Chapter 3 What Happened To Me?

• REINA’S POV
• “Who– who are– who are you?” I stuttered, but I was hit with a deafening silence. The figure just stood still and watched. My eyes struggled to map out the features, but they remained concealed in the darkness.
• As I charged forward with one bold step, I caught a fleeting glimpse of a woman shrouded in a black hooded cloak. She dashed further and deeper, moving swiftly into the opposite direction of the woods.
• Minsi quickly pursued. I struggled to restrain my wolf. I had never been that weak at keeping her at bay. My strength could only do so little, but I managed to stop her from emerging.
• Something was making her rage.
• “That's not a wolf, Reina,” Minsi panted as we chased after the woman, scattering through the woods.
• She was fast. Too fast, or I was just extremely slow for her.
• Suddenly, without warning, an overwhelming power halted me, and I found myself pinned against a tree trunk.
• “Reina!” I heard my best friend scream.
• “Corolla?”
• I asked surprisingly, as we both tried to catch our breaths. I didn't realize Corolla was running after me the whole time while I chased… where was it?
• Where was this non-wolf figure I was pursuing? The woman in the black hooded cloak. She had vanished without a trace.
• Minsi's voice repeatedly cried out, “That's not a wolf Reina, I don't know what it is, but it's not one of us.”
• “Why were you running? It was your cue to come in 15 minutes ago,” Corolla scolded, oblivious to the fear that had taken hold of me.
• “Wait! What?” I asked, shoving her question aside, “You didn't see?” I looked in the direction I was running to before she caught up with me and pinned me to the tree.
• She gave me a confused stare and took a glance in the direction, scanning the area. Then her blank gaze landed on me, she shook her head.
• “See what?” she asked hysterically.
• “I swear I saw someone,” I blurted out.
• Corolla only nodded and asked me to follow her back to the right direction and to where everyone was waiting.
• I agreed and said nothing else as I trailed behind, trying to calm Minsi down as she continued to growl softly. If our secret dared to come out, it shouldn't be on a day like this.
• “What was it?” Corolla asked curiously, and I shook my head and said it was nothing.
• I hastily collected myself, no matter how disturbed I was by what I thought I had seen, I wasn't going to let anything or anyone ruin my night.
• The clear opening was surrounded by the members of our pack and Woodwick's.
• This was the man chosen to be my mate. Ruthless Alpha Van Killian. I was standing in proximity to him. Somehow, my troubled heart relaxed from the tension it was feeling earlier.
• “Is that him?” I asked Minsi, “he doesn't look ruthless. Anything but ruthless,” I smiled.
• What a hunk! I could see his muscles flexing in his tight hugging shirt. A perfect body like that of a Greek god and a handsome face carved to perfection.
• His brown curls and elegant presence clouded my mind, his scent lingering like sweet rose petals and everyone around seemed to have faded away, leaving just the two of us.
• I was drawn to him in a way that was new to me, a way that made everything else irrelevant.
• “Mate!” Minsi interjected amidst my thoughts.
• “What?” I asked shockingly, “he's my fated mate?”
• “Dummy, can't you feel it?” Minsi laughed ferociously, and I could feel her wagging her tail out of excitement.
• I had given up on searching for my fated mate, but destiny had brought him to me. I stood next to Van and smiled at him, but he just looked away, dismissively.
• My smile suddenly turned to a frown. He was ruthless after all.
• Tauriel stood next to my father with a smirk on her face. I couldn't sight Gina. Corolla noticed I was anxious and gestured to me to remain calm.
• “Reina, there's something wrong,” Minsi began to grumble, but I dismissed it without a second thought.
• Obviously, everything was wrong. I was getting married to a ruthless Alpha, fated mate or not, he stood tall and wicked.
• The priest chanted some words, invoking the power of the moon, and I waited for Van's vow. He turned, facing me and his hazel eyes pierced into my eyes. I wasn't sure what to do.
• My face froze in shock. I couldn't believe what I just heard. I demanded to hear it again and, with no regret, he unapologetically obliged.
• “I, Alpha Van Killian of Woodwick, reject Reina Grayson of the Moonlight pack as my mate.”
• His words felt like a knife to my heart, cutting and slicing every bit of me. Minsi was groaning in pain. I felt like my heart began to bleed.
• I knew Van felt the same pain, the look engraved on his face gave him away.
• My guts twisted in agony, as my ears picked up every murmur that enveloped the pack members. They all seemed to be against me.
• “She deserves it. We all know she's weak and wolf-less,” a voice said.
• And another admitted saying, “The Alpha needs a strong Luna.”
• What was happening seemed like a nightmare. Minsi was right, something was clearly wrong.
• Suddenly, Gina emerged from behind the crowd and slowly walked forward, standing beside Alpha Van with a triumphant smirk on her face, and her arms placed on his shoulder possessively. She leaned over to me and whispered softly into my ears, saying,
• “I'm sorry, sister."
• I didn't want to believe that she planned this all from the start. To let our father choose me and then disgrace me and take my place. He always listened to her.
• No, Gina wouldn't. She loved me, she would never. I tried to discard those thoughts, but the truth was staring at me right in the face. My sister betrayed me.
• The world started to spin. My blood coursed through my veins agitatedly like a raging storm as flashbacks of recent weeks flooded my brain.
• So many questions I wanted to ask, but my voice was lost. I felt my back fall on a hard surface and everything began to shatter.
• I heard Minsi's sad wails, I was losing my grip on her, I was losing myself. Distorted faces were hovering over me, their voices asking,
• “Is she alright?”
• I also wanted to know if I was alright. Nothing felt real.
• Why did Alpha Van reject me even after knowing I was his fated mate?
• What was happening to me?
• Tears streaming down my pale face, I watched in tremendous horror as my fated mate chose my sister as his mate. Corolla’s voice kept screaming for help, as I laid there dying, but nobody paid attention to us.
• Then I heard a mournful howl pierce the cold air and impulsively everyone shifted into their wolf form, and howled in unison. My eyes sifted the full moon above just before I drew my last breath.