CHAPTER TWO.

Running to a new city.

I was woken up by the sharp ray of sunlight directly on my eyes.

"Are you okay?" I heard a blurry voice, and as I made to lift up my head, I felt a sharp ache on my head.

My head was really hurting.

"Where am I?" I asked with an overwhelmed voice.

"Stay still, Rory..." I heard Becky's voice.

Slowly, I was able to regain my sight, but I was shocked to find out that I was in the inn.

"What happened to me?" I asked with a tired voice.

Soon, I began to have a mental flashback of what happened, yesternight.

"You fainted after he rejected you." Becky said with a faint voice, and I burst into tears.

What did I do to deserve his rejection?

Why did he reject me?

"But, why...?" I began to cry. "Why would he do that to me? What comes next for me?"

It was so hard for me to bear.

In our city, rejections were seen as curses. Now, no one was going to associate with me, anyone. The laws which were made by our ancestors, were pretty much dangerous.

To make matters worse every rejected mate, was ostracized with immediate effect. However, if you aren't ostracized, you'd die from depression.

"Rory, you're bigger than this. I just want you to be strong. Do you understand?" She assured me, and I nodded.

_____

My name is Aurora Devine Wood, and this is my story.

My mother died when I was just three years old. She died when she was pregnant with my immediate younger brother, who unfortunately didn't also survive.

After three years, my father remarried. He got married to the most evil woman who I have ever crossed paths with. Lady Tati, was a thorn on my flesh. She had constantly abused me in the past, and even till now.

The last time she smashed my back with a hot rod, and that was exactly what broke the camel's back. I stood up for myself.

"You're not my mother, and you can never be. One day, karma will hit you, and you might not be alive to tell the story." I screamed at her that night, and her eyes flickered.

That night, my father flogged the fuck out of me, and said something that marked me. "You're a cursed child. You caused the death of my wife, and I hate you for it. I long rejected you and your curse, but... I'm waiting for the right time to feed you to the wolves where you belong."

My story is complex.

The only person who has stood by me since the beginning of time has been only Becky. She's been my best friend.

Now, I have to scale through another hurdle. I have to run for my life. I have to flee to a far away land where no one knows about my identity.

I know that by now my evil step mother, Lady Tati, will be celebrating her victory, since she's been plotting my downfall.

Suddenly, I felt a strange movement around my abode. I couldn't fathom what it was, but I knew that it was from the direction of the left window.

"Who is there?" I asked with a shaky voice.

As I walked over to the side of the window, I could hear the sound of the rustling leaves. The waves of anguish were built and embedded deeply into my heart.

"Rory, we need to discuss, right now. It's really urgent." I heard Akira's voice, and my heart froze.

What did he want to talk about?

"Are you hear to mock me or...?" I asked with a bitter voice, as I gulped down the lumps of saliva which had formed inside my throat.

Suddenly, there was a wave of silence between us.

"I know the secrets that surrounds your rejection, but right now, you need to be at alert. They want you life!" He announced, and I gasped.

What was he talking about?

"Wait... Who?" Before I could complete the question, he had already fled.

In frustration, I collapsed on my bed with tears in my ears.

'Dear moon goddess, why must I battle rejection throughout my life? Why?' I pondered in soliloquy.

Then again, I felt a strange presence around the atmosphere. I could perceive a familiar scent around my abode.

"If you want to save your life, you must heed my warnings." Akira's voice suddenly brought back life to my being.

"What must I do?" I asked him with an urgent tone.

As I spoke to him, I could feel the wave of fear in me. There was a big problem, my biggest fear was hovering around me.

"By midnight around 12am, meet me at the back of the abandoned black sanctuary." He announced, and disappeared before I could say Jack.

As I walked through the lonely paths of this city, I knew that my life was at great risk. Each step I took was a great reminder that my world was about to crumble.

Finally, I got to the agreed spot. It was airy, but I was scared to the core.

The abandoned black sanctuary was actually home to most of the evil sacrifices of our community.

Suddenly, I felt the silhouette of a familiar wolf scent.

"I'm glad you came..." His voice echoed through the silent night.

"Tell me what I need to hear." I began. "What do I need to do?"

My question was met with silence.

"Rory, you need to run." Akira's eyes flickered with tension as he spoke. "You're surrounded by many enemies who want you dead. They intend to capitalize on your rejection to kill you." Each words that came out from his mouth was laced with sharp venom.

I was mortified.

"Who are they?" I asked in fear.

The atmosphere intensified in silence. Akira, began to growl in silence.

"There's no time... You have to run now. They're almost here. Rory, run for your life!"

Without any further hesitation, I ran towards my abode to pick up a few of my important accessories.

I have one direction in mind, and I intend to start a new life there.

I'm going to a place where I can never be rejected.

CHAPTER 3.

Captured by the unknown men.

As I ran back to my abode with a heavy heart, the thoughts of what surrounded me seemed to overwhelm me. It felt like there was a big eye which was watching all my movements.

