Chapter 0004

Lila

Several minutes had passed before my Vivian returned. I rushed to my feet with fear when a scent of grapes mixed with liquor filled my nose. Even though it intoxicated me, my wolf, Amber, didn’t seem intrigued. Still, I knew that scent. It belonged to my mate.

“Aiden?” I called his name, surprised by his presence.

“What is he doing here?” Amber asked.

“W-W-What are you doing here?” I asked him.

He simply stared at me like he had during the ball. But something about it was different this time. He wasn’t wearing a kind smile. Instead, disgust graced his fine features.

Though hurt by that, I walked toward him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, sounding stern.

I stopped in my tracks, then blinked several times. I glanced at Vivian. She wore a wide smile.

What had she done to him?

I turned back to Aiden. “Aiden… I—”

“I have a lot to do as the Alpha’s son, much responsibility to shoulder. So I’ll be brief.”

I gulped, a bad feeling washing over me, especially since Vivian had called him over.

“It is quite unfortunate,” he continued, “that the moon goddess thought you fit to be my mate.”

My heart sank.

“But I’m thankful I still have the chance to make certain decisions, decisions like choosing someone who is fit and strong enough to be my luna. I can’t choose a weak, ugly, unfortunate creature.” Despise danced in his eyes as he looked down at me.

While my wolf felt angry, I felt hurt, sad, and bitter.

“Lila, you are in no position to be my mate, let alone my luna. You would be useless occupying that position. And even if I did want to overlook your weakness, there is nothing else about you that could ever interest me. It is indeed a pity that the beta, despite having a beautiful wolf for a mate, still ended up birthing something like you in the end. Your mother must be rolling over in her grave in disappointment to see how ugly you’ve grown to become.”

“Aiden, please stop.” I begged him, as I could no longer take the pain of his words.

“You are weak, useless, ugly, and pathetic. If you ever became Luna, your ill-fated luck would affect the pack. And who knows? I might end up dying to save you like your mother did.”

I held my chest and fell to the ground, wanting to sob. As I stared at his shoes, I remembered the ugly fire that claimed my mother’s life. She had saved me from our burning house, but she didn’t make it out before the fire claimed her life. The memory brought the unshed tears to my eyes.

 “Aiden, please don’t do this,” I begged, grabbing one of his legs. “I will be strong if I have to be. I’ll take care of my hair and put on a lot of makeup to be pretty. Please stay with me.”

He kicked me away.

“I, Aiden Smith, son of Alpha Smith of Mistwood Pack, reject you Lila Jackson, daughter of Beta Jackson of Mistwood Pack, as both my mate and my luna.”

A burning sensation shot into my chest. “Ah!” I cried as I felt our mate bond break, disconnecting us. Slowly, the feeling crawled up to my mouth, making me spit blood.

Amber fought for a shift, and I struggled to keep her inside me. I wrapped myself with my hands as the wind became chilly. The warmth in my heart evaporated. My jaw clenched and my face was wet with sweat, despite the intense cold consuming me.

“Aiden… why?” Tears streamed down my face as I remembered how he had smiled at me at the hospital and the pack house. Yet, he didn’t smile at that moment. Why did everyone I love always leave me? First my mother and now Aiden.

The pain of rejection seemed much worse for me than the pain I had heard other wolves in the pack talk about.

“Argh!” I screamed as the warmth continued to leave me, as a cold overtook my insides. “Help me,” I whispered. My eyelids became heavy, and my vision blurred as the pain worsened. I glanced at Aiden and saw him wiping blood from his nose. Unable to fight anymore, everything faded to black.

The distant sound of someone calling my name met my ears several times, but I couldn’t open my eyes. Then the calls ceased and the sound of pouring water met my ears instead. A moment later, cold liquid poured over my body. “Ah!” I jumped in fear.

My stepmother stared down at me with a red bucket in her hand.

“Mother?” I called for my actual mother, still not quite realizing where I was or what was happening. A familiar pain engulfed me, forcing me to wince as pain throughout my body brought me back to the present. I clenched my teeth.

