Fated Twice,Rejected Twice

CHAPTER 3

Selene's pov

The fall

The night was quiet, with that kind of silence that only elevates every minor sound and makes your spine run cold. Frozen, holding my breath, I stared out of the tiny window of my room. The full moon hung high in the sky, bathing the forest in its silver glow. It was a beautiful sight, but tonight it only reminded me of what I was leaving behind.

I wrestled with the frayed strap of my backpack, filling it quickly with necessities: a couple of outfits, a water bottle, and the remaining scraps of food I could scrounge up. My hands shook as chilly night air seeped in through the wall crevices, hinting that the moment of decision had arrived.

I looked toward the door- my heartbeat raced in my chest. Every pulse seemed to remind me of how breakable my plan was. I am not a warrior, nor strong, not even fully a wolf. I was just Selene, the girl who had survived her life alone.

I opened the creaky door-it cut through the silence like a blade. I winced, holding my breath, and peered up and down the hallway. Empty.

The pack was sleeping. At least for now. Barefoot, I stepped into the hall, careful to make no sound on the cold wooden floor. Every step forward felt like waging war on the fear clawing my chest.

"Selene?"

Darren's soft voice echoed through the darkness. I slowly turned and found him a few feet from me, the confusion and concern dancing in his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he softly asked, almost inaudible. His gaze moved to the bag in my hand.

"I'm leaving," I said with a quiver. The words fell like weights, final and decisive.

He stepped closer, his eyes locking onto mine. "You can't," he said, his tone soft yet firm. "It's too dangerous."

"I have to," I replied, my voice breaking with desperation. "I don't belong here, Darren. I never have."

His jaw tightened, the muscles working as he struggled to find the right words. "You do belong," he said quietly. "You're part of my pack. "

I shook my head, gripping the strap of my bag like a lifeline. “No, I’m not. I’m just a burden. A weak, wolfless girl who can’t even protect herself. I’m not like you, Darren. I’ll never be.”

"You can't protect me forever," I whispered, the words choking in my throat. "And I couldn't keep acting like everything's okay here because I need a place to make it on my own. Where I'm accepted for who I am and am not just. tolerated."

"You're more than tolerated," he snarled furiously; his eyes went incandescently bright, full of ardent intensity. "You are needed. Needed by me."

The ache in his raw voice made my heart ache, but I knew I had to force myself away. "I'm sorry, Darren," I said, moving back. "I can't stay. Not like this."

His hand dropped to his side, and for a moment, I thought that he would let me go. Then his voice came, soft and strained. "If you leave now, I mightn't be able to bring you back."

I hesitated, the weight of his words crashing down on me. But I swallowed hard and turned toward the door. "Maybe I don't want to be brought back," I whispered.

I lumped in my throat, but I swallowed it back. I steeled myself and whispered, "I must deal with this alone." I stepped back from Darren, avoiding his touch. "I'm going to the human world. I'll be safe there."

"The human world?" The disbelief in Darren's voice almost bordered on anger. "Selene, have you gone crazy? You don't know what you're saying. They'll tear you apart."

"I'll be fine," I said, but the shake in my voice betrayed me. The words were as much for myself as they were for him.

Darren closed the distance between us, his hand gently catching my arm. His touch was warm, and grounding. "Please, Selene. Don't do this. Let me help you. We'll figure something out. Together."

I looked up at him, his face inches from mine. The worry etched into his expression nearly broke me. For a second, I wanted to believe him protect me, stay.

But I couldn't. If I stayed, I'd always be the helpless one, the one everyone needed shielding. I needed to stand on my own two feet, no matter how it hurt.

"I'm sorry, Darren," I said, pulling my arm out of his grasp. "But I have to go."

His hand dropped to his side, and the pain in his eyes could have broken me. But I turned another way, and forced myself to keep moving forward, one step at a time. Down the hall a few feet away was the exit. If I could get outside, there was hope for me.

The night breeze welcomed me with sudden violence as I ran out. My hair whipped in the cold wind, and for a moment, I felt free. I was running across the yard, the wet grass beneath my feet, my heart pounding at every step. Trees stood far ahead of me, their shadows promising safety.

Then it all came crashing down.

"Stop her!"

The shout had come from behind me, cut through the night. My heart seized. They were awake. They knew.

The scream was a release from behind, the time was mine no more. They were awake and aware. My legs went faster as they burned in the fire, yet my forest showed its tempting glimpse toward freedom.

As I went upwards, scratches upon my skin moved with my footsteps, with little stings that grew drowned amidst the heartbeats of my drumming heart.

A movement, quick and fast, out of the corner of my eye, and a running shadow among trees, going God knows where. My heart skipped a beat. They were near very, very near. I felt that surge of panic, which made me walk faster as I strayed from the trail and went further into the forest.

The trees were becoming closer, and their thick canopy above was filtering most of the moonlight through. Behind me, I heard voices loud and furious. I was not going to make it. My mind ran quicker as I began thinking about getting a way out. Yet, there wasn't one.

The next thing I saw was a precipitous elevation ahead, which turned into blackness in an instant. I did not have any time to think - only to act.

I flung myself down the darkness, spinning into the unknown as the world somersaulted me. I didn't let the rocks and branches scratching me stop me but continued to roll and move on with it till I suddenly felt that I was sliding down a hill at top speed.

I hit the water before I realized there was a lake at the bottom. The icy cold stole the breath from my lungs, and for a moment, I was paralyzed. Then survival instincts kicked in, and I thrashed, struggling to stay afloat.

"Selene!" Darren's voice was faint now, muffled by the roar of the water and my pounding heartbeat.

I swam harder, my limbs screaming in protest. The shore seemed impossibly far, the current pulling at me, dragging me down. My strength was fading, my movements slowing with every second.

"Selene!" His voice was closer now, laced with panic.

I wanted to respond-to scream that I was dying-but the water swallowed my words. My limbs felt like lead, my body sinking despite my efforts to stay above.

"Selene!" Darren's voice cracked, raw and desperate. But it was too late.

The water pulled me under, cold and merciless. My vision blurred, the world fading to darkness as I reached out, my fingers clawing at nothing but empty water.

The last thing I heard was his voice, broken and pleading. "Selene!"

Then, silence.