5: FIVE
1949 Words
R O S A L I E
My vision blurred, and the world started to spin. I couldn't breathe. I felt like I was drowning, and there was no way out.
The dam that I had built around my heart for so long, the dam that was holding all my pain and my suffering, finally burst.
I didn't scream. I didn't cry. I didn't even make a sound.
I just stood there, watching the love of my life, the man I was willing to starve myself for, f**k another woman without a care in the world.
The waitress's eyes snapped open and she saw me. A look of panic crossed her face, and she tried to push Casper away.
"Hey, stop," she said, her voice panicked. "Someone's here. Y-your…”
But he didn't listen. He was too lost in his own pleasure to notice anything.
"Who cares," he grunted, his thrusts becoming more erratic. "Let them watch. Let them see what a real woman looks like."
And that's when I finally snapped.
The anger, the betrayal, the humiliation... it all came rushing to the surface.
I turned and ran. I ran out of the restroom, down the hallway, and into the crowded club. I pushed past people, not caring if I knocked them over. I just had to get out of there. I had to escape.
I burst through the doors and into the cool night air. I gasped for breath, my lungs burning. I looked around, my eyes wide with panic.
I saw an alleyway between the club and the building next to it. I ran towards it, my heels clicking on the pavement. I didn't stop until I was hidden in the darkness, my back pressed against the cold brick wall.
I sank to the ground, my body wracked with sobs. I couldn't hold it in anymore. It felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest and stomped on.
I stayed there for a long time. My body went numb from the cold, but I didn't care. The pain in my heart was so much worse than the cold seeping into my bones.
I was so stupid. So naive.
How could I have been so blind? All the signs were there. The cruel comments, the constant criticism, the way he looked at me with disgust in his eyes. He never loved me. He never even liked me. He just wanted a project. Someone he could mold into his perfect image of a woman. And when I failed to live up to his impossible standards, he found someone else.
Someone better.
Someone thin.
Someone who wasn't me.
I looked at my hands. They were shaking. My entire body was shaking. I felt like I was having a heart attack. The pain in my chest was so intense I thought I was going to die.
"Why?!" I screamed into the empty alley. "Why me?"
But no one answered. There was no one there to comfort me, to tell me that everything was going to be okay. I was all alone. I had never felt so alone in my entire life.
A man I had sacrificed my body and soul for, a man who saw me as nothing more than a fat ugly pig. He was supposed to be my other half, the one person in the world who would love me unconditionally, but he didn't. He was the one who broke me.
I curled into a ball on the dirty ground, the tears streaming down my face. I wanted to die. I wanted the pain to just stop. I wanted it all to be over.
Suddenly, I started hearing footsteps walking towards the alley. I held my breath, my heart pounding in my chest. What if it was Casper? What if he had come looking for me? Or worse, what if it was a dangerous person? I was helpless.
I tried to make myself as small as possible, hoping whoever it was would just walk past or not even notice me.
The footsteps got closer and closer. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the worst.
"Excuse me, miss? Are you alright?" a deep rumbling voice asked.
I slowly opened my eyes and looked up. And my breath hitched in my throat.
Standing over me was the most handsome man I had ever seen. He was tall, at least six foot five with broad shoulders and a muscular build. His hair was dark and slightly messy, and his eyes... his eyes were the deepest shade of blue I’d ever seen, and they were filled with concern.
He was dressed in a leather jacket, simple black t shirt and jeans, and he had an air of confidence that was undeniable. He smelled of sandalwood and a hint of something else, something wild and manly.
An Alpha.
And not just any Alpha. I could feel the power radiating off of him in waves. He was an Alpha King.
The most powerful wolf in the world. The Alpha of Alphas.
I scrambled to my feet, my cheeks burning with shame. I was a mess. My makeup was running down my face, my hair was a tangled mess, and my dress was wrinkled and dirty.
"I... I'm fine," I stammered, avoiding his gaze. "I just... I needed some air."
He raised an eyebrow, his expression unconvinced. "It's a little late for that, don't you think?" he said, his voice gentle. "And you're crying. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I said, my voice trembling. "Really, I'm fine."
He didn't say anything for a moment. He just looked at me, and I felt like he could see right through me. See all my pain and my insecurities.
"Here," he said, taking off his leather jacket and draping it over my shoulders. It was warm and it smelled like him. A feeling of safety washed over me, a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time.