“So you aren’t dead?” Veronica said, with disappointment in her eyes. “That’s… unexpected.”

Veronica wished me dead? Well, that was something we had in common, as I also wished I wouldn’t wake after Aiden’s rejection. I managed to rise to my feet, ignoring the aches and throbbing pains from the beating she and Vivian had given me.

“You still remember the deal about you replacing your sister, right?” she asked, putting down the bucket.

How could I forget, considering they had forcefully taken Aiden from me just so I could take Vivian’s place with the cursed wolf? I didn’t even know the nature of his curse, but if it was so bad that everyone dreaded him, then he was nothing but a beast.

 “Mother, please don’t do this to me,” I begged. “Vivian can still be with Aiden without me having to be with the cursed wolf.” I couldn’t possibly be with someone that didn’t even live with his pack.

Living outside his pack meant he was vulnerable to attacks from rogues, and that meant I would be vulnerable to the same. I couldn’t handle that. A rogue had caused my mother’s death by setting our house on fire. Would I die by the hands of a rogue too?

Veronica peered at me with disdain. “And what would happen when he comes looking for his mate? Besides, would you rather be a lone wolf when you could just be with him?” She spoke as if she wasn’t endangering my life by forcing me to be with a cursed wolf.

“Please,” I said. “I promise not to say a word about Vivian being his mate, but I can’t live with him.”

“Mother,” Vivian said, entering the room, “she’s taking too long.”

 “What is she talking about?” I asked, looking from one to the other, scared for my life.

“Lila, dear”—Veronica closed the distance between us and wiped water from part of my face—“even if I wanted to change my mind, it’s already too late.”

“No, it isn’t!” I said in desperation.

 “It is,” Vivian said. “The alpha awaits your presence in his mansion. He seems to want to compensate you for his son rejecting you. Dad’s gonna be there too. And of course, your new mate. He’s there with the alpha king. It wouldn’t be nice to keep them waiting. I wouldn’t if I were you.” She added a false smile before leaving the room.

My eyes darted from left to right as her words replayed in my head. The cursed wolf was there already? Was that why they had Aiden reject me so quickly?

“There’s a dress in your closet,” Veronica said. “It’s Vivian’s, so you better treat it well.” She rose and joined her daughter in leaving me there to wallow in my misery.

A tear escaped my eyes. So this was finally my end? I was getting sold out to someone I had never seen, a beast.

Then I remembered Vivian said my father was waiting at the Alpha’s mansion. Did that mean he was a part of this, too?

By the time I finished preparing, there was already a car from the alpha’s mansion waiting for me outside. Everything was happening too fast. I couldn’t even stop to catch my breath.

“If you mess this up,” Veronica said as she ushered me into the car, “you better not return to this house.”

Throughout the drive, I kept imagining what the cursed wolf might look like. Would he be a big, scary beast or just a wolf with numerous scars? Would he have a sign on his face that showed he was cursed?

The rearing of the car engine disconnected me from my thoughts. As I exited the car, the evening’s chilly wind welcomed me, and the driver walked away, leaving me with no one to ask for directions.

The pack was deserted and as quiet as a graveyard. After roaming the compound for a while, I saw a garden. It looked enchanting, like an image from my many fantasies. I had always loved gardens, and my dad had said it was one of the many traits I had in common with my mother. I let my sorrows slide away as I basked in the sweet refreshing scents of the garden’s various flowers.

The moon shone magically over roses, sunflowers, chrysanthemums, and many other beautiful blooms. But then Amber felt a presence behind me. I turned and bumped into someone and almost fell into the garden. As fast as the wind, a strong hand caught me.

Brushing my hair back in nervous embarrassment, I peered into the most enchanting pair of maroon eyes. I froze, unable to blink as I stared at the unnaturally handsome man. He looked like a king from a fairy tale, one that only existed in my imagination.

 “Are you hurt?” he asked, his breath fanning my face as he spoke, my eyes lowering to his lips.