Dark Before Dawn

“Chapter 3: Forsaken,”

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The moment I stepped into my room, I felt the weight of exhaustion pulling me down. I dragged my tired body up the stairs, my feet feeling heavier with each step. Finally reaching my bedroom, I collapsed onto my bed, sinking into its soft embrace. Sleep wrapped around me like a warm blanket, and I drifted off into a much-needed rest.

But my peaceful slumber was rudely interrupted by a loud banging on my door. The sudden noise jolted me awake, my heart racing. I turned my head, squinting at the bright red numbers on my alarm clock. They blinked nine in the morning, mocking me with their cheerful glow. Saturdays were special to me. They were the only days I didn't have to rush off to school or work. It was my one chance to sleep in and relax. Everyone knew not to bother me on Saturdays, especially Creed. He understood how much I treasured this day of rest. But the knocking didn't stop. It grew louder and more insistent, forcing me to get up.

With a groan, I pulled myself out of bed, my body protesting every movement. I stomped towards the door, anger bubbling up inside me. I yanked it open, ready to yell at Creed. "What's wrong with you, Creed? I swear, do you want die?!"

But the words died in my throat as I took in the scene before me. Creed wasn't alone. f**k, me.

Two tall, muscular warriors stood on either side of him, their faces serious and unyielding. The one on the right looked straight at me, his eyes piercing through my sleepy haze. "Alpha Leone wants to see you," he said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

A cold shiver ran down my spine. Why would the Alpha send warriors to fetch me? What had I done? A thousand questions raced through my mind, each one more worrying than the last.

I tried to keep my voice steady as I replied, "Okay, just give me a minute to change." I closed the door quickly, my heart pounding in my chest.

Inside my room, I panicked. My hands shook as I grabbed clothes from my closet, trying to look as presentable as possible. My mind whirled with possibilities, each one worse than the last. What could the Alpha want with me?

The ride to the pack house was uncomfortable and tense. Creed and I sat squeezed together in his truck, sandwiched between two large, black SUVs. The silence between us was heavy, filled with unasked questions and growing worry. Creed kept his eyes glued to the road, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. I wanted to ask him what was happening, but the words stuck in my throat.

When we arrived, the warriors escorted us into the house. They walked close to us, their presence both protective and intimidating. As we entered Alpha Leone's office, I felt like I was walking into the lion's den. The Alpha sat behind his large desk, his face serious and unreadable. Behind him stood Luna Davina, her elegant fingers resting on the back of his chair. Her eyes met mine for a moment, and I quickly looked away, unable to hold her gaze.

The air in the room felt thick and heavy, making it hard to breathe. Creed stood close behind me, his anxiety mixing with mine. I could almost taste the tension in the air. In the back of my mind, a horrible thought began to form. This had to be about Beau and me. There was no other explanation for such a formal and intimidating setup.

As the door closed behind us with a loud click, I jumped. The small space made me feel trapped, and my wolf stirred restlessly inside me. I tried to keep my breathing steady, knowing that losing control now would only make things worse. I fought against the urge to shift, to let my wolf take over and run far away from this suffocating room.

Creed cleared his throat, breaking the tense silence. His voice sounded strained as he asked, "May I ask what this is about, Alpha?" He was trying to sound respectful, but I could hear the underlying nervousness in his tone.

Alpha Leone leaned forward in his chair, the leather creaking under his weight. He placed his elbows on the polished wood of his desk, lacing his fingers together. His dark eyes bore into us as he spoke, his deep voice filling the room.

"Of course, son. This is about your cousin and my son," he paused, his gaze shifting to me, "and the bond between them."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I wanted to sink into the floor, to disappear from his piercing gaze. Beside me, Creed turned to look at me, his eyebrows raised in silent question. I hadn't told him about Beau and me. Like Beau, I needed time to process what it all meant, to figure out what I was supposed to do with this life-changing information.

"Did you think you could keep this a secret?" Alpha Leone asked, his voice calm but laced with an undercurrent of power. The room seemed to vibrate with his dominant aura. My wolf bristled at his tone, not liking the way he was trying to make us submit. I felt her push against my control, wanting to snap and snarl at this male who dared to challenge us.

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to keep my voice steady as I answered. "I wasn't trying to hide anything, Alpha Leone. I promise. I just thought... given the circumstances..." I glanced around the room, trying to find the right words. "I didn't think it mattered much. Beau already has someone by his side. I had no intention of coming between them." The words tasted bitter on my tongue, a painful reminder that I was second best to my own mate.

"But Beau did come to see you, didn't he?" Alpha Leone's question felt more like an accusation. I couldn't understand why he cared so much about whether his son had visited me or not. We were mates, after all. Did he really expect us to ignore the pull of the bond completely?

