Chapter 3 By The Moon Goddess, I Reject You

• 【Selene POV】
• Three days.
• Those three days felt like three years to me.
• Every day, I downed the “medicine” Hecate gave me, then rushed to the bathroom to puke it all out.
• I jabbed silver needles into my pressure points, forcing my life force to the limit just to keep moving for a little while.
• My body was weak as hell, but my mind was sharper than ever.
• Finally.
• The night of the Blood Moon Festival had come.
• Tonight’s moon was huge, almost scary, and the moonlight seemed brighter than ever, shining down on the Pack.
• The whole Silver Moon Pack was lost in wild celebration.
• Bonfires blazed in the square, drums pounding like thunder.
• This was when their guard was at its lowest.
• Hecate brought me the last dose of medicine, along with a complicated outfit.
• “Luna, the Alpha said you have to dress up for tonight,” she said, looking at me like I was already dead.
• “Drink this, get dressed, I’ll take you to the altar.”
• The altar.
• Was that the place Damien picked out for my grave?
• To announce my “sudden death” in front of everyone—what a perfect setup.
• I took the cup from her.
• But this time, I didn’t drink it.
• I looked at Hecate and suddenly smiled.
• “Hecate, do you believe in karma?”
• “What?” she blinked, caught off guard.
• I flipped my wrist.
• “Splash!”
• That thick, black poison splattered all over Hecate’s old, bark-like face!
• “Ahhh—!! My eyes!!”
• She screamed in agony. That was high-grade wolf venom—touching mucous membranes meant excruciating pain!
• “You got what you deserved!”
• I didn’t give her a second to recover. I grabbed the silver candlestick from the table and, summoning every ounce of strength I’d been saving for three days, smashed it hard against the back of her head!
• *Bang!*
• Hecate’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed like a rag doll.
• I gasped for air, my hands shaking.
• I ripped off her black robe and wrapped it around myself to cover my face.
• I took the master key from her waist and the dagger she used to cut herbs.
• I pushed open the door and stepped into the night.
• The noise outside masked my footsteps.
• I had to cross the square to reach the border.
• I kept my head down, hugging the wall as close as I could.
• But I underestimated Damien’s caution.
• “Stop right there!”
• A cold voice cut through the noisy crowd.
• My whole body froze.
• It was Damien.
• He was dressed in a fancy Alpha suit, with Evangeline by his side, all dolled up.
• He was staring straight at me.
• “That’s not Hecate’s figure.”
• ```
• Damien’s nose was crazy sharp. “Who the hell are you?”
• Damn, I got caught.
• The guards around me closed in fast.
• No way to dodge this...
• Might as well face it head-on!
• Slowly, I pulled back my hood.
• Under the blood-red moonlight, my pale face was exposed for everyone to see.
• “It’s me.”
• Dead silence hit the crowd.
• “Selene?!” Evangeline gasped. “You... what are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be resting in your room?”
• “Resting?”
• I sneered, eyes scanning the clueless pack members around me.
• “You mean locked up by you guys, poisoned by you, right?”
• “Nonsense!”
• Damien’s face darkened instantly. He caught the suspicious looks from the others.
• “You’re delirious! Guards, take Luna back to rest!”
• “Who the hell dares?”
• I pulled out the dagger from my pocket and pressed it against my own neck.
• “Damien, didn’t you want me dead?”
• “Today, right in front of everyone, I’m giving my life back to you!”
• “But before that—”
• I took a deep breath, digging deep into my soul for every ounce of strength, and shouted at the pure white moon above with a roar full of rage!
• “By the Moon Goddess!”
• That cry, soaked in the pain of my Alpha blood, drowned out the pounding drums in the square!
• Damien’s face twisted. “Selene! You dare! Shut up!”
• I locked eyes with him, each word dripping with blood and pain:
• “I, Selene, daughter of the Silver Moon Pack Alpha family—”
• “Reject!”
• “You, Damien, as my mate!”
• “I reject your bloodline!”
• “I reject your mark!”
• “I reject everything about you!”
• “I’m leaving the Pack. Voluntarily!”
• Boom—!
• The moment I finished, I felt a sharp snap deep inside my soul!
• The pain was worse than being torn apart limb by limb—ten thousand times worse!
• But somehow, I felt lighter than ever before.
• “Ahhh—!!!”
• Across from me, Damien clutched his chest, dropped to one knee, and let out a beast-like howl of agony!
• The mate bond was ripped apart by force, hurting not just me, but him too!
• “Grab her!!!”
• Damien’s eyes were bloodshot, roaring like a madman, “Kill that bitch! Kill her!!!”
• The guards surged forward like a tidal wave.
• I was running on empty.
• But I smiled.
• I spun around and charged without hesitation toward the dark forest at the edge of the border.
• That place was death itself, the Rogue’s territory.
• But I’d rather die free in the wild than rot in this fake-ass cage!
• Whoosh—
• An arrow zipped past, grazing my cheek.
• I stumbled and crashed into the woods.
• The deafening sound of footsteps chasing me thundered behind.
• I knew one thing for sure—the real run had only just begun.
• ```