"Run... Run... Run...!" My inner wolf growled from the inside, and I melted down in fear. This was just the second time that my wolf had ever spoken to me.

At some point, I had even doubted if I was really a werewolf. Just as I made to sneak back into my room, I had some malicious whispers across the woods, and I immediately tiptoed towards that direction to hear the conversation.

"She has to be eliminated. The curse that comes with her rejection is quite heavy." I heard the voice of my step mother, Lady Tati, speaking to someone I couldn't easily detect.

"Yes, she has to be erased. She is a symbol of desecration to our land." The voice spoke with an evil tone.

As the cold breeze of the night shook the branches of the surrounding trees, so did my hands shake in fear. At that instant, Akira's words returned back to my subconscious mind.

"I have prepared the leaf of death..." Lady Tati, began. "She must die by tomorrow!"

In fear of what I had just heard, I mistakenly tripped on a dried stick.

Suddenly, the entire atmosphere was overwhelmed with silence.

"I smell a scent... That of an unfamiliar wolf..." The other woman spoke, and I slowly turned my back, as I disappeared into the comfort of the night. I couldn't risk being caught by them.

As I got back to my room, I reached for the pocket journal that my mother had left for me. I picked up my marking veil, my short sword, my battle dagger, my magic chalk, my elephant trunk for drinking water, and a the ancestral map which was given to my dead mother by grandmother.

Swiftly, I packed everything into my cotton fabric bag, and walked out of the room with a determined demeanor.

It was time to rewrite my destiny.

As I slowly walked through the lonely bushes, I was careful to avoid tripping and falling, or even encountering rival wolves. The darkness of the night also made me weary of the witches that lurked around.

However, my magic chalk will serve as a shield should in case encounter one.

Soon, I got to the my best friend's abode. It was the last house before the black river, which was a bridge between my city and another neighboring village.

As I walked into their compound, I was quite careful to avoid bumping into her father. An elderly chief priest of the pack, who I was so sure would be perceiving me as a curse.

Well, I didn't blame him.

"Phew!" I sighed.

On the window of Becky, I could see her sleeping peacefully like an angel, and I immediately wiped the tears that escaped my eyes.

"Be strong, Rory... You must be strong to embark on the journey ahead." My wolf growled from the inside.

At that instant, hot beads of sweat began to stream down my face. Slowly, I reached into my cotton bag, and picked up the sheet of black paper that I had inscribed these words on;

'Till death wipe me off the surface of this planet, you shall remain my sister. Right now, I shall embark on a very long journey. Whether I return or not, I rejoice because you're a powerful wolf.'

As I read through those words the final time, hot tears ran down my spine. I suddenly realized that this journey was more creepy than death. I slowly threw that sheet of paper near her slippers, making sure that it'd be the first thing she'd see.

I turned my back to leave, and as I disappeared into the darkness, I turned my back to look at her the final time, before heading towards the black river.

"Moon goddess, be with me in this quest." I mumbled these words of prayer in tears.

My journey towards the black river was accompanied by fear and death. I've heard ancient myths about some of my kinds, who embarked on this journey, and never made it across the bridge.

While the bodies of some were brutally dismembered, the rest weren't seen till this day. There was also a myth about how the spirit that guided that river.

It could be dated back to the time of my ancestors, that spirit was rejected after the Alpha got her pregnant. Since it was a taboo for an Alpha to have sexual contact with a hybrid, and in a bid to cover his secret, he lured her to the river.

He instructed her to wear her wedding robe and a white veil, and he drowned pushed her into that river. Since then, her spirit has been lurking around that area, and claiming the lives of others.

Now, I could be the next.

But, I wasn't scared of death. It was my only option of running away from this misery I call a life.

As I walked through the dark night, the cold breeze kept sending terrible shivers down my spine.

Suddenly, I felt a strange presence around me. An otherworldly spirit was nearby.

At that instant, my heart froze in shock and trepidation. I could hear the sound of a wave rotating around me. It was very intense.

"Aurora Devine Wood!!!!" My name echoed throughout the darkness of the night, and I froze.

Who could it be?

"Who're you?" I asked with a scared voice.

"The journey ahead of you is a long one. I bid you farewell, as you depart from this city." It turned out to be Akira's voice.

I looked back and could only see the darkness of the night.

"Phew!" I breathed with a relieved voice, as I crossed the bridge of moon city.

This was the beginning of my freedom.

With the darkness of the night, I set out to wander in uncertainty. The beginning of my identity had come, and I wasn't going to be defined by a common rejection.

Suddenly, I felt the presence of some unfamiliar scents around me. Before I could say Jack, they forcefully grabbed me.

Who were they?

CHAPTER 4.

Claimed by the mortuary attendant.

The stench of decayed smell suddenly hit my nostrils. It was just so much to ignore. As I tried to open my eyes, I felt a direct sharp pain directly at the back of my head.

Just then, the dawn of realization hit me.

"Where am I?" I mumbled in weakness.

