Chapter 3
1478 Words
My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would break through my chest.
The forest was silent again.
Too silent.
Damian stood in front of me… waiting.
Kael stood beside me… watching.
Two paths.
Two worlds.
One choice.
I swallowed hard.
“You’re still my mate,” Damian repeated, his voice softer now. “Come back, Aria. I’ll make things right.”
Images flashed through my head.
The pack hall.
The laughter.
The whispers.
The way he looked at me…
Disgust.
“You disgust me, Aria.”
My chest tightened painfully.
I looked at him now.
Really looked.
And for the first time…
I saw the truth clearly.
He didn’t regret rejecting me.
He regretted losing me to someone stronger.
His pride was hurt.
That was all.
“You didn’t want me,” I said slowly.
My voice didn’t shake this time.
It surprised even me.
Damian stepped closer. “I made a mistake.”
“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “You made a choice.”
His expression hardened slightly.
“I didn’t know—”
“You knew,” I cut in quietly. “You knew exactly what I was. You just didn’t think I was worth anything.”
Silence fell between us.
The truth hung heavy in the air.
Damian’s jaw tightened.
“You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgment,” he said. “You don’t belong with him. That world is not for you.”
I let out a small, bitter laugh.
“And this one is?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
Because he couldn’t.
I turned slightly… toward Kael.
His presence was steady.
Strong.
Unshaken.
He wasn’t begging.
He wasn’t trying to convince me.
He was simply… there.
Waiting for my choice.
Respecting it.
That alone made something inside me shift.
No one had ever given me that before.
The freedom to choose.
I took a deep breath.
And made my decision.
“I’m leaving.”
The words felt powerful.
Final.
Like breaking chains that had held me down for years.
Damian froze.
“No,” he said immediately. “You’re not thinking clearly.”
“I’ve never been more clear,” I replied.
“You’re making a mistake!” he snapped.
“Maybe,” I said calmly. “But it will be my mistake.”
His eyes darkened.
“You think he cares about you?” Damian said harshly. “You’re just a replacement. A rebound after rejection. That bond you feel? It’s not real.”
The words hit a weak spot.
Because a small part of me… feared that too.
But before I could react—
Kael stepped forward.
And the air shifted again.
“You speak too much for someone who has already lost,” he said coldly.
Damian growled.
“I’m not afraid of you.”
Kael’s lips curved slightly.
“You should be.”
Everything happened so fast after that.
Damian suddenly lunged forward.
Not at Kael.
At me.
“Then I’ll take her back myself!” he shouted.
I barely had time to react.
But Kael did.
In a flash, he was in front of me.
A low, deadly growl tore from his chest.
And then—
CRACK.
The sound echoed through the forest.
Damian froze mid-step.
His body went still.
His eyes widened in shock.
Slowly…
He looked down.
Kael’s hand was wrapped around his throat.
Lifting him slightly off the ground.
Effortlessly.
“You dare touch what is mine?” Kael’s voice was no longer calm.
It was dark.
Terrifying.
Full of pure power.
Damian struggled to breathe.
His hands grabbed Kael’s wrist, trying to break free.
But it was useless.
“You rejected her,” Kael continued slowly. “You humiliated her. You broke the bond.”
His grip tightened.
“And now you think you can take her back… like she’s nothing?”
Damian’s face turned pale.
“I… I was wrong…” he choked out.
But Kael didn’t loosen his hold.
My heart raced.
“Kael…” I whispered.
Not to stop him.
But because everything felt too intense.
Too dangerous.
He glanced at me briefly.
And in that one second…
Something in his expression shifted.
Then, without another word—
He threw Damian aside.
Damian crashed into the ground, coughing violently.
The forest fell silent again.
Only the sound of his heavy breathing filled the air.
Kael turned back to me.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
My hands were trembling slightly.
But my heart…
It felt stronger.
“Yes,” I said.
This time, there was no hesitation.
We started walking.
Away from the pack.
Away from my past.
Each step felt strange.
Like I was leaving behind a part of myself.
But also…
Like I was becoming something new.
Something unknown.
I didn’t look back.
Not at the pack.
Not at Damian.
Not at the life I used to have.
Because if I did…
I might hesitate.
And I didn’t want to hesitate anymore.
We walked deeper into the forest.
The night grew darker.
The sounds of the pack disappeared behind us.
Only the wind and the rustling leaves remained.
After a while, I finally spoke.
“Why me?”
Kael didn’t look at me.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m weak,” I said honestly. “You saw it yourself. I couldn’t even stand up for myself before tonight. Why would the Moon Goddess give someone like me to you?”
He stopped walking.
So suddenly that I almost bumped into him.
Then he turned.
His golden eyes locked into mine.
“You think strength is just physical?” he asked.
I hesitated. “Isn’t it?”
He stepped closer.
“No,” he said quietly. “Real strength is surviving when everything is against you… and still choosing to stand.”
My breath caught.
“You endured years of pain,” he continued. “You were alone. Rejected. Broken.”
His voice softened slightly.
“And yet… you’re still here.”
Something inside my chest tightened.
Warm.
Unfamiliar.
“You didn’t beg him to take you back,” Kael added. “You chose yourself.”
He paused.
“That is not weakness, Aria.”
For a moment…
I didn’t know what to say.
Because no one had ever seen me that way before.
Not even myself.
We continued walking.
But now…
The silence between us felt different.
Peaceful.
After a while, I noticed something.
The forest was changing.
The trees grew taller.
The air felt heavier.
More powerful.
My wolf stirred uneasily.
“Where are we?” I asked.
Kael didn’t answer immediately.
Then he said—
“We’ve crossed the border.”
My steps slowed.
“Border?”
He nodded.
“You are no longer in your Alpha’s territory.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“Then… where are we?”
Kael looked ahead.
His expression became serious.
“This is Lycan land.”
My heart skipped.
Already?
We moved that fast?
I didn’t even notice crossing anything.
But before I could ask more…
A sudden sound echoed through the forest.
A deep… low… growl.
Not one.
Many.
My body froze instantly.
My wolf went completely still.
Fear crept up my spine.
From the shadows…
Figures began to appear.
One by one.
Tall.
Massive.
Stronger than any wolves I had ever seen.
Their eyes glowed in the dark.
All locked on me.
My breath hitched.
“Kael…” I whispered.
He didn’t move.
“They’re my guards,” he said calmly.
That didn’t make it better.
If anything… it made it worse.
Because the way they looked at me…
It wasn’t welcoming.
It was judging.
Cold.
Suspicious.
One of them stepped forward.
A woman.
Tall.
Sharp eyes.
Powerful aura.
She looked at Kael first.
Then at me.
And her expression darkened immediately.
“You brought a wolf here?” she said coldly.
Not who is she.
Not why is she here.
Just that.
A wolf.
Like I was something lesser.
Something that didn’t belong.
Kael’s voice turned firm.
“She is not just a wolf.”
The woman raised an eyebrow.
“Then what is she?”
Kael didn’t hesitate.
“She is my mate.”
The words echoed in the silence.
The guards stiffened.
The woman’s eyes widened slightly.
But then…
Her lips curved into something dangerous.
“Your mate?” she repeated slowly.
Her gaze moved to me again.
This time… even colder.
Even sharper.
“She looks weak.”
My chest tightened.
The judgment.
The doubt.
It followed me here too.
Different place.
Same eyes.
The woman stepped closer.
Slow.
Measured.
Then she said something that made my blood run cold.
“A weak mate… cannot stand beside a Lycan King.”
She paused.
Her eyes locked into mine.
“So tell me, little wolf…”
Her voice dropped.
“Will you survive here?”
- Writer
