Chapter 4
Winona clung to the belief that her mate would not only love her but also be her closest friend. She envisioned him standing up for her when she was being bullied, protecting her as male mates are known to do, and ensuring that no one would ever harm her.
She held onto the hope that her mate would whisk her away from the harsh reality of her life with her mother and sister. He would provide her with a safe haven, shower her with love, and cherish her. With him, she would never have to worry about anything else ever again.
That was the hope that fueled her, the hope that kept her going until the day she would finally meet him. She held onto the belief that he would love her, despite everything.
Perhaps she should have realized that hoping was futile. She should have learned her lesson from the incident with her wolf, but still, she held onto that sliver of hope. It was futile to place her trust in the so-called Moon Goddess, who she still trusted despite all the misfortunes she had endured.
The Moon Goddess had always been cruel to her. Winona was convinced that she was despised by her as well. She should have understood this and not expected anything from her.
But she didn't. She allowed herself to believe that she deserved a happy ending, given all the hardships she had endured.
She was mistaken. Finding her mate was not the happy ending she had envisioned but the beginning of her real torment. It marked the start of a pain so profound that it made the hardships of all these years seem insignificant.
It was the dawn of a new era, an era of never-ending suffering in the hand of Brent.
After that fateful night, Winona made a conscious decision to steer clear of Brent. The palpable hatred and concealed threat she sensed in his aura were enough to shatter the fragile courage she had managed to muster. Her hope, once again, crumbled into pieces.
But then, she could comprehend why he didn't want her. How could a man of his stature desire a girl like her? She was, after all, an unattractive, weak, and cursed girl who was evidently loathed by her own family. And she was supposedly the one responsible for her father's death.
Brent was the most sought-after bachelor in the entire Silver Moon pack. Every female wolf within and beyond the pack was smitten by him. Even the neighboring packs with eligible female wolves couldn't help but be captivated by him.
The most beautiful among them all lined up for his attention. Even the female alphas competed fiercely to catch his eye. That's how irresistible he was. Even her sister Hayley, who still held the title of the pack's golden girl, was yearning to be with him.
There was no way he could settle for a female like her; the one who was the laughing stock of the pack and the known bearer of the darkness curse.
She carried out her duties in silence, without engaging in conversation with anyone. And no one really wanted to speak to her except maybe to send her on errands.
Even the omega females in the pack ostracized her. She was treated as a lonely wolf, even lonelier than a lone wolf. She was avoided like a plague and referred to as a cancer of the pack.
She accepted her fate and decided to abide by Brent's decision. She kept silent about ever meeting her mate. But somehow, she felt her sister's hatred intensifying from that day. Could Hayley have known?
She avoided Brent's chambers and every other place she knew she was likely to find him in, whenever she cleaned. She didn't want to continue wallowing in self-pity.
The hatred in his eyes that day was still etched in her mind, and she didn't need to see it a second time...or ever again. She found some solace in the fact that he hadn't rejected her. Maybe someday, he would accept her. For now, she just had to avoid him.
However, fate seemed to have more cruelty in store for her. Why wouldn't the goddess let her live in peace, yet refused to lead her to her death?
She was certain that she would find solace in hell because that seemed like a better place for her compared to what she had to endure every single day.
Winona was convinced that the Moon Goddess wouldn't offer her a place by her side or in her magnificent celestial kingdom. She was certain that the goddess harbored too much disdain for her to care about her fate.
Engrossed in her thoughts, she carried a basket filled with wet clothes that needed to be hung out to dry in the courtyard. She moved swiftly, eager to complete this task so she could proceed to the next one.
The sooner she finished the work assigned to her, the sooner she could catch some sleep before nightfall. That was when she would be ousted from her bed and relegated to the dark corridor to lie down.
The maids who shared her room didn't want her there, always citing her curse as the reason. They constantly found excuses to throw her out. She never protested, even though she often had to endure the cold and rain.
She made her way to the courtyard and approached the first empty line. That was when she saw something that sent her body into a state of shock and... bitterness. The basket slipped from her hands, and her mouth fell open at the sight before her.
The rubber basket tore from the impact of the fall, and the clothes she had spent all morning washing scattered on the grass. But at that moment, it wasn't the clothes she was worried about; it was the sight that had unfolded before her.
She now understood why her sister had been unusually more hostile towards her. So this was the reason. There before her was a sight she never thought she would witness, even though she knew it was inevitable.
Brent and Hayley, her mate and her twin sister, stood beside a tree. Hayley leaned with her back against the tree, while Brent stood in front of her.
They were locked in a passionate and intimate embrace, their tongues entwined. Brent's left hand firmly gripped her breast as Hayley moaned in ecstasy.
That was when her basket fell from her hands. The sound of the commotion caused them to stop.
Hayley was the first to look at her. She glared at Winona with irritation before rolling her eyes. Deep down, Winona knew her sister would take Brent away from her, but she refused to acknowledge it.
Hayley had always set her sights on Brent and prided herself as the future Luna! How could Winona have forgotten?
