~Akira~
She shook her head and cleaned her eyes, unable to believe who she saw.
He had not noticed her yet, but she stood, waiting for him to acknowledge her, and confirm if she was right.
He walked into her path, and that was when he finally took notice of her. "What are you doing here, Omega? he asked her.
She remained silent, contemplating whether to tell him that it was the mate bond that led her there, or not.
"If you are unable to speak, then get the hell out of my way. I have somewhere to be right now," he ordered her.
She took a few steps to the side, making way for him to pass. She closed her eyes, hoping and praying that whoever her mate was, would find her.
"You?!" she turned to face him, and her hands quivered in fear and anticipation. Akira nodded. He shook his head in disbelief. "It cannot be. An Omega can not be my mate."
Those simple words made her feel like her world started to crash, but she remained hopeful, as she believed that he was just in shock, and would later accept her.
"I am your mate, alpha," she affirmed. "The -"
He cut her words short as he held out his hand. "I reject you then," he said calmly, but the corners of his mouth remained set in a firm line, his eyes flaming with anger.
She was taken aback by his words. Her head began throbbing when she realized the implication. She tried, but failed to understand him - or she seemingly refused to understand him. "What are you saying?" she asked. Her voice shook with sorrow and disbelief.
"I reject you as my mate!" Alpha Cole cried out.
Her mouth fell open on its own accord. "Wh-what?" she asked again, obviously dumbstruck.
"I, Cole, the alpha of the nightstone pack, reject you as my mate!" he announced.
Her sight became blurred with tears, and she stood transfixed, unable to process everything that had just happened. She was unable to grasp a hold on reality. She clutched her chest, as her heart tightened, the impact and the harshness of his words brought her world to a standstill.
Everything she had ever imagined. Every scenario she had ever conjured. None of them ended that way. At that moment, she despised her status as an omega more than she had ever done.
But she had nothing else to do, than to accept the rejection, even if it hurt her deeply.
"Fine then," she sniffed and wiped the tears that managed to slip out with the back of her hand. "I accept your rejection. But I promise, you will regret it, Alpha Cole," she added. It took her all the courage she could muster to say it, but she did.
He scoffed and leaned in to her in an intimidating stance. "Who is going to make me regret?" He eyed her distastefully. "You?" he goaded. "A girl like you can do nothing."
Akira nodded. "I hope you do not come to regret your words."
He laughed. Her confidence diminished. She, herself, felt like she had been bluffing. She regretted instantly, why she had said all that.
'How do I make it happen? My life is already ruined, so how do I make him regret?'
Such thoughts crossed her mind as she stared at his retreating form.
Akira, unable to stand there any longer, ran. She ran like it was the only thing she was able to do. Her legs carried her through the thickness of the trees, in the darkness of the night, as her encounter with her mate rang continuously in her head.
The only source of light was the full moon, which only reminded her of her bad luck with her fated mate. The only way of escape she thought she had, from her terrible life.
The snapping of twigs and the rustle of leaves that followed as she ran by, were the only sounds that surrounded Akira. Even the night owl seemed to go quiet as Akira ran. She had never been out alone like that, but she dared not stop.
Not until the sudden twisting of her ankle happened, that made her fall and topple over, bruising herself in the process.
She tried to stand up, but the weight on her ankle caused her legs to buckle, and she met with the ground again. "Shit!" she cursed, angered by all that was happening to her.
As she looked away from her twisted ankle, she was greatly pleased to find a lake in front of her. Akira had never set her eyes on a lake before, and this was the farthest she had gone from her pack's settlement. Forgetting her situation, she stood and attempted walking to it, but her legs were unable to hold her weight for long.
Determined, she stumbled over to the lake and sat by it. Akira stared into the water, and a frown found its way to her face at her image.
The hair, which she had beautifully done, was now tattered, tufts of hair shooting out on every side. Her dress was not only accompanied by more stains, but had tears to go with it.
She wondered, why she even put in any effort to look decent for a mate who ended up rejecting her.
She sought for who to blame. The moon goddess? Her parents? Her cruel mate? Or herself, for having had such high hopes?
Absentmindedly, Akira sat still. She failed to notice that she was crying, not until the image on the water shook as a result of her tears dropping.
"I, Cole, the alpha of the nightstone pack, reject you as my mate!"
The words rang in her head again. His words fueled her anger and deep-seethed malice grew.
She did not know how she was going to make him regret it, but she was confident that it would happen, sooner or later.
As she reflected, she felt even more sorrowful on realizing that she had no one to comfort her. Even her wolf was ashamed to reveal itself to her.
She became bitter, as the pain in her leg reminded her that she could have easily been healed if she had a wolf.
Suddenly, Akira heard the sound, a soft voice that sounded from a distance.
"My wolf?" she wondered, her body perking up in excitement at the thought.
The voice got louder and sounded like it was coming from behind her.
She realized then, that the universe was just mocking her, and her wolf had not shown.
"Who are you?" The voice. A deep, masculine voice asked her.
She turned to face him, but was unable to note any features about him due to the darkness. He was unfamiliar, and all that she could tell was that he was a man.
"Akira," she answered. "Who are you?" she asked him in return.
He came to sit by her side. "Alpha Luca," he responded. His deep voice sparked an unrecognizable feeling in her, and she turned away, a blush tinting her cheeks. Luckily, it was dark, and he would not have known.
She then seemed to remember that she had said he was an alpha.
'He looks too young to be one. Surely he can not be, I must have been hearing things. And how come I haven't heard of him before?'
He spoke, answering the questions she had asked herself. "I am twenty-two And I just became alpha today. The alpha of goldenmyst pack. "
Recognition flickered in her mind at the mention of the pack name. As a servant to the alpha, she had heard the name several times, and from what she heard of the pack, it was the strongest around. Also, she gathered that her alpha did not like the alpha of this pack.
"I have heard of your pack. Although I was not aware that a new alpha would be introduced."
He smiled. "My father stepped down today. It was supposed to happen when I turned eighteen, but I had not found my mate yet," he explained, "I still have not, but Father decided to step down instead of delaying it any further."
She nodded. "Okay."
"So why are you out here? Is your pack not observing the mating festival?"
Memories of her night flooded her mind, and she grimaced. Unable to answer him, as she had still not come to terms with the rejection, she shrugged. "They are. I left." As Akira did not want him to ask anymore, she stood. "I must go now."
Much to Akira's dismay, he stood alongside her. "Let me walk you home then."
She shook her head in protest. "Thank you, but I think I can find my way myself." She began walking, but her steps faltered, causing her to lose her balance.
Alpha Luca quickly placed his hand around her waist, to prevent her from meeting with the ground. "I insist. Besides, it does not look like you can walk well," he said, pointing out the situation of her foot to her.
She had no other choice than to give in. "Alright then, but you must not try to speak with me."
He chuckled at the condition he was given. "That is fine with me."
As they walked, Akira's mind was fully occupied by the daunting thought of how she was going back to work for the one who rejected her. She wished she could escape from the more complicated life that awaited her, but she had no one, and nowhere to run to.
They got to a safe distance from the pack house, and Akira asked that he left, out of fear of being seen with an alpha.
Understanding where she was coming from, alpha Luca conceded. "Good night then, Akira."
She began limping away without giving him a response, so Luca added. "Will I meet you at the lake again?"
Akira wondered how he wanted to meet with her again when he did not know anything about her, aside from her name and the pack she was from.
She glanced back at him. "Perhaps you might." He grinned. "Or not," she added, wiping the smile off his face.
As Akira limped back to where she stayed, she could still feel the intensity of his gaze burning through her back.