Chapter 2
1407 Words
Elle’s POV
My stomach sank.
Still, I told myself maybe he was just nervous. Maybe something had upset him. He would explain. He always did.
I walked slowly toward him, my heart pounding harder with every step. My hands were shaking, but I tried to keep them still.
I finally reached the front, standing right beside him.
The pack elder stepped forward, holding the ceremonial book. He smiled slightly, ready to begin.
“Today we gather to unite—”
“Wait.”
John’s voice cut through the room like a knife.
Everyone turned to look at him.
The elder blinked. “Alpha John?”
“She’s not here yet,” John said, still not looking at me.
My heart dropped. “What… what do you mean?” I asked in a small voice.
He finally turned to me. But his eyes were cold. Unfamiliar.
“My mate isn’t here yet,” he repeated.
I frowned. “John, I’m right here…”
He let out a cold laugh. “You thought you were my mate?”
I froze.
“What—what are you saying?” My voice trembled.
He took a step away from me, facing the pack now like he was putting on a show. “Elle, did you really think I’d choose you as my mate? As Luna? A weak, plain, little girl who can’t even lead a pack?”
I couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. I felt like I was watching someone else. This wasn’t the John I loved. This wasn’t the man I defended.
“You said—You promised—”
“I said a lot of things,” he interrupted with a shrug. “But I never meant to keep them.”
“John, please…” I reached for him, my eyes already full of tears.
“Don’t touch me,” he snapped.
I took a step back, shaking.
He smirked. “I need someone powerful by my side. Someone the pack can respect. Not someone like you, who crumbles the moment things get hard.”
Then he smiled. “Ah, there she is.”
I turned around, slowly.
Fiona.
Walking down the aisle like she owned the entire world. Wearing my dress. Her hair was curled. Her makeup was perfect. She looked like a queen. Smiling, glowing, confident. Her eyes locked onto mine, filled with satisfaction.
“No…” I whispered.
She walked right up beside John and slipped her hand into his. Like it had been planned. Like it had been their secret all along.
My voice cracked. “How could you do this to me?”
John smirked. “Because you were never good enough.”
The rage inside me boiled over.
“I MADE YOU!” I screamed. “You were nothing when you came to this pack. Just a filthy rogue with nowhere to go! I begged my father to let you stay. I helped you rise. I gave you everything!”
His jaw tightened.
I took a step forward. “You owe me everything!”
And then—
SLAP.
His hand hit my face, hard.
Pain exploded across my cheek like fire. I didn’t even have time to react before I felt my legs give out beneath me. I hit the cold, hard floor with a loud thud. My knees scraped against the stone, and I let out a small gasp. My hands shook as I tried to catch myself, but I couldn’t stop the fall. My hair fell into my face, covering my eyes, and everything around me became blurry. My ears rang. My chest hurt more than anything else.
For a moment, everything was quiet.
Then I heard it.
Laughter.
It started soft. Like someone trying to hold it back. But it didn’t stop there. It got louder. Crueler. Meaner. The sound filled the entire hall like an ugly storm.
I heard people whispering. Snickering. Someone pointed at me.
“Pathetic,” a woman near the front said with a laugh in her voice.
“She actually thought she was going to be Luna,” another whispered, like it was the funniest thing they’d ever heard.
I didn’t even have the strength to move. I just lay there for a moment, my palms pressed against the floor, my face burning from the slap and from the shame. My eyes filled with tears until they spilled down my cheeks and dropped to the ground.
I looked up through my messy hair, my body shaking.
“John…” I whispered, my voice cracking. “Please don’t do this…”
But he didn’t even look at me.
He stood beside Fiona now, holding her hand like it belonged there. His face was cold. Like I was nothing to him. Like I had never mattered at all.
“Please,” I begged again, louder this time, my voice full of pain. “John, don’t let them do this to me. This was supposed to be our day. You promised me…”
Fiona turned her head, rolling her eyes. “She’s making a scene,” she said loudly, fake tears in her eyes. “She’s upsetting me, John. She’s ruining our moment.”
And just like that, John’s eyes turned to steel.
“Guards,” he barked. “Get her out of here.”
My heart stopped.
Two warriors moved toward me without hesitation. Strong, tall wolves I used to laugh with during training. They didn’t even look sorry. One of them grabbed my arm while the other grabbed the other, lifting me off the ground like I was trash.
“No—no, wait!” I cried, trying to pull away. “Don’t do this! Please! This was supposed to be my ceremony! Mine!”
They didn’t listen.
They dragged me through the crowd while I kicked and screamed and cried, but nobody helped me. Not even one person.
They threw me out the front doors and slammed them shut behind me.
The cold air hit my face. I stood outside, breathing hard. My chest ached, my eyes swollen with tears. I stared at the closed doors like I was still hoping someone would come after me.
But no one did.
The sounds of laughter and music from inside made everything worse.
I stood there, alone, heartbroken. My whole world had fallen apart.
Then I felt the shift coming. I didn’t care anymore. I let it happen.
Bones cracked, and fur spread across my body. My hands turned to paws. My cry turned into a howl. A loud, painful howl that echoed into the trees.
I shifted into my wolf and ran.
I ran into the forest, far away from the packhouse. Away from the pain. Away from the betrayal. My paws hit the earth hard as I pushed forward, faster and faster, not caring where I was going. Just needing to get away.
When I couldn’t run anymore, I stopped beside a small stream. I shifted back into my human form, collapsed onto the ground, and cried.
I cried so hard my body shook.
“How could he do this to me?” I sobbed. “How could they do this to me?”
I had loved him. I had protected him. I had given up everything for him. And he threw me away like I was nothing. Like I was dirt under his shoes.
I curled up on the grass, hugging myself tightly. My body was cold, but my chest burned with grief.
I didn’t know how long I stayed there. Maybe hours. Maybe the whole night.
Eventually, the crying stopped. I was empty now. Just tired and broken.
But something inside me whispered, you can’t stay here forever.
So I sat up. My body ached, and my head felt heavy, but I knew what I had to do.
I couldn’t go back to the pack. Not after what happened. Not after what they did.
I had to leave. I had to start over.
Somewhere new.
Somewhere far away.
Where no one knew my name.
Where I could heal.
Where I could become someone stronger.
I stood up slowly, wiping my face with my dirty hands.
“I’m done with this place,” I said, my voice low and full of pain. “I’m leaving.”
But just as I turned to walk back and grab my things, something heavy slammed into the back of my head.
Everything went black.
- Writer
