FLAWED

THE GREATEST PAIN

“Oh no! What's holding her back? It's been fifteen minutes. The castle is almost gone.” The pack doctors gathered around, trying to revive the Luna and give first aid to kids who inhaled smoke.

“This won't do. We need to take Luna to the pack's hospital. She had a heart attack.”

The alpha king, Howard Frost nodded and carried up his mate, with a deep breath, he ran to the hospital, forcing himself to tear his attention away from his daughter trapped in the fire.

“Erica! Where are you?” Amaya shouted, her eyes red and filled with smoke from the irritation. For fifteen minutes she searched for Erica, but she was nowhere to be found, till the fire blocked the exit.

“Amaya, I'm here.” Erica cried, rushing to her. She was covered with a wet blanket.

“It's so hot, do you have another blanket?”

Amaya sighed and removed the blanket wrapped around her neck, using it to add an extra layer of protection to Erica. The Erica she knew was a naive spoiled baby, who couldn't endure hardship and cries whenever things didn't go her way. Being caught in the fire must have been terrifying, so Amaya had no problem giving up her own blanket.

“Let's go.”

Just then, Erica staggered.

“I'm having cramps, Ah, ah, it must be the smoke.”

Without further thoughts, Amaya carried her up bridal style, racing out of the castle which was almost burned to the ground at this point. Just as they reached the door, a beam fell, blocking the door. Amaya screamed and jumped back, quickly running to a nearby window.

The entire ground was burning with flames from fallen wood. Amaya's legs were filled with blisters and burn wounds as she ran in the flame.

With a powerful kick, the glass shattered, and fresh air hit her face.

“Ethan, guards, anyone. Come get Erica!” She shouted, making everyone turn towards the window.

“She's out, she's out. Amazing. She's stronger than what we heard.”

No one noticed the hatred in Stacy's eyes, nor the wicked cruelty in Ethan's. And most importantly, Amaya couldn't see the cold smirk on Erica's face beneath the blanket. Two guards quickly rushed forth, grabbing each of Erica's hands. Just as they dragged her out, she gave Amaya a hard kick, sending her back into the raging flames.

“Alpha!!” The guards who saw what happened screamed, and quickly dumped Erica on the floor. She began to cry, looking terrified.

“What just happened?” Someone asked, just as one of the guards bent in to look for Amaya who was already getting up with a groan.

The huge burning wooden statue which Erica upset with her other foot as she was being pulled out fell squarely on Amaya's face, making both her and the guard scream in terror. A second beam fell on her, making her scream out, her shout animalistic and full of pain. Gathering all her strength, she pushed away the beam and staggered to the window. With a powerful leap, she dived out, rolling on the grass. Shards of the shattered glass cut into her arms and she groaned, crawling further away.

Erica rushed her where she was sitting with her hair bowed, her clothes nearly burnt to nothing. Her once pristine and enviable silver hair was now covered with soot and ashes, some parts of it burnt.

“I'm so sorry. It was not intentional, I'm so sorry. It wasn't my intention to kick you back into the flames.” Erica cried, grabbing Amaya's hand and pushing the glass shards deeper. She knocked Erica's hand away and nodded, trying to stop her from crying.

Her head was buzzing, too heavy for her, and Erica's loud cries was making it worse. She raised her head to comfort Erica, amidst the pain wracking through her body and Erica screamed like one who saw a ghost, drawing back in horror as she screamed repeatedly. Her actions made the rest curious and they rushed to get a clear look at Amaya.

Those who saw her equally screamed or gasped. Amaya once hailed as the most beautiful woman in the world currently looked terrifying. The right side of her face, shoulder and arms were burnt beyond recognition. Even worse was the fact that her right eye was nearly blind, slightly bleeding from when a jagged piece of wood from the beam pierced her eyes. The left side of her face, although not completely burnt, was smeared with soot and ash.

“Holy goddess. Is this Amaya?” A woman whispered, unable to believe her eyes. If not for her long, thick and wavy silver hair, there was nothing to suggest that the current person was ‘the Amaya’ whom everyone knew. Her beautiful lips were slightly chapped and her nose was peeling off.

Stacy covered her mouth, trying to hide her laughter. While Ethan smirked. He pasted an expression of worry and panic on his face, rushing to her. Amaya felt his presence even before she saw him.

She sighed in relief as she felt his cold comforting touch on her shoulders instinctively trying to lean into him. But he screamed at that moment, quickly stepping back like he just got burned.

“Ethan…” Amaya whispered, her voice filled with pain and disbelief. If she thought that the words from others were painful, then Ethan's reaction brought it to a whole new level.

Her wolf whimpered in pain, unable to take it.

“There was something wrong with the fire, someone added something. Otherwise this little fire wouldn't have been able to leave a mark on us because we're the purest breed of ice wolf. Someone intentionally set it to target us. Can't our mate see that we were set up?” Her wolf whimpered, making her feel the pain even more.

Amaya forced herself to stand, staggering slightly. Her foot was filled with painful blisters, the agony of standing went straight to her heart like a million arrows.

“This is not what I bargained for. I can't do this.” Ethan whispered, shaking his head.

“What do you mean?” Amaya slowly said, trying her best not to assume the worst.

“I can't live the rest of my life looking at that terrible horrifying face. You look disgusting, I can't do this with you. Merely looking at you sends goosebumps down my spine.”

Amaya was immediately filled with anger and terror, her body shaking as she tried hard to process what she just heard. Who was it telling her just an hour ago how much he loved her? Who was it telling her he would always be with her through thick and thin? Who the f**k was it that promised to be loyal forever and never let her regret letting him become the next alpha king heir?

“What do you mean, Ethan? I got hurt trying to save Erica, your only sister, from being burnt to death!” Amaya shouted, tears of disbelief and pain streaming down her face for the first time in years. She was the strong woman who never cried, but today, a man she loved managed to milk out tears of heartbreak from her dry eyes.

Ethan’s face twisted with fury, his eyes full of disdain, no longer seeing the need to pretend.

“And so what? I won't get tied to an unpleasant marriage out of gratitude. I don't want you anymore, is that so hard to understand? Saving Erica was your choice, don't try to gaslight me into putting up with that disgusting face of yours.”

Amaya opened her mouth and closed it, unable to make a sound as hot tears rushed down her face. She finally spoke, her voice low and broken.

“Should I have abandoned her there to die? Your only sister. Even after saving her, I could have left in one piece, but she kicked me back into the fire and knocked a burning beam over me. I didn't say anything because she's your sister, but you're actually breaking my heart…”

“Shut the f**k up! You only have your clumsiness and stupidity to blame, stop pining it on Erica. She would never do that. You disgust me. There's no need for much talk, I can't stand a malicious and calculative woman like yourself. How dare you accuse my sister just to manipulate me?”

Amaya tried to speak, but no sound came out.

“I, Ethan Dawson, of the Storm blood pack, reject you, Amaya Frost of the silver fang pack as my mate and Luna.”

A loud snapping pain went off in her mind, totally shattering her sanity. An ear splitting howl echoed in the distance, loud, animalistic, and full of pain. It took a while for Amaya to realize that the woman screaming like an animal, the one howling in pain, the one who had lost everything was her. Her eyes turned red, blazing with anger. She roared again and raised her hand which had changed to a claw, ready to attack. But just then, a sneak attack from a poisoned needle hit her neck, making her fall to the ground, totally unconscious.