"Thank you," I whispered, clutching the jacket tighter around me.
"You're welcome," he said, a small smile playing on his lips. "Now, are you going to tell me what's wrong, or am I going to have to guess?"
I looked up at him, really looked at him for the first time. For a second, I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted to pour my heart out and let him fix me.
But I couldn't. I was too broken. Too damaged.
"I… I just need to go home." I said, hating how weak my voice sounded.
"I can't let you go home alone, not in this state," he said firmly. "Let me take you. Where do you live?"
"No, I couldn't possibly," I protested. "I don't even know you."
"My name is Axel," he said, extending his hand. "Axel Mancini. And you are?"
I hesitated for a moment before taking his hand. It was large and warm, and it engulfed mine. A spark of electricity shot through my body, a feeling I had never experienced with Casper.
"Rosalie," I said.
"Rosalie," he repeated, my name rolling off his tongue like it was the most beautiful word in the world. He had an accent."It's a pleasure to meet you, even under these circumstances."
He let go of my hand, and I felt a strange sense of loss. I missed his touch already. What was wrong with me?
"Let me take you home, Rosalie," he said, his eyes pleading with me. "Please."
I wanted to say no. I wanted to run away and hide. But I was tired of running. I was tired of hiding.
And for some reason, I trusted him.
I nodded, and a look of relief washed over his face. He led me out of the alley and to a sleek black Mercedes parked on the street. He opened the passenger door for me, and I slid into the plush leather seat.
The car smelled like him, and I found myself taking a deep breath, the scent strangely calming my nerves.
He got into the driver's seat and started the car, the engine purring to life.
"So, where to, Rosalie?" he asked, turning to look at me.
"Uh, the Crimson Shadow pack territory," I said, my heart sinking at the thought of going back to Casper’s pack. "But you can just drop me off at the border. I can walk the rest of the way."
He raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "Crimson Shadow, huh? That's Casper's territory."
My blood ran cold. "You know Casper?"
"Everyone knows Casper," he said, his tone laced with a subtle disdain. "He's... a memorable character."
I looked down at my hands, my cheeks burning with shame. He knew. He probably knew all about me. About how I was the fat pathetic Luna of the Crimson Shadow pack. The one who couldn't even satisfy her own mate.
"Don't worry," he said, as if reading my mind. "I'm not a fan of his. I never knew he had such a beautiful girl in his pack though."
He didn’t know that I wasn’t just any girl in his pack. I was the bastard’s mate. But I couldn’t even proudly say that. It was shameful.
I looked up at him, a blush creeping up my neck. He thought I was beautiful. Me. Rosalie. The girl who was called a pig just hours ago.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"For what?"
"For being kind."
"Kindness should be the least you expect, Rosalie," he replied quietly. "I've just met you, but I can already tell you are deserving of so much more than what this world has given you."
His words cut deeper than Casper's ever could have, and it was then I realized that I couldn’t keep living like this. A life where my mate was cheating on me, humiliating me and constantly degrading me. I deserved more than this.
Freya and my wolf had tried to make me see it for so long, but it wasn’t until I saw him f*****g another woman and the effortless kindness of a stranger that made me realize they were right. That I had lived off of his validations for so long, that I had lost myself in the process.
I was done being a doormat. Done being treated like I don’t deserve a kind and healthy love, just because of my body size. I am worthy of so much more.
"We’re here." Axel’s voice broke me out of my thoughts.
I looked out the window and realized we were at the pack border. He hadn't asked for directions. He knew exactly where he was going. Which only confirmed my suspicions of who he truly was.
The Alpha King.
"Thank you again, Axel," I said, taking off his jacket and handing it to him.
"Keep it," he said, placing a hand on my arm. "You'll catch a cold."
I wanted to protest, but the look in his eyes told me not to. So I just nodded, a small smile playing on my lips.
"Can I see you again?" he asked, his voice hopeful.
"I... I don't know," I said truthfully. If I was going to leave Casper, then I would have to leave the pack. And that meant, I’d probably never see him again.
"Okay," he said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
I opened the door and stepped out of the car, the cool night air hitting my face. I turned to look at him one last time.
"Goodbye, Axel."
"Goodbye, Rosalie."
I watched him drive away, my heart aching with a strange sense of longing. I didn't know what the future held, but I knew one thing for sure.
I was going to take back my life.
- Writer
