I Died When My Stepsister Married My Mate

AURORA'S POV

I was dead.

A sharp buzz drew my attention and my eyes landed on my discarded phone by the side of my body.

The screen lighted up and a message came in with my brother's name on it.

It read:

“You selfish brat. You can’t even show up to your own sister's wedding? Is it really that hard for you to be happy for her?

There are countless men out there that you can always go for. Why spoil your relationship with your sister over one man? You always ruin everything in the family, you bitch.”

A bitter laugh formed in the back of my mind. How ironic that, even in death, I couldn’t escape their scorn. I wish I could see Jackson now and tell him to his face that Clara was not my sister, and would never be anymore.

To them, she was the perfect little sister and daughter. But to me, she was my enemy, the girl who had made life hell for me, the girl that had stolen my mate as hers. She and my mother had made up lies against me and taken away my mate, the person I was supposed to spend the end of my life with.

I remembered the day I first introduced Alpha Brent to my family. I had been so happy back then, so sure that we were fated for one another. Brent was everything I’d ever dreamed of—strong, confident, and, for a time, mine. He was the man that I thought would save me from the hell I was living in, the one who would take me to my happily ever after.

But then Clara came into the picture. My perfect sister. My mother’s pride, even though she wasn't Clara's real mother.

My mother had only married her father, Alex, when my dad died but despite this, she always picked Clara over me.

“You have to leave Brent for me, Aurora,” she had said to me one evening. “I want him. Someone like you doesn't deserve him.”

“No!” I had spat at her with great fury. “How dare you say something like that to me?! He is my mate and I would never leave him for you! Never!”

I knew she had expected me to yield to her request like I always did but not now. Not with the man I loved. I had always been forced to submit to her request by my mother who would punish me severely if I didn't, but this time was different. I was standing my ground. Brent was mine.

Clara's face colored in fury. “I warned you now, Aurora. You won't like what will happen next. Brent will be mine, whether you like it or not.”

I had ignored her words, believing them to be idle threats but I was wrong. She and my mother plotted against me and told Brent lies about me.

“You could do better than Aurora,” I’d overheard my mom and Clara speaking to Brent in the garden, their voices hushed.

They had told lies against me and succeeded in taking Brent away from me. Later, I had tried to convince my mate that all of their words wasn't true but he didn't believe me.

“So you want to tell me that your mother is a liar, uh, Aurora?!” He had said, his eyes cold and detached. “Why would they lie against you when they have nothing to gain?!”

They had told him that I was a bully who always picked on Clara and other weak wolves around me. They also said I used to be a sex slave of top ranked warriors and had carried out abortions severally.

“Please, Brent, you have to believe me. I swear to you that I've never done any of those things they said!” I wept. “You know me more than this. You have to believe me!”

“Are you calling your sister and your mother a liar?!”

“Listen, Brent, I—”

“Even your brother confirmed it, Aurora, so you can cut it out and stop pretending!”

“But I'm not lying!” I screamed, desperately hoping and wishing that he could see past the lies, desperately hoping that there was a part of him that would believe me. “I'm telling the truth, Brent. I'm innocent,” I said, tears gushing out of my eyes.

“No,” He said, shaking his head. “I can't do this anymore. It's over between us.”

“Brent, no!”

But he had refused.

The betrayal still stung as I remembered the moment Brent broke the mate bond. I had begged, pleaded with him to see the truth, but the lies had wrapped around his heart like a noose, choking any affection he had left for me.

“It’s over, Adeline,” he’d said, his eyes cold, no trace of the man I had once loved. “I’m rejecting you.”

I had fought back tears, refusing to accept it. How could he throw away everything we had because of her? Because of Clara, who would never love him like I did?

“Brent, pl—”

“Get out of my house now, Aurora!” He had roar at me, pushing me out and ignoring the fact that it was snowing heavily and I had no jacket with me.

That was the last straw.

“You know what, Brent? You can have her. If you can be easily swayed by people's opinion about me then I don't want you either. I wish you both the best of luck.”

I immediately saw confusion marring his face. “Wait, did th—”

But I didn't wait to hear the rest of his questions as I turned away from him and made my way home.

Now, standing over my own body, the sting of betrayal was like a dull distant ache. There was nothing I could do about it anymore.

They hadn't cared about me when I was alive. They wouldn't care about me now.