Chapter 5:

OLIVIA

I don't remember anything about the walk, only that I left the hall and headed towards the border for as long as my legs could carry me. After all these years, after all the hope, see where love had gotten me.

Why had I, for the slightest second, thought someone would love me? Oh, silly me.

I don't even have a wolf that would have saved me from this heartbreak. She would have told me long ago that I was dealing with a cheat, a liar, and obviously a playboy. I would have left a long time ago, and I would have moved on.

At this point, all I wanted to do was kill myself, to end this pathetic life of mine and save everyone the stress of hating me. Not like they would even notice I'm gone. They would probably thank the Moon Goddess and pray my body wouldn't be found.

I was so buried in my thoughts, I didn't realize the rogues around me until it was too late. They were giving me that hungry-looking gaze that told me I had just stepped into the wrong land.

"Who? Who are you?" I stuttered, glaring at their faces. My legs were trembling, heat suddenly rushing my face down to my neck.

"Who are we?" one of them repeated. "You just trespassed into our pack, and you had the guts to ask us who we are?"

"Oh, what a wonderful meal she is," another said.

"She would definitely serve all five of us," another agreed.

"Let's get on with this already," the third said. "I'm starving."

"No, no, please, don't kill me," I begged. "I didn't mean to, I promise, I didn't know. I will leave, and I will never come back. I won't say a word to anyone, I promise you all. Nobody will know a night like this ever happened. Just please... don't kill me!"

The most terrifying looking wolf among them growled, stepping closer to me. Each step he took felt like death. I was praying silently, pleading for the Moon Goddess to save me, and a foolish part of me still hoped that Damien would show up, just like he always did, to save me.

"We don't listen to pleas, young lady," he said, his voice vibrating through my veins. "Forgiveness belongs to the Moon Goddess alone. You trespass into our territory, you face the consequences." He pointed vaguely at me. "And the consequence is this... we will kill you."

Kill me? I mentally screamed the words. Oh no, Moon, I don't want to die now. I had wanted to, but not anymore. Just please, save me from these hungry-looking wolves.

The rogue had gotten so close that I could perceive the disgusting smell on him. I've always heard rogues smell like rejection. I couldn't specifically tell if that was true, since I didn't have a wolf. But breathing in that awkward smell, I could tell the rumors were generous.

I didn't stop pleading for them to let me go, but it all turned to deaf ears. So I stood there, closed my eyes, and expected those sharp claws and teeth to tear the life out of me.

Suddenly, a strong wave of breeze blew against me, like someone had run past me at the speed of light. The next thing I heard was the sound of bones cracking and bodies landing with a loud thud on the ground.

Even when silence took over, I didn't open my eyes. I didn't want to see another monster standing right in front of me with those terrifying yellow eyes, and blood dripping from his claws.

"Look at me." The voice was deep, yet soft in a way that screamed peace rather than fear.

"It's okay," the voice said again. "Look at me. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

Something about those last two words made my heart sigh in relief. Slowly, I opened my eyes. Initially, I had expected something monstrous, something that would probably knock the life out of me, but the figure standing right in front of me wasn't anything like that.

If Lord Zeus was ever a human, then this was him.

I had spent years of my life thinking and swearing that Damien was the most beautiful man in the world, but this man just proved me otherwise. He just proved to me that someone didn't have to put much effort into his beauty, yet look breathtaking. And for some reason I wish I could explain, I don't know why my heart wouldn't stop beating so hard.

"What is your name?"

I couldn't even focus. The harder I tried, the more difficult concentrating became. I hadn't even recovered from his beauty, now it was his voice. And it wouldn't stop sounding in my head like it was some kind of melody my body had been longing for a long time.

"Hello?" he called again. "Hello?"

I blinked, staring into those ocean-blue eyes that felt surreal. I was close to pacing out again in his beauty when my brain decided to cooperate.

"Um," I stammered. "I... Olivia. My name is Olivia."

"Olivia," he called my name in the sweetest way I had ever heard. "Hmm. That's a beautiful name for a beautiful lady."

My heart fluttered at his compliment, but I reminded myself this was the usual behavior. They start by giving you sweet compliments that would make you think they have understood you just enough, only for them to shred you like they had never planted that seed of hope in your heart in the first place.

"So tell me, Olivia," he tilted his head to the side, "what are you doing out here in the dark, alone?"

I had secretly told myself never to think of what happened tonight. Never to let myself feel, even for the slightest second, pain. I had pushed every thought, every incident to the back of my skull, and I promised that it would remain there until the very day I die.

But being asked what I was doing out here alone, I couldn't fight back the pain and memory that kept flooding in my head.

Suddenly, I was crying.