Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 7

Aria

Everything around was surrounded with dark as if dark clouds had descended from the sky and enveloped the atmosphere in a never-ending haze. The rainforest was even darker than ever despite the moonlight that shone at its best.

One by one, I let the forest engulf me deeper into it. My skin was burning, the more it burned the more accurate I knew when my wolf was going to come out. I opened my clothes and let them rest beside the tree.

Out of blue, a pain hit my abdomen. The agonizing scream tore from my throat at the abruptness of it. Before the aftershock from the previous hit could end another pain hit from my spoke. The sound of my bones cracking became the only sound I could hear.

The burning sensation increased to the point where I could feel the tears gathering at the corner of my eyes, a cry slipped past my lips before I even knew it. As I started to notice the white fur appearing on my skin, something heightened my grief even more--She was beautiful but because of me she wasn't going to get the chance to be with her mate.

The canines tore through my gums. My paws began transforming, my nails extended and as the last blow of pain hit my body the scream left my mouth wasn't a scream anymore--It was a howl.

I'd shifted into my wolf form. I couldn't see her but in my head, her image illustrated perfectly--She got white fur that shiner than silk, blue eyes, tall and bigger than any average she-wolf her--Elegance radiated through her. She was way too beautiful.

"I'm sorry, I am so sorry that you have been burdened with me." I found myself letting go of the tears I had been holding onto.

"Don't say that," I hadn't expected to receive a snap, it was completely unexpected for me to have my wolf react like that.

"But, you deserved someone better. Who is strong and not a coward like me." I managed to let out.  I could see her going through my memory upon my sentence, our wolf can see our memories once we shift and it is unavoidable.

I could see her visibly wincing as she went through the memory of Hunter kissing his girlfriend, all the flashes of his torments towards me, his unruly remarks, and finally the hatred I'd always seen in his eyes.

I could feel her pain because I'd felt this exact pain for years and now that I knew he was my mate, everything hurt even more.

"It's not your fault,"  she broke the silence that'd fallen between us, "He has hurt you, you don't have any fault in it."

My eyes widen in surprise--I'd thought she would blame me but she wasn't instead she was supporting me. She was really supporting me!

"So you are with me?" I found myself asking.

"Of course, I'm," She nodded, "We will deal with it together." A small smile took upon her lips but I could see the pain behind her eyes and unfortunately I had nothing I could do for her.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Sierra," She responded.

"You want to go for a run?"

"Hell yeah!" And she began running, the speed was extreme. Anyone could barely identify that this was my first shift, her movements were superior, as the winds caressed our bodies she let me take control. Feeling myself running in my wolf form, the sweet hums of the forest, and the distant sound of the lake--I couldn't wish for anything else at this moment but I knew I was incomplete, the person who was supposed to complete me hated me from his core.

My paws slowed down as Hunter's face flashed in front of my eyes, his smiles that I once used to receive but then the hatred I'd experienced caused the pain to bury deep inside of me.

The tears threatened to fall but I refused to let them go.

I could feel Sierra feeling my sorrow and the anguish that passed through her but she didn't let it show either. We both wanted to be strong for each other, trying hard to wash away the memory of the person who hated me--My mate who hated me.

Minutes passed, the run was long. I felt myself slowly relaxing, the closeness to nature helped. The ache in my chest was still there but at least I was getting used to it.

It's funny how easily we get used to things, The ignorance of close ones, and the pain we receive.

We ran back towards the tree where I had left my clothes. The murkiness of night was slowly engulfing the forest. I picked up my undies and slipped them on, and just when I was about to pick up the rest of my clothing, A crackling sound from the back caught my attention--The sound of a branch getting cracked under someone's feet.

My breathing caught in my throat, and then his scent hit my nose.

I swiftly turned around, and my eyes fell on his figure standing a few feet away. His green eyes glowed in the dark and as he began stepping out of the darkness his prominent features started becoming the only thing my eyes began to notice. He looked gorgeous.

No, Aria! Get a hold of yourself.

