Chapter 6 Six

• Sophia's POV
• I wandered through the forest nearly lifelessly - not that I was beaten up or anything like that but the thought of how my life would turn out from this point in time scared me. Alpha Levi had instructed his right-hand man to give me essentials to survive for a few days, alongside money and a horse.
• I galloped through the dense forest on the horse which I was given. The wind whispered through the trees, and the sunlight filtered through the leaves - I had never felt this empty in my life. I bit my lower lip as I held back my emotions. As much as I wanted to cry and vent out my frustrations, I couldn't because I needed to be on high alert. I could be attacked by lone wolves or rogue wolves. There was no way I could fight them off since I was basically human.
• I, of course, was a werewolf but a werewolf without her wolf was basically useless. The best option for me now was to find a secured place to reside.
• I have been riding for days and weeks now while resting at any point I can. It was hard probably because I had never had to struggle to survive or gone through hellish situations. From making camp in the forest to hunting to drinking from brooks. I cried myself to sleep every night.
• “There's no way we can let you into our pack,” one of the guards of Moss Valley ack dismissed me. I had gone to several packs looking for refuge but all turned me down. They must have heard about why I got banished so no one could bring themselves to trust a supposed traitor.
• “Please, even if it's for a day at least,” I pleaded with them. I wanted to have a proper meal, I wanted to take a decent bath, I wanted to sleep comfortably but it was all nearly impossible with the rumors going on.
• “I'm sorry, but this is a Royal order,” they stood their ground as they politely declined.
• With that, I had no choice but to keep moving. There was no pack that would accept me with my current reputation.
• Sasha, my horse, suddenly neighed and got on her two hinge feet, which nearly made me fall off.
• “Calm down, Sasha. It's alright, I must have pushed you past your limit,” I patted her to make her calm. We had been trekking for two days straight without a single leisure time.
• I got down from her, we had traveled for two days now without a single bit of rest, so it was expected that she was fed up with my continuous moving.
• “Why don't we take our time to walk instead? That way, you won't be burdened,” I rubbed her mane as she lowered her head.
• Just then, my stomach growled even, Sasha noticed. The sound might have startled her.
• “Crap!” I clenched my belly. I really hadn't eaten for three days now. The only thing I did was drink the water I stored in a bottle.
• “I better look for food for the both of us to eat,” I patted her head.
• Following the faint scent of pine and damp earth, I moved cautiously. My senses were on high alert, searching for any sign of prey. The forest seemed devoid of life, the usual jarring sounds of birdsong replaced by an unsettling stillness.
• Doubt gnawed at me.
• "There's nothing here," I muttered, frustration creeping in. My ears twitched at the rustling of leaves from around the corner. It came from a shrub.
• I spun around, searching for any movement, any glint of an eye in the bushes. Suddenly, a blur of white erupted from behind a thick shrub. A cute white rabbit, its fur radiating, stood before me. Its large brown eyes locked with mine, holding a sense of curiosity and defiance, coupled with oblivion.
• My finger instinctively twitched towards the hunting knife strapped to my thigh. I had nearly zero hunting skills so the chances of actually hitting it were so low and discouraging. Not to mention, it looked too cute to be eaten. Taking its life felt wrong, almost sacrilegious.
• Before I could get my thoughts aligned, the rabbit didn't hesitate to hop away. I had lost a good chance at a free meal.
• “This sucks,” I sighed. “Maybe I should go for something else?” I questioned myself as I looked at my dagger.
• I went further into the forest and spotted a baby deer who seemed to have been separated from its mother. As cruel as I thought it was, if I didn't want to go hungry, I'd need to do this. I decided to set a trap.
• Knowing fully well that I wouldn't be able to outrun it, talk more of catch up to it given how I was unable to transmute, I decided to set a trap. I would give it a scare at one end with the trap and when it runs in the opposite direction, I would throw my dagger at it.
• After getting everything ready, I carried out the plan and it was surprisingly successful.
• “At least, this is one good thing that has happened to me so far,” I sighed as I dragged the body back to where I had left Sasha. I quickly grabbed bundles of grass and gave her to eat while I went on to roast my catch.
• Evening came and went just as quickly and soon it was night. I stared into the bonfire I had created watching it crackle.
• I didn't know when tears slipped out from my eyes. It was like the reality of things was beginning to hit me hard. Not that it didn't hit me hard initially but that I had held down my emotions for too long.
• Once again, I had been left alone…broken and betrayed like I never mattered. I never thought I would be treated like this by my very own mate. From being rejected by my own parents probably, to being rejected and exiled by my fated mate. I had the worst luck, honestly.
• Crouching beside Sasha who was asleep, I cried my heart out. I had held it in for too long. I hate how I felt.
• The wind rustled the leaves, bringing on a chilly atmosphere. How long had I been crying helplessly here?
• “I'm so pathetic,” I sighed but even for my pride's sake, I couldn't stop the way I felt. Emptiness isn't something one chooses after all.