Cursed By Darkness, Saved To love

Elera POV I couldn’t believe this was happening. They were selling me—my very own pack. The same people I had grown up with, the ones who were supposed to protect me and keep me safe, were now treating me like I was nothing. Everything I thought I belonged to, everything I thought I was a part of, was gone in an instant. To them, I wasn’t family. I wasn’t a member of the pack. I was nothing. The fire was bright, so bright that it stung my eyes. Still, I stared at it, because staring at the flames was easier than looking at them. Everyone else stood close together, laughing and whispering. Girls were fixing their dresses. Boys were smoothing their hair, and their faces were glowing with hope. Today was the mating ceremony. Today was the day the Moon Goddess would reveal bonds and give each wolf their other half. Everyone believed they would walk away complete. Everyone thought they would be chosen. Everyone but me. I stayed at the edge of the crowd, clutching my shawl, and trying to hide the ugly mark on my wrist. It burned faintly, like it always did when too many eyes turned my way. Like it was reminding me of what I was—what they thought I was. “She shouldn’t be here,” someone whispered. “She’s cursed,” another voice answered. I heard them, and I always heard them. Their voices never missed me, no matter how quietly they spoke. She is a curse, a mistake, and an unwanted wolf. But I didn’t look their way, and I didn’t let myself cry. I only kept my eyes on the fire, and deep inside, I prayed. Please, Moon Goddess. Please. Let me belong, just once. Give me one person. One reason. Please don’t leave me alone. I had prayed those words a thousand times before. But tonight, with the fire burning high and the pack gathered in joy, I prayed harder than ever. The Alpha stepped forward then, tall and sharp against the firelight. His shadow stretched across the stone square, and his voice boomed like thunder. “Tonight, we honor the Goddess. Tonight, bonds will be made and lives will be joined forever.” The crowd roared, clapping, whistling, and cheering. My chest tightened at the sound, feeling very hopeful. The name-calling began. One by one, people stepped forward. Eyes met eyes, and sparks began to light. And mates found each other in gasps of wonder. A boy dropped to his knees before the girl chosen for him, laughter spilling from both of them. Two girls cried and clung to each other with happiness, shaking their shoulders. While some parents wept with pride, and some friends shouted with joy. And me? I tried to smile for them. I tried to pretend I was happy for them. But inside, I was afraid that what if I really had no one? What if the whispers were true? Then the Alpha spoke again, this time calling a name. “Elara.” My name. It landed like a stone in my stomach. My legs began to shake, but I forced myself to move. Step after step, I walked into the open. The square went silent. The weight of their eyes crushed me, pressing me down until it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Then the Alpha stared at me, and in his eyes, I saw no warmth, no kindness, but only the truth I had feared for years. “There is no mate for Elara,” he said, his voice was cold and final. The words hit me like claws to the chest. No mate means no bond. I couldn’t breathe properly, I couldn’t think. The crowd gasped, then the whispers began to spread. It was sharp as knives. “Of course not.” “She’s cursed.” “She bleeds purple blood.” “Look at her wrist.” “She brings death.” Each word cut deeper. I bit down hard on my lip, holding back the sob that burned inside me. My eyes blurred, but I refused to let the tears fall. Not here. Not in front of them. Yeah, I have purple blood, which wolves shouldn't have. All the wolves in my pack have red blood, but I don't know why mine is purple. And I also have some strange marks on my wrist and neck, and because of this, my pack members hate me. The Alpha’s lips twisted into something worse than pity. A smile. “She is not without use,” he said. “She will be given to Alpha Lucian; our cursed child will serve him better than she serves us.” Lucian. The name doesn't sound strange.. Everyone knew him; everyone whispered about the omegas he had destroyed. He broke them, piece by piece, until there was nothing left. And then he cast them aside. My lips trembled. Only one word escaped me. “No.” The mark on my wrist flared, glowing faint purple through the fabric of my shawl. Pain burned up my arm, but the crowd hissed louder than my own cry. Yeah, she has no place here.” The crowd chorused The Alpha gave a nod, and two guards stepped forward. Holding chains that clinked in their hands. “No! Please!” My voice cracked, breaking apart in the night air. But their rough hands grabbed me. They shoved my arms forward and locked the cold iron around my wrists. The chains pulled heavily, biting into my skin. The Alpha only watched, silent and unmoved. “You belong to Lucian now.” I turned to him, I turned to them, I mean to the pack I had grown up with, to the people who had laughed with me once, played with me once. Not one person spoke for me. Not one hand reached toward me. All I saw were sneers. All I heard was silence. And something inside me broke. The last piece of hope I had left, the one I had carried so carefully for years, was shattered. The guards dragged me across the square. My feet stumbled against the stones. At the edge of the square stood a cage, a black iron cage waiting in the shadows. They shoved me inside, and I hit the ground hard. The door slammed shut behind me with a final clang. I curled into myself, pulling my knees to my chest. My arms ached, my throat was raw from unshed sobs, and I pressed my face against my knees. I couldn't hold my tears, spilling no matter how hard I tried to fight them back. But behind me, the pack members started singing like nothing had happened. They danced beneath the moonlight, celebrating their bonds, their mates, their future. And me? I was nothing. No mate, no family, and no future. Only left with chains. Then, as I was still deep in my thoughts, the day suddenly turned dark “The moon,” one of the guards muttered uneasily. “I lifted my head through the bars. Then I saw it. The moon was being swallowed by shadow. We believe that an eclipse is when the Goddess hides her face. And then I heard it. A voice. Not mine. Not my thought. Run. My heart stopped for a second. The voice came again, louder and sharper. Run. Then my mark blazed like fire, hotter than it had ever been. And for the first time in my life, the curse didn’t feel like a curse. It felt like freedom. And I knew—if I didn’t run tonight, I would never run at all.