2: Panic

Aurora

The sun had just set at its usual spot, casting a warm blue-golden glow into this shabby room I occupied in the servant quarters.

I breathed in relief as an unprecedented excitement slowly slipped into my chest. It was morning again, yet another day—but only that today was different in a way.

No… not because unmated maids were given the day off to prepare for the occasion and show up at the venue later, but because I was finally turning eighteen and would soon bid this life of torture goodbye in a few hours when I met my mate.

I hurriedly freshened up and stood before the mirror as I tied my hair into a bun. I stared at my reflection, which was just…

Full cheeks. Soft arms. A body that refused to be anything but thick, rounded, noticeable.

My thighs pressed together. My waist curved in ways that were never admired here. I wasn’t the ideal image for Darkshade.

Not even for anyone. Even my own family had treated me like a curse, something unfortunate, something shameful. A mistake.

I sighed, slipped into one of my customized omega uniforms, and added a little powder to my face, the same powder Mia had gifted me just yesterday. She believed I was going to look attractive if I wanted to impress my mate and leave this life of constant abuse.

I soon dressed and left my room, but before I stepped out of the servant quarters, strong arms clamped around mine, dragging me to the corner.

“I just wanted to make sure you look absolutely stunning, and I mean it.”

Mia’s eyes scanned me from head to toe, adjusting my outfit slightly before nodding in approval.

“You look breathtaking,” she said softly, her grip on my arms tightening just a little, comforting.

Then her expression shifted into something serious, firm.

“No matter what happens today… stand your ground. Don’t let some entitled Alpha ruin your chance at freedom.”

I looked into her eyes, and for once… I felt something I had never truly known.

Care… Real care, that sisterly love.

“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice trembling slightly.

“You don’t need to thank me.” She lifted my chin gently before pulling me into a brief hug. “Now go… and may the moon finally be kind to you.”

I left her behind, stepping out toward the grand hall where the mating ceremony would take place.

Excitement, fear, hope, all flooded me at once.

The hall glowed in the distance, illuminated with vibrant blue and red lights. Music echoed faintly, mixed with the loud cheers of pack members already gathered.

I sucked in air as I continued forward, each step making my heart race faster and my mind spin. It’s a known fact that mated mates were destined pairs, and during this marking ceremony, they would not only mark each other but also mate under the full moon to further seal their bond.

The thought alone made my stomach twist.

What if he saw me… and didn’t like what he saw?

What if he rejected me?

Halfway through my thoughts, an enticing familiar scent of citrus and mint swept through my nostrils. It was both sharp, clean, and addicting.

I didn’t know how I veered off, following after that spiced scent until I got close to the training ground.

My eyes swept over to the source of the scent, and I couldn’t have been more certain than I was when Kiara howled in my head.

‘Mate.’

Liam stood among the warriors issuing commands, but then immediately sensed my presence as if on cue. His eyes met mine, and something drastic shifted in his composure.

I watched him leave the gathering, excusing himself and striding up towards me in quick steps. He held my wrist and pulled me along, making me stumble in hurried steps behind him until we were out of earshot. He stopped abruptly, and I almost stumbled to the floor if I hadn’t held onto my footing.

His eyes burned into mine, fierce and bruising. “I’m glad you figured already,” he spat, looking no different from his usual cold and hateful gaze.

“Mate?” I asked, my voice weakening as emotions came crashing down on me.

“Let’s be quick with what’s necessary, because I can’t seem to understand why the moon saw it fit to mock me even further by mating me to no other but one who is cursed, oversized, shameless, and also a bloody murderer.”

“Aurora Sterling, right?”

I nodded, not knowing why he asked that piece of information, but my lungs went rigid when he began abruptly.

“I, Liam Wilson, soon to be Alpha of the Darkshade, reject you, Aurora Sterling, as my mate and Luna,” he finished with a grunting pain that made him hold his chest.

Right where I stood, a sharp searing pain shot through me in an instant, sending me dropping to the floor with my arms held to my chest.

Seconds followed with pains too much to take in.

“You don’t have all day to seal this rejection,” Liam whispered, cold, rude, and sharp, like this was just everyday pain he was immune to.

I looked up from where I crouched low to behold his hard gaze locked on me. “Why me?” I asked him as I fought back my tears.

“Why would the moon mate me with someone who despises me so much and doesn’t care if I survive?”

“Survive? That’s hilarious,” he blurted through gritted teeth. “You were never meant to survive from the day you were born, and I curse that you even made it through.”

“One who is a murderer cannot and will never be by my side.” His lips curled into a cruel sneer. “Aside from that fact, this entire charade can’t be real. I still don't understand the chemistry there. You are a joke, a wagered toy, an oversized bitch and can’t be the same one fated to me.”

It stung deep down as I glared at the moon’s choice of a mate for me. Could fate be any crueler than it already had been? Couldn’t I be given a slight chance at freedom?

Did it always have to turn into an unexpected twist of fate?

“Don’t keep me waiting longer than necessary.”

I picked myself up from the floor, feeling my head reel as I did that. Kiara was as bruised as I was and had curled up at the back of my mind. It pained me, yet it also hardened my will.

“I, Aurora Sterling, accept your rejection,” I finished, with another torrent of pain that made me whimper as my head dropped.

My consciousness slowly began to fade, a sudden darkness threatening to swallow everything into nothingness.

Silence stretched thick and heavy as Liam’s steps fastened, ignoring me and the pain I was still going through.

“This stays between us,” he added coldly. “No one needs to know.”

He left without even another glance.

My breath hitched, and then I finally drifted into darkness, collapsing onto the cold marble floor with a heavy thud.

I never knew that was only the tip of the iceberg of what awaited me. But questions kept pounding in my chest—

Why me?

Why did I have to face such cruelty?

Has the moon decided to forsake me?

Couldn’t it have been better to be without a mate than face such cruel rejection?

As everything gradually faded, I was unaware that far away, a sharp pain struck someone else so suddenly that he froze mid-step.

His breath hitched instantly and his chest tightened. Something dangerously twitching inside him.

It wasn't relief. Wasn't satisfaction.

But something else, dangerously close to… panic.