As I opened my eyes, I saw masked men with swords, standing in front of me. With the sense of urgency bubbling up inside of me, I realized that I was bounded in chains.

"She's awake..." One of the guards whispered to the other, and they immediately walked out of the room, leaving me all to my own ocean of thoughts.

How did I get here?

Who were they?

Where was I?

Looking through the entire room, I realized that it was more like a warehouse, which was built with similar patterns. The room was painted all black, with ancient inscriptions drawn on the walls.

Thanks to the light from the hallway, if not, I'd have been in total darkness.

Just then, I heard some thick footsteps walking towards my direction, and without giving me any time to process what was happening, they lifted me up, and placed me on their shoulders like a piece of luggage.

They were about eight masked men.

"Let me go!" I cried in sheer horror, as I watched these strange men carry me to an unknown destination. Just as we got to the hallway, I was immediately blindfolded with a black sack, and I passed out.

*****

"Is she werewolf?" A female voice asked.

"A hybrid, I think..." The man with the thick baritone voice responded. "However, we need to run a test on the lab to confirm."

They paused for a while.

Subconsciously, I could hear their conversations. As I opened my eyes, I noticed that I was in a well lit up room, which screamed absolute luxury. Immediately, I closed back my eyes in pretence.

"Do you think she shall bring the boss great profit?" The man asked.

"I perceive an unfamiliar scent from her. I doubt she's a full wolf."

With that, the entire room fell silent, and just as I opened my eyes in inquisitiveness to know what might've happened, I met their evil gazes staring deeply into my soul.

"Take her away... Now!" The female commanded him, and just as he walked towards my direction, I fell back asleep.

As he dragged me into the room, I could hear the weak growls of exhausted wolves, tired witches, vampires, dragons and other supernatural beings, which had been caged and subdued by this evil entity.

"No... No... Don't push me into this place..." I cried out in confusion.

Alas, he pushed me inside, and locked the gates.

Now, I had to deal with the violent radiation from the witch standing at my left hand side.

Suddenly, the gates to our prison was forcefully opened, and the soldiers began to troop in in numbers, dragging each of us out.

THE AUCTION CENTER.

The journey to the auction center was brief and quite short. I got to know about where we were heading to from the conversations of the soldiers.

As we got to the center, I realized that even though it was luxurious, its walls had similar inscriptions to the first underground prison that I had been kidnapped at.

Like prisoners, we were all pushed out of the van, as the dragged us into the auction center. As we walked into the venue, the deep feeling of tension and uncertainty hit me like an iceberg.

I realized that I was about to be sold in a strange land.

Maybe, it was the destiny which the moon goddess had designed for me.

The hall was filled to the brim with alphas and pack leaders of the highest caliber. I felt disgusted with the way they stared at us like perverts.

"The one on cotton linen!" The voice of an alpha sitting at the middle row echoed through the hall, as he pointed at me.

"You can't have me. I'm not a merchandise." I yelled back at him, but I was silenced with a grave punch to my mouth.

I fell on my stomach, as the smell of blood hit my nostrils. I remained that way in tears, as I wondered what I had done wrong to deserve this kind of life.

"We all know why we are here..." The voice of the MC, began. "These goods are the best you've ever seen. As part of our diversity campaign, we brought diverse beings for you to choose from. Lupines, hybrids, werewolves, witches, vampires... Just name it..."

The energy in the hall disgusted me. I felt sad that I had to go through all of this. If not for Shane's ruthless rejection, I wouldn't have been paraded here, as an incomplete wolf.

"Officially, I declare this auction open!" The MC announced, and those shameless men cheered in excitement. "So, we'd start from this one." He pointed at me, and some guards proceeded to drag me to the front.

Even as I hesitated, it was all in vain, as they were just too powerful for me to contend with.

"Leave me alone..." I fought in weakness, as I spat on the face of the guard.

In anger, he raised his right hand to strike me with a punch.

"Don't!" The MC commanded him.

"She..." He pointed towards my direction. "She's a virgin hybrid, who holds the key to the sacred. She is also the last remaining lupine of her kind. Claiming her as yours guarantees beautiful offsprings, accessing the magical, and a free showcase of endless magic..."

Before he could even finish speaking, the men were already bidding.

"Twenty million dollars!"

"Thirty million dollars!"

"Forty two million dollars!"

More and more kept coming, until something strange happened.

A mysterious Alpha who was dressed in complete mortuary attendant with white bloodstained gloves on his hands, walked into the venue.

Immediately he stepped in, the atmosphere changed. The room was engulfed with silence, and I felt an instant connection.

"Five virgin werewolf souls, a hybrid witch's extracted human heart, and two caged vampire souls!"

I gasped in shock.

Who was he?

"Yes... Yes... Alright, master..." The MC stuttered in fear. "You can have her..." He bowed his head towards this strange man.

With my blurry vision, I couldn't help but stare in shock.

"Sold to Alpha Kieran Candle Funeral." He announced, and I gasped.

Who was this strange man?