Samantha's POV:

My mind was foggy and disoriented.

“Where am I?” I thought.

“What am I doing here?"

The questions echoed through my mind like a slogan as I struggled to awaken.

“Why can’t I wake up?”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The relentless drumbeat reverberated through my skull, each pulse like a hammer striking iron.

My head throbbed as if millions of drums were being pounded in unison.

An uncomfortable heat enveloped me, like being trapped in a burning hell.

The air was thick with the murmur of voices, a jarring sound of chanting that seemed to bargain for my very soul.

I finally forced my eyes open.

The room was blurry, but as my vision cleared, I saw a figure standing beside me. His piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"Who are you?" I croaked, my voice barely audible.

The stranger's expression was unreadable, then suddenly, he flashed a menacing smile, the most unsettling I had ever seen, and vanished into thin air.

"Ugh," I groaned, trying to move.

"What the hell is going on here?" I thought aloud, trying to grasp my bearings.

"Isn't today my birthday?"

My vision turned dim again, and everything suddenly went dark.

I saw him again, the mysterious man.

How could I see him if my vision was blurry? That was a mystery.

The atmosphere was tense, and I remained quiet, observing everything.

I thought it might be a prank, considering it was my birthday.

But then,

Was it really a prank?

I suddenly remembered my mother-in-law's ominous threat, and my face twisted in sheer horror.

“Has it come to pass?” I whispered to no one in particular.

~

“Why are you here?” She hissed, her voice low but filled with venom.

It was my birthday, and I had dared to join the family gathering. She had summoned me away from the laughter and music under the pretense of needing help.

“I've warned you, Samantha,” she spat. “You're not fit for my son and will never be. So stop daydreaming about marrying him!”

“But, mother-in-law…” I tried to protest.

“Don't call me that!” she snapped, shoving me back with the weight of her body.

“You're an orphan. A pauper. Nothing but a plaything he'll discard once he finds his true mate. Show your face again, and I'll make sure you meet your end on your birthday, finally lost in that happily ever after world you keep fantasizing about!”

Without waiting for my response, she walked away. Her large frame hitting me as she left the kitchen.

For a moment, I stood there. Her words replaying over and over in my head.

‘End on your birthday…’ The words clung to me like a curse.

I forced myself to walk back towards the laughter spinning in from the hall. The family's voices could be heard in unison, toasting and celebrating.

Indeed, I had been warned, but I needed to see him.

Alpha Kelvin.

My eyes searched desperately, and I spotted him across the room, his dark figure standing tall.

My inner wolf beamed with longing as his eyes caught mine.

For a second, I thought I saw a flash of something in his gaze..

Recognition? Excitement? Or perhaps, a warning?

I made to reach out, but before I could step forward, the air shifted, and a sudden chill swept through the hall.

The candles flickered, music faltered, and the crowd around me seemed to blur. My breath came out in pants as the ground tilted under my feet.

“Sam?” I heard someone call out.

I stumbled, clutching the edge of a chair as my knees buckled.

I stretched my hands weakly towards Alpha Kelvin as the laughter of the party became distorted.

Then darkness.

Total darkness swallowed me whole.

~

As I relived the memory, the darkness around me seemed to grow thicker, like a suffocating mist.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps echoing down the dark corridor. The clicking of the floorboards beneath their feet made my heart race.

I snapped my eyes shut, pretending to sleep as the door creaked open, revealing two men. One wore a blue work tunic, the kind of laborer from the pack's outer grounds. His other companion was carrying a torch.

They glanced at me and smirked.

“She's gone. Cold already.” The one with the torch muttered.

“Alpha said the body must be burned. No trace left,” the man in blue replied.

My blood ran cold. Burned? Body? Mine? Alpha?

The man with the torch scoffed, "The dead don't wake. We'll throw her with the rest and say the fire took her. Less work for us.”

The other nodded in unison, giving a low, cruel chuckle as their gazes lingered on me.

I was scared and felt like an abandoned puppy in the cold wind.

‘Where on earth was Alpha Kelvin? We were supposed to be in the middle of our mating ceremony, like he promised. What is happening?’ I thought again.

They both turned to leave, and I opened my eyes again to find a small man in green with pointed ears and a small hat staring at me. His eyes gleamed with the same menacing intensity as the two men.

I tried to shake off the feeling, telling myself it was just a hallucination. But the air seemed to vibrate with an eerie energy, the kind that seemed real and made my skin crawl.

“Where am I?” I managed to ask again.

“Fool! You are in the land of the dead! Or are you blind to your new environment?”

And since I woke up in that room, I turned my head and was shocked to see dead bodies beside me.

“Ahhh!” I screamed, greatly frightened.

The elf-like figure burst into menacing laughter as he slowly materialized, and I saw a short, stout dwarf with a wicked grin.

His eyes gleamed with mischief, and his voice sent shivers down my spine.

“You're a hard one to wake up; I'll give you that,” he said, chuckling. “But now that you're awake, let's get down to business. You, my dear…” His gaze burned into me. “...are dead!” He announced.

Samantha's POV:

I blinked, utterly lost in his words.

