VALENCIA'S POV
I struggled to breathe.
This wasn't right. It wasn't supposed to be like this.
I stepped back as the door closed on its own, making me want to vomit as the bile rose in my throat from the disgust I was feeling.
It was painful. Almost as if someone stabbed my heart with a sharp dagger and twisted it down to my abdomen.
Alpha Tyler, the man who saved me all those years ago was my mate. My mate, who was having pleasant sex with my sister.
Judging from how he turned 18 around one and a half years ago, it was clear he knew I was his mate all along and still chose to date my sister, right in my face.
Why?
I thought he cared for me because he pitied my situation. And stupidly I was okay with it.
I was okay with the idea of him pitying me as long as he looked my way, as long as he held my hand to ask if I was okay, and as long as he smiled at me to comfort me.
Was I not worth it? Was I really that weak in his eyes? I didn't need him to tell me why he didn't choose me. Maybe in his eyes, I wasn't -
'Shut up, Valencia. I am suffering from heartache too, and I have no heart to console you in your self-loathing at the moment. Don't you dare disgrace us by calling yourself unworthy! Unworthy are those who disrespect you,' My conscience reminded me, and I bit my lips before nodding.
She was right.
I had been acting like a perfect pack member, taking everything these people threw at me, but at the end of the day, what did I receive in return?
Betrayal? Humiliation? Pain?
His anger when I talked about Dylan, his care when he saw me crying and wounded terribly.
Everything started to make sense.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I stammered back, holding the railings to support myself. All those emotions were clear as daylight.
"Valencia, do you think it's time for you to roam around freely? Get your ass-"
The maid of the pack house came to me, but as soon as she noticed the look on my face, she stopped.
The sound of the door opening snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned around to face that one person who was the culprit of this situation and ruined my biggest dream.
'A mate is someone who is bound to love you till eternity, someone who will cherish and want you all the time. He will be someone for whom you will be his world.' My grandmother's words echoed in my head as I looked into the eyes of Alpha Tyler.
"Valencia, let me explain -"
"Why?" I asked, looking behind him at my sister who was standing there with a smug expression, dressed only in Tyler's shirt.
The pain in my chest increased visibly and I almost lost my balance, tightening my hold on the railings.
No. I couldn't appear weak at a time like this. Not when I was faced with a scum like him and a b*tch like my sister.
All the good thoughts and ideas about him shattered like a piece of glass, and I smiled in self-mockery.
People were right. Once you see someone's true colors and remove the blind of love from your eyes, you really see the ugly personality they behold.
That was exactly what I was seeing.
I wasn't looking at the man who saved me. I was looking at the man who let me get tormented for four years despite feeling for me.
This man wasn't someone who comforted me. This was the man who got into a relationship with my sister, despite knowing how much she hated me right on his eighteenth birthday, probably the time when he found out I was his mate.
"Can you stop creating so much drama here? What are you crying for? I haven't even laid my hand on you," Matilda scoffed, and I glared at her.
'This b*tch! How dare she talk to us like this after what she did?!' My conscience said the words that I wanted to say.
This time, I wasn't going to give my sister any satisfaction by walking over to me today.
"Matilda, I am not in the mood for your games and plays today. So you better shut your pathetic mouth and close that loose dr*pping p*ssy because the pungent ugly smell is making me vomit," I seethed.
I could feel everyone gathering in the hall as they heard what I said.
The expression on Matilda's face immediately changed, and she seethed with anger.
"You b*tch! How dare you insult me -?" Matilda started, and I felt a sudden rush of anger rising inside me. Without waiting for a second, I kicked her away as soon as she raised her hand on me, making her body hit the wall, probably wondering how the omega got the beta's daughter.
These people probably keep forgetting that I was a beta's daughter too.
Everyone gasped in shock, but I couldn't care about anything anymore.
"Tell me why you did it?" I asked, hardening my glare, wiping the rogue tears that weren't stopping today.
