Episode 6

Zach looked out the window as heavy rain poured over his land. The raindrops fell quickly, streaking down the glass. His mind began to wander—to someone.

Zach exhaled harshly, then clenched his fists tightly. His thoughts grew chaotic, pressing against his skull and swirling together.

"Zach, you need to apologize to our mate," said Zean, Zach’s wolf, who had already advised him several times.

"Shut up! Don’t be noisy," Zach snapped. He was furious; when his mind was already a storm, Zean’s voice only made him angrier.

"Zach, please. I love her deeply," Zean kept pleading, urging Zach to apologize for the terrible mistake he had made.

"You think I don’t love her?!" Zach shot back, unable to bear Zean’s constant nagging.

"I know you do, Zach. But why won’t you tell her how much we love Kath?" Zach fell silent at Zean’s final words.

"Can you answer that, Zach?"

Not a single word came out of Zach’s mouth. Zean gave a bitter smile, lost in his own grim thoughts.

"Haha, I knew it you’re always so easily provoked by others rather than trusting your own mate. You really believed Kath was a curse, didn’t you? I never once believed in those ancient tricks people use to bring her down."

Zach clenched his fists tighter and forced Zean out of his mind.

His thoughts drifted back to the moment he had hurt Kath. His logic and emotions had been at war. Seeing his classmates bully her had broken him inside. He was ashamed to admit it his pride was greater than anything else. He didn’t want anyone to see the flaw hidden in his perfection.

Zach took the painting he was holding. It was a small portrait he carried with him everywhere. He lifted it to his face, breathing it in deeply until it felt as if the painting itself had been drawn into his lungs.

"Forgive me, my love, Kath," Zach whispered softly, like the wind.

He walked toward the wall of his room, where a black cloth covered a quarter of it. Zach pulled the cloth down until it fell away.

The wall was filled with paintings of a woman his mate. The sight stirred something deep and tender in Zach’s heart. He smiled faintly.

"You must know that I love you," he murmured.

"Alpha."

Zach’s eyes widened at the familiar voice, and he quickly pulled the cloth back over the wall.

"Luna Amarylis."

"What are you hiding behind you?" Luna Amarylis asked suspiciously, her gaze sharp on her son’s tall, broad frame.

"Nothing," Zach lied flatly.

"Did I ever teach you to lie, Alpha?" Luna Amarylis stepped closer to him.

"I’m sorry, Luna. May I ask you something?" Zach, who had been looking down, finally spoke.

"Of course, Alpha. You can ask your mother anything."

"Luna, what if the one I love isn’t Keona?" Luna Amarylis frowned deeply at Zach’s sudden confession.

"So you mean… you don’t love Keona?" she asked, trying to interpret his words.

"It’s not like that, Luna."

"Then what? I already offered you a kind and gentle woman like Keona, and you agreed back then, Alpha. If you loved another woman, you should have told me from the start, so I could have canceled the engagement. Now you’re only hurting two women at once, Alpha..."

---

"Today, we’ll be practicing the spear technique."

"This is a skill most werewolves use in times of danger..."

"Miss Kath, why are you daydreaming?" Kath immediately snapped her attention to the instructor teaching the class. Everyone’s eyes turned toward her with sharp gazes.

"Maybe wash your face first so you don’t look so dull?" the teacher added cuttingly.

"Hahaha!"

The whole class laughed at the teacher’s remark about Kath’s face. Embarrassed, she lowered her head and ran out of the classroom.

Kath rushed to the restroom to wash her face. She turned on the tap and splashed cold water over her skin.

When she finished, she hurried back toward the classroom but halfway there 

"There she is! Get her!"

"Wha—what’s going on?" someone shouted as a large group began chasing her. Panic surged through her veins, and her instincts screamed for her to run.

Kath sprinted away from the academy, through the thick forest that seemed endless. Her heart pounded violently. Where could she go now?

"Help!"

Her foot caught on a thick tree root, and she nearly tumbled into a deep ravine.

"Grab her!" ordered Blaire, stepping forward from the crowd.

"What did I ever do to you?!" Kath screamed, her voice raw with the pain she’d buried for so long.

"Let go!" she struggled as two academy students gripped her arms tightly.

Alexa stepped forward and slapped Kath’s face again and again until blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"Why are you all so cruel? I’ve never done anything wrong," Kath said weakly, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps.

"You’re a curse."

"A whore."

"Disgusting." The insults rained down on her like stones.

"If Keona knew you were bullying me, she would hate you all," Kath said, her voice trembling. "I’ll tell her everything if you go too far." Keona would surely scold them she had to. Kath couldn’t take it anymore.

"Hahaha, Kath, my dear sister, are you looking for me?"

Keona’s voice cut through the chaos as she stepped out from among the crowd.

"Big sister, they’ve gone too far!" Kath cried, desperate for protection but Keona only walked slowly toward her.

"I’m the one who told them to."

"Wha—what?" Kath stared at Keona in disbelief. Keona smirked and gripped Kath’s chin tightly.

"You didn’t hear wrong. I’m the one who told them to bully you. And I’m the one—" Keona paused, leaning close to Kath’s ear, whispering coldly—

"—who made them hate you."

"No! That’s not true!" Kath shook her head violently.

"And one more thing. Every day you talked about how much you loved Alpha... it made me want to take Zach away from you. I just wanted to see your face when you lost at everything..."

"What did I ever do wrong?"

"It’s because you’re so... tempting," Keona sneered, her smirk carved deep into her face.

She stepped back from Kath’s ear and turned to leave.

"Keona, you can’t have done this!" Kath screamed, her heart shattering. It was all a trap set by her own sister. How could she be so cruel?

"Push her down."

"No!!!" Kath shrieked as the two students holding her arms shoved her over the edge of the ravine.

"Goodbye..."