It was the wolf from earlier and he hadn't left as I thought, he had hidden himself and now he was right in front of me looking so majestic.
His gray fur complimented his bright blue eyes, everything about this wolf was just magnificent, he was huge and beautiful and once again the moonlight made it breathtaking.
However, this wolf wasn't my mate.
I knew this because the mate bond always initiates the first encounter between the two mates by revealing the location of one's true mate. And I wasn't feeling anything for this wolf, just mere attraction.
I wished I could gaze longer at this beauty but the thought of Vespera waking up and discovering my escape snapped me back to reality.
As I stood up straight, with the wolf still looming over me, I turned and took to my heels. In less than an hour or more the sun will start rising and that would be my doom because Vespera always wakes up before the sun fully rises.
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me; I was using half of my wolf's speed to run. I couldn't fully transform into my wolf until I was united with my true mate.
That was why I was so desperate to find my mate. And I will find him.
I arrived at the town safely, though I was out of breath and very thirsty. Initially I thought the blue-eyed wolf was going to follow me, guess I was wrong.
I could see the sun rising from the horizons, and the moon was starting to hide inside the clouds and sky.
I wished Vespera would remain asleep, or better yet, develop a fever or headache to keep her in bed until I returned home.
I had regained some strength, and my body, fueled by adrenaline, was ready to continue running back home. But before I could take a step, my wolf's hearing senses picked up something.
"Is that her?"
"I'm sure she's the one"
"I'll recognition that disgusting brown hair even in my sleep"
What!?
I turned to find the source of the gossip and found three female wolves, around my age or older, discussing about me.
Their eyes blazed with hatred as they glared at me, a surprising intensity.
I barely knew these wolves and yet they harbored such hatred towards me.
One wolf had black hair, the other was blonde and the last one had purple-dyed hair.
Their physical appearance didn't justify their mean-spirited gossips.
Didn't they have anything better to do than gossiping at this early time of the day.
I met their hatred with equal anger, our gazes locked in a tense standoff. Taken aback, they rose and began to approach me with casual strides.
Oh no. This isn't going to end well.
When they got to me, the blonde haired was the first to speak. She seemed like the eldest and leader of the gang.
"And do you think you can just stare at us like that?" She questioned; her tone accompanied by a snort.
I ignored her question, my brow furrowed in frustration.
I tried to walk away but the blonde haired pushed me back.
"Don't you dare walk out on us you fool!"
"I see she's grown some wings" The brown-haired wolf sneered.
"Wolves have paws, not wings. But I'm not surprised you didn't know that given your apparent lack of intelligence" I retorted, feeling a satisfaction.
"How dare you!" The brown-haired wolf yelled; she raised her hands to hit me but the blonde wolf held her back.
"Tsk, don't hit her Mia. You'll only lower her chances of finding her mate"
"I doubt she'll ever find one. Ugly bitch!" The purple-haired wolf finally spoke up, her voice laced with venom.
"You should be thankful Abby held me back, I wouldn't have hesitated to snap my claws around your neck" Mia growled.
What had I done to deserve this?
"Calm down Mia, Quin let's let her go this time around, but next time we won't be so friendly" Abby said, her blonde hair shining as she stroked my hair condescendingly.
"Don't touch her disgusting hair, I'm sure it stinks" Mia said, pulling Abby away from me before they left.
As I expected, this encounter didn't go well.
Whenever I meet female wolves my age or older, they always taunt and insult me for not having a mate.
It is not my fault for crying out loud!
Even younger wolves have indirectly mocked me for being mate less.
I recalled a young wolf saying;
"I hope I don't end up as old as Ashira before finding my mate" and all her friends nodded in agreement.
"I'm not old" I muttered to myself almost crying.
I just didn't know what to do anymore.
As I stood there, trying to process the strange encounter with the three female wolves, I couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration and loneliness. Why did it seem like everyone was against me? First, Vespera's constant scrutiny and criticism, and now these wolves who seemed to take pleasure in my misery. I longed for someone who understood me, who saw beyond my flaws and appreciated my strengths. But it seemed like that was a luxury I couldn't afford, at least not yet. With a sigh, I shook off the feeling and continued on my way, determined to find my mate and prove everyone wrong.
"Hey, aren't you the young wolf who was reported missing?" An old male wolf called out, pointing at me from a distance.
"Me? Missing?" I'm confused.
"I'm sorry sir but you must be mistaken, I'm not the wolf you're looking for" I said cautiously, drawing from my past experiences with rogue wolves, I had to be wary of potential threats.
"That's odd" He said "The wolf described by the young lady matches your appearance" He emphasized the two words, making me wonder who this young lady was.
"Sir, can you please describe this young lady?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.
"Well, she's tall, with a nice body and wavy brown hair. Her brown eyes are quite distinctive, you share some resemblance which is why I thought you might be the missing wolf. She reported her younger sister missing"
Oh no!
That was surely Vespera.
And she thought I'm missing.
This is a disaster.