I recognized her immediately as Alisa's maid.

"I was asked to serve you, Luna, since you mixed breakfast," she bowed and I took the tray from her.

"Thank you," I smiled.

As I shut the door, my stomach grumbled loudly. I opened the tray and began filling my stomach with as much food as I could.

Today was going to be a long day. I could feel it.

Shortly after eating, I freshened up and headed downstairs. I didn't know what to expect when I saw the Elders gathered downstairs. The resentment in their eyes was startling.

What is going on?

Why is everyone gathered here? Is there a meeting I wasn't informed about?

"It's good to have you join us today, Luna. A grave accusation has been labelled against you," one of the pack elders said.

Grave accusation?

I looked between them in confusion.

Alisa stepped forward with a meek expression and a puzzled expression formed on my face.

"I'm sorry, Isabelle, but I have been carrying this guilt for so long and now, I can't bear it anymore because every day I see the Alpha suffer to take care of you..." she sniffled.

"What are you talking about?" I blurted.

"I confessed... I told them how you've been cheating on Alpha Thomas with the rogue king," she said, and my jaw dropped.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded.

"There is no need to lie now. They already know the truth. They also know that the baby you are carrying isn't the Alpha's but Damian's," she stated.

I was confused, shocked and angry that she could come up with such a lie.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Isabelle?" The Elders demanded.

"I don't know what she is talking about. I have never been with any other man since I married the Alpha..."

"Liar! He sent you a love letter on your birthday, confessing his love and plans to elope with you!" She interrupted.

"No... no... that is not true! The letter didn't say anything like that! Right, Dad?" I turned to my father, hoping he would back me up, but there was an apologetic look in his eyes before it hardened.

"Are you really this shameless to call me to your defence even when you know you are lying?" He barked and I flinched. "Alpha Thomas has been nothing but a good husband to you and this is how you repay him? You think some stupid rogue is better than him?"

I was stunned. The disgust on their faces was evident now. Nobody believed me.

"Father..."

"I will not have you taint my family prestige. From now onwards, you cease to be my daughter!" He thundered, and I felt my words crumbling apart.

How could my father betray me like this? All for what?

Thomas stepped forward with anger in his eyes. I knew he was only going to make things worse.

"Please believe me," I turned to the Elders. "I am innocent. They are lying. I've had nothing to do with the rogue king. If anything, it is your alpha who cheated..."

"Enough!" Thomas barked. "How dare you stand before us and vomit such nonsense? Let's assume your sister is lying, is your father lying too? I was there when you received the letter, am I a liar too? Should we bring it and have everyone read it then we can judge who is the liar?"

My legs were trembling.

Hesshreddedd the original letter to pieces, so if he was going to show the council any letter, it would be a fake.

Tears stung the side of my eyes. I was clearly at a disadvantage.

"Why are you doing this to me, Thomas? Haven't you hurt me enough?" I burst into tears. "What do you hope to gain from all this?"

His expression hardened.

"It is clear that you are unrepentant and bent on manipulating your way out of this with your fake tears. On that note, I, Alpha Thomas Morgan, reject you, Isabelle Flynn, as my mate and Luna!"

My body weakened as a sharp pain cut through me and my wolf howled in pain.

The Elders stepped forward, disregarding my pain.

"With all evidence and testimonies against you, we have found you guilty of infidelity."

I could barely make out their words because of the intense ache in my heart. I could see the smirk on Alisa's face.

They won. They all won.

"You have been found guilty, Isabelle and you know the consequences..." I looked at him tearily, pleading with him one last time not to do this to me. "You are hereby banished from the MoonClaw Pack, never to be seen again!"

Just like that, I was led out of the pack borders and abandoned to cater for myself.

The pain in my heart was too intense to contain. I let my body crash to the floor, crying to my heart's contents.

I didn't understand why life had to be so unfair to me. I had given up my happiness to please my family, only for them to betray me this way.

Now I had nothing left.

No family, no mate, no pack.

I pushed myself off the ground as my subconscious reminded me that I wasn't completely alone.

I still had someone.

Damian.

Before I could think of moving, a sharp pain shot up my core. At first, I thought it was nothing until I felt something trickling down my legs.

The pain intensified and in no time, my dress was soaked with blood.

No! No! No!

Don't let this happen to me, please. I couldn't afford to lose this baby right after I was cast out.

My mind suddenly flashed the moment when Alisa's maid brought me food.

Oh, Goddess!

A scream ripped out of my throat as the pain intensified. It felt like I was being cut open with a knife.

"Help!" I cried out. "please help me, somebody."

But no matter how loud I screamed or called out for help, no one answered.

I was all alone.

Alone and afraid.

My body was weak and my throat hurt from screaming so much.

How much longer can I hold on?

I wasn't sure, but one thing was certain, if I didn't get up, I would die here.

Please give me strength, goddess...

Please help me get to Damian...

Gathering my failing strength I pushed myself off, occasionally yelping in pain. My legs felt like jelly. They couldn't even support me properly and threatened to give out if I made a move.

But I thought I could manage so I took a step forward. Slow and steady, I was doing it.

"Help me please..." I whimpered.

"Did somebody call for help?" I suddenly heard footsteps approaching me. I looked up, eyes widening.

"Alisa?"

"Yes, honey. You see I had to come back when I was sure everyone was gone," she drawled, stepping towards me.

I moved backwards.

"Please... I don't know why you're here but I'm bleeding... help me..." I pleaded.

"You want me to help you but you keep moving backwards. Are you afraid of me?" Her lips curled in a cruel smirk.

Another stab of pain hit me and I let out a yelp, clutching to my lower abdomen. My teary eyes met hers pleadingly.

