THE LUNAR REBORN

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Escaping In The Shadow.

Maya's POV

I couldn't take the rejection anymore. Asher’s cold world still echoed in my mind, tearing at my heart; his pretense and hidden secrets, which he refused to reveal, made me not trust him.

I kept flashing back to his words. “You're not my mate, Maya. I’ll never accept you” The pain from those words still broke me.

I had to leave Shadow Creek. I couldn't stay where I wasn't wanted. So, I picked the little things I had and ran. I ran deep into the forest not caring where I ended up.

I was surrounded by the trees and their branches swaying with the wind, but the darkness only seemed to press in closer.

Tears blurring my vision as I walked leaving the pack in pain, I roughly wiped them away. I won't cry anymore. I told myself, but the pain was too difficult to ignore.

The sting of Asher's rejection hurt more than anything I’d ever felt. Someone who I thought to be my mate ended up rejecting me and now pretending to be protective; we were meant to be together, but now, everything seems to be different; I was just nothing to him, not ready to trust anyone.

“Why did this have to happen to me?” I whisper to myself trying to steady my breathing. I could feel the anger mixing with sadness, making my heart pound in my chest.

I needed to keep moving no matter the pain of rejection, but my feet were heavy as if the weight of everything was pulling me down.

I suddenly heard something low and growling that was coming from the darkness. I froze as my heart raced faster than I thought. I tried to see through the trees. My heart ached at the expectations before me. I scanned around, but all I could make out were shadows.

“What could that be?" I whisper under my breath. This could be part of my obstacle," I said to myself as something slopped out of the Shadow. It was rival wolves.

I stood still gazing at their glowing eyes and their gleamed teeth as they snarled at me.

I had to fight even though I was grief by fear; running would only make them chase me faster.

“This can't be happening, why are they after me?" I said to myself in a whispering tone with trembling hands as I backed up, reaching for the small dagger I always carried in my boot. It wasn't much, but it was what I had to protect myself.

The only thing I managed to escape was to dodge on time when one of the rogues lunged at me. I swung my dagger, slicing its side, but that only seemed to make the others angrier. They circled me, growling louder, closing in on all sides.

“Get back!” I shouted, trying to sound brave, but my voice cracked with fear.

Another wolf leaped at me, and this time, I wasn’t fast enough. Its teeth sank into my arm, and I screamed in pain, feeling the warm blood flow down my skin. I stabbed it with the dagger, but it wasn’t enough to drive it off. They were too strong, too many.

As I fought, my strength started to fade. Having blurred vision, the pain in my legs felt like they would give out at any moment.

I felt like life was draining out of me, my body growing weaker with every second. The rogues continued their attack, their claws tearing at my skin, my blood staining the earth beneath me.

I thought this was the end. I thought I was going to die, alone in this dark forest, forgotten by the world.

But just as the darkness started to swallow me whole, something strange happened. A voice, soft yet powerful, echoed through the trees.

“Enough!"

The rogue wolves froze, silencing their snarls by the command. I tried lifting my head, but I was too weak. I had no strength for that. But when I finally did, to my surprise, I saw a woman cloaked in black, standing at the edge of the clearing.

She began to chant something when she held my hands. It was something I couldn't understand, maybe it was magic.

“What's going on here? And what's she doing?" I curiously asked, but my question was answered with their silence, and then I knew something was wrong.

The air around us crackled with energy as the wolves whimpered and backed away, their eyes wide with fear. One by one, they turned and disappeared into the forest, leaving me lying there bleeding and broken.

I gasped for air, struggling to stay conscious, but everything seemed blurred; I could almost feel myself slipping away.

She approached me with her face hidden beneath her hood. She knelt beside me, her hand hovering over my wounds.

“You're so lucky I came at the right time," she said, her voice almost too calm. "Those rogues would have killed you”.

"Who….who are you? And why did you save me?" I manage to whisper in my weak voice.

“That's not important right now; what's important is saving your life, which I already did.” She replied, her hand glowing with a soft, warm light.

I felt a surge of energy flowing through me which was easing my pain as she healed my wounds. It was strange as I felt strength quickly returning to my body. But I was too exhausted to question it.

“Why…..why are you helping me?” I curiously asked, still confused.

She looked at me with a smile, though I couldn't see her face. “Let's just say I have my reasons for saving you because you’re not alone as you think.”

I wanted to ask more to understand what was happening, but my body was too weak; I was very tired, and my eyelids grew heavy, but before I knew it, everything went dark.

When I finally opened my eyes, I found out I was lying on soft grass, the morning light filtering through the tree. The woman was all alone, but her words kept echoing in my mind. “You're not alone as you think".

I sat up slowly, my body still sore but no lo

nger in pain. How had she done that? Who was she? And why did she save me?