"What do you want to hear, Valencia? You already know the answer. I am an ambitious man. Taking this pack to the highest position it deserves is my only priority, and for that to happen, I need a strong partner -"
"A strong partner like the beta's daughter Matilda, and not a MATE like me, right?" I completed his sentence, and he pressed his lips into a thin line before sighing.
"Valencia, you are uselessly extending this matter. This doesn't have to be like this. We don't have to be like this. It's not like I am rejecting you or anything. If I wanted to reject you, I would have done it when I found out you were my mate. But I don't want to do that. You can live and enjoy the luxuries of being an alpha mate, but as for the position of the Luna, Matilda is the best fit for it," Tyler said.
I stood there stupefied.
Was this the same man who I liked for four long years? Was this the same man who used to smile at me and care for me?
I blinked my eyes. He wanted me, his mate, to be his slut while Matilda enjoyed the title of the Luna of the pack.
And it wasn't even about the title, it was about dignity. It was about self-respect.
My grandmother said to me if I found my mate, I shouldn't ever let him go ...
I looked into Tyler's eyes before nodding my head.
He was right. A lantern like me didn't deserve to be the Luna of this pack, this pack that only respects the powerful and bullies the weak.
"Okay," I whispered.
'Val! Have you lost your mind? You can't be serious. Are you ready to accept it just like that? No. Please, don't do this to yourself. You will be dead inside if you accept this humiliation,' My conscience screamed at me, and I smiled softly, looking at Tyler's relieved smile.
"I want to see you happy too," I whispered before I looked at all the people gathered in the hall to see the drama before I looked at Matilda who had a smirk on her face, as if basking in my defeat.
It was good.
It was a clear indication that today the world who loved power and strength won, and my heart lost.
Love, lost.
"I... " I gulped, taking a deep breath, and seeing Tyler's eyes widening, I knew he could see what I was doing.
"Valencia, have you lost your mind? This is a fair opportunity! Do you think the outside world is so good?" He growled at me, losing his patience with me for the first time.
Then again, didn't he lose his respect in my eyes first?
"I am sure that the outer world is still better than the world this pack created for me. A 14-year-old girl was forced to starve for 5 days every week because she couldn't change into her wolf. If the council hadn't been coming to check up on me and threatened your alpha position, my so-called dad, a pathetic excuse of a father, would've killed me already. That's exactly how everyone treated me too, like I was a lifeless doll who couldn't feel pain," I chuckled through my tears.
"Wait. You guys knew I was in pain. Weren't my cries actually music to them? I really wish what happened with me happens with none of your daughters," I looked at all the elders.
"Since I am already dead, it doesn't matter whether I am dead in this pack or outside the pack,"
"You have humiliated me thoroughly and it's time for your payback," I whispered before looking straight into his eyes.
"I, Valencia Brooklyn, the daughter of the moon goddess, under the full moon, and in the presence of the pack members of Hazel Moon pack, hereby reject Alpha Tyler Anderson as my mate and alpha. I might be a lantern, but I will never take a disloyal mate who cherishes power over the mate bond established by the goddess.
And with that, I reject the pack bond with the Hazel Moon Pack and hereby declare myself a rogue and a free soul until I decide so," I said, stumbling back in the pain as my head swayed.
However, the pain on Tyler's face as he stumbled back with his hand clenched around his chest was worth it.
I turned to the pack members and looked at my so-called mom and dad with contempt.
"A child is a boon that the moon goddess gives to you. Look at those people who can't bear a child. But you treated your child like it was a curse. I rejected the pack bond today, but you took away the home from me 4 years ago already. I wasn't a disgrace to this family. There are other lanterns in the world. But you were definitely a disgrace to humanity," I turned to the people who were my regular bullies and shook my head.
"You have ambitions to take this pack to the top? An Alpha who thinks the mate decided by the moon goddess is worthy of being a second woman, and a chosen partner is worthy of being a Luna, will rule over some disgraceful pathetic wolves who don't know the basics of humanity. I would like to see how far this pack goes," I said before turning around to pack my belongings and leave the pack forever.
