The Lone Wolf's Heartbreak

4. Gwen

"Hey! Hey! Let her go, Liam. You have done enough!" Beta Thomas attempted to haul him away from me, but he wouldn't, who'd have expected Liam to? In fact, Thomas was lucky he didn't transfer anger and aggression at him. I was starting to taste death at the tip of my tongue. Memories of my uneventful life flashed right in front of my eyes and before I could close them shut and surrender to the darkness afterward, Gwen darted to my side, looking terrified.

It was then Alpha Liam released his grip from my neck. "Prepare your lady, for the inauguration ceremony as my Luna." And with that, he departed from the room.

Coughing and gasping for air, I clutched my throat. Warm tears poured down my cheeks and the base around my neck stung so badly. Especially the region of my birthmark.

Beta Thomas cast me a pitiful stare, before walking out of the room, right after Alpha Liam. I noticed hisclenched fist and tight lips. It seemed as if Alpha Liam had not released his grip on me when he did, Beta Thomas was ready to get into a scuffle with him.

Nonetheless, I'm thankful he did. Because that would have resulted in something much worse and I would not be able to bear with myself for causing a rift between the Alpha and Beta of the Lycanfrost pack.

Tania immediately began to survey my neck. Her lips parted in disbelief as she observed. "My lady, what's wrong? What happened? And why was the Alpha strangulating you?"

I couldn't respond. Instead, I burst into a series of tiny sobs and pulled my knees to my chest.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, my lady." Gwen started to cry. "I shouldn't haveleft you alone. I went to see the Omega's quarters and then this happened. How will I have forgiven myself if something had happened to you? I am so sorry, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, my lady." her voice was trembling with tears.

Wrapping my arms around her, I began to rub the small of her back as she did me. "I know you must regret being stuck with a pathetic she-wolf like me," I stated amid sobs.

"No! Never! You're learning. You are evolving, soon all this will become a thing of the past. I have never given up on you and I won't start now." She reassured me with a teary tone.

Her statement brought up something, that strengthened my resolve. A small ray of hope welled up in my guts, and Iwas deeply grateful to have Gwen in my life.

When we pulled apart, she began to wipe off the tears from every corner of my eyes, ignoring hers. "My beautiful lady. You are gorgeous, you are worthy, and you are strong. You can do this, okay? So don't cry anymore, huh?"

Feigning a small smile, I pulled her into a brief hug once more. Thereafter, I narrated everything that transpired earlier to her.

"I am so sorry to hear your plight, my lady." she brushed through my hair. "If he can do this to you on the first day of your arrival, what about the rest?"

Tearing up all over again, I shook my head in despair.

"No, don't cry." Gwen took my hand inhers. "Instead of preparing you for the ceremony, why don't we escape from

here?"

"No, Gwen. It is not possible for us to escape now. I thought of it, but we don't know the layout of the house pretty much. Also, we don't know how the pack works yet. However, I will try to attend the ceremony, and pretend as if everything is fine while we plot together. Until then, we have only each other." I enunciated to Gwen and she nodded her head in understanding.

"Oh, my lady!" breathed Gwen as she pulled me into a brief hug. Afterward, she helped me up so we could start preparing for the ceremony.

In a short span of twenty minutes, I was done taking a shower, so I plopped in front of the dressing mirror with a towel draped around my bosom. Observing my reflection, I stared at the dark circlesunder my eyes, then at the bruises around the base of my neck. Fresh tears welled up in my eyes as they lingered on the pink abrasions inflicted by Alpha Liam, my soon-to-be partner. But I didn't cry.

When I looked up, I saw Gwen observing me with her brows creased in pity. I hated that pitiful look, nonetheless, I didn't complain about it.

"They must hurt so much, my lady." She stated, applying some ointment on the surface. "But don't worry, this will help you feel better."

And she was right. The moment she rubbed off some ointment on those spots, it stung less, and the pain reduced too. I swallowed hard as Gwen urged me to my feet, before slipping a yellow dress over my head. I bought thisdress myself a few weeks ago because I wanted to impress my mate when I finally meet him. It accentuated my curves and made me look more womanly and appealing. But now, I was wearing it to the ceremony of someone who wasn't even my mate. What an irony!

Once again, my heart clenched in pain.

Tania meticulously pulled my hair into a bun, then she designed it with various colors of hair clips. She wasn't even done yet, and I was already looking stunning. Regardless, I wasn't excited. Furthermore, she applied a perfect amount of makeup to my face, concealing the dark patches beneath my swollen eyes. When she was done, I could no longer recognize myself.

My face transformed into a goddess ofbeauty, and I relished this aspect of myself.

"Damn, my lady. I can tell that you have a greater weapon to navigate your path in life." Gwen exclaimed with a slight smile.

Arching a brow, I inquired, "and what is that?"

"Your beauty!" She proclaimed. "If only you come to terms with yourself, you will discover a tremendous deal that you are worth so much more."

And for the first time in a while, my lips curved into a smile and it made an effort to brighten my face. "Thank you, Gwen. You are also very pretty and I hope you get to find your mate soon."

Heaving a sigh, Gwen lowered her gaze to meet the floor. "I have lost hope infinding a mate, my lady. Because at the age of twenty-three, no one has come for me...."

".... Yet." I implored, rising to my feet to face her.

She stared at me warily. "I don't understand."