FATED REDEMPTION

Scarlett's POV

The moonlight casts a silver sheen over everything, making it look unreal. I whisper to myself, “Please, please, let him choose me.” I nervously grip my dress, feeling the fabric between my fingers. I try to calm my racing heart, but it’s no use. It beats faster and faster, as if it knows what’s coming. I glance around, seeking a friendly face. But all I see is Amelia, my nemesis, staring at me with cold blue eyes, her blonde hair shining in the moonlight. Her lips are curled in a sneer, as if she knows I’m doomed. I quickly look away, feeling my stomach drop. I shiver, as a chill runs down my spine. I wish I could disappear.

Xavier steps forward, his face expressionless, a head taller than everyone else, his broad shoulders and muscular arms making him look like a giant. His jet-black hair is slicked back. It gives him a sharp and ruthless appearance, and he has the power to make or break my life with his decision. I hold my breath, waiting for his words.

The Moon Goddess watches over us from her stone statue, her eyes seeming to pierce my soul. She is the one who chose me as Xavier’s mate, but what if he doesn’t want me? What if he doesn’t love me?

Suddenly, I hear her voice in my head, echoing like a distant thunder. She says, “Do not doubt yourself, my child. You are worthy of his love. You are the perfect match for him; he may not realize it yet, but he will soon. Trust in me, trust in fate, trust in your heart.”

A cold shiver runs down my spine as I stare into her eyes, searching for a hint of deception, unsure if she's truly telling me the truth or playing another one of her cruel games. Does she know something I don’t? Or is she just trying to comfort me with empty words?

I look up at her statue, hoping for a sign. But she remains silent and still, as if nothing had happened so I look at Xavier.

“Scarlett…” he watches me carefully as if waiting for me to say something first.

He clears his throat and speaks in a loud voice. “I reject Scarlett as my mate.” His words cut through the silence like a knife, stabbing me in the heart. A wave of pain surges, gasping.

"What?" I stammer, hoping he'll retract. But he doesn't; he crosses his arms. His stiff and cold face, devoid of any glance or care, makes it clear he doesn't care about me. Xavier just rejects me, like I’m nothing to him.

The pack members react with shock and sympathy, their gasps and whispers filling the air. They pity me, but they also probably fear me. They think I’m cursed, that I brought this upon myself. They don’t understand that I had no choice in this.

Before I can say anything else, I hear a sound behind me, a high-pitched and mocking laughter. It's Amelia, laughing at me. Her cold blue eyes shine with malice as her blonde hair glitters in the moonlight, creating an image of a wicked fairy. She's a chilling sight. Her lips are curled in a sneer, as if she knows I’m doomed. “Ha ha ha! Look at you, Scarlett! Look at what you’ve become! A pathetic and pitiful reject! You thought you could be his mate? You thought you could be an alpha’s mate? You’re nothing but a joke! A joke that everyone laughs at!”

I can’t stand here and let them mock me, let them hurt me, let them break me.

I turn to Xavier, tears streaming down my face. “How could you do this to me?” I cry out, my voice cracking. “How could you reject me in front of everyone? How could you be so cruel? Don’t you have any feelings for me? Don’t you have any respect for me? Don’t you have any honor?”

He doesn’t answer me. He doesn’t even look at me. He just stares ahead, his face blank and emotionless.

I realize then that he never cared about me. He never wanted me. He never loved me.

He rejected me.

He broke me.

He destroyed me.

I turn away from him, from the pack, from the Moon Goddess. I run into the dark forest, hoping to escape from this nightmare. But I can’t escape from the truth. I’m alone. I’m unwanted. I’m rejected.

I clutch my chest, feeling a crushing sensation in my heart. It feels like it’s breaking into pieces, like it’s bleeding out of me. I sob uncontrollably.

Luna appears beside me, her bluish glow like a ghostly light, and she nuzzles my cheek, speaking in a soft and soothing voice to comfort me. She says with soft voice.

“Scarlett, my sweet Scarlett, don’t cry.” She pauses and kisses my neck gently. “Don’t give up. You are not alone.” She pauses again and moves her head to my ear. “You are not unwanted. You are not rejected. You are loved.” She pauses for the last time and looks into my eyes. “You are loved by me, by your wolf power, by your soulmate. I love you and will always do, no matter what, always by your side, protecting you. You are my everything, Scarlett.”

But it’s not enough. Nothing can fill the void or heal the wound Xavier left in me. Nothing can make me forget the humiliation that he caused me.

I curl up on the ground, feeling numb and empty. Luna wraps herself around me, keeping me warm and safe. But I don’t feel anything anymore. I don’t care about anything anymore.

I just want to disappear.

Luna whispers in my ear, “What if I talk to Xavier’s Orion? Maybe he can help us understand what happened.”

I snap at her, “No! That’s stepping out of line. You can’t talk to him. He’s Xavier’s best friend. He’ll never tell us the truth. He’ll only make things worse.”

Luna flinches, hurt by my harsh words. But I don’t care. I don’t want her to interfere with my misery. I don’t want anyone to interfere with my misery.

I just want to be alone.