Today, I not only rejected the mate bond and pack bond, but I also rejected the idea of suffering and letting people be okay with my emotions.
From now onwards, I won't let anyone treat me badly. It was a promise I made to myself.
I wiped my tears, finally feeling all the pain I had been stuffing inside, surfacing as a scream left my mouth as soon as I exited the pack.
'Don't cry. Valencia. You are not alone. I am with you,'
After four months~~~
VALENCIA'S POV
"Where did she go?"
"I don't know. She was so fast that I couldn't see a thing,"
"Quickly, you go that way, and I will go this way,"
"Did you find her?"
"Not yet,"
"Damn it! This is the seventh time this has happened!"
The voice of the two men along with their hurried footsteps as they talked about finding someone, echoed in the area.
Who am I kidding? They were looking for me only.
I smiled cunningly as I looked at the food in my hand, unapologetically and shamelessly happy about my little theft.
'I can't believe you are happy with this little thing and used my powers for this kind of work,' My conscience interrupted, and I scoffed at it.
'What kind of powers? It's a shameful thing that I am making good use of,' I grinned proud of myself as I looked behind the tree to see if they left.
"I am not going back without finding her today. There is a limit to everything. Do you think I liked hearing words like incapable and worthless when I am one of the strongest members in the pack?"
That man, probably the one who had seen me stealing the packet of food first, said.
I looked at the food in my hand and pressed my lips into a thin line, feeling troubled.
This food was only enough to last me for tonight. I will have to steal again tomorrow to fill up my stomach.
A tired sigh escaped my lips.
'There is still some time, Valencia. Quickly contact someone from the council. You have humiliated me enough. If we got caught, I can't even imagine what kind of laughing stock you would make me into,' My conscience interrupted again, and I rolled my eyes.
'As you can see, that's not happening anytime soon. For the umpteenth time, do you really think the council will help and favor me? It was okay until I was a pack member. Now I am nothing more than a rogue lantern who rejected an Alpha,' I scoffed, moving my hand through my hair before tying my hair as I prepared myself to run again.
'But how would you know if you don't even try?' My conscience asked.
'Shut up and let me work in peace. You are not the one working here,' I retorted.
Now you guys must be confused as to why I keep talking to myself in the name of conscience, and how the heck my conscience is so sarcastic towards me.
Well, after I rejected Alpha Tyler that night and became the first omega and lantern to reject an Alpha mate, something even more drastic and unbelievable happened after I exited the pack.
I transitioned.
Yes, I transitioned. However, it wasn't in a wolf that I transitioned. I transitioned into-
"Leave it, Cole. Let's just go and report it to the authorities in the theft sections," One of the men trying to look for me said.
"Yeah? And what am I going to report? This is the seventh freaking time! Should I just go and say a freaking CAT stole my food packet again, and that to be from right in front of me? And I was chasing her but couldn't find where the hell did it go?" Cole said, and I smiled, unapologetically.
You guys heard it right.
The thing I transitioned into was not a wolf, but a cat.
Honestly, I am happy that I left the pack.
Just imagine their horror when they would've found out about it. I was okay with having no wolf, but can a werewolf really turn into a cat? A completely different species?
'Hey, there is a reason behind that,' My conscience said, my conscience who calls herself my wolf.
Oh, and she has a name too. She calls herself Aurora.
'I am indeed your wolf!' Aurora shouted at me, and I rolled my eyes at her.
There she goes again.
With a sigh, I picked up a random stone and threw it in another direction to distract them before I started running again.
After running for some time when I was sure no one was following me, I finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the food.
I was temporarily staying in an abandoned wooden house near the river.
It was the eighth theft in a week, and it was clear I needed to move out again. That was the most I could go without being caught.
That's how I have been surviving for the last four months.
Life is tough and gaining food is even tougher, I admit, but it is far better than that humiliating free food.
I don't always steal…
'Really?' Aurora rolled her eyes at me, making me sigh.
Okay. Who am I kidding? In fear that some pack would catch me and kill me in the name of being a rogue, I haven't dared to go too close to any city.