I could feel sierra fighting the same battle as me. Fighting the mate bond was the hardest thing for a werewolf. One look at Hunter's face, one whiff of his scent--I already knew this was going to be a fight I scarcely had chances to win.

I took rapid steps backward and my back hit the tree, the coldness of the surrounding felt colder as my tormentor approached me, his hands landed on my bare hip--The contact instantly sent sparks throughout my body. I wanted to close my eyes but they were locked with his ones.

My breathing got heavier and heavier.

"Beautiful," He breathed trailing his finger from my cheek passing my neck then the valley of my breasts finally stopping at my belly button . I felt bare under his gaze, the lingerie covering my body didn't really help in subsiding the feeling.

"W-what are you doing?" I stammered.

"Mine," His growl made me flinch, and before I even knew it his hands moved to cup my butt and raise me wrapping my legs around my waist and slamming my body against the tree.

I closed my eyes at the contact. I was terrified of him, more likely terrified of the mate bond that was making me lose every bit of the self-control I had left inside of me.

He buried his head in my neck, deeply inhaling my scent and trailing his nose from the spot below my ear to the end. I sucked in a deep breath, this wasn't going to end well. I needed to leave this place before the things would get out of my hand.

He moved to kiss my jaw, then to my cheeks, and finally to my lips but I turned my face away before his lips could touch mines.

"Alpha, let me go." I managed to utter.

"Look at me," His tone was authoritative but there wasn't any harshness in it.

When he noticed I did not move to turn my head, he voluntarily grabbed my chin and made me face him.

Soon as my eyes meet his one, I felt myself getting weak.

No! You can't fall weak Aria.

"You are my mate," He spoke." This is mine," his thumb trailed over my lips.

"This beautiful face is mine." He caressed my cheeks, "These are mine," He lightly traced his fingers over my breasts.

"This is mine," He brushed his index finger on my belly, "Everything on you is mine."

"No!" I finally spoke out loud, "You don't own anything that belongs to me, you have lost it the moment you slept with another woman, the moment you let your girlfriends insult me, the moment you hurt me, the moment you insulted me, the moment you ended our friendship!"

He looked taken aback, his eyes widened ever so slightly as if he couldn't digest that all of these were done by him.

"You've broken me, Hunter Rodriguez. You've broken me beyond repair." I exclaimed, the first tear rolling down my cheek betraying me.

Something flashed in his eyes--Guilt. It was evident.

He fell silent, the hesitation swirled deep in his orbs. His hands holding me up started tightening.

"Reject me." He suddenly spoke, I could notice the tightness in his voice.

The air in my lungs seemed to get snatched at the moment. I couldn't speak, I couldn't breathe.

Neither I hadn't expected him to say anything like this nor did I know why I couldn't say anything. My own body was rejecting to support me, sierra's howl of pain ringed in my ear--The thought itself shook my entire existence. Rejecting the other part of me, rejecting my mate who was the same person I was supposed to hate but I couldn't.

"Reject me!Aria!" He growled, his jaw clenched as if he was suppressing his own pain that'd reflected itself in his orbs. The veins beside of forehead stood out.

"I-I..." I couldn't manage to let anything out.

"Say it, Reject me! I don't deserve you," He shouted, "Fucking Reject me!"

I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times, unable to utter the words. The thought left a pang in my chest. The more I thought about it, it only seemed to increase.

"Please, let me go! I beg you!" The sob was everything that left my mouth.

His gaze instantly softened but I couldn't make out his expression as the tears blurred my vision.

"I beg you, Hunter. Leave me alone! I can't bear this anymore!" The continuously rolled down my cheeks, everything around me felt dizzy and darkness started coating my vision.

"Shh, don't cry," He rested his forehead against mine and his thumb brushed my tears away.

"Please, Hunter. Let me go! I don't want to get hurt again!" I tried to push him but he didn't budge or maybe I was losing my strength.

"Calm down, sweetheart," He cooed, "I won't hurt you."

My breathing was coming out as pants, his words were making me weak. My senses were getting hazy.

"I loved you but all I received is hatred! I'm ashamed that I loved you." Was the last thing I could remember myself saying before I fell unconscious in my nightmare's arms.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter