Chapter Two : Some mates are not meant to be
Zarina’s POV The night was cold, but I didn’t care. My feet dragged through the dirt as I walked deeper into the dark forest. I had no idea where I was going. I just wanted to get away. Away from him. Away from the pain. Tears blurred my vision, but I didn’t bother wiping them. What was the point? My heart felt like it had been ripped out of my chest. “Some mates are not meant to be.” His words repeated in my head, cutting me like a sharp knife. A broken sob escaped my lips. I dropped to my knees, gripping my chest. It hurt. It hurt so much. My wolf whimpered inside me, but she was weak—just as broken as I was. I had done everything for him. I thought we would be together. I thought I was finally going to prove to everyone that he was worthy of me. That we were meant to be. But he chose someone else. The pack cheered for him while I stood there like a fool. He didn’t even look at me. He acted like I didn’t exist. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the memory, but it was useless. The humiliation. The betrayal. The way he coldly ordered the guards to throw me out. I had loved him. I had believed in him. And now, I had nothing. The wind howled through the trees, making the branches sway. The ground was cold and damp beneath my hands, but I barely noticed. I forced myself to stand, swaying slightly as I took a step forward. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t care. I just needed to get away. I had been walking for what felt like hours. My body was tired, my head dizzy from the alcohol, but I kept going. Then, I heard something. A low groan. I turned my head and saw a man slumped against a tree. His clothes were torn, and blood stained his chest and arms. His face was pale, his breathing weak. My heart pounded. Who was he? What had become of him? Though exhausted, my automatics kicked in. I stumbled towards him, collapsing onto my knees beside him. "You're injured..." I whispered, and my voice was a bit tipsy. He didn't respond. His eyes were half-open, but he was barely conscious. I looked about, my blurried eyes falling on the floor. There. A plant with big green leaves. I recognized it immediately. It could maybe stop the bleeding. I reached for it, my shaking hands crushing the leaves and pressing them onto his wound. Tears streamed down my face as I struggled. I wasn't even sure that I was doing it right—I was too drunk, too weak—but I had to try. "I gave up everything for him," I panted, my words breaking. "And he turned me down." The man grunted, but I wasn't certain if he was hearing me. "I left my pack... I trained him... I made him powerful..." My gasps snagged. "And he threw me aside." My hands trembled as I pressed harder on his wound. The smell of blood was overwhelming, but I fought on. Suddenly, the air is filled with the sound of footsteps. I lift my head, and blinking hard, a number of men step out of the darkness. Their eyes shine in the night. Wolves. They approach the wounded man, and faces setting in worried lines. One of them kneels down next to him, checking for a pulse. "She saved him," one of the men says. "She's drunk," another says. The eyelids of the injured man flickered open. He looked at me, then at his comrades. His lips eased, and he spoke in a weak voice— "Take her with us." The men hesitated. "She's not okay," the injured man wheezed. "Bring her too." I blinked up at them, their faces indistinct in my head. I didn't know what was happening. I didn't care. I just let them lift me off the ground and carry me away.Chapter 207 – The Uninvited GuestZarina’s POVThe wind was different today.It wasn’t just the rustling of the trees or the occasional chirp of birds. It was the way the air felt—tense, like it was holding its breath, waiting for something to go wrong.I had just finished feeding the triplets. They were finally asleep, their tiny bodies curled close to each other on the bed. The house was small, but peaceful. No palace. No guards. No whispers. No Zaria.I thought I had escaped her.I sat on the edge of the couch, holding a cup of lukewarm tea. I hadn’t even tasted it yet. My hands were too tired, and my mind had too many questions. I didn’t know if Asher had tried looking for me. I didn’t know if he believed the rumors. But what I did know—what I kept reminding myself—was that I left because I had to breathe again.But just as I stood to place the cup down, there was a knock at the door.I froze.No one ever visited me here. Not without notice. Damon had promised me privacy. Only he
