02

POV: LYA

I could not fathom what I had done to elicit such a response from this esteemed and noble heir to the alpha position.

"I said you're disgusting," Miguel repeated, still maintaining his stance of denial.

My voice caught with sorrow as I pleaded, "I don't recall doing anything that would make you feel sick. Can you please tell me why you're speaking of me in this manner?"

What could be more heartbreaking for an adolescent girl than to be deemed repulsive by her long-time crush? Yet, even in the face of his words, I had to suppress my distress and ask for an explanation.

"Twelve years ago, a damn little girl claimed she was being abused by her adoptive parents," Miguel averted his gaze as though looking at me made him nauseous. "I believed her and did everything in my power to help her. But three days later, she admitted to fabricating everything just to gain my attention. Do I need to continue?"

Each word from Miguel pierced my heart like a sharp arrow, inflicting unimaginable pain. I felt an overwhelming sense of heartbreak that left me almost speechless. In Miguel's eyes, I was nothing more than a despicable liar who had been willing to slander my adoptive parents to achieve my own ends.

Amidst the anguish, my priority was to convince Miguel to help me escape the clutches of having to be with Nicholas. Mustering all the strength I had left, I forced myself to speak, my voice laden with sorrow. "Please listen to me, I can explain..."

"That's enough, Miss Liar," Miguel interrupted, still refusing to meet my gaze. His impatience was evident on his face. "What excuse will you use this time to deceive me? Is it that your sister Kendall has been bullying you? Or perhaps your adoptive parents, the supposedly kind couple Aurora and Damon, are planning to sell you?"

How could I convince him that his suspicions were accurate?

"The truth is... what you said is true," I admitted, feeling an even deeper ache in my heart, my hand instinctively covering my chest.

Miguel wore a look of understanding. "I see," he responded. "Just now, your sister Kendall informed me that you've been restless lately because Aurora and Damon purchased the same dress for both you and Kendall, instead of getting a better one. You truly are a vain and malicious person."

I glanced up in disbelief, shocked by Kendall's cunningness. It seemed that the family had already spread their version of the story among the guests, ensuring that my words would fall on deaf ears.

"Miguel, please believe me. We're meant to be mates, aren't we?" The pain in my heart intensified, wave after wave, threatening to shatter it completely.

Miguel finally met my gaze, his eyes narrowing as he spoke in a low, firm voice, "Did you really think I would accept you? Do you truly believe you're worthy of being my mate, the future Luna of the GreyStone Pack?"

He paused, his tone dripping with disdain. "You're an eighteen-year-old orphan who hasn't even awakened her wolf. And let us not forget your character. I need a deserving mate, someone who can be a strong Luna for the pack. Lya, I reject you as my mate."

In an instant, the bond between us shattered. Tears streamed down my face as I shook my head in agony, unable to find the words to respond.

But Miguel did not wait for me to explain. Instead, he forcefully struck my shoulder, causing me to collapse onto the ground. "Save your lies for the fools, Miss Liar," he spat.

I lay there on the floor, my vision blurred by tears, as Miguel walked away without a backward glance.

Desperation overwhelmed me, and I cried out, "No, please, don't leave..." I reached out, trying to grab onto his pants, but he easily evaded my grasp.

Through my tear-filled eyes, I watched as Miguel disappeared around the corner, leaving me behind. The pain of rejection and humiliation surged within me, filling my heart with an insurmountable emptiness and sorrow.

Overwhelmed, I sobbed silently, struggling to breathe, until darkness consumed me, and I lost consciousness.

**

When I woke up again, I was lying on the bed in Kendall's dollhouse, surrounded by those damned dolls with their creepy smiles.

"Nicholas, Lya was raised by our couple as our own daughter, I think you understand how much she means to us." Damon's voice came from the doorway, "I mean, you need to add a little more chips."

"Dear Damon, if you and Aurora really consider Lya as your own daughter, you wouldn't have made this deal with me." It was the old Nicholas, "We're both adults, there's no need to play such childish game with me. I will not pay a penny more than the price already agreed upon. The choice is yours, to do as you agreed at the beginning, or I will leave now and tell everyone what you and Aurora really are under the mask of the kind couple."

Overwhelmed by despair, tears streamed down my face as I listened to the two men haggling over my "price."

In that moment, I turned my head to the side, only to catch sight of the open window with the moon hanging in the night sky.

A sudden thought crossed my mind — should I escape? Would it be better to risk my life out there than endure the torment of Nicholas?

Before I could gather the strength to sit up from the bed, I heard the creaking sound of the door opening. Panic surged through me, and I quickly closed my eyes, pretending to be unconscious.

"My dear, beautiful Lya," Nicholas's voice filled the room, dripping with sickening excitement. "Blame your parents for selling you to me."

Desperately searching for something to defend myself with, my hand brushed against a cold object—a wine bottle. Clutching the top half of the bottle tightly, I prepared to strike Nicholas with all my might as he approached.

In the next moment, Nicholas's decaying body pressed against mine, and he forcefully kissed my face with his repulsive, foul-smelling mouth.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the horror, while carefully avoiding the nauseating stench. With the bottle held high, I brought it down with all my strength just as his lips were about to touch mine.

The blow knocked Nicholas unconscious, and the bottle shattered into shards, some of them piercing my skin. Pushing his limp body away, I spat in his face, disgusted by his presence. Without hesitation, I ripped off my shirt and made my way to the windowsill.

Knowing that someone must be guarding the door, I realized that escaping through it would be futile. Although I was on the second floor, the risk of jumping seemed preferable to the danger I was in. Even without awakening my wolf, I still possessed the agility and strength of a werewolf.

Determined, I braced myself against the windowsill and leaped into the darkness. My judgment proved correct — aside from a few scrapes caused by the stones and gravel, I sustained only minor injuries.

But before I could celebrate my escape, Kendall's piercing screams echoed from upstairs. "Dad! Mom! Lya's gone!"

Damn it!

Had Kendall overheard Nicholas and Damon discussing the transaction? How else could she have discovered my absence so quickly?

There was no time to dwell on it — I needed to flee. Fueled by anxiety, I hastily chose a path I had never taken before, relying solely on my intuition.

As I continued running, I had lost all sense of time. My face was scratched by the unforgiving branches of the dense jungle, but still, there was no sign of anyone pursuing me.

Had I managed to escape? I could not be sure, yet fear kept urging me to push forward, causing me to almost stumble straight into the gaping mouth of a waterfall.

The deafening roar of cascading water filled my ears, a sight both magnificent and daunting. There seemed to be no way out ahead, leaving me with no choice but to retrace my steps.

Just as I was about to turn back, a distant commotion of footsteps and muffled voices reached my ears.

"They must have gone this way! Look at these broken branches, there is fresh blood on them. It couldn't have been long ago."

Those relentless pursuers were closing in on me. I quickly scanned the surroundings, my gaze darting between the oncoming path and the cascading waterfall.

In that moment, a thought crystallized in my mind — I would rather face death in the unknown depths beyond the waterfall than return and endure Nicholas's torment.

It was a desperate and harrowing decision, one I never expected to confront so soon.

With determination, I closed my eyes and took a leap of faith, plunging headfirst into the thundering embrace of the waterfall.