Pain

The scent of pine and rain clung to the evening air as Zara stood at the edge of the Moonstone Pack’s gathering grounds with her hands clenched into fists. Her heart pounded, though not with fear—no, she had long since stopped fearing rejection.  

She already knew how this night would end.  

Before her, Alpha Kieran stood tall, his golden eyes flickering with unease. His fingers twitched at his sides, and Zara could see the battle waging within him. His wolf wanted her, called to her, but the man—the Alpha—was resisting.  

“I can’t,” he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I reject you, Zara Grey, as my mate.”  

The words settled like a weight in the pit of her stomach. A dull ache spread through her chest, the familiar sting of a rejected bond. But she didn’t flinch. She didn’t beg. She didn’t even cry.  

Instead, she exhaled slowly and met his gaze with cold, unreadable eyes. “I accept your rejection.”  

Gasps rippled through the gathered wolves, but Zara turned on her heel and walked away before she could see their pitying stares. She had been through this five times before. Six now. She had lost count of how many times she’d been told she wasn’t good enough. That she was cursed. That something was wrong with her.  

Six mates. Six rejections.  

The moon hung high above the trees as she made her way back to the Beta Quarters, where she lived with her best friend, despite being second-in-command of her pack’s warriors. Her fingers trembled as she pushed open the door to her small cabin.  

She hadn’t taken more than two steps inside when a sharp knock echoed against the wooden frame.

"Who is it?!" There wasn't a single trace of emotion in her voice.

"It's me, Denice. You've locked the door.."

Zara turned back around and made her slowly to the door, dragging her feet across the floor as she made heavy strides.

Denice immediately sensed the tension in the air the moment the door was opened. Without asking any further questions, she wrapped her arms around Zara and pulled her into a warm embrace.

"It's okay, you don't need to tell me how this one went." Denice mouthed.

"It's the curse again isn't it, I know you wouldn't want to tell me the truth, but the curse is the reason he rejected me, isn't it?!" Zara slapped her palm across her face, holding back the tears that threatened to cascade down her cheeks, and slowly pulled away from Denice.

"You have to take it easy on yourself, Zara. This isn't your fault, remember we are still trying to find a way around this...." Her best friend, Denice wrapped her arms around Zara and tried to console her, while she soaked her dress with her hot tears.

"For how long is it going to take, how long are we going to keep on finding a way around this?!" Zara screamed at the top of her lungs. She was finding it hard to take in air at this point,

The air felt contaminated and it held her in a choke hold. "Take it easy on yourself, Zara, I realized isn't your fault," Denice said again and kept holding her as she wept.

"Do you need me to get you anything to eat or drink?" She asked her.

"No, I do not want to eat anything. I'm going to be fine." Zara wiped her face and suddenly went to the door.

"I'm about to head out, I'll be back in the morning." She said in a low tone while placing her hand on the handle of the door.

"Tomorrow morning? Where are you going to?!" Denice asked in shock.

"Just going for a stroll...I'm going to calm my wolf.." she informed her.

"Hold on, let me grab my coat, I'm going to come with you," Denice said, spinning around immediately to search for her coat.

"There is no need to, Denice. I'm going to be fine, besides, I need a moment alone to put my thoughts together." She paused and then as if she were trying to recollect something, she lifted her gaze to the ceiling.

"If I don't return home tomorrow morning, you know where to start looking." And with that, she went out of the house without anything on her and closed the door with a loud bang.

"Zara, wait!" Denice tried to call out but she was already gone. Her face fell with agony.

Never had she encountered any wolf, even while growing up that was going through as much pain as Zara was. She had a pure heart and should never be put through this kind of hurt.

She was rejected six times in a row all because of the rumored curse surrounding her. Denice had been with her for more than a decade and had never witnessed this curse herself manifesting in Zara.

Nothing extraordinary ever happened while she was ever around Zara and it was all a mere myth that the pack had cooked up, but still, there was a reason for contemplation.

Neither of the women could tell why Zara kept getting rejected by her mates. Denice thought her previous mates weren't wolf enough to handle her, because she was the best Warrior in their pack but Zara still believed that they could sense her curse and immediately flee without return.

The cold air stung Zara's face, drying off the remaining tears that dropped eagerly from her eyes.  

Zara’s wolf stirred inside her, alerting her about the environment she was in, she had strayed too far away from safety.

Her instincts screamed at her to be cautious, but she squared her shoulders and continued walking with her hands shoved in her pocket.

When suddenly, she caught a towering figure standing in the shadows, shrouded in darkness.

She spun around and Instantly felt him. His presence was suffocating, his power pressing down on her like a storm about to break. The moonlight caught his face, revealing obsidian-black eyes that seemed to look straight into her soul.  

She knew who he was before he even spoke.  

It was Kael Draven. The Lycan King.

The most feared ruler of their kind.  

“Zara Grey,” he said, his voice deep and smooth as a blade sliding from its sheath. “You are mine.”