Chapter Two
1161 Words
Arielle's POV
The pain from the rejection hadn't even faded when Kieran moved closer.
I was still on the ground, trembling, trying to catch my breath. My white fur was stained with sweat and dirt. My violet eyes were blurred with tears. The mate bond that had just formed between us was now broken and bleeding inside my chest.
But Kieran wasn't done with me yet.
"To seal this rejection properly," his cold voice rang across the silent Blood Court,
"I must mark her."
Mark me? What did that mean?
I tried to lift my head, tried to understand what was happening. But my body was too weak. The rejection had drained every ounce of strength from me.
Kieran knelt beside me. His face was emotionless, like he was performing a simple task rather than destroying someone's life. He reached for me, and I flinched back instinctively.
"Don't move," he commanded, his Alpha authority making my wolf submit even though everything in me wanted to fight.
His hand pressed against my chest, right over my collarbone. I felt his power gathering, felt the pack magic responding to his call as future Alpha.
Then the burning started.
It began where his palm touched my fur, sharp heat that made me gasp. But it didn't stay there. The burning spread outward like fire running across dry grass.
I watched in horror as black marks appeared on my white fur. Everywhere they touched felt like my skin was being branded with hot iron.
I opened my mouth and screamed.
The sound that came out wasn't human or wolf. It was pure agony. It echoed across the Blood Court, bouncing off the stone walls.
The black marks kept spreading. They wrapped around my throat. They crept down toward my heart. Each new inch of skin they covered brought fresh waves of unbearable pain.
This was the rejection mark. I'd heard stories about it but never imagined it would hurt this much. The mark was supposed to sever the mate bond completely and ensure a rejected wolf couldn't survive. It was a death sentence that killed slowly over weeks, letting the rejected wolf suffer as their body shut down piece by piece.
"Please," I tried to say, but I couldn't form the words.
"Please stop."
Kieran didn't stop. He kept his hand pressed firmly against my chest, channeling more power into the mark. His face remained cold and unmoved as I struggled beneath him.
The pain reached a peak that made my vision go white. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. All I knew was agony.
Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, Kieran lifted his hand.
I collapsed completely onto the stone platform. Tears streamed from my violet eyes, soaking into my fur.
Through the haze of pain, I could feel Kieran standing up and stepping away from me. Could feel his disgust and satisfaction through the dying remnants of our mate bond.
He'd wanted to hurt me. Wanted to make sure I suffered.
The crowd around the Blood Court was completely silent. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. They all just stared at me like I was some kind of monster.
Maybe I was. Maybe they were right about me being cursed.
I tried to push myself up, but my legs wouldn't support me. The rejection mark throbbed with each beat of my heart, sending fresh waves of pain through my body.
I needed help. I needed someone, anyone, to tell me this was wrong. That I didn't deserve this.
My eyes searched desperately through the crowd until I found her.
Seraphina.
My best friend stood near the front of the crowd, her brown hair pulled back, her face pale in the torchlight. We'd known each other since we were children. We'd played together, trained together, shared secrets. She was like the sister I never had.
If anyone would help me, it would be Sera.
I forced my broken body to move. My legs shook so badly I could barely stand, but I managed to get to my feet. Each step toward her sent pain shooting through me from the rejection mark.
The crowd parted as I stumbled forward. People backed away quickly, like they were afraid I might touch them and spread my curse.
I didn't care about them. I just needed to reach Sera. She would understand. She would tell Kieran he was wrong. She would help me.
"Sera," I tried to say, but it came out as a whimper.
I finally reached her. My legs gave out, and I fell against her, needing her support to stay upright. My white fur brushed against her arm.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then Sera screamed.
It was a scream of pure terror and pain. She jerked backward violently, ripping herself away from me. Her hand went to her arm where my fur had touched her skin.
"It burns!" she shrieked.
"She burned me!"
I stared at her in confusion. I hadn't done anything. I'd just touched her.
"No," I tried to say.
"I didn't do anything"
Sera looked at me with pure hatred in her eyes. This was my best friend, the girl I'd shared everything with. And now she looked at me like I was poison.
"Stay away from me," she spat. Then, before I could react, she spat at me. Actual spit that landed on my fur.
The gesture was so cruel, so filled with disgust, that it hurt worse than the rejection mark.
"You're cursed," Sera said loudly, making sure everyone heard.
"You're evil. Just touching you hurts people."
I shook my head desperately. That wasn't true. It couldn't be true.
But then Sera's legs seemed to give out. She fell to the ground dramatically, clutching her arm and crying out in pain.
"She hurt me!" Sera sobbed.
"The curse hurt me!"
The crowd erupted in frightened whispers.
"Did you see that?"
"She burned her just by touching her!"
"The curse is real!"
"She's dangerous!"
People started backing away even faster. Mothers grabbed their children and held them close. The Warriors moved their hands to their weapons. Even Elder Morrigan looked shaken.
I stood there in the center of the Blood Court, alone and trembling. Lyra was still on the ground, making a show of her pain. The rejection mark throbbed on my chest. Blood and tears stained my white fur.
Everyone believed I was cursed now. Even my best friend had turned against me.
I tried to take a step toward Sera, tried to help her up, tried to explain that I hadn't meant to hurt her.
But she screamed again.
"Get away from me! Don't touch me! Someone help!"
I froze. My heart shattered into a million pieces.
This couldn't be happening. This had to be a nightmare. Any moment now, I would wake up, and everything would be fine.
But the pain in my chest was too real. The horror on everyone's faces was too real.
- Writer
