Amira's POV
I couldn't take it anymore.
The whispers had started long ago, like a low hum at the edges of my world. They grew louder with each passing day. The soft, sickening laughter when Darius and my sister, Liliana, would exchange touches that were too intimate for any pack to overlook. They didn't even try to hide it anymore, no longer pretending it was anything less than what it was. A betrayal.
Their relationship was no longer a secret. The whole pack knew. And yet, I was the one who was forced to endure the mockery, the side glances. The pity in their eyes.
I watched as they flaunted it in front of me. Liliana, always so perfect, always so loved. And me? The barren, useless Luna. The one who couldn't give her mate what he truly wanted—an heir. The one who could never live up to the high standards set for me.
Every day felt like I was suffocating, drowning in the silence that filled the space between my every breath. I had begged Darius. I had pleaded with him to see me—to see that I loved him, that I had tried, that I wanted to give him everything. But it wasn't enough.
Now, they stood there, side by side, eyes full of mockery as they taunted me, without a care for the world around them. They didn't even notice the tear that slipped down my cheek, one of many I'd shed in the past week.
"Maybe if you weren't so broken," Liliana's voice rang out in front of the pack, "maybe if you had been able to give him something worthy, none of this would've happened."
The air around me turned to ice. The laughter echoed in my ears. My heart, once so full of love and hope, splintered. I was nothing but a shadow of the woman I used to be.
My legs shook beneath me as I stood there, exposed, vulnerable. I was their joke. Their discarded plaything. The Luna who would never be a mother. The woman who failed.
I had nothing left here.
I turned away, ignoring the murmurs behind me as I grabbed my things and threw them into a small bag. There was nothing more for me in Silvercrest, nothing that could fix the hole in my chest. My home was no longer a place of comfort—it was a prison.
I made my way through the back woods, walking as fast as my trembling legs could carry me. The familiar trees loomed like silent sentinels around me, casting long shadows that felt suffocating. The cool night air bit at my skin, but I barely felt it. My mind was numb, my thoughts hazy with the overwhelming ache of betrayal.
Where could I go? I didn't belong here. There was nowhere for me to turn. No pack would take in a former Luna, especially one who had failed her mate. I had nothing. No family. No allies. No future.
I stumbled over roots and rocks, the dense underbrush catching at my feet, but I didn't care. Every step I took felt like I was walking farther from the life I had once known. The pain in my chest had become a constant ache, something I would never be able to rid myself of. Darius, Liliana—they had crushed my heart, and I was left with nothing but the cold wilderness.
My steps grew slower, more labored, until I was nearly dragging myself through the thick forest. I could hardly keep my eyes open, the exhaustion from days of crying, from sleepless nights of wondering where I went wrong, finally catching up with me. The weight of everything pressed down, crushing the last bits of resolve I had left.
I couldn't go on.
I collapsed onto the ground, my face pressed against the cool earth. The smell of pine and wet leaves filled my nose, but I barely registered it. Everything around me was fading—the forest, the pain, my memories of Silvercrest. I wanted to disappear into the darkness. I wanted to let go.
I closed my eyes, feeling the last of my strength drain from me, and in that moment, I almost welcomed it. The darkness creeping in felt like an embrace, gentle and final. Maybe if I gave in, it would all stop. The pain would end. I would cease to exist, and perhaps, for once, I could be free of this suffocating life.
I heard the rustle of leaves.
My eyes fluttered open, confusion clouding my thoughts. I tried to push myself up, but my body refused to cooperate. My vision blurred, and my breath quickened. There was something moving toward me—something in the shadows.
A shape, dark and menacing, emerged from the trees.
I couldn't make out its form, but the sense of danger was unmistakable. The air around me grew heavier, thick with the scent of something wild. A rogue. A wolf, no doubt.
I froze, my heart racing as I stared into the creature's glowing yellow eyes. It was close now, too close. My legs refused to move, my body frozen with fear. I couldn't run. I was too weak, too broken. There was nowhere to hide. Nowhere to escape.
The rogue growled, its lips curling back to reveal sharp teeth. It moved closer, its hot breath fanning across my face, and I could see the bloodlust in its eyes.
This was it. This was how it would end.
I couldn't protect my child. I couldn't save myself. I had nothing left.
And just as the rogue lunged toward me, its jaws snapping, I closed my eyes.
I was ready to embrace the darkness.
But then—nothing.
The world around me shifted. A blur of motion. A flash of gold. The rogue's growl cut off abruptly, and the sound of its body crashing to the ground echoed through the forest.
A hand gripped my arm, pulling me to my feet, dragging me out of the way.
I gasped, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I blinked up at the stranger who had appeared out of nowhere. I couldn't see his face—just the outline of his figure, tall and commanding, his body blocking the rogue from me.
The darkness continued to pull at me, but I fought it, desperate to stay awake, to see who had saved me.
"Who—who are you?" I whispered, my voice barely a sound.
But the figure didn't answer. He only pulled me tighter against his chest, holding me firmly as the rogue's body was tossed aside like a ragdoll.
Then, I felt everything slip away.
The world went black.