I chose myself

Serenity,

As soon as Nolan left with his friends, barely moving on his feet, my Wolf howled in my head in pain. The crushing blow felt like a tidal wave hitting my chest, firing straight across my heart.

My knees almost buckled underneath me. I grabbed the edge of the kitchen counter to steady myself, breathing unevenly as the pain clawed through my body.

As long as you don't get marked or mark your mate, a one-sided rejection is still considered rejection. So, he didn't need to accept or reject it verbally. The bond still cracked enough to hurt.

But this pain wasn't only because of rejection.

My throat burned viciously. It had swollen so badly that every breath scraped painfully through my airway.

I hurriedly grabbed the first aid box from the cabinet and searched for the bandage with trembling fingers. My hands were shaking so badly that the entire box slipped once, crashing onto the floor.

" Get it together," I muttered hoarsely to myself.

I quickly wrapped the bandage around my neck. The Lycan Prince's bruise had already been flaring violently since I left the Packhouse and Nolan's brutal grip had only made it worse. The blood didn't stop thanks to my medical conditions.

The skin felt raw, sensitive and now burning.

" Pathetic," I whispered to myself.

My reflection from the dark kitchen window looked miserable. Red eyes. Pale skin. Trembling lips. A woman who looked like she hadn't slept in weeks.

Tears stung my eyes immediately. My shaky hands could barely move around my neck as I adjusted the bandage.

All the humiliation, all the pain, all the hurt I had been enduring for God knows how long, crashed over my body at once.

A broken sob escaped my throat.

Within six hours, I had gone through humiliation, fear, physical pain, heartbreak, and now terror. My mind could barely process everything fast enough.

" Why does this keep happening to us?" Swan whimpered weakly inside my head.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

" I don't know." My voice cracked.

After putting on the bandage with tears spilling over my thighs, I opened the pantry to eat something. My medicine had to be taken on time. Otherwise, my condition would worsen again.

But I wasn't surprised when I saw that even the emergency protein bars I had kept aside were gone.

Empty. Everything was empty.

Nothing except a pack of instant noodles remained on the shelf.

I stared at the pantry silently for a long moment.

" They took those too," Swan whispered bitterly.

Anger flared through my chest, hot and sharp, but all I could do was swallow it down painfully and grab the noodles instead.

Swan went quiet for a second before speaking softly. " Now I don't regret it."

I hurriedly started boiling the noodles. I loomed over the stove while the water bubbled aggressively, steam blurring the air around me.

And with that steam, terrible memories started surfacing one after another.

Nolan laughing while his friends mocked me.

Luna Evelyn throwing my food away because she thought I was " eating too much." Or the slap earlier, accusing me of eyeing her man.

The pack members whispering behind my back.

My father lying lifeless on the hospital bed while I held his cold hand.

The Lycan Prince's terrifying gaze earlier today.

My breathing became uneven again.

" Stop thinking about it," Swan pleaded weakly. " Please."

I forced myself to look away from the boiling pot.

However, I couldn't dwell on it for long when my phone suddenly rang.

The sharp sound startled me badly enough that I nearly dropped the spoon.

I looked over my shoulder and saw the phone vibrating across the counter.

Just then, I noticed the caller ID.

Sunya.

My brows furrowed instantly.

I wiped my hands on the kitchen towel before grabbing the phone. I didn't expect to hear from work again. Not after everything that had happened.

" Sunya?" I answered the call, trying to flatten my voice despite the pain in my throat.

" Girl!" Her voice came out frantic immediately. " I have been calling you for half an hour. Where are you?"

I blinked in confusion.

" Calm down. What happened?" I asked while clearing my throat painfully.

" What didn't happen?" she almost cried out. " The Lycans are pissed. They are threatening Alpha Ronald. Everyone is panicking. They are searching for you everywhere. What did you do?"

My stomach dropped instantly.

Cold fear crawled beneath my skin.

" They want you to meet them immediately," Sunya whispered anxiously. " Serenity, tell me honestly. Did something happen?"

A violent shiver passed through my body.

They wanted me there.

" He wants to kill us," Swan whispered fearfully. " Run. He must be furious that we witnessed him killing those men."

My fingers tightened around the phone. My heartbeat became deafening.

" Are you listening?" Sunya asked desperately. " Please come here. Maybe it's a misunderstanding. Alpha Richard is already reprimanding Luna for firing you."

I froze slightly.

Luna Beatrice was being reprimanded? That almost never happened.

He always defended his beloved woman from any kind of situation.

" Serenity?"

I straightened slowly.

" Sorry, Sunya," I whispered tiredly. " I am fired. And I think it's finally time for me to know myself better."

Silence filled the line for a moment.

" Wh-What?" she stammered. " What do you mean by that?"

Her breathing sounded shaky.

" It's chaotic here. The Lycans are losing their minds. They look terrifying. One of them almost destroyed the entrance gate. Everyone is scared."

Swan whimpered loudly inside me. " We need to leave now."

I swallowed painfully.

" I am choosing myself," I whispered while digging my nails into the wooden edge of the counter. " I am exhausted, Sunya."

My voice nearly broke at the last sentence. " Thanks for helping me all this time."

" Wait..." Her voice cracked. " Stop talking like that. You're scaring me."

I looked around the empty kitchen quietly. This house never felt like home anyway.

" Serenity, please don't disappear," Sunya whispered. " At least tell me where you're going."

I shut my eyes tightly. " I don't know yet."

" Then come here first. We'll figure something out together."

For a second, I almost agreed. But then Nolan's face flashed across my mind.

The Lycan Prince's cold eyes followed immediately after. Fear suffocated me again. I still felt his grip around my throat,

" Hang up," Swan cried inside my head. " We cannot handle Nolan's torture and now a cursed Lycan Prince with his entire family. We are dead."

Swan was already weakened after the rejection.

And now there was a possible death sentence hanging over us simply because we had witnessed something we were never supposed to see.

It was too much.

" I have to go," I whispered softly.

" Serenity-"

I ended the call before she could continue.

My hands moved quickly after that.

I hurriedly grabbed my purse before rushing toward my room. I shoved a few clothes into my duffle bag alongside my medicine bottle and important documents.

" The bank," I muttered under my breath. " I need to go to the bank first."

My emergency savings were still there. Not much. But enough to survive for a while in the village.

" Let's go home," Swan whispered softly. " Our actual home."

My movements slowed slightly.

Dad's old house. The small countryside home he had left for both of us before he died.

My chest tightened painfully at the memory of him.

" Okay," I whispered. My eyes burned again. " Let's go home."

I grabbed the duffle bag and walked toward the front door.

But the second I pulled it open, my entire body froze.

My breath caught violently inside my throat.

He was standing there. Arms folded. Broad shoulders blocking the doorway completely.

Those dark eyes locked directly onto mine. They were calm, dangerously cold and unreasonable.

The cold night breeze swept past him, carrying the scent of smoke, leather, and something overwhelmingly powerful.

My Wolf whimpered instantly.

" Good evening, Miss Serenity Redwolf." He smirked, leaning closer, " Are you heading somewhere?"

My grip on the bag loosened immediately.

" Lycan Prince?" I whispered weakly, barely able to move.

My throat tightened again in fear.

His eyes slowly traveled toward the bandage wrapped around my neck. " Does it hurt?"