Chapter 3

Mira's POV

I loved Luca enough to forgive him for cheating on me. But rejecting me was the height of it.

Heart pounding, tears streaming down my cheeks, I raced away from the pack house. The agony of Luca's rejection clawed at my chest. The betrayal was too sharp to bear; it was just too much. How could he do this to me? How could the man I loved rip my world apart so callously?

How could he look me in the eye and pick my sister over me?

Each step through the familiar grounds felt like daggers in my heart, and the weight of disbelief and devastation was heavy in my chest. I couldn't breathe; it was as if the air around me had turned thick and suffocating.

I didn't know where I was going, only that I needed to escape the torment of their presence, the crushing reality of their betrayal. My feet pounded against the earth, the sound muffled by the rustling leaves and my racing thoughts.

Soon, I dashed into the pack's forest, wanting to get as far away from Luca and Annabelle as possible. Bushes and trees blurred past me as I raced further away. Tears blinded my vision, but I pushed forward, driven by the pain that threatened to consume me from inside.

I stumbled, my breaths ragged, but I didn't stop. Anguish propelled me forward, away from the pack house, away from the heartache I couldn't bear to face. The distant howls of the pack echoed in the background, but their calls were lost in the chaos of my emotions.

The rustling of leaves and the whispers of the wind became my only companions as I plunged deeper into the forest, seeking refuge from the pain that threatened to engulf me.

As I raced on, I began to hear voices behind me. I staggered to a stop, then darted behind a tree. Heart thundering, I heard the voices of men as they drew ever nearer to where I stood.

"....this way," one of them called out. "I can smell her scent in the air."

I didn't need to guess who these men were. Their wolf scents were familiar, and I knew that they were from my pack. Most probably guards from Luca's army, as far as I could tell.

I could not let them capture me. Who knew what would happen, then? Who knew what these men would do to me in the solitude of this forest?

Slowly, I moved away from the tree, tiptoeing across the forest grounds and away from the voices of the men. On and on I walked, until their voices faded into the background.

Soon, I got to a darker, denser part of the forest, filled with tangled vines and shoulder-high shrubs. It was hard trying to navigate through the forest, harder still to see where I was going.

My foot caught against a knot of vines on the ground, and before I knew what was happening, I hit the ground, hard.

A startled yelp slipped from my lips, and I struggled to my feet. The moment I rose, I felt a wave of dizziness over me. Colours blended into one another, and images divided into twos and threes before me.

"Goddess....!" I swore, as I found my way to the ground again. This time, I was not as lucky as the first time. My head made contact with a large stone, and my world went black.

*********

My head pounded with pain as I slowly regained consciousness. Blinking against the bright light filtering through the trees, I groaned, trying to make sense of my surroundings. The voices of several men hovered around me, their tones hushed and urgent.

As my vision cleared, I saw several guards kneeling beside me, their faces etched with worry. "She's awake," one of them announced, relief evident in his voice.

Confusion clouded my thoughts, and I struggled to sit up, the pain in my head intensifying. "What... happened?" I managed to whisper, my voice barely audible.

Then, the reality of my surroundings slowly sank in.

The moment I realised who these guards were, I rushed to my knees, my breaths coming out in huffs. I heard all the guards fall silent, and I knew they were watching me with mild confusion.

"Kill me!" I screamed. "Get on with it!"

The silence persisted, and I lifted my head to glare at their faces in turn. "Kill me this instant! There is no hope for me left. My mate just rejected me, and my sister betrayed me. My life is hopeless and inconsequential. I am breaking from within. There is nothing left for me, please. Just get it over with!"

A loud sob slipped from my lips, and I collapsed into a fetal position at the feet of these men.

"Please.....just get it over with. Kill me!" I screamed. "Kill me already! Run me through with your blades!"

"Do it!" One of the guards said to the other, nudging his side. "She asked you to do it, anyway. She is ready for death, as it is."

"Wait." The second guard snapped to his partner. "Remember that Lady Annabelle asked for a clean, seamless death. We do not want any mistakes."

"Lady Annabelle....?" I echoed. The sound of my sister's name was like several sledgehammers bludgeoning my ears. 

My sister had sent these men to kill me!

The weight of my sister's decision to end my life  was too much to bear. My hopelessness curdled, solidifying into a ball of vengeance and anger.

I knew I was going to die, anyway. But if I found my way into this world again, I swore to make my step-sister pay for everything she'd done to me.

I closed my eyes, clutching my knees to my chest. Death was at the door already, and I was accepting it with open arms.

Then I heard the harsh, tinny sound of metal as swords left their scabbards, and the whoosh of air as the swords were raised high, ready to strike me into death. But before I could embrace the cold arms of death, I heard several arrows whizz past my head.

I opened my eyes just in time to see the two guards above me, sharp and poisonous arrows buried into their chests. Blood blossomed on their torsos, from the arrow points.

And with a great thud, the guards fell to the ground, life bleeding out of them.

I stared at the still bodies of the guards, as though I was struck dumb. I could hear steps approaching me, but they faded into a distant noise in my ears.

Suddenly, the bushes around me parted, and a man burst through to where I sat, on the forest ground.

And my first impression of him was angelic.

This man had long, flowing blonde locks; as long as my own hair. I could not see much of his face, but what I could see spoke of lines and edges, of coarseness and a grim, dependable strength.

"A woman!" He exclaimed, as though I was the most unusual thing in the world.

I glanced up at him, my brows furrowed. "Who are you?"