I ran to the only place that usually brings me comfort, the serene lake that has always been my refuge, but even there, I felt an emptiness that consumed me. The gentle ripples on the water reflected the beauty of the world around me, yet my heart was so heavy that I couldn't appreciate it. No matter how much I tried to breathe in the fresh air or soak in the tranquility, nothing could lift the weight of despair I was carrying.

I found myself crying out to the moon goddess, my voice trembling with anguish. "Why me? Why does it always have to be me?" Life had never been kind, especially with my sister constantly overshadowing me, and things took a turn for the worse now that Nathan likes her more than me. I was still in disbelief that Nathan could betray me like this. After everything we had shared, it felt like we were destined to be. We had crafted a perfect vision of our future, and I just couldn’t grasp why he would shatter it all when we were finally on the brink of something beautiful.

As the tears streamed down my face, I felt each drop carry the weight of my heartbreak. I was not only grieving the loss of Nathan but also the loss of my identity. The realization that being rejected would mean losing my powers as a wolf left me feeling utterly shattered.

I kept asking the moon goddess why this was happening to me and why Nathan would do this. My tears felt loud, echoing my sorrow, but they were nothing compared to the relentless pounding in my head. I felt so miserable, consumed by regret as I thought about how I had wasted my time with him. It stung to realize he didn’t even care, not bothering to think twice before casually mentioning rejection.

I gazed up at the vast night sky, my heart aching as I wondered if the moon goddess could see or hear me in my moment of despair. The clock was ticking towards midnight, and with each passing second, the weight of my fears grew heavier. I couldn't shake the feeling that once the day was over, my life would spiral into chaos.

Just then, a deep voice cut through the stillness, startling me. "Are you seriously going to sit there and keep crying, or are you going to do something else?" My attention snapped to the source of the voice, revealing a muscular man who looked both commanding and concerned, standing there as if he had stepped right out of my thoughts.

"What?" My voice came out barely above a whisper.

He scoffed, a hint of irritation in his tone. "I heard what you were telling the moon goddess."

"You eavesdropped on me?" I asked, my heart racing at the invasion of my private thoughts.

"Your conversation with the goddess wasn’t exactly good enough for me to eavesdrop on; you were just too loud for me not to hear every detail. Plus, you really need to stop asking why it happened to you. It’s getting old."

I held back my tears, my voice quivering as I said, "You don’t know how it feels."

"I do," he replied, his expression softening slightly. "It’s happened to me before—rejection, betrayal, all of it. I’ve been there."

"Yeah, but I loved him," I said, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions.

"And you don’t think I loved her?" He scoffed again, a bitter edge to his words. "I scrapped my heart for her. I showered her with everything I had. I was bloody in love with her and it still wasn’t enough."

I fell silent, staring at him in shock. If he had loved her like he claimed, why did he seem okay now? The thought gnawed at me, and I finally asked, "Does it ever stop hurting?"

"What? My heart?" he questioned, confusion flickering in his eyes as I nodded slowly. He sighed heavily, his gaze drifting to the shimmering moon above us. After a moment of contemplation, he finally spoke, "My heart doesn’t hurt no more, but my soul does because that’s what got etched to her." His words hung in the air like a heavy fog, creating a silence that enveloped us before I abruptly asked "Who was she?"

His brows furrowed and he asked, "Why do you want to know?"

"I don’t know but I guess a part of me wants to know if it’s a cool people thing. I mean my ex-boyfriend is the coolest guy in college."

"Well, mine too, but in camp. Jessica Halls, she was the coolest, she was the best."

My heart sank like a stone when he mentioned her name. "That’s my sister," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He looked at me with a mix of frustration and disbelief. "Your sister is a bitch."

I sighed, feeling the sting of betrayal. "I know, I caught her with my boyfriend today," I confessed, the hurt still fresh in my mind.

He scoffed, shaking his head. "I’m not surprised at all. She is what she is." I could see the pain lurking behind his tough look, even though he was trying hard to hide it. The atmosphere felt heavy, but then he turned to me, breaking the tension with a softer tone. "By the way, I’m Aaron. I’m sure Jessica never mentioned me to you."

"No, she didn’t, I don’t get along with her. I’m Bella,"

"I would say it’s nice to meet you Bella, but with all the tears you shed because of a random ass dude, I wouldn’t be able to say that," he added

"I wasn’t just crying because he hurt me," I explained, feeling the weight of my emotions. "I was crying because…" I sighed heartily, the frustration bubbling to the surface. "I don’t want to lose my powers because he left."

"Who said you will lose your powers?"

"I will because I’m eighteen and I’m rejected," I replied, the reality of my situation crashing down on me.

"Well, what do you say I will be your mate?" he suggested, his voice steady and sincere. I looked at him in shock and confusion. I was about to speak when he interjected, "I overheard you talking, and I just couldn’t let you get your life ruined because of a bastard who decided to be a cheat. So what do you say? You and I become mates?"

"But why do you want to be mated to me? You don’t even know me," I questioned, my heart racing with uncertainty.

"Right, I don’t, but I can tell you’re nothing like your sister," he said, his honesty disarming. "Look, I’m a very straightforward person, so I’ll tell you straight. I need a mate, and you need one, so why don’t we get together?"

"Why do you need a mate?" I asked, feeling the urge to uncover every detail.

"Do I really have to answer that question?" he exclaimed, his tone dripping with annoyance as he rolled his eyes.

I met his gaze, unwavering, and nodded firmly. "Yes, I want to know," I insisted.

He sighed heavily pausing for a moment as if weighing his words carefully before replying, "I want my ex-girlfriend… I mean Jessi to see that I’ve moved on. I don’t want her thinking I still have feelings for her."

"But do you?" I pressed, curious about his true feelings.

He shot me a look that held a hint of annoyance before responding, "Are you in or not?"

Even with his explanation, something about him felt off as if there was more to just what he said, though I was desperate to hold onto my powers. I had already lost Nathan, and I couldn't afford to lose my wolf abilities too. So I nodded in agreement, and in that instant, he claimed me as his mate and I couldn’t believe that I was now mated with my sister’s ex-boyfriend.