Cursed Bonds

Heartbreaks and Lies {Irvine}

It was really hot; the sun burned so badly that it made me wonder if this was just a sign that my day wouldn’t be getting any better. It's enough that I was responsible for breaking about a hundred plates today in the kitchen this morning and also got kicked in the butt by a horse when the sun was just starting to rise.

All these aren’t new or strange because of my clumsiness, but they never happened simultaneously like this before, and I honestly don’t know how much I could take. I looked around the field and sighed. I was the first to get to the field again; I guess it’s what was expected of me as the only werewolf that can’t shift. I am nothing but a human. Sure, I could run faster, endure pain, and be stronger than humans, but in the eyes of my pack... I am nothing but a human, a pathetic wolf, and to make up for that, I must train harder, and I do it every day.

Since others had decided to skip training, I decided to train on my own. I picked a wooden spear from the weapons on the board and began with it. The more I trained, the more I kept thinking of my mate Brian, our pack commander, the alpha’s son. We are mates, but I kept having this feeling that he was not happy about it. No, he didn’t treat me poorly, but he didn’t treat me nicely either. We shared little time with each other and secret kisses, and I did my best to cherish those moments, but I want more. I want what other mates have; other couples treated themselves with utmost care and affection. Sometimes I saw it as an obsession between one another, but it's just love.

My entire body was drenched halfway through my training. My red hair clung to my forehead the more I pushed myself. I looked up at the clock. I had spent an hour here, and no one else had joined me in training. They might be lackadaisical about training, but they never took it this far. Brian hated lazy soldiers, and we all knew that. Then I heard the distant sound of cheering; it piqued my interest, so I dropped the spear and ran out of the building. I followed the sound of the cheer, and it led me down the stairs to the other side of the palace where the garden is.

My heart began to beat really fast; I heard it in my eardrums. Flowers were everywhere with balloons of different colors. Brian was on one knee with eyes sparkling with love and passion. He was smiling so bright, although nervous, he licked his lips and said the words, “Marry me” to another girl. Another girl who wasn’t me. Another girl, whose name I knew as Mary, the daughter of Alpha Raid of Seraph pack. My eyes could not move away from the sight before me.

Princess Mary was full of smiles as she nodded and stretched out her fingers to him. He too, excited and proud, slid the beautiful extravagant ring, the ring which I envisioned as my own, into her pale and slender index finger. She jumped for joy; he got up and held her up in the air by her waist, and when he brought her feet to the ground, they stared into each other's eyes and shared a passionate kiss.

My heart burned; it felt like the hot sun was piercing its rays through my armless vest and layer of skin to my heart. I could not look away. People cheered them on as they continued to lip-lock without any care in the world. Tears burned my eyes but they refused to fall. This is wrong; there must be a mistake, this can’t be happening. With an ounce of hope and the need for an explanation, I pushed through the crowd till I got to the center, right in front of them, but they were too busy to notice me. My breath wavered as I swallowed down my fear. “Brian, w-what is going on?”

The both finally stopped and separated from each other. With lips stained with red, my mate turned to face me with a scowl on his face. I frowned. “Bri-”

“It's Commander Brian to you now, runt,” he spat with a look of disgust. My eyes widened in shock. I was not prepared for this; nothing prepared me for the stab of hurt I felt in my heart just at the way he looked at him. He never looked at me like this before. Yes, he always looked cold and distant, but he never looked at me with such spite before. I could not tear my eyes away. I gulped down again so I could speak.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Come on, l-let’s talk about this. A-all you needed to do is explain this to me, Brian-”

“Call me by my name again, and Alana will be sure to set your head straight,” he promised, and he would do it. I saw it in his eyes.

“B-but, I’m your mate; you belong to me.” The words left my mouth before I could stop myself. He stared at me for a while; I thought he was going to smile and say it was all a misunderstanding, a big prank, but he burst out laughing maniacally. The more he laughed, the more I felt small amidst the big crowd that had surrounded. Others joined him in laughter, and soon, the garden echoed the mocking laughter of the pack.

“Mate? You think I would be mated to a wolfless runt like you? You don't even have a family, and you think you can have a mate. Maybe in your next life, but in this one, you will be just as mateless as you’re wolfless. Now, if this was not clear to you, let me say the words you want to hear.”