Chapter 2: Left to Die
706 Words
It seeped into Aria’s bones, settled under her skin, and stayed there right where the mate bond used to be.
Every breath hurt.
She lay where they had thrown her, just beyond the pack borders, staring up at the night sky. The moon glowed above her, bright and distant, like nothing had changed.
Like she hadn’t just been destroyed.
Her throat tightened.
Pathetic.
Slowly, she pushed herself up, her arms shaking as dirt pressed into her palms. Pain flared through her chest, sharp and constant, but she forced herself to sit.
The bond was gone.
Not weak. Not fading.
Gone.
Aria swallowed hard, her jaw tightening.
Good.
She didn’t need it.
She didn’t need him.
“You’re not dying here,” she muttered, her voice rough.
It sounded unfamiliar.
Colder.
She forced herself to stand, her legs unsteady as the world tilted slightly. Grabbing onto a nearby tree, she steadied her breathing until the dizziness passed.
The forest stretched endlessly around her dark, silent, dangerous.
She had never been this far from the pack before.
No one like her ever came out here.
Because no one like her survived.
A sharp c***k echoed behind her.
Aria froze.
Her heart started pounding, her senses sharpening instantly.
She wasn’t alone.
Another sound. Closer.
Her breath hitched as she turned slowly, her eyes scanning the shadows.
“Stay calm,” she whispered.
The bushes ahead rustled.
Then—
A low growl sliced through the silence.
Aria’s stomach dropped.
A wolf stepped out of the darkness.
Huge. Dark. Wild.
Rogue.
Its eyes locked onto her, glowing faintly under the moonlight, and it started circling her slowly.
Predator.
And she was prey.
Aria’s fingers curled into fists as she stepped back carefully.
“I’m not dying like this,” she said under her breath.
The wolf lunged.
She barely dodged in time, stumbling sideways as claws sliced across her arm. Pain shot through her, hot and immediate, but she didn’t have time to react.
It came again.
Faster.
Stronger.
Aria fell hard, the impact knocking the air from her lungs. Before she could recover, the wolf was over her, teeth bared, ready to tear into her throat.
This was it.
This was how it ended.
Not as a Luna.
Not even as someone worth remembering.
Just… nothing.
Something twisted inside her chest.
Not fear.
Anger.
Hot. Violent. Uncontrollable.
No.
She refused.
Something snapped.
A surge of energy rushed through her body, burning under her skin. Her vision sharpened, the world slowing as pressure built inside her like something waking up.
The wolf hesitated.
Just for a second.
Aria felt it too.
That power.
That heat.
“What… is this?” she whispered.
The wolf growled and lunged again.
Aria reacted on instinct.
Her hand shot forward
And something exploded out of her.
A force slammed into the wolf mid-air, sending it flying backward. It crashed violently into a tree and dropped to the ground.
Still.
Silent.
Aria froze.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she stared at it.
She did that.
Her hands trembled as she slowly pushed herself up, her eyes fixed on them.
That wasn’t normal.
That wasn’t her.
Her wolf had always been weak.
So what was that?
“Well,” a voice said, smooth and amused, “that’s interesting.”
Aria’s head snapped up.
A man stepped out of the shadows like he had been watching the entire time.
Tall. Lean. Dangerous.
Her body tensed instantly, but this time, it wasn’t just fear.
Something about him felt… wrong.
Different.
His eyes locked onto hers, sharp and knowing, like he had just seen something he had been waiting for.
A slow smile curved his lips.
“I was wondering how long it would take,” he said.
Aria frowned, her chest tightening. “Take for what?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
He just looked at her really looked at her.
Not like she was weak.
Not like she was nothing.
Like she was something else entirely.
Then he stepped closer.
“Tell me,” he said quietly, “did your Alpha know what he was rejecting?”
Aria’s stomach dropped.
Because the way he said it…
It didn’t sound like a question.
It sounded like a warning.
- Writer
