Chapter 4
1156 Words
Chapter 4: A New Nightmare POV: Elara
I couldn't stop shaking, my entire body was trembling so hard I thought I might fall apart, the King's hand was still gripping my arm, holding me upright in the mud, and I didn't understand anything that was happening.
Mate, he had said mate, but that was impossible, I had just been rejected by my mate, Cane was my mate, not these terrifying strangers who looked at me like I was something disgusting they had stepped in.
The King with the silver eyes pulled me closer to him, and the moment our skin touched, I felt it, a sharp, burning pain that shot through my entire body like lightning. It was so intense I gasped out loud, trying to jerk away from him.
His eyes narrowed, "What's wrong with you?"
"It hurts," I whispered, my voice barely audible, "When you touch me, it hurts."
I saw something flash across his face, anger maybe, or disgust, he didn't let go though, his grip on my arm only tightened, sending another wave of painful sparks through my skin, it felt like I was being shocked over and over again.
The other King, the one with golden eyes, stepped closer, "Let me see," he said, reaching out to touch my other arm.
The second his fingers made contact with my skin, the same thing happened, a burning, electric pain that made me want to scream; it was worse than being kicked, worse than the humiliation, because this pain came from somewhere deep inside me, somewhere I didn't understand.
"She's rejecting the bond," the golden-eyed King said, his voice filled with cold fury, "Our own mate is rejecting us."
"I'm not," I tried to say, but my voice came out as barely a whisper, "I don't know what's happening, I don't understand."
The silver-eyed King looked at me with pure hatred in his eyes, "You're pathetic," he said flatly, "Absolutely pathetic."
I felt tears streaming down my face again. I had gone from one nightmare straight into another, from Cane's rejection to being claimed by two men who clearly despised me, men who were so powerful that the air itself seemed to bend around them.
I forced myself to look around the clearing, trying to make sense of what was happening. The entire pack was frozen in place, staring at us with wide eyes and open mouths; they looked terrified.
My father, Alpha Silas, was standing a few feet away, and the change in him was shocking. Just moments ago, he had been kicking me in the mud, calling me worthless and a disgrace; now, he was bowing his head respectfully, his whole body language screaming submission.
"My Kings," he said, his voice smooth and fake, "I had no idea the girl was your mate. If I had known, I would never have allowed her to be treated this way."
Liar, I thought, rage burning through my fear, you're a liar.
"You didn't know because she has no wolf," the silver-eyed King said coldly, "She couldn't feel the bond, and neither could we until we got close enough to scent her."
My father nodded eagerly, "Of course, of course, that makes sense, please, allow me to prepare a proper send off for her, she is going to be your Queen after all, she deserves a royal escort to the Midnight Empire."
The Kings didn't respond to that; they just stared at my father with expressions that made it clear they saw right through his act. I could see my father sweating despite the cold night air.
I turned my head and found Cane in the crowd. He was standing near the bonfire, and for the first time tonight, he actually looked at me. There was confusion written all over his face, like he couldn't understand what had just happened.
Part of me wanted to scream at him, to demand answers, to ask him how he could have forgotten me so completely, but another part of me just felt empty. He had destroyed me tonight, and now these Kings were taking me away to a place I had never been.
Then I saw Selah, my perfect sister, standing in the shadows, her beautiful face illuminated by the firelight, and the expression on her face made my blood run cold. She wasn't confused like everyone else; she was watching everything with a calm, calculated look in her eyes.
She looked almost satisfied.
I didn't have time to think about what that meant because the silver-eyed King started pulling me away from the altar, away from the bonfire, away from everything I had ever known. My legs were shaking so badly I could barely walk, and every step sent fresh jolts of pain through my body where his hand gripped my arm.
"Wait," I whispered, trying to pull back, "Please wait, I need to get my things, I need to say goodbye."
"You don't need anything from this place," the golden-eyed King said from behind me, his voice hard and final, "You belong to the Midnight Empire now."
"But I don't even know your names," I said desperately, tears choking my voice, "I don't know anything about you, please, you can't just take me."
The silver-eyed King stopped walking and turned to look at me. His face was so cold it made me want to disappear.
"I am King Kaelen," he said, gesturing to himself, then he nodded toward his brother, "This is King Valerius. We are the rulers of the Midnight Empire, and you are our fated mate whether we like it or not."
Whether we like it or not, the words cut through me like a knife; they didn't want me, they were just as trapped by this bond as I was, maybe more trapped because they actually had power and status to lose.
"I don't want this either," I whispered, the truth spilling out before I could stop it.
Kaelen's eyes flashed with something dangerous. "Too bad," he said, "The bond doesn't care what we want."
He started walking again, dragging me with him. I stumbled over my torn dress, my bare feet sliding in the mud, behind us I could hear the pack whispering and talking, their voices a confused buzz that followed us into the darkness.
I looked back one last time at the Blackthorn Pack, at the place that had been my prison for my entire life. I saw the bonfire burning bright, I saw the faces of the wolves who had laughed at my pain, and I saw Cane standing there like a statue.
And I realized I was leaving one nightmare and walking straight into another. I didn't know if these Kings were going to save me or destroy me; I didn't know if I would survive whatever waited for me in the Midnight Empire.
All I knew was that I was terrified, and I was completely alone.
- Writer
