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CHAPTER 5 We'll Rise

The Next Morning

The sun rose slowly, casting a soft golden light across the forest outside Seraphina's window. She lay curled up on her bed, her body heavy with exhaustion, her mind replaying the events of the night before like a broken record. The rain had finally stopped, but inside her heart, the storm still raged.

'Sera, you need to get up. We can't stay hidden forever,' her wolf, Lira, whispered in her mind.

Seraphina clenched her fists, pulling the blanket tighter around her body. 'I can't, Lira. I can't face them...' Her voice was shaky, filled with fear and pain.

'You're stronger than this,' Lira urged. 'We're stronger than this. They don't define us. No matter what Orion or anyone else thinks, we are worth more than their judgments.'

But Seraphina's heart ached too much to believe it. The memory of Orion's rejection was like a fresh wound, raw and bleeding. His cold words at the coronation echoed in her mind over and over again. The pain was relentless, gnawing at her from the inside out. She had spent her entire life believing that Orion was her fate, that their bond would be the one thing to make her whole.

Now, the very thought of him choosing Elara over her twisted her stomach in knots. The same girl who had tormented her and bullied her relentlessly, now stood by Orion's side, wearing the crown of Luna that Seraphina had once dreamed of. The laughter at her expense, the cruel eyes of the Pack that had watched her fall apart- none of it could leave her mind.

"How could he?" she thought bitterly, tears burning behind her eyes. "After everything we've been through... he still sees me as weak. As nothing."

Lira growled low in her mind, her presence a steady thrum of anger. 'Orion is a fool. He doesn't see your strength because he's blinded by his need for power. That's on him, not you. You are strong, Sera, stronger than any of them know.'

'But what does it matter if the one person I've loved for so long can't see it?' Seraphina asked, her heart heavy. 'He rejected me, Lira. He made me a joke in front of everyone. How can I move past that?'

'You move past it because you have to. For yourself. For us,' Lira said fiercely. 'You can't let this break you. We won't let him break us.'

Seraphina wanted to believe that. She wanted to grasp onto the strength Lira was offering, but all she felt was numbness. As if every part of her had been hollowed out by the pain. How could she ever show her face in the Pack again when all she was to them now was the rejected wolf, the weakling not even worthy of her mate?

The day dragged on, every step outside her home feeling like a test of her endurance. Pack members would stare, some whispering cruel remarks just loud enough for her to hear.

"Look, there goes the rejected one."

"Did she think she had a chance against Elara?"

"Orion did the right thing. Elara is the better Luna. Stronger."

Seraphina kept her head down, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her break down in public. She couldn't.

'Keep walking, Sera,' Lira urged, her voice steady but tinged with sadness. 'Don't let them see your pain.'

She tried, but every step felt heavier, every glance thrown her way felt like another jab at her heart. Seraphina's body was tense, her muscles aching from the strain of holding herself together.

Just as she thought she couldn't take anymore, she saw her. Elara stood at the entrance to the village square, her gaze fixed on Seraphina with a smirk of triumph. Seraphina's breath caught in her throat. The woman who had caused her so much pain, the one who had taken everything from her, stood there like she had already won.

Elara sauntered over, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Oh, look who decided to show her face," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd crawl into a hole and hide for the rest of your life."

Seraphina's heart pounded in her chest, her fists clenched at her sides. She didn't want to engage with Elara, didn't want to give her the power to twist the knife even deeper.

Elara's eyes flicked up and down, taking in Seraphina's appearance with disdain. "It must be hard for you, knowing that Orion chose me. But you shouldn't have been surprised. Everyone knows you're too weak to stand by his side."

Seraphina's lips trembled, but she refused to speak. She wouldn't give Elara the satisfaction.

Elara stepped closer, her voice a low whisper meant only for Seraphina's ears. "He needs someone strong. Someone who can rule by his side, not someone who's barely capable of standing up for herself."

'Don't let her get to you,' Lira growled in her mind, but the pain in Seraphina's chest was too much.

Elara's smirk deepened. "You'll always be nothing, Seraphina. Just a weak, rejected wolf."

With that final blow, Elara turned and walked away, her laughter echoing in the air as she left Seraphina standing alone. The Pack members around her had witnessed the whole exchange, and though none of them said anything, their gazes were full of pity and mockery.

Seraphina stood frozen, her heart breaking all over again. The rejection she felt wasn't just from Orion anymore- it was from the entire Pack, from the life she had thought she belonged to. Everything had changed in an instant, and now she was nothing but a shadow in the place she had once called home.

'We'll rise, Sera,' Lira said quietly, her voice soft and full of determination. 'This isn't the end for us. It's only the beginning.'

But as the tears finally spilled from Seraphina's eyes, she wondered if she could ever find the strength to believe that.

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