I steal my necessities from here and there. But I have my morals intact.
When it comes to the packs, I always steal food only. The money and other necessities are taken care of by stealing from other rogues.
That has become my favorite pastime these days. There were times when I was terribly wounded, but some rogues helped me too, making me believe not all rogues were bad.
I have been offered a place in rogue pacts before, but can I really live in a pact with my secret?
Who will accept a werewolf that mysteriously turns into a cat?
It was mocking even to me, let alone to others.
As I was eating my food in silence after washing my hands in the river, my senses immediately became alert when I heard some commotion outside.
It was just the rustling of leaves, but after living in the forests for so long, I knew this wasn't normal.
Someone was here. And it wasn't just one person.
Well, if this wasn't just great timing. I looked at my leftover food dejectedly.
I stood from my place, wiping my hands on her napkin (Yes, I stole the napkins too. A cat can steal anything) before I went out to see who it was.
Since it was a Noman's land, I was sure the pack members wouldn't come here to hurt me because according to laws, they couldn't hurt the rogues in these lands until the rogue had directly offended them. Besides, can they really recognize that the cat was me? Pfftt. Obviously no.
Seeing the three rogues standing in front of me, I felt the sudden urge to roll my eyes.
"Brother, look. I told you we should go alongside the river. Not only did we find a place to spend our night, but we also found beauty to spend our night with," one of the rogues said, and the other two chuckled at the pathetic words while I just looked at them up and down.
"I am in no mood for any kind of fighting. Just get lost," I said.
"Are you looking down on us, woman? How dare you?!"
"Some rogue she-wolves really think they are all that just by surviving in the wild for a couple of days,"
"It's okay. We will teach her a great lesson,"
The rogues started speaking one by one, and I just stood there, watching them speak about me.
Well, I wasn't planning on attacking until they did something.
"We have found this place suitable, and I can smell some food too. It's all beneficial for you to let us in and have us our way. Do you really think you can fight us three? We will only take one turn each and be as gentle as we can. It's better than being killed. The deal is fair," the rogue said.
I didn't know what dirt really goes inside some men's minds.
A fair deal? They were offering to rape me gently and expected me to accept it thinking that it was the easy way out since living was more important?
I scoffed.
In that case…
"I will take one kidney out from each of your bodies so that I can sell it in her black market which will help me and even you guys last for quite some time. I promise I will be as gentle as I can be. Will you allow it?" I asked, and the anger in their eyes was a clear indication they didn't like my suggestion.
I was the same rogue who rejected my mate for my self-respect, who did they think they were?
"Leave it, brother. Who wants to be gentle? Some b*tches deserve it rough only," The rogue said before he rushed towards me in anger, raising his fist towards me, but before he could I pulled out the sharp pointed stick from my behind and plunged it straight into his neck.
The blood immediately splattered on the side as the rogue screamed in agony.
"Brother!"
"You b*tch!" The two rogues attacked me.
I crouched down as soon as the second rogue raised his fists at me, plunging the other stick into his abdomen before dodging the kick from the third rogue.
"Take it, you b*tch,"
The cold slap landed on the nape of my neck, and I almost stumbled forward, feeling my head ring because of the hit. He was quite faster than the other rogues, and I gritted my teeth before throwing my stick towards him when he was about to punch him, the sharp stick immediately going straight through his chest, making him pause mid-actions.
These sticks wouldn't have affected them much, but the concentrated wolfsbane they were laced in would definitely kill them slowly.
"Let's see how much money you have?" I shamelessly pulled out their wallets, throwing the wallets back on their faces for their identity, stuffing the dollar bills in my pocket.
I sighed and was about to walk back into the house when I felt something sharp pressed on my back, making me freeze in my place.
"Caught you. You have become quite a killer, haven't you?" The man behind me whispered, and I gulped.
"D-Dylan?" I stuttered as I tried to turn around, but he pressed the dagger harder into my back, making me wince slightly.
"Don't try to be smart with me, rogue," He said, and I gritted my teeth.