Amelia's POV

I took off in the direction of the forest. I couldn't stand to be here another moment. The pain in my heart was far too unbearable. I had felt rejection in the past from my family, I had felt humiliated and so much more, but nothing amounted to how broken I felt inside right now.

My sole satisfaction was knowing Nicholas was on the floor writhing like a worm from the pain I foisted on him through the rejection of our mating bond.

I couldn't help but allow my tears to fall. The knot in my throat was unbearable. I was so fatuous to believe he would go after me last night and beg for my forgiveness when I saw him with that woman.

Zoey whimpered. She knew what I felt inside, but nothing she could say would make me feel better. And she knew.

I wanted to die, erase my existence, to stop feeling, to stop... being so pitiable. So—insignificant.

Once I was out of sight, I began to take my clothes off, tossing them on the floor as if it would do any better. I know, childish, but what else was I supposed to do right now?

"Amelia... are you ok?" Zoey finally spoke. Her voice was cautious, almost in a whisper, but I ignored her.

I shut my eyes, fisting my hands tightly and filling my lungs with air until I couldn't take in any more air, letting my breath out in an ear-piercing scream.

I bent slightly, yelling at the top of my lungs as warm, salty tears flowed like a waterfall.

"I can't do this anymore, Zoey! I can't... I can't deal with this—this... fucking life... why? Mom... if only you were here. If only I had known you!" I said as I looked up at the sky. I needed to vent my anger and my pain. Zoey was silent, listening as I vented my frustration.

"Screw everyone... screw Jocelyn, screw Nicholas and all of his dumb whores... screw EVERYONE! I'm done... I'm done, Zoey. I can't... I can't take it anymore!" I whispered the last part, falling to my knees, wishing that the pain I felt from the mating rejection instantly vanished. I was so angry that my body shook as I kneeled on that earthy floor.

Zoey let out a deathly growl, instantly taking over and making me shift into her. I knew she was trying to protect me, acting as an overprotective momma-wolf with her cub. And I dared not protest.

I retreated into her mind like the void I wished to be right now and in my place... stood my wolf, Zoey.

She was a big, beautiful silver wolf. There was a hint of a glistening to her fur, almost as if she had a light emitting out of every one of her strands.

Like magic.

She looked beautiful.

Almost as if it was something out of a fantasy cartoon you'd see on TV.

Her big furry paws dug into the dirt, sighing deeply as she continued to hear me cry. She was a young wolf too, and very mischievous... but very wise. She had an old soul as if she had lived for hundreds of years. But what I loved most was her trust in me. She had set her trust in me, making her the only person I trusted in my life.

"Oh, darling... I know you're hurting inside, I feel it. But you are not alone. I need you to understand, I am here for you. And I will never leave you. Believe me when I say, Nicholas is not worth your tears. He will regret ever rejecting you, sweetie. Believe me—he will regret it one day," she says, as I continued to cry.

"I know what we both need. A good distraction. And what better way to get distracted than to do our nightly run? Forget the stupid ceremony, you don't need it. You are my own and true Alpha. Screw everyone. Are you ready?" she asks, making me nod.

I know she can't see me, but she can feel me. She smiles slightly and nods. "Let's get the fuck out of here." She took a long, hearty sigh before taking off running.

I couldn't help but hug myself as I knelt and cried silently. I'm tired of this. I'm tired of living in a flight-or-fight mode, always on edge, and walking on eggshells daily. I don't want to keep looking over my shoulder, hoping not to be bullied by Nicholas and his mother. I'm tired... so tired!

"Hold on, Amelia. We are going for a long... long run!" she says as she speeds up.

We run. Run for a long time. The sun began to set and before we knew it, it had begun to get dark.

Zoey was beginning to get tired, but she didn't stop. We went over the mountain range, down to the waterfalls, and over the rocks, following all of our usual trails. We must have run thousands of laps around the forest before she finally began to get tired.

We had gotten close to the barrier with the neighboring pack when Zoey finally stopped, making me alert.

"What's wrong?" I asked, seeing her agitate. She perked her ears, listening to her surroundings.

"I think we should go back. We... we shouldn't be here," she says, making me nervous.

"Is everything ok?" I asked.

"Yeah. Let's just... go back. You have to attend your ceremony. It's getting late."

"But you said it was ok. That I didn't—"

"I know. But you don't want the pack to question you, do you? Besides, Nicholas will try anything to get your position. The last you want is for him to take this as an advantage to sow discord between you and your pack. We should go back," she says, turning around and taking a step but stopping when she hears a low guttural growl.

She stopped, making me aware that she was feeling a little scared. "Zoey... what's going on?" I asked, and though I felt her trying to keep me out, I forced myself to see what she was looking at.

A massive black wolf was standing on the edge of a cliff, far from us. The intensity of his stare made even me scared. The way his eyes bore into us made my skin crawl.

"Zoey?" I asked, my voice above a whisper.

"It's ok. He's not in our territory. We should leave," she says, making me nod.

I could hear another low guttural growl as she took off running. The wind gushed past us, making my eyes widen as I was hit by a scent, making my eyes glisten just like... when I found Nicholas was my mate.

"Mate!" she whispered, as she caught the scent well. It was a faint scent but invigorating. I gasped, my eyes wide as saucers as I heard her whisper. She hadn't even acknowledged Nicholas like that, meaning, yes, he was our mate... but given his status, she wasn't phased because she saw him as a weakling. But this... that wolf was scary. But his aura was strong. So strong that it made Zoey want to run back and submit. She fought the urge, running faster until our legs almost gave out.

Who is he?