Chapter 4

 I slipped away from the ball, my heart burdened with uncertainty and increasing isolation. As I walked into the woods looking for comfort amid the whispering trees, the music and laughing faded behind me.

The chilly night air caressed my skin, and the aroma of pine and earth flooded my senses.

 The moonlight flowing through the branches above helped me to find a quiet area next to a little clearing.

 I sat down and held my knees to my chest, letting the tears run freely.

Why had I not felt the link?

Why was I still alone when everyone else had located their partner?

What is the deal with this prophecy, mark and curse?

Unanswered and unrelenting, the questions spun in my head.

 Sitting there, absorbed in my thoughts , I was hit by a strong, enticing aroma combining musk with something uniquely his.

It was too much; it drew me from my grief and gave me an unshakeable desire to follow.

With my heart racing, I got up and started to approach the smell's origin.

Every stride seemed directed, as though the actual ground under me was pushing me ahead.

The trail twisted deeper into the woods, and before long I was at the brink of a calm lake, its surface sparkling beneath the moonlight.

There, in the water, was a man—tall, with chiselled features and a robust body. Swimming, he moved fluidly and gracefully. My breath froze in my throat as he surfaced from the water, drops running down his chiselled body.

He was stunningly attractive, his demeanour authoritative and captivating. Then I saw her: a woman stepping forward to greet him, arms around his neck, kissing him fervently.

 A sudden stabbing in my chest made me stagger backward; my heart ached with an incomprehensible sadness.

My mate was this guy, this picture of strength and beauty. But he was dating someone else.

 He turned then, his gaze fixing on mine. His look stiffened and his eyes squinted as he took in my appearance.

"You", he responded, his tone icy and disdainful. Frozen and speechless, my heart broke with every passing second.

His gaze stayed on me as he approached. Closer to me, he saw the mark on my wrist—the crescent symbol and I immediately hid it.

His lips twisted in disdain. "The cursed one," he said under his breath, his voice full of contempt.

The Alpha of the Winter Pack looked at me with a combination of contempt and recognition, so I stood still, my heart racing in my chest. His icy, calculating eyes looked to cut through me, and I couldn't help but feel the burden of his scrutiny.

 "You," he muttered, his voice low and full of disdain.

Trying to control my breath, I swallowed hard. Though the agony in my chest was intolerable, I made myself talk. "I... I don't get it," I stuttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

 He came closer, his presence overpowering. The woman who had been with him remained in the background, her gaze locked on us, her expression inscrutable.

 “You don't get it?” he asked again, his voice derisive.

"You are the cursed one, aren't you?"

The words struck me like a slap in the face.

Cursed? What did he mean by that?

He went on, his voice oozing contempt, before I could react.

"I don't want a weak, cursed girl like you," he said, his words slicing through me like a blade.

I shrank back, the agony of his rejection cutting through me. The lady behind him advanced, eyeing me up and down, her eyes narrowing.

"He's correct," she responded, her voice dripping with bitterness. “You are nothing next to me.”

Though I could feel the tears rising once more, I will not let them fall. I would not let them find pleasure.

 Turning back to me, the Alpha's face grew more severe. "I already have someone I want to make my Luna," he said, his words unyielding and definitive.

The woman grinned, her eyes shining with success. "And it's not you," she said, her tone oozing arrogance.

I felt the link between us, the one that had once been so intense, crack like a brittle thread. Gasping and clutching my chest as if to hold myself together, I found the agony intolerable.

"I Alpha Killan of the winter pack reject you," the Alpha stated coldly and definitively.

The words rang in my head, and I felt their weight crush me. I had been turned down, thrown aside without a second thought.

The woman moved nearer, her eyes shining with spite. “You’re nothing,” she snarled.

 I turned away, too pained to tolerate their presence any longer.

 With every stride my heart broke; I ran into the forest. Running made the world around me fade and my mind a tornado of confusion and suffering.

 I had waited my whole life for this, looked forward to this day, and placed my trust in the moon goddess. But now it was all broken, and I was left alone with only the echo of his rejection resonating in my ears.

Though I didn't know how long I ran, I finally found myself at the lake's edge, the moonlight reflecting off the surface of the water.

 Falling to my knees, I finally cried as I released a heart-wrenching sob. The pain was unbearable, and I felt as if I was submerged in it.

My mate, the one person I was meant to be with, had rejected me, and I was unsure how to go on. I had never expected it.

Sitting there alone and shattered, I couldn't help but ask: what had I done to deserve this?

 What had caused him to turn me down?

Is this the work of the curse?

 What was I meant to do now?

Lost and heartbroken, I sat by the lake with no solutions to my tormenting issues as the night dragged on and the stars above remained unconcerned with my suffering.

 Wandering deeper into the woods, my footsteps muted by the soft underbrush, the night air was thick with the aroma of pine and damp soil.

A pale crescent moon barely lit the way forward, throwing lengthy shadows that looked to stretch and twist in the void.

 Unable to handle the burden of the Alpha's rejection and the harsh comments of the woman who had stood by his side, I had run from the ball.

Their rejection still stung in my heart, a never-ending agony that wouldn't go away. Deeper into the woods, the sounds of the celebration faded to be replaced by leaf rustling and the sporadic hoot of an owl.

The world around me seemed distant, muted, as though I were beneath water. An unexpected stir in the bushes brought me back to my thoughts.

Though I saw nothing, my heart was beating as I spun around quickly. The night was quiet, almost too quiet.

 A voice then pierced the stillness.

“Now you are finally alone," it said with disdain.

 I froze, realising it. The man was part of the wolves that had attacked before —the one who had been with them when they attacked at the ball—stepped into view, his eyes glinting with malice.

Emerging from the shadows behind him, more and more came, their expressions were tough and unyielding.

 “ We can take you now,” he replied coldly and decisively.

A sharp, overpowering fear coursed through me. My legs felt like lead, unresponsive, so I attempted to get up and flee.

The world spun around me, tilting, and I reached out, clutching for something to grab onto. The last thing I recall was the man’s victorious smile as darkness crept in around me.