Chapter 3 – Goodbye, Mate
884 Words
The scent of herbs and smoke drifted around Aurora as her eyes fluttered open.
The pain in her limbs had dulled to a throb, and the ache in her chest—where the mate bond had once pulsed so powerfully—was now a hollow void.
She was lying on a straw-filled cot, wrapped in thick wool blankets. A low fire crackled in a corner of the hut, casting shadows against the walls. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling, rustling softly with each breeze that filtered through the open window.
Aurora sat up slowly, her body stiff and sore.
A soft voice broke the silence.
“You’re awake.”
Aurora turned, startled. A woman stood in the doorway—tall and elegant, with silver hair braided over one shoulder and eyes the color of polished moonstone.
“I thought you might not make it,” she continued, stepping inside. “Those rogues were almost too late.”
“Who… are you?” Aurora asked, her throat dry.
The woman smiled gently. “My name is Selene. I found you in the Forbidden Forest. You were radiating energy… old, powerful energy. If I hadn’t pulled you out when I did, the bond severing would’ve destroyed you completely.”
Aurora’s breath hitched.
The bond.
Lucien.
The rejection.
She looked down, biting her lip until it bled. The memory of his cold voice still echoed in her ears.
“I… I was his mate,” she whispered. “And he rejected me. In front of everyone.”
Selene’s eyes softened. “I know, child. The Moon told me you were coming.”
Aurora’s head snapped up. “The Moon?”
“The Moon Goddess. She whispers to those who listen.” Selene knelt beside her and took her hand. “You’re more than a rejected mate, Aurora. You carry the mark of something ancient… something lost.”
Aurora blinked, confused. “What are you talking about?”
Selene stood and moved to a small wooden cabinet. She returned with a mirror carved from obsidian and handed it to Aurora. “Look at your eyes.”
Aurora raised it slowly, expecting to see the same brown eyes she’d known her whole life.
But what stared back at her were amethyst irises, glowing faintly even in the dim light.
“I…” Her heart thudded in her chest. “What’s happening to me?”
“You’ve awakened,” Selene said simply. “Your wolf has recognized your bloodline. You are Nightbane.”
The name stirred something deep inside Aurora. She remembered the voice she’d heard in the forest—the power that had erupted from her when the rogues attacked.
“That name… what does it mean?”
Selene’s voice turned solemn. “The Nightbane were once the rulers of all werewolves—noble, fierce, gifted with abilities beyond the reach of normal shifters. But they were hunted to extinction by other Alphas who feared their power. Betrayed. Destroyed.”
Aurora’s hands trembled around the mirror.
“But one child escaped,” Selene continued. “A baby girl hidden by her dying mother and entrusted to the Moon. That child grew up not knowing who she was… until now.”
“You’re saying… I’m her?” Aurora whispered.
Selene nodded.
Aurora’s head spun.
All this time, she had believed she was nothing—an orphan omega scraping by in the shadows of her pack. Now, she was being told she carried royal blood? That she was descended from a fallen dynasty?
“How do you know all this?” Aurora asked.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Selene replied. “For eighteen years, I’ve protected this village of rogues—wolves who’ve been rejected, exiled, or betrayed. The Moon told me one would come who would lead them. You, Aurora. You are the last of the Nightbane. And your return was foretold.”
Aurora swallowed hard.
Leader? She couldn’t even protect herself.
“I’m not strong enough,” she said softly. “Lucien said so himself. I’m weak.”
Selene’s eyes flashed. “Lucien Gray doesn’t know your strength. He feared it the moment he sensed the bond. That’s why he rejected you.”
Aurora stared at the fire, her thoughts a storm of pain and confusion.
Lucien had looked at her like she was beneath him. Disposable. A mistake.
But maybe… he was the one who’d made a mistake.
Maybe fate had chosen her for something greater than being his Luna.
Maybe she was never meant to belong to him.
Aurora clenched her fists.
“Then I want to train,” she said quietly. “I want to become strong—strong enough to never be humiliated like that again. Strong enough to make him regret rejecting me.”
Selene gave a satisfied smile. “Good. But know this—your path won’t be easy. Power always comes at a price.”
Aurora nodded. “I’m willing to pay it.”
As the fire crackled between them, a soft wind blew in through the window, and the Moon rose slowly into the sky—full, luminous, and watching.
Aurora looked up at it, eyes shining with the pain of a broken heart and the spark of something new.
She whispered softly, “Goodbye, mate.”
- Writer
