Shadows Of The Pack (Aria and Knox)
Chapter 1 The rejection
Aria stared at her mate, Liam, disbelief coursing through her veins as his last words echoed in her head. "I reject you as my mate and choose Seraphina."
She looked from their intertwined hands to the triumphant smile on her twin sister, Seraphina's face.
Her eyes traveled round, everyone had a look that mirrored hers, shock.
No one had ever rejected their mate in the Silvercrest pack before.
"You are rejecting me and choosing her?" Aria asked Liam disbelievingly.
"Aria. It's nothing personal. I know the moon goddess sealed our fate but I love Seraphina."
"Love? You love her? Just like you loved me a few hours ago?"
"Aria", her twin sister rolled her eyes, "Stop causing a scene. You could choose to stay if you want but if you excuse us, my mate and I have a mating ceremony to get to."
Seraphina turned to her, "Actually it's forbidden for any of the pack members to miss a mating ceremony so you have to stay".
Aria's gaze went to her father, the alpha of their pack who bowed his head defeated. She knew there was nothing he could do.
There was nothing anyone could do. Her mate had rejected her.
After eagerly waiting for years to find the one she would be bound to for the rest of her life, she got rejected.
Hot tears welled up in her eyes threatening to spill as she watched her father officiate the mating ceremony of Liam to her sister.
Her mating ceremony.
Members of the pack whispered as she felt it all, shame, pain, heartache and most of all, betrayal, betrayal from Liam and not Seraphina.
Her sister had always hated her from the very start. When they were five, she had plainly told her, "You killed mum when you were born. I wish you had just died with her too. I hate you."
Her feelings never changed.
Now Seraphina had taken the thing she wanted most, her mate.
Cheers erupted, snapping her out.
It was official, she would get alone for the rest of her life.
The next few days got even harder. Having to listen to Seraphina's snide remarks at the table was bad enough, now she had to deal with seeing them together.
Wherever she went, pack members whispered and looked at her with pity but no one ever said anything to her face.
"Aria where are you going? Dinner isn't over", Seraphina smirked at her.
Turning to the father, she bowed, "If you will excuse me father."
He nodded, his eyes holding the pain he felt.
Immediately she got into her room, she started packing.
She couldn't stay in this place anymore. Couldn't walk around for the rest of her life hanging her head in shame.
She grabbed her things from her dresser, the picture on it catching her eyes. Her mother smiled beautifully in it. She was never lucky to have met her, but she knew her mother was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.
"You look exactly like her". She turned to look at her father.
He smiled at her, "I used to think the moon goddess was being cruel, taking away the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and replacing her with someone that looked exactly like her. "
Aria turned to look at her father. It was true. She was the splitting image of her mother.
She didn't understand why, even though Seraphina was her twin sister, their appearances were not alike.
With her long black hair, silver gray eyes and leg longs that made her look taller than everyone else in the room, she contradicted everything about Seraphina who had blonde hair and plain brown eyes.
He looked around her room, "Were you going to at least say goodbye before you left?"
She blew out a breath, "I can't stay here anymore Dad."
Gabriel nodded, "I know."
His gaze traveled to a picture that hung on the wall, one of her and Seraphina.
"Your sister is a complicated woman. From the very first day, you two have been different, but remember no matter what, you are family."
Aria's wolf growled in her head at the mention of her sister.
Gabriel stepped forward, he raised her hand, slowly tracing his finger over the silver crest mark etched on her skin.
"You were born for great things Aria. Only a few wolves in history bear the mark of the moon goddess on their skin."
"I wish I didn't. Sometimes I think that is why Seraphina resents me. Because I was born with the mark and she wasn't. I am supposed to be some kind of powerful wolf but I cannot even transform into a full wolf."
Gabriel sighed tiredly, "You will understand one day." He stepped away from her.
She looked him in the eye, "Is that why you chose me as your heir and not Seraphina?She is the older of the two of us."
"No Aria. I chose you because you will make a great leader some day."
"Well it doesn't matter now, does it? I can't stay in the pack anymore. Seraphina is going to be Alpha and she can choose to share her power with-"
Gabriel smiled sadly, "Your journey might not be taking the path you want but there is a reason the moon goddess chose you. One day you will discover it."
Aria smiled at her father, "I wish I believed you."
Gabriel reached into his pocket, "It's getting late. I should be getting to bed".
"I came to give you this." He handed Aria a necklace. "It was your mother's."
"Alpha Randy of the Moonlight Pack is an old friend of mine. He will take you in without a second thought. A wolf needs a pack to survive."
"Go to him and ask to join his pack. You can start over there. Just one thing Aria. The Moonlight territory is on the other side of the border. You will have to pass through the boundary of the Nightshade pack. No matter what you do, do not step into their territory."
Aria gulped. She had heard a hundred stories about the Nightshade pack. Even more of their Alpha, Knox or as everyone called him, The Alpha of the Shadows.
He lived with his pack members isolated from the other packs and he had one rule. No one steps into his territory. The unfortunate victims never made it out alive.
"Thank you. I love you."
"I love you too Aria."
Before the first light of the next day she was gone.
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Aria stared at the line. The line that marked the end of the Silvercrest territory. Once she stepped outside, she knew she would never return.
She turned her back to the line.