"Don't worry, sister. I will help you. It's just that the baby needs to go. I should be the only one to carry Thomas' child, don't you think? I am going to be his Luna, after all," she stepped towards me maliciously.

"You know what that means, don't you?" She closed the gap between us. "Both you and that thing in your womb will have to go."

Before I could say anything, she shoved me back with force and my head slammed against a rock.

My vision blurred out as the pain in my head threatened to drive me crazy. My foggy sight picked her advancing towards me with something in her hands.

"Goodbye, sister."

And something hard hit me across the face, sending me into a world of darkness.

/-Isabelle-/

"Isabelle."

My eyes fluttered open and the brightness of the place almost blinded me.

I shut my eyes tightly.

I was quick to realise that the pain in my legs was gone. Even the one at the back of my head where I supposedly hit a stone.

Why couldn't I feel any of that?

Is this the afterlife?

"Isabelle."

I heard my name again and my eyes opened once again. Something seemed to be approaching me from the bright light.

On seeing the figure, I tried to push myself up but it felt impossible. It was as though I was floating in space.

A woman approached me and my jaw sagged at her immense beauty. I have never seen anyone so gorgeous.

"I have seen your suffering and the betrayal you have received from the one you call mate..." she started, and my mind went spiralling with questions.

Who was she and what did she know about Thomas and I?

"Do not bother yourself with who I am, child. I am here to grant you a second chance to live the life you were deprived of," she said, taking out the infinity necklace.

My eyes widened. What was she doing with the necklace Damian gifted me?

"He is your true mate, child. You will go back and make things right but I must warn you, you have to be careful so you don't repeat the past mistakes," she said.

I was still confused and scared. Everything was happening so fast that I barely had the time to grasp it.

"Go."

She placed the infinity necklace around my neck and my eyes went shut against my will.

It felt like only a second had passed when I opened my eyes again. I was in a strange room and there were up to five maids in the room.

"Are you okay, my lady?" One of them asked.

"Does your neck still hurt?" Another asked. They were all strange faces asking after my health and I was beyond confused.

Why were there so many people in here? Where was I? I looked around the room and it was unusually large and strange to me.

"We should get the doctor; the fall was so hard that I thought she stopped breathing for a second, and her head is still bleeding!" The servants said amongst themselves.

That was the only familiar thing in all they said. I touched my head only to realize there was a bandage wrapped around it.

The door opened suddenly, and a middle-aged woman came rushing to me.

"My baby! You're awake!" She wrapped me in a hug. "I was so worried about you. I thought I lost you when I heard you tripped in the bathtub," she said.

Bathtub?

That didn't sound right.

"Are you feeling any pain? We all thought you died, baby. You weren't breathing," she sobbed.

Okay, who is this woman and what is she talking about? I tripped in the bathtub and stopped breathing.

"Your father will be so pleased to see you awake, Annabelle," she exclaimed.

Annabelle?

Who is that?

My name was Isabelle. I remembered that clearly so why was this woman addressing me with a different name?

"Annabelle?" I repeated and she gave me a strange look. Before she could say anything, the doctors rushed in and they began examining me.

Everything was still strange to me. The room, the people, their mannerisms, everything, including the way they dressed.

Were they even wolves?

I couldn't risk exposing myself until I was sure of that. As the day went on, I discovered I was no longer Isabelle Flynn but Annabelle Delgado, heiress to one of the biggest business conglomerates in the country.

I was in a completely different life now, one where there was nothing like wolves and mates.

I also discovered I was six years ahead of the time I died.

My long dark hair and hazel eyes were replaced with strawberry blond hair and steel blue eyes.

The words of the strange woman echoed in my head and everything slowly began to make sense.

This was the second chance she was talking about.

My chance to find Damian, my true mate. As I stared at my reflection, I fiddled the infinity necklace on my neck.

I was in the body of a billionaire heiress. I had all the power and affluence I needed at my fingertips.

I was going to make them all pay for everything they did to me. For the life they took from me, I will make them suffer.

".... You have to be careful so you don't repeat the mistakes of the past..."

Her words echoed in my head.

I spent the following week gathering as much information as I could about this new world.

I realised that Thomas and Alisa were a celebrity couple with a five-year-old daughter.

Thomas owned a big fashion line with Alisa modelling for him.

Damian, on the other hand, was CEO of the biggest beauty companies in the country, and they were rivals.

But none of that mattered to me. I was more interested in meeting Damian and with my current position and power, it wasn't that difficult.

I arrived at LuxeGlow companies, impressed by the gigantic set of buildings and the luxurious cars I saw driving in and out.

I headed in and met with the secretary. Her eyes widened on seeing me.

"Oh my God! Annabelle Delgado!" She exclaimed. "I'm a huge fan of your work and..." she cleared her throat awkwardly realising she was being unprofessional. "How may we be of service to you, ma'am?"

"I have an appointment with Mr Salvatore," I answered.

"One minute," she dialled his number and informed him of my presence. "First office by your left, last floor," she said to me.

"Thank you."

When I arrived at his office, the man I met was a lot different from the Damian I was used to.

His mere aura screamed power. Those grey eyes were ice-cold and his demeanor was every bit domineering.

I was expecting a warm reception from him as I made to hug him, but when cold, emotionless eyes met mine, I knew I was in for a big surprise.

"Welcome, Miss Delgado. Have a seat," he offered, and I retreated, moving to sit.

"I'm so happy to see you, Damian. It's been so long and I haven't..."

"What business are you here for, Miss Delgado?" His cold response caught me off guard. "Hurry up, I do not have all day."

My mouth went agape.

I couldn't believe he was addressing me with such coldness.

"Yes?" He said impatiently. "Say why you're here or leave. I have better things to attend to."