The words were a physical blow,

"I, Robert, reject you, Aurora, as my mate. You are not permitted to come close to me or refer to me as your mate. You are a disgusting dimwit, a loner, and a weakling. You do not deserve happiness, cursed woman."

Aurora felt a hollow emptiness spread through her chest as if her heart had shattered into a thousand fragments. She had never imagined that her mate, her childhood crush, Robert, would reject her so publicly.

Robert was every girl's dream man-a Greek god in human form with strength, height, and those charming eyes that could make any girl's legs quake. They had been close friends during their school years, a bond that was severed when her mother died of a heart disease and her father remarried. The new woman in her father's life had brought a child into the world without their knowledge-a child born of betrayal. Aurora's father, once the perfect alpha and loving mate, had turned cold towards her since her stepmother entered their lives.

Her heart ached as she watched Robert mark her stepsister, Rebecca, a product of her father's infidelity. The sight of them moaning in pleasure, in front of the entire school, was a bitter pill to swallow.

"I take Rebecca as my mate, my goddess-given mate. She will unite our packs."

Robert's words echoed in her ears, his disdainful gaze searing into her soul.

A cruel shove from Robert sent her sprawling on the floor, her head smacking against the cold, hard surface.

"Never show your face to me again. I don't know what the goddess was thinking to mark a weakling like you as my mate. You, who killed her mother, are a disgrace to our packs."

His words cut deeper than any physical wound, and she felt her body convulse with the onslaught of shame, pain, and heartbreak.

Pulling on her last reserves of strength, she stumbled to her feet and fled from the scene. She could feel the eyes of the crowd on her, their whispers and laughter stabbing at her like invisible knives. She knew it was only a matter of time before the news would spread: 'The Weakling Daughter Of The Blood Moon Pack Has Been Rejected By Her Mate, The Son Of The Alpha Of The Cresten Wolf Pack.'

The remnants of her reputation would be shredded to pieces.

Finding solace in her secret hideaway, she allowed tears to flow freely. Her wolf, her inner spirit, had blacked out after Robert's rejection. 'How dare you, Robert,' she whispered through her sobs. 'What did I do to deserve this pain and shame?'

Ellen, her best friend who had always stood by her, wrapped her arms around her.

"Shhh, stop crying. Robert doesn't deserve a woman like you. He's the one who's missing out on a wonderful woman,"

Ellen soothed, rocking her gently. Aurora clung to her friend, pouring out her pain and heartbreak.

"I want to run away, Ellen,"

Aurora confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Far away from my pack, from Robert, from all this pain. I can't endure it anymore."

Ellen was silent for a moment, contemplating Aurora's words. She knew the dangers that lurked outside their pack-the rogues that wouldn't hesitate to tear apart a lone wolf.

"I don't think that's possible, Aurora. You know how dangerous it is outside our pack. We just ended a brutal war and our enemies are still out there, waiting to strike again. Let's return home,"

Ellen urged, gently pulling Aurora to her feet.

As they approached her father's mansion, Aurora shivered. Ever since her mother's death, her father, the alpha of the Blood Moon pack, had become a living nightmare. He had locked her away in the darkest corner of the mansion, isolating her for a year. When he finally let her out, he had brutally declared, '

"This is your punishment for killing your mother, my beloved mate. Your life will be filled with pain, and you will never see happiness again. I will make sure of it."

Aurora still didn't know what she had done to earn such a curse, but she knew her life would never be the same again.

"Aurora, you're lost in thought again,"

Ellen's voice brought her back to reality. They settled onto her bed, Ellen wrapping her arm around her in a comforting gesture. Aurora wasn't crying anymore, but she knew it was a temporary respite. The pain was always there, lurking just beneath the surface.

"Why can't we elope, Ellen? You're strong. You can fight the rogues,"

Aurora pleaded, looking at Ellen with desperate eyes. After a long moment of silence, Ellen nodded.

"I can help you escape. But on one condition..."

Their conversation was interrupted by the opening of the bedroom door.

Rebecca, her stepsister, stood there with a malicious smile on her face.

"Ooh, you're here with your friend,"

she sneered, her eyes glinting with mischief.

"And what do you need, queen mother?"

Aurora asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She was never scared of Rebecca, but she was wise enough to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Ignoring Aurora's barbed remark, Rebecca continued to gloat.

"I thought you would be mute after your mate rejected you and marked me in your presence, and you still feel quite lively and not fully broken, but I do not think you will still have it in you once I tell you this news, you will feel shattered and your plans of eloping will also be shattered."

Aurora was shocked at what she said, Rebecca possesses a strong breeder wolf which gives her a high chance of eavesdropping on their conversation before walking into her room, both Aurora and Ellen remained silent, refusing to give Rebecca the satisfaction of a response.

"Well, I have some news for you,"

Rebecca continued, sauntering over to Aurora. She bent down, her lips close to Aurora's ear.

The words she whispered turned Aurora's world upside down. Her face turned ashen, and her eyes widened in disbelief. The room around her seemed to spin as she tried to comprehend the devastating piece of information Rebecca had just shared.