Painted Tainted

5

The light from the Moonstone burst again, swirling around the last circle of us who hadn’t been paired yet. My heart slammed painfully against my ribs, hope and fear twisting together as the red glow reached for my wrist.

A thread formed — thin, bright, trembling.

For a second I thought I could breathe again.

Then it snapped.

Just.....snapped.

Like I was never meant to hold it.

A shocked silence cut through the crowd.

Another thread shot out, stretching toward me desperately—only to break apart like dust. Gasps rose around me. I felt the air shift, felt Nina whimper low inside me, confused, frightened.

People stepped away from me as if touching me might curse them too.

“What’s wrong with her?” someone whispered.

🗣️“Rejected…”

🗣️“Impure…”

🗣️“She must have done something.”

I stood frozen, my breath shallow, my stomach twisting. I didn’t understand. I didn’t know what was happening.

Before I could even think, the ceremony leader cleared his throat loudly, forcing the spotlight back to himself.

“Now,” he announced, voice sharp and uncaring, “those who have been paired may now choose your pack.”

Excited murmurs rose immediately. Wolves rushed to their mates, hands clasping, tears falling, futures beginning.

I stood there alone.

Then the leader’s voice dropped, cold and merciless.

“As for the rest of you—”

His eyes swept over me, lingering longer than they should.

“—you are not pure. The Moon Goddess has rejected you.”

My chest tightened painfully.

Rejected?

The word felt like poison.

“You must die,” he finished.

My knees nearly gave out.

Die?

A ripple of horrified whispers moved through the crowd. Some wolves looked away, unable to watch. Others stared with cruel satisfaction, happy it wasn’t them.

“Warriors!” the leader barked. “Drag them to the rogue lands. Now.”

Before I could react, strong arms grabbed me. Two warriors, faces blank, emotionless. I struggled instinctively.

“Wait...no....stop, please....”

One of the warriors shoved me forward, ignoring my plea. Around me, I saw two other unpaired wolves also being dragged, crying, shaking, begging.

“Please,” I said again, voice breaking. “My life is here… my home… my work… my drawings… please don’t—”

No one cared.

No one even looked at me.

The crowd avoided my eyes as if looking at me would bring shame upon them. Even families of the other unpaired wolves sobbed but didn’t step forward.

I searched desperately for Xavier.

For Viviana.

Just one glance.

Just one sign that they cared, that everything wasn’t destroyed.

Vivi was clinging to Xavier’s arm, glowing with her new pairing bond. They both looked at me—but neither stepped forward.

Vivi looked relieved.

Xavier looked guilty.

My heart felt like it tore apart.

The warriors yanked my arms again, pulling me away from the ceremony lights and toward the dark path leading to the rogue lands. My feet stumbled, dragging through the dirt as tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

“Please—please don’t do this—”

My voice cracked.

“I didn’t do anything. Why won’t the moon choose me? Why—”

My words dissolved into sobs.

The forest grew thicker around us. The air grew colder. The moonlight dimmed beneath the trees.

My body felt weak — from hunger, from heartbreak, from everything.

Nina whimpered, pushing against my chest painfully as if trying to help but unable to.

“Calista,” one of the other unpaired wolves whispered shakily between his own tears. “They’re going to leave us there… the rogues will kill us…”

I didn’t answer.

My whole life—my art, my dreams, my childhood, everything I cared for—was fading behind me while they dragged me into a darkness I might never return from.

I stumbled again, falling to my knees.

“Get up,” a warrior snapped, jerking my arm.

I forced my shaky legs to stand.

But inside…

I was falling apart.

The moment the warriors disappeared into the trees, their footsteps fading into the cold, dead silence, something shifted in the air. A rustle. A low vibration under the soil. My breath hitched.

From the darkness ahead, two crimson eyes opened.

A massive black wolf stepped out, its fur ragged and wild, its growl deep enough to shake my bones. It lifted its head to the sky and released a chilling, hunting call that made the hairs on my neck rise. One by one, more eyes blinked open in the shadows. Dozens. Maybe more.

Rogues.

Real rogues.

Not the whispered stories. Not the warnings. These ones were real....and hungry.

They surged forward like predators who had waited all night for a feast. The other banished wolves screamed and scattered, running blindly into the darkness.

The rogues chased immediately. Bones cracked. Snarls tore through the air. One by one, the unlucky ones fell, their cries cut too short.

My legs moved on their own. I ran, stumbling over roots, branches slapping my face, the cold wind burning my lungs. Nina whimpered inside me, weakened by heartbreak and exhaustion. We couldn’t shift. We couldn’t fight. We barely survived the night before.

I found a fallen tree and crawled beneath it, forcing my trembling body into the small hollow. My heart pounded so loud i hoped they wouldn't hear it. Dirt mixed with my tears as I pressed a hand over my mouth to silence myself.

For a moment, I thought I was safe.

Until a growl vibrated above my head.

I froze. Slowly, I looked up, and a rogue wolf’s snout was inches from my face. Saliva dripped from its teeth as it clawed at the log, trying to reach me. Another wolf joined it. Then another.

I scrambled backward, but the hollow ended quickly. Their claws tore through the wood, splinters flying. They were seconds away. Just seconds.

One wolf lunged....