"I deserved more than a weak mate like you," was what he said before doing what he did.
Those words had made her numb from his nail that pierced her skin… but the pain from the process of rejection broke her.
Coughed for the fifth time, she let the blood flow to the outside of her mouth. Being rejected is a horrible process for every intended mate, yet not all who had gone under it had recovered and told the tale of love that was not meant to be. Sadly, she is one of them.
Eyes danced in the clouds as she lay still on the now cold wet ground. Her hair and clothes clung to her body as small white objects fell slowly, it covered everything in their pure color.
She watched the white and grey mixed together forming such great picturesque clouds above her.
'A beautiful sight.' Her admiration ran deep through her thoughts.
The numbness kicked in as the pain subsided. Aisling couldn't feel anything anymore, not even the pain from her heart which had burned. Her tear-stained face was now frozen after she cried out of the pain from her broken heart and the mark. The mark that he left along with her heart. The mark of shame.
Rejected.
It was but a single slash from the neck; the body part where Mates would put their claiming mark. The mark which will prove acceptance, of love. The proof that your mate will accept you wholeheartedly and will be with you through the end of time. But everything was only wishful thoughts.
She thought that they could finally complete the claiming ceremony and move on to the mating process. That he had finally changed, that he had chosen her—his intended Mate, among all of the females and males that he had played with.
She was wrong.
Instead of a completed claiming ceremony, instead of an apology, that she could see him in his vulnerable state, that he'll beg--NO.
Instead, he took her to a secluded place, far away from their small village. Vulcan—her Mate, told her his final words before he slashed the right side of her neck down to her shoulder with his elongated nail.
At that moment, she felt sick. Sick to her being at the point of vomit. Everything came back to her, ricocheted and punched her on the stomach then left her with no air.
As Vulcan made his way back to the carriage, she stiffly stood there. When he stepped into it, she could not breathe. When he closed the door without looking back, she could not speak. And when the carriage finally left, she could not scream out her pain, her anguish, her grief.
Aisling regained all of the negative feelings that she had hidden. The feelings when he is with another female or male. Those simple words of unpleasantry came back double-fold.
Unwanted. Undesirable. Disgusting. Despicable. Unpleasant. Horrendous. Repulsive. Vile. Those were the words that poured themselves into her head as the gash of rejection burnt her skin.
Stronger creatures were drawn to power. They lust and crave for it but not everyone could have it.
They are not drawn to weaker beings like her, a sorry excuse towards her kind—the Lycanthrope. They have a strong sense of justice and are prideful of their strength. Full of pride that they can ostracize their own.
She was born as a pure-blooded Lycanthrope, yet she has the strength of a werewolf. Werewolves are considered the weaker version of the great Lycans. They were the brothers and sisters of the first-born pack created by Selene, the goddess of the Moon.
Aisling remembered the story of how they were created. The story where everything had started, the strength between Lycanthrope and Werewolf.
It was said to be a gruesome war, an unceasing war. Until to this day, every being has not experienced true peace. The peace that they wanted.
It seemed peaceful as everyone is happy, sad, angry, or broken. Because they believed in the Lycanthrope. The known guardians that the gods had created to fight for them, to fight for their peace. That is why they were treated as gods themselves. Even the Werewolves made a pact with them to go their ways, they will only be called once the enemy attack again.
If only everyone would know their “gods” that well. Then these egoistic animals wouldn’t have their already massive narcissistic head be put on a larger pedestal.
When the war had momentarily stopped a few decades before she was born, every being was lesser in number than at present. When everyone prayed unceasingly to the gods for help, they were answered.
A method that was unique and permanent. It was through a pairing between two of the same kind or of a different one and they were named as “mates”. The greatest blessing that was given by the gods.
Yet her she lies somewhere, rejected.
Ever since the pairing, Aisling has not felt as blessed. Unlike her parents and her friends, she knew that she was not blessed once she found out who she was fated to.
Vulcan was a great warrior; he was admired as a talented soldier. But there was this downfall to his greatness. Just like every Lycan she knew, he was thirsty for power. And he had quenched that thirst through seducing and sleeping with every powerful being he admired and wanted.
Male or female, it did not matter. As long as they were more powerful than him then he would try his best to feel their power. Even if it meant to sleep with them.
Once both of them knew they were fated, his eyes were full of contempt. She remembered all of those prideful smiles as he declared that he would have a powerful mate while she rolled her eyes.
Every day, she pitied his mate… until that fateful day.
Aisling was never expectant nor hopeful for her future mate because she knew that he or she will never accept her. But she had not expected to be paired with a lustful and power-hungry Lycanthrope.
She felt like she was being punished. The life that should have been hers as a powerful Lycanthrope was taken and then had it twisted into something unimaginable.
Aisling was born as a weak and useless Lycan then she got paired with a useless Lycanthrope whose brain is his dick.
Now, she is lying in the snow. Uselessly dying.
She could only think were those who had cared and accepted her. Despite not fully but the least as they had cared to feed her and had given her warm shelter and clothes throughout her life.
“Do they know that I am dying?”
“How will they feel when they will see my body?”
“Will I ever get to see them again?”
Random thoughts flow in her mind, though unanswered, she consoled herself as she imagined their sad and teary face once they have found her cold and lifeless body. Far away from home, alone, and the mark of rejection visible on her neck.
They were not that close like her friends do but they were not that cold to her either.
With what she imagined; her tainted lips formed a small bloodied smile. Aisling laughed at her predicament. This is what her life had become, born useless and died uselessly.
"What a beautiful sight." Those words made her eyes look out left and right despite her blurred vision. Nothing.
A spirit? She wondered. Wondered if this is what her ancestors had believed to be the Reaper of souls; one who guided spirits of the dead to the afterlife.
"If I willed for you to see me, then you would have seen me," He spoke with playfulness. As if he wanted some engagement in the conversation.
She could not even move her lips nor be able to talk, so how would she ever convey her thoughts? But her body is different.
Like magic, the numbness that she had felt since she lost some blood and even the coldness that prickled her to her bones—they slowly, but surely, went away.
“Tell me something, habibati, are you willing to end things this way?” His gentle voice posed a question and had stirred something within her. A sliver of spark.
No. She answered in her mind. She was not willing to end everything like this.
“There we go, I could finally see how beautiful you look. Your eyes sparkled like jewels.” His words made her warm. The more he talked to her the more she felt the warmness within her spread. “He does not deserve this beauty; indeed, he did not deserve you.”
Aisling felt something touch her cheek, no, caressed. The spirit had touched her cheek and it felt nice.
"Are you here to take me away?" she asked in broken words and she did not even know if he had understood her.
"Yes.”
*****
>Revised<
A/N: Hello everyone. I'm very sorry for the sudden hiatus. I had a tough time during the last months of 2021. I'll be revising the rest of the chapter that I've posted here since I'm now back to writing. Enjoy the rest of your week. Happy New Year!