My head tilted as I studied him, wondering if the short man was being sarcastic or high on some strange drugs.

Yet, beneath the madness, his voice carried a weight that pulled at me, sparking a sense of urgency within me.

“What do you mean, short man?” I asked, trying to sit up. But my body was heavy, as if weighed down by an invisible force.

The dwarf cackled, his laughter echoing off the walls. “This is a place where the living and dead co-exist. And you are stuck in the middle. You are a living dead, a ghost!”

“What!?” I was horrified by his words, and my eyeballs widened.

“What do you mean? I'm not dead! I'm alive!” I barked.

The dwarf grin grew wider, and he chuckled lightly. “Ah, but are you? You see, my dear, your body is dead. Those men you saw a while ago? They murdered you on your birthday. You're not quite alive, and you're not quite dead. You're something in between. You should be dead by now, but I committed an abomination and held you back,” he explained, an evil grin plastered on his face.

His words struck me like blades. “Murdered? On my birthday?” My voice turned into a scream: “What did they do to me? What have they done to me!?”

“Your body will soon be taken away,” he said with a complete lack of sympathy. “In conclusion, you will soon be buried. Forgotten.”

“Buried? I can't remember dying! How can I be dead?” I responded. My confusion and frustration are mounting.

But instead of offering any clarity or comfort, the dwarf burst into menacing laughter, his eyes glinting with wickedness.

“Do humans remember they are dead?”

I fell silent.

“What will become of me now?”

He shrugged. “You will get buried. And your ghost will roam the earth like a lost puppy.”

“Wow. so I die like a dog, and my murderers will continue living freely?” My eyes burned as rage enveloped me.

“Well…,” the short man spoke again, his tone shifting. “...unless you want revenge. Then, I can help.”

My eyes lifted slowly to His “revenge? Ghosts don't take revenge!”

“No. But I'll help you rebuild yourself into something powerful and stronger. Something evil. Something the living will learn to fear.” His grin dripped with promise and corruption.

My heart suddenly went out to Alpha Kelvin. My love, and the only family I had in this world.

He's probably out there, worried sick that I had vanished.

We could have been mated by now.

“What if I say I'm in?” I asked with raised brows. Not because I wanted to be reborn into anything powerful, but because I needed to tell Kelvin that I loved him one last time.

He laughed, clearly enjoying my distress. “You're already halfway mine. The process has started already. Even if you don't want to agree, you will.” he said and turned to walk away.

“Wait!” I stopped him immediately as my voice cracked. “Who killed me? Who plotted my death?” I asked, hoping to tell it to Kelvin when I got back to earth.

“Like I always tell my people, the ones closest to you are fond of stabbing you from behind.”

My heartbeat pulsed. “What do you mean?”

“Do you truly want to know, weak Omega?” he asked with a grimace.

“Yes,” I replied through clenched teeth.

“Very well then. Alpha Kelvin, your beloved alpha, is the mastermind behind your death!” He announced with a wicked triumph, and I froze.

“Liar! Your words are like those of the Devil! You expect me to believe you?” I roared, nails digging into my palms.

He arched a brow. “Liar? Did I save you only to lie to you?”

“You monster!” I stuttered, “Kelvin would never!”

He scoffed, “Did you say never?”

“Kelvin values me more than anything, as do I. What could he possibly gain from my death!?”

“Freedom. Yes. Perhaps your death freed him. From shame. From his weak Omega mate. Or perhaps…” his voice dipped, “...His mother's choice, Helena, was far more tempting.”

The name pierced my heart like a knife.

I felt nauseous, trying to process the lies he was telling. Kelvin would never betray me like that. No, not Kelvin.

I was a weak mate indeed, but I gave and sacrificed everything I had for him: my pride, my dignity, and, without selfishness, my virginity. While enduring his mother's and pack member's hostility.

“You’re making this up! Kelvin would never do such a thing.” I protested, my voice faltering.

“Then see for yourself!” The dwarf waved his crooked hand with a grin.

Suddenly, I was no longer in the abyss.

I was standing in the shadows of my old pack, but no one could see me.

Then, I saw him, Alpha Kelvin.

His arms were wrapped around Helena, Luna of the Silvermoon Pack, as her head was thrown back in pleasure.

My chest tightened as he grazed his lips around her throat before sinking his teeth deep into her flesh, marking her as his mate.

Helena's moans shattered me. It wasn't a cry of pain, but of pleasure, of acceptance.

“No…” The word broke out of me like a whisper.

The dwarf’s cackle echoed beside me. “There. Do you see it now? The one you loved, the one you trusted, choosing another. marking her, while you were left to bleed and die.”

The dwarf leaned in, voice softer, crueler.

“You never knew your father. Your mother abandoned you to be eaten by wild animals. You're a weak Omega who still hasn't gotten her wolf at this age. You've been rejected, unwanted. His family spits on you, and his pack members hate you more than they hate demons. Do you think a prince will keep a beggar at his side forever?”

The dwarf's words cut deep. Ripping open old scars and pouring salt into the raw flesh of my soul.

He was right, of course.

My father's face is a mystery to me, and my mother's abandonment still lingers like an open wound.

