AURORA'S POV:
"What do you mean? I don't have any parents. I don't know what you are saying." 
   She is just joking. Right?
    "Just take a look at the picture again. I know this is a lot for you.... A whole lot to spring on you after 17 years but I'd rather tell you the truth now than let you move around blind in this dangerous world."
  I don’t blink. I don’t move. The photo in my hands feels heavier than it should. Like it’s soaked in memories I was never allowed to have. Mavilla and Bruce. My… parents.
    The woman, Mavilla, has my eyes. That same arch in the brows. That same curve to her lips like the world never quite made sense to her but she smiled anyway. And Bruce? His shoulders look like a wall of strength, his arm draped around her with quiet pride.
  My parents. Mine. I have a mum and dad. I had...
    A pang of longing rips through me. I didn’t even know I could miss something I never had.
   Loni’s voice breaks the silence.
   "They were brave. Fierce. The kind of people you never forget once you meet them." Her voice trembles, and she clasps her hands tightly like she’s holding onto something fragile. “Mavilla was… she was a Lycan. The strongest I ever knew. And Bruce was an Alpha born from a noble bloodline. They were unstoppable together.”
My head jerks up. “Lycan? Alpha?”
   “Yes,” she nods. “But it wasn’t enough. Not when the last war broke out between vampires and werewolves.”
I already feel the answer, but I still ask. “They died?”
    Her eyes shimmer with unfallen tears. “They died trying to protect you.”
The air disappears from the room. My lungs shrivel. My eyes start pricking me.
   “What?” It comes out broken.
“You were only a baby. Barely walking. When the war reached its peak, your family became a threat, not because of who they were, but because of who you were.”
My chest tightens. “Me?”
    Loni nods slowly, like each word is a knife to say. “This is a lot to unpack. There was a prophecy. One that foretold the birth of a girl with power neither species could control. Born of both war and peace. A child who would unite the broken world or destroy it completely.”
Goosebumps rise across my skin.
    “They feared you. So much so, the evil ones marked your bloodline. They came hunting. And Mavilla… she refused to let them take you.”
    I feel dizzy. My hands tremble as I grip the photo tighter.
    “She gave you to one of her most loyal maids, Anara. Told her to hide you in the human world. You were placed in an orphanage. Protected by enchantments. I only found out after the war, when it was too late. You were already gone and Mavilla was.. dead.” Her voice breaks towards the end of her statement. 
   Her eyes have glossed over, looking deep into mine. I don't even know what to say anymore. I just found out that I have parents and I wasn't abandoned and now, they are dead and it's only because of me? What stupid prophecy was that anyways? 
     Loni leans closer, reaching into her pocket. She pulls out a folded, faded piece of parchment and places it in my lap.
   “This is what she left behind. The only thing I was given after the war… a note. She told me to give it to you on your eighteenth birthday.”
  "So why are you giving me now? I... I don't turn 18 until two months." I ask her, confused.
   "I'm just informing you so that you know that your mother has always had you in mind even when she didn't know if she would be alive later or not. She loved you. They both loved you. You can have the note and open it whenever you feel like." She stretches the note towards me once again.
I stare at it. My fingers won’t move.
   “Aurora…” she says my name again, but this time with hesitation. “That’s not your real name.”
My gaze snaps to hers.
    “Mavilla renamed you before they took you away. Said the new name would protect you. Hide you from those who wanted you dead.”
    I’m shaking now. I can’t even feel my legs beneath me. On top of everything, suddenly, I have a new name? Or is it an old one? At this point, I'm in a dire need of a nap. Then, I'll wake up and realize that I was just dreaming.
   “I - I don’t understand. How could this... how could I be the reason they died?”
“You were a baby,” Jon says gently, standing up, eyes wide with concern.
But I can’t hear him. I can’t hear anyone.
    All I can hear is the truth ringing in my skull. The harsh and bitter truth.
   They died because of me.
They burned for me.
Bled for me.
Were hunted for me.
    And I grew up safe while they-
I choke. My heart punches my ribs.
   “I need air,” I say hoarsely, rising so fast I nearly trip.
“Aurora, wait-” Arc moves to stop me.
   But I’m already bolting for the door.
   The cool night air slaps me across the face as I burst out into the street.
 I don’t know where I’m going.
I just run.
   The wind tears at my hair. My cheeks are wet, though I don’t remember when the crying started.
I run because I need to get away from the weight in my chest.
    From the blood on my hands.
From the truth that’s sunk its claws into me.
   They died because of me.
And I don’t know if I can ever live with that.