I felt my eyes narrow slightly, suspicion creeping into my thoughts. "It seems you already know the answer to that, Alpha," I said, my tone sharper than I intended. "Otherwise, I doubt I'd be standing here right now." As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

Alpha Leone's face twisted into a snarl, his teeth flashing as a deep growl rumbled from his chest. I immediately realized my mistake, fear replacing my earlier defiance.

Creed quickly stepped forward, bowing his head and stretching his neck in a show of submission. "I'm so sorry, Alpha," he said, his voice humble and pleading. "She's still young in many ways. She doesn't fully understand how things work yet." I turned to look at my cousin, mortified by his display of submission on my behalf.

"But she will learn," Alpha Leone snapped, his earlier calm completely gone. His eyes flashed with anger, and I felt myself shrink back.

"Leone," Luna Davina's soft voice cut through the tension. She spoke his name in a gentle but firm tone, silently urging him to control his temper. I watched as the Alpha's muscles tensed for a moment before he forced himself to relax. It struck me how different they seemed now compared to a few days ago at the pack meeting. Then, they greeted me with kind eyes and friendly smiles. Now, they were treating me like a problem that needed to be solved.

"You know, Dawn," Alpha Leone began, his voice taking on a storytelling tone. "When I was a young man, something terrible happened to a neighboring pack. One night, a group of rogues attacked them. They came in the darkness, catching everyone off guard. By the time we heard about it and arrived to help, it was too late. The damage was already done."

I stood quietly, listening to his story. I couldn't understand why he was sharing this with me, but I knew better than to interrupt.

"We spent hours searching for anyone who might have survived. By noon, the smell of death was everywhere. It was overwhelming. I had almost given up hope of finding anyone alive. But then, I heard a small cry coming from one of the houses nearby. Following the sound, I found a little girl, no older than five, hiding in a toy chest in her bedroom."

The Alpha shifted in his seat, his eyes taking on a faraway look as he recalled the memory. "She must have crawled in there when the attack started. I'll never forget her big brown eyes. When she saw me, she looked at me like I was her savior, like I had come to rescue her. But when I tried to move her, I noticed something was wrong. Her stomach was swollen in an unnatural way. She had been hurt badly, too badly to save. Deep down, I knew this, but I still picked her up and carried her out of that house. I desperately wanted to save her."

"As soon as I brought her to my father, he knew she wouldn't make it. We had to make a choice —let her suffer or end her pain quickly. My father looked at me and said, 'For the good of the pack, we sometimes have to make hard choices.'

I was on the edge while waiting for him to continue his tale, but when he did, I felt my stomach knot in ways I couldn’t even imagine.

“Then he gently snapped her neck."

I flinched at the brutal end to his story. I couldn't help but wonder who I was meant to be in this tale. Was I the little girl who couldn't be saved? Had I been brought here to be put out of my misery?

"I cried as I buried her under a tree with the rest of her pack," Alpha Leone continued, his voice heavy with emotion. "My father put his hand on my shoulder and told me something I've never forgotten: 'Remember, it's the goodness of the pack, before us.'"

He repeated the phrase, his eyes locking onto mine. "The goodness of the pack, before us."

"I want you to say it, Dawn," Alpha Leone commanded, his voice eerily calm. I shifted uncomfortably where I stood, feeling the weight of his gaze. My tongue felt thick in my mouth as he leaned forward in his chair. "Say it," he insisted.

The eyes that had once looked at me with kindness were now hard as steel. I straightened my back, feeling my wolf press her will against mine. It was strange to feel so connected to her, our thoughts intertwining. She didn't like being told what to do, but I knew that even though she was mature enough to mate, she was still young in many ways. It would be years before she could even think about challenging a seasoned wolf like Alpha Leone.

I licked my dry lips, lowering my eyes to my hands, which were clenched tightly in front of me. "The goodness of the pack, before us," I repeated, the words tasting foul in my mouth.

"Do you understand what this means?" he asked, seeming satisfied with my obedience for now. I nodded, not entirely sure what it meant to him, but I could guess.

"This is what good leaders remember when they have to make difficult decisions, Dawn," he explained. "This is the lesson my father taught me, and the one I passed on to my son." He leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking loudly. I looked up to meet his gaze again as his mate squeezed his shoulders, a silent show of support.

"It's always the goodness off the pack first, then us," he continued. "Everyone and everything else must come after our pack's needs and wants."

"You want to be a good leader someday, don't you?" His question made my stomach churn, but I nodded, finding it hard to speak. My head felt heavy as I moved it up and down.

