" All I'm trying to tell you is that, I have realized for a long while now that we're not meant for each other, and I've decided I want to call off our engagement."
Prince Regan says, his brown eyes staring down at her with a cold gaze.
His lips were set in a stern line, his stance slightly defensive.
He paused dramatically as the whispers grew around them
" She's Useless!, She couldn't even keep a man that had been handed to her on a golden platter." A quiet voice sneers
" That's what she gets for aiming too high, Prince Regan is too impressive to be doomed to marry her." another voice replied
The sharp whispers cut through the air like a blade.
"She is really Pitiful."
" I knew he'd reject her eventually. She's worth nothing, she is just a lowly bastard princess."
The cold breeze whipped against her skin as the whispers around her grew.
The voices were venomous, with nothing good to say about her. But this time, she didn't feel that heart-wrenching pain she had once felt.
Elora definitely wasn't the same girl anymore.
Her eyes took in the sight she'd never thought she would witness once again. The ceremonial Hall of the Crystal Tide Kingdom.
At the center stood him.
Prince Regan. Tall and powerful, his hazel eyes staring right at her blankly, like she was nothing more than a mere dirt.
And once again, Elora stood in front of him, her chest rising and falling in a shallow rhythm. Her hands curled into fists in the pocket of her dress, the same knife she had hidden in her gown grazing her hand in secret.
A reminder of the stupidity of her past Life.
Elora remembered this moment too well. The sting of his rejection, the humiliation she'd faced afterwards, the cold disappointing looks her family threw her.
And her cold painful death.
The air in the ceremonial hall was thick with tension, Elora's blue eyes, scanned the faces of the high-ranking nobles in the room.
Their faces were harsh and scornful- with no one there happy at the sight of her, including her dearest father.
The banquet was long forgotten, the people in attendance?, whispered animatedly among themselves, eyes flicking from her to her supposed future husband standing right at the center of the hall, their eyes wide in anticipation for the drama that was about to unfold.
And Elora, she could only watch the man in front of her with fury building up in her chest.
"I know this might be terribly shocking to you."
Regan continued, his cold voice echoing through the quiet hall like a death sentence.
"But I have fallen in love with someone else. And my heart belongs solely to her, I cannot be with another. So, unfortunately Elora, I have to break off this engagement. I trust you understand."
Collective gasps rippled across the room. Some of the pack members widened their eyes in pity, while others revealed their gloating and approval of his obvious disdain.
Elora almost rolled her eyes at their dramatics,
She gave a noncommittal hum, suppressing the urge to bash his head on the pillar next to him.
Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice the hatred and annoyance in her eyes, seeming intent on talking as " sadly "as possible.
The awfully familiar sight no longer shocked her, she only wanted to get rid of this horrid itchy ball dress that she had worn to impress to stupid fool in front of her. The urge to roll her eyes and slap his mouth shut was increasing by the seconds.
Elora's lips parted to ask him to get to the point when suddenly, a soft voice spoke from the sides.
" Regan will now be engaged to me" Ayla announced, she ascended the steps standing right next to Alpha Regan, the spot that was initially meant for Elora.
Ayla faced her with an expression of mock sadness with a glint in her eyes that was both cruel and triumphant.
Ayla, Elora's stepsister. The golden child. The perfect child that everyone had compared her to ever since they were little. Their Father's pride and joy. Her long golden curls glowed beneath the moonlight, a beautiful red dress clinging to her like a second skin.
Elora raised her brows at the sudden change in events, in her past life, Ayla had only stood to the side watching Elora with disdain.
" We were always afraid to break the news to you, he was never meant to be yours" Ayla continued voice soft and patronizing, her arms coiling around Alpha Regan's arms like a snake.
The crowd broke into a frenzy, their approval obvious from the increasing murmurs of how perfect the new couples seemed to be.
As usual, power recognizes power. The strong applauded the strong . No one cared about the weak princess who willed herself not to be hurt by their indifference.
It wasn't worth it, she had lived this moment before and their betrayal didn't hurt anymore.
Elora's pale fingers curled around the silk of her gown, the fabric tightening in her grip.
She raised her chin, the strands of her Raven black hair whipped across her small pale face as she looked right into Prince Regan's eyes. A frown immediately creased his face —his eyes narrowed in confusion. Her lack of tears, the coldness in her eyes, and the calm that radiated off her.
It obviously baffled him to see the lack of emotion in her eyes.
She didn't cry. Instead, she gave him an empty glance, like he was an inconvenience to her.
' Was she so shocked that she didn't know how to feel? '
Elora's lips curved to a shallow smile as she stared at the man in front of her, it was as if she read his obnoxious thoughts.
She ignored her stepsister's existence as she faced Prince Regan squarely.
"I —Elora Haze princess of Crystal Tide, accept your rejection wholeheartedly ."
As the word cut through, for a single moment, only silence followed her words.
And then chaos.