Chapter 5
Before I can figure out who he really is, he disappears, and a wave of fatigue crashes over me. I shut my eyes, surrendering to sleep.
When I open my eyes, night has already fallen. The moon glows brilliantly, almost as though it’s mocking me with its radiance. I can faintly make out the sounds of celebration from the pack grounds. Everyone seems thrilled about the mate the goddess chose for them—everyone except Theron. I scoff bitterly, fury tightening in my chest.
“Is anyone here?” Joyce’s voice pulls me from my spiral of self-pity.
“Is anyone here?” As though the whole pack isn’t fully aware I’ve been holed up in this room. I roll my eyes in silent contempt.
She gives me a pitying look. “Aurelia…” She seems unsure of what to say next.
I stay silent, turning my head away, waiting for her to leave after her little check-in. She attempts to lighten the mood with jokes, pretending nothing has happened. But I can’t bring myself to care. As far as I’m concerned, she’s part of the reason for the humiliation I suffered. Finally, she takes the hint. “I’ll let you rest,” she says, making her exit.
I pause, eyes drifting toward the open window, calling to me like an escape. I don’t give it a second thought. I rise from the bed and leap through it.
Where am I going? I don’t even know. I just need to get away from the infirmary. Word of what happened has surely raced through the pack like wildfire—after all, the crowd welcoming Theron was massive.
As I sprint across the field, something catches my eye—someone is sitting in my spot. That’s unheard of. No one ever sits there. It’s always been mine.
I move in for a closer look. It’s Selene.
She’s sitting in the very spot Theron and I once shared.
I move a step closer to her, intending to tell her she isn’t supposed to be here. It’s an unspoken rule—this place is meant for just the two of us. But I freeze in place as Theron appears behind her, handing her something. He must have said something too, because she bursts into laughter.
A wave of bitterness rises in my chest, and I swallow hard.
I take a step back but nearly lose my balance. Just in time, I catch myself before I hit the ground. The noise must have caught Selene’s attention because she turns to look in my direction, but by then I’m already sprinting deeper into the forest, desperate to vanish. There’s no way I’m letting her see me like this—it would be humiliating.
Out of breath from the run, I finally stop and sink to the forest floor, trying to regain composure. But as I sit there, all the tears I thought I had already shed come pouring out again, right there in the middle of the woods.
Frustration grips me. All I want is to scream until my lungs give out, but I can’t—not with how sharp the others’ hearing is.
I come to with a pounding headache. The sunlight pouring around me only makes it worse.
“You’re awake,” comes a familiar voice from behind, sending a jolt through my body.
“What do you want?” I reply, doing my best to pretend his presence doesn’t stir anything in me.
“You were near the borders yesterday. Why?” he asks. His face is unreadable, devoid of any emotion. I can’t tell what he’s thinking.
But I’m used to that blank expression of his. It’s always the same.
“Why does it matter to you?” I shoot back, brushing dirt off myself as I get up. I don’t even remember falling asleep.
“You are forbidden from approaching the pack borders,” he says, locking eyes with me.
I let out a bitter laugh. “You gave up the right to order me around the day you rejected me. Go back to your precious mate and leave me alone.” I stand, my whole body aching.
The pain from the day before is creeping back in, especially in my back. It’s still bearable, but I can feel it building.
“I’m your alpha, and you will obey me,” he states firmly.
I give him a mocking smile. “You’re not mated yet, so you’re not a full alpha.” Something in that must hit a nerve, because he suddenly lunges at me, his hand wrapping around my throat as he slams me against the closest tree.
I can’t even process what just happened—one moment I’m talking, the next I’m gasping for air, eyes wide as I stare at him in disbelief.
He’s never acted like this before. Never even raised his voice at me. This is completely unexpected.
“Now listen carefully,” he growls, his eyes now a glowing golden-brown. “You will follow my commands. You will submit. And you will never, under any circumstance, defy me again.” I try to pry his hands off my neck, but his grip only tightens.
“Do you understand me?” he growls, his voice low and threatening.
I’m terrified. He’s never acted this way toward me before. This is the very first time he’s even so much as raised his voice at me.
“I asked, do you understand?”
“Y-Yes,” I stammer, panic gripping me as my knees buckle and I collapse to the ground, gasping for breath.
I watch as he turns and begins to walk away.
“Is this what you want? To trap me here forever?” I call out, and that makes him stop.
“You’re pathetic,” I sneer, “You threw away what we had for power. It’s pitiful.”
“I’ll get another chance at happiness, with someone who truly loves me. But you?” My voice shakes with fury. “I hope you live a miserable life and die—”
Before I can finish, he lunges at me, seizing my neck with a tight grip. His eyes lock onto mine with a chilling intensity.
“You belong to me. Whether you accept it or not.”
I probably should’ve stayed quiet. But I don’t.
“Dream on,” I whisper defiantly.
Something shifts in him. My words strike a nerve. He tightens his grip around my neck, cutting off my air. Then, without warning, he sinks his teeth into my skin.
He marked me.