"My son wants to be a good leader too," Alpha Leone said. "But to lead this pack when I step down, he'll need someone just as strong and capable by his side." I could tell from his tone that he didn't think I was up to his standards. It was true that I couldn't imagine myself leading anyone, but if the Goddess had paired Beau and me together, there must have been a reason for it.

As if on cue, the door to the small office burst open. Beau walked in, his head hanging low like a man walking to his execution. Alpha Leone stood up, motioning for his son to come closer. Beau glanced in my direction as he passed, but he couldn't hold my gaze for long.

"Beau, you know this is for the good of the pack, as we discussed this morning," his father said. "It's not what we want, but it's what we need." We both flinched at his words. I had already guessed where this was heading, and my heart sank even lower.

I wondered if this was the life my parents had imagined for me when they were preparing to bring me into the world. Rejection wasn't something to be taken lightly. It was painful for both people involved and could even be deadly. Didn't anyone care that this could kill me? I doubt so.

"Please..." I couldn't help but plead, my voice barely above a whisper. This wasn't what I wanted. I wanted a choice in the matter. I wanted a chance to prove I could be the leader they doubted I could be.

Beau met my gaze, his eyes filled with pain. "Father, maybe we could..."

"What is our pack’s oath?" Alpha Leone interrupted before he could finish.

"Father, I—"

Alpha Leone let out a warning growl. "What is our oath, Beau?"

I watched as Beau stiffened, his jaw clenching tight. "The goodness of the pack, before us," he repeated the terrible phrase, words I knew I would never forget.

"Then you know this is about what's best for the pack," his father said, his tone demanding respect and obedience. Before this moment, I had believed the Alpha was always right, that his word was law. But standing in this room, all I saw was a selfish man using his power to do whatever he wanted.

"Beau, you don't have to do this," I said, my voice shaking as I tried to reach the part of him that was my mate, the part that wasn't controlled by his father's training. He looked torn, like he was fighting an internal battle.

"Put the poor girl out of her misery," Luna Davina said softly. She looked sad, like she didn't enjoy what was happening, but she still wouldn't look at me.

Beau turned to me, regret burning in his eyes. "Forgive me, Dawn," he whispered, like a quiet prayer. He took a deep, shaky breath.

I shook my head, not believing what was about to happen. "No, wait…" I pleaded.

But he was already speaking the words that would change everything forever. "I, Beau Gandler, reject you, Dawn Celestia Elwood, as my mate and future luna of this pack. I free you from our bond and the ties that hold us together. You are free to do as you wish."

As soon as he finished speaking, pain exploded in my chest. My knees went weak, and I struggled to breathe. Creed reached out to help me, but I pushed him away. My wolf was crying in my head, her pain making mine even worse. My legs gave out, and I fell to the ground, gasping for air. I felt empty, like someone had scooped out everything inside me. I wasn't sure if any part of me was left.

I dug my fingers into the carpet, trying to hold onto something real. I felt so weak, lying there in front of them. Slowly, I looked up to see Beau leaning against his father, his hand pressed to his chest above his heart. It was the only sign that the rejection had affected him at all.

Strong hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me up. "Come on, Dawn," Creed said gently. My legs were shaky as I tried to stand, stumbling a bit. "Don't worry. I've got you. I'm taking you home."

I felt like I was in a daze as Creed led me away from what should have been my future.

For seven long days, I stayed locked in my room. No one came to visit. No one tried to call. No one tried to make me feel better, not that they could have. It was just me and the four walls of my bedroom — the same walls that had seen me through some of the hardest times in my life. Now they were with me again as I faced another loss, one that felt too big to ever get over.

The first few nights were the worst. I tossed and turned, waking up screaming in pain, my sheets soaked with sweat. After that, I fell into a kind of emptiness. I went through the motions of being alive, but inside, I felt dead, filled with the rotting remains of who I used to be.

I could tell Creed was worried about me. I saw it in his eyes every time he brought me food and took away the full plates from before. The days all blended together: the sun would come up, then go down again. I would fall asleep, surprised to find myself still here when morning came. As each new day passed, the pain became a little easier to bear. I settled into a new way of being, not really living but not quite dead either.

Yet, one morning, as I came down the stairs, Creed greeted me with an envelope in his hand. "This came in the mail for you," he said. I took it from him, my eyes quickly noticing the special symbol in the corner.

For the first time in weeks, I felt my heart beat a little faster. With shaky hands, I tore open the envelope. As I unfolded the paper inside and read the words of acceptance, a sigh of relief escaped my lips.

Laying in my cold hands was my salvation. It was my one way ticket to be freed from this torture.

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TO BE CONTINUED.