Chapter 206 — The Final BlowZarina’s POVIt was a quiet morning.Too quiet.The kind of morning that makes your heart ache for a reason you can’t quite explain.I was sitting by the window of the small house I had moved into—far enough from the packhouse to breathe, yet close enough to feel the weight of everything I had left behind. The triplets were still sleeping in the next room, their soft breaths the only warmth I had left. My hands were wrapped around a cup of lukewarm tea, untouched, just something to keep my fingers from trembling.I hadn’t spoken to Asher in days.He hadn’t reached out—not since the photo.The image was burned into my mind. Zaria’s hand on his face, her lips too close to his jawline. It didn’t matter if it was real or staged. It didn’t matter if there was more to the story. The damage was done.My heart had already cracked.And yet… the universe wasn’t done with me.The knock on the door was soft, hesitant.I stood slowly, not expecting anyone, my pulse alr
Chapter 205 — Her PeaceZarina’s POVThe wind outside was soft. The trees swayed gently. The sun peeked through the curtains, but I didn’t feel its warmth.I sat on the edge of the bed, brushing my daughter’s hair as she giggled and kicked her tiny legs. One of the boys was crawling toward a toy near the fireplace. The other was sleeping soundly in the cradle. They were my peace—my reason. But even now, my hands were shaking.Ever since I left the pack house, I had lived in quiet pain. I hadn’t spoken to Asher. Not once. I had blocked the link between us. The only voice I answered was Damon’s—he would sometimes check in on the children and bring supplies. He never pushed me to go back, but his eyes were always filled with pity.I hated that look.I was trying to forget what I saw that day. Zaria’s hand on Asher’s face. The picture spreading like wildfire. The whispers. The betrayal.But today, I couldn’t escape it.Because today, Damon came again. And this time, he wasn’t carrying sup
Chapter 204– StepZarina’s POVI thought I had cried all the tears I had.After everything that happened—the photo, the whispers, the way I packed my children and left the pack like a thief in the night—I thought I had finally reached the end of pain. I told myself nothing else could break me.But I was wrong.The day started normal. As normal as things could be when your heart was in pieces and your mate was no longer by your side. I was sitting outside on the porch, watching the triplets play in the grass, their laughter echoing like a song I didn’t feel worthy of anymore.And then I saw Damon’s car pull up.He had been visiting more often. Helping with food. Checking on the children. I knew he was trying to be supportive—especially because he didn’t agree with what was happening either.But today, his face looked different.He stepped out of the car, holding something in his hands. I stood up slowly, wiping my palms on my dress as I walked toward him.“Damon?” I asked, my voice sof
Chapter 203 - PhotoZarina’s POVI sat on the porch of the small cottage I had moved into after leaving the packhouse. The wind was soft that morning, but I didn’t feel any of it. My eyes stared into the trees, but my mind wasn’t there.So much had happened in so little time.That photo. That cruel, cruel photo of Zaria touching Asher’s face. It had spread like wildfire—every whisper, every stare, every pitying glance. It broke something in me that I couldn’t put back together.Even now, I could still see her hand on his cheek… her eyes locking with his.Even if it was staged, even if he didn’t want it… the damage was done.I had packed my things and left. Quietly. Without a fight. Without even telling him.I took our children—my triplets—and disappeared into this small, forgotten corner of the territory.But peace never stayed long.Not for people like me.Not even a week after the photo scandal, I heard the next rumor.“Zaria is pregnant.”Those three words shattered what little pea
Chapter 202 — The WeekZarina’s POVThe morning sun peeked through the curtains like it was afraid to fully enter. I sat by the window with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders, my tea untouched, growing cold in my hands. The triplets were still sleeping in the room behind me, their soft breaths the only proof that something in my life was still pure.It had been a week since I left the pack house.A week since that photo of Asher and Zaria had spread like wildfire—his hand close to her face, her fingers grazing his cheek, her smile soft and dangerous. It didn’t matter that I’d known that look in her eyes was manipulative. It didn’t matter that I’d seen Asher pull away. The picture told its own story, and the world chose to believe it.And so did I.I left with the children and no goodbye. Asher didn’t stop me. Maybe he didn’t know. Maybe he let me go.That morning, I thought the pain couldn’t get worse.Until the knock came.Soft. Hesitant.I stood slowly and opened the door. Damon.