Chapter 3

Aria

The day was about to end. My legs hurt as I continued running through the forest without stopping. I didn't realize that I had been running for a while now. My head tilted up to the sky. The sun was about to set. Darkness would arrive soon, and I had to go back to the house before a tracker saw me.

I had always felt pressured to be Ash and Cassie's sibling. Running through the forest helped me to be at ease. This was my solace. I would feel better afterward and ready to face the world again when I came out of the forest after a short sprint.

However, the pain that I carried deep within my heart was still there. That pain shredded my heart into pieces. The rejection of my mate was the worst experience I have ever had in my life. Being rejected by my mate was beyond compare.

Minutes passed, and I could already see our home from afar. We had the best in life, a luxurious home, and anything we could need. Our cabin was one of the best homes in the pack. The Alpha gave us this home because of the popularity that my sister brought to the pack and my brother's bravery in battle.

My father hated me for being weak, my sister didn't like to spend time with me, and my brother was always busy with pack duties. All I had was my mother, and I was beyond grateful to have her by my side. My brother used to be there for me as well. He took good care of me, giving me the attention I deserved and protecting me from everyone who tried to humiliate me. However, he was no longer on my side. Ash was no different from Dad and our sister. They treated me like I was a worthless wolf in the family.

I took a deep breath before I continued walking to our house. My legs brought me to the kitchen where my mom used to stay at this hour. The aromatic dinner that she was cooking lingered in my nostrils. I covered my mouth not to make any sound when I started crying again after seeing her.

My mother gazed in my direction. Her smiling face had now changed into a look of worry.

Tears fell from my eyes, and I could no longer stop myself from crying.

“Why are you crying, Aria?” she asked, slowly walking near me. I bit my bottom lip as I couldn't find the exact words to tell Mom about what happened to me.

My mom opened her arms, telling me to embrace her, which I did. I buried my face in her chest and let out everything. Mom comforted me by rubbing her hands on my back. I could say that my mom's embrace helped ease me, but it would never be enough to take away the pain in my heart.

“It’s very painful, Mom. Why is it this painful?” I cried out loud, unable to finish my words."

Mom played with my hair using her fingers as she said, “Everything will be alright, my child. Mommy is here, and I will never allow them to hurt you.”

Mom's words made me feel better, at least for now. It didn't matter to me how long we stayed in that position. What mattered to me was the truth that Mom would be there by my side forever, even if the world turned its back on me.

Honestly, I felt better after I had cried everything onto Mom's chest. But that didn't mean the pain in my heart had disappeared. It wouldn't be gone that easily because it would take some time to heal.

“Tell me what happened, Baby. Why are you crying?” Mom asked as she noticed I was calming down. Her hands caressed my face, and she used the back of her hand to wipe my tears away.

I smiled and cleared my throat before telling Mom what happened. “I found and met my mate earlier, Mom,” Mom's face lit up with happiness as I said those words.

Little did she know what had truly happened between my mate and me.

“That's good to know, Baby. You should be celebrating, now that you found him,” she uttered in joy, but I bit my bottom lip. The excitement on her face faded away after she saw my sudden reaction. “Aria... Don't tell me...”

I bit my bottom lip, trying to hold back my tears as they threatened to fall again.

“My mate rejected me, Mom. He rejected me earlier,” I whispered. My inner self was howling again, and I wanted to release that, but I held it back by taking a deep breath. "Adrian Patterson is my mate, but he doesn't want me. Cassie is the one he chose because he thought my sister was better than me. Even my own brother, Ash, smacked me twice, thinking that I was lying about this whole mate thing! Ash didn't believe that Adrian was my mate, Mom. He listened to Cassie, and that hurts the most."

Those painful words escaped from my throat while I sobbed. Mom listened to me, and seeing her reaction, she couldn't even believe it.

“I'm sorry for this, Honey. You didn't deserve this!” My mom exclaimed, and she embraced me into her arms, which made me sob again in her arms. “I’m sorry if you have to experience all of this.”

I faked a smile, letting Mom know that it was not her fault. She must not ask for an apology because she didn't do anything to hurt me. They did.

“It wasn’t your fault, Mom. It was their fault.” I replied with a hint of anger in my tone. An igniting fire had formed in my heart while I was thinking about the betrayal and rejection of my mate towards me. I gritted my teeth while my body tensed with the surge of emotion.

My mother let go of me. She looked at me deep into my eyes with a hint of worry all over her face. I knew she was hurting deep inside from what happened to me, and I didn't want her to be hurt like that. “Did you tell him?”

I shook my head in response. “He doesn’t deserve to know the truth. He doesn’t deserve me.”

This, I was sure of. My secret would remain between me and my mom. I vowed not to let anyone from this godforsaken pack know what I was, especially Adrian Patterson.

No one would know that I am a shifter too.

One day, I woke up with intense pain in my body. My mom headed straight to my room when she heard me whimpering in agony. No one else was inside our house except for us that day.

And then, it happened. My bones creaked while my muscles tore from them. Still lying at my bedside, I grew in size. My limbs morphed while my hair thickened into white fur. My nose stretched out and became a snout. Then, I saw a white wolf in my mind. She introduced herself as my spirit wolf, Cleo, who would become my life companion.

And through it all, my mom bore sole witness to everything. And it would remain like that forever.

“After the incident, I didn’t know how to face him or this family anymore.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I want…I want to run away from this pack,” I uttered with certainty. My decision was final. I’d rather live in isolation than stay in this hell.

“No, I will not let you!” My mom stepped back and massaged her head. “I will not allow you to live as a rogue. You’ll die!”

“But I am already dead!” I retorted. “Adrian’s rejection already killed me. This is the only way to revive me. This is the only way for me to live again.”

I felt like something had blocked my throat while saying those words. My knees wobbled. Finally, I gave in and slowly descended to the ground.

My mom didn’t speak. Instead, she scooched and threw another embrace on my shaking body. But this time, it felt different. It felt as if she was setting me free.

She didn’t have to say anything. That was enough for me to understand that she already agreed to my plan.

“Thank you, Mom,” I whispered. “I promise to stay in touch. I will never forget you.”

“Please take care of yourself, my sweet Elaria. Shifter or not, my love for you will remain the same.”

My mom’s embrace became tighter. We both savored the moment, for we both knew that that would be the last.

At least, for now.

******

It was a dark and gloomy night as I kept moving, making my moves hasty with tears all over my face. My legs were trembling, but it didn't stop me from moving. The trees were thicker this way. Heading south was my only option to escape from the pack where I left my broken heart.

I had been running for almost an hour, which made me stop for a moment. This was already hostile territory, for I knew that I had already crossed the border of the Shadowmoon pack. Enemies could be everywhere, and I had to be vigilant.

I suddenly felt the dryness of my throat. It was only then that I realized I needed to drink. I stopped running and tried to listen to the sounds surrounding me. My mouth grinned when I heard ripples of water from a nearby stream.

I rushed in the direction of the sound. It didn’t take long before I reached the riverbank. I leaned down and scooped water in my hand. The water was sweet and refreshing. My mind celebrated this little comfort when suddenly, I felt another presence at my back.

I summoned the last ounce of courage I had to look back, and my eyes widened. And with that, I knew everything would forever be changed.