Being an Omega wolf, I was the weakest link in the pack's hierarchy, and my inability to shift made me an outcast among my peers.

Everyone loathed me. Except Kelvin.

Well, until now.

“You can drown in self-pity, little one. Or you can rise. Embrace what I offer and take back everything that was stolen.”

His words ignited something in me.

Something primal and long buried.

As I looked into the dwarf's eyes, I saw something that made me pause.

It was a glimmer of understanding. A hint of empathy and defiance.

His promises were like a light in the dark.

And in that moment, I knew I would never be the same again.

I looked deep into his eyes. “What do I have to do to gain these powers?”

Samantha's POV:

“I will complete the final stage of your reincarnation with my blood.” The dwarf said, with an evil grin I failed to see. “In return, you will give me your loyalty, honesty, and obedience. One day, when the time is right, I will ask for a sacrifice, and you must not refuse.”

I swallowed hard, consumed by fear, grief, anger, and bitterness.

But my rage clouded my judgement, and I agreed to his terms.

With a swift motion, he pricked my finger with his claws, drawing blood. He then pierced his finger, and our blood mingled together, sealing the deal.

I felt a surge of energy course through my veins, and my body began to glow faintly. My senses grew sharper, and my strength increased. I could hear the voices of no one in particular, and I could see anything.

I knew it without being told: I was no longer the weak, vulnerable Omega.

I was now a powerful hybrid. Part demon, part wolf.

I was reborn, reincarnated, and ready to take revenge on those who had wronged me.

The dwarf’s grin grew wider. “Lest I forget, I am no dwarf. I am a demon lord, the most powerful that ever existed. And as my chosen one, you must follow me down to Hell.”

I froze, shocked by his confession. “A demon lord? Aren't you a dwarf elf?”

It was at that moment that I realized why he had been grinning like a fool all this while.

Demons and werewolves don't mix well.

Werewolves hate demons.

For as long as I could remember, Alpha Kelvin has been searching for the true Alpha, the one destined to exterminate demons and become the only true king of wolves.

Alpha Kelvin was a forerunner Alpha, and it was his job to serve the true Alpha.

But for years now, the True Alpha has not been found.

“Does this mean I'm also a demon now?” I asked with raised brows.

“Not quite. You are a hybrid, a dangerous one. A rare mix of werewolf and demon. And I can also sense powerful witch blood in you. You're now a powerful being with the strength and ferocity of a wolf, the cunning of demons, and the magic of witches. The world won't know whether to worship you or fear you.” He said, eyeing me with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

“You're not a full demon yet. But you have the potential to become one. And that would require a complete surrender to your darker nature. We must go to Hell and awaken your dark side.”

The mysterious force holding me down suddenly disappeared, and I watched my new body float from the corpse I once inhabited.

The demon lord beckoned me to follow him, and I did. We left the abyss, floating as we journeyed through a dark and winding tunnel.

The air grew hotter, and the smell of brimstone filled my nostrils. We were descending into the depths of hell, and I could sense the power of the demon lord growing stronger with every flight.

The fiery gates of Hell swung open, and finally, we arrived at a great throne room, filled with demons and other creatures of the underworld. They all bowed at his return.

Right in front of me, the demon lord transformed from a dwarf to his true self.

He stood before me, and his skin seemed to glow in the dim light.

His sharp horns and pointed tail only added to his intimidating presence.

His eyes were no longer blue but were instead of burning fire, and his snarling face revealed razor-sharp teeth.

A large silver pentagram pendant hung from his chest, symbolizing his mastery over the dark arts.

Fire and darkness danced at his fingertips, and I felt a chill run down my spine as his gaze locked onto mine. I knew I was in the presence of a being of great power and evil.

A slender demoness suddenly emerged from behind me. Her skin shimmered like polished shoes, and her eyes burned with an inner green fire.

I later got to know her name was Lyra, the demon lord's assistant.

She bowed in greeting. “Welcome home, master. I hope your mission was successful?” Her gaze darted towards me.

“Indeed, Lyra, it was. Here's our guest, Samantha. She has a lot to learn and see,” he said, gesturing towards me. I smirked mischievously.

Lyra’s gaze turned to me again, her eyes narrowing slightly. “I see. I shall prepare her chambers at once.”

“See to it! And summon the council. We have a new player in our game of power,” the demon lord said, grinning.

Lyra nodded, and as she turned to lead me away, a young man, probably in his mid-twenties, appeared in front of us.

He was tall, with a broad and stocky frame. His limbs, both arms and legs, were thick and muscular, reflecting his strength.

He was very handsome to behold, and he had the demon lord's burning eyes.

His hair was red and long, and he looked like a demon prince, radiating an aura of malevolence and wickedness.

A cunning smirk was on his lips, making me bite my lower lip involuntarily.

I was so lost staring at him that I failed to notice his eyes were ravishing my body.

“Master Frank, I will send the wicked sinners to your department as soon as I'm done showing our guest around,” Lyra informed him, bowing in respect.

“It's alright, Lyra,” the demon prince said, a smirk still tugging at his lips. “You can go back to your duties. Hand her over. She's mine now.”