Chapter Two

Chapter Two : Some mates are not meant to be

Aurora’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.