Twice Rejected
Chapter 9

Niyol’s POV

Two years ago

“I am so sorry, your grace,” Chester my beta spoke softly with his hand resting on my shoulder. I could feel his deep sorrow. Why was he sorrowful?

I stood dumbstruck by the sight before me.

Though my heart was beating faster than lightning, I still couldn’t believe it. It can’t be her. It just wasn’t her, right? I shook my head vigorously to take away the image.

I stared at my beta, I refused to believe anything. Why was he apologizing to me? I thought.

“Why are you apologizing? We are in a dream. Soon we are going to be gathered eating her favorite cooked beef stew. You don’t need to be sad or sorry.” I told him. Or was I trying to convince myself instead?

I don’t need to convince myself because this wasn’t real in the first place. This was one hell of a dream, yeah. And I am sure I was going to wake up from that moment. I knew I was dreaming because soon my Luna’s arms would be around me in the morning.

Psychologists would call my action “denial.” but to me, it was hope. I hoped that I was still going to see her face again. A hope that refused to believe in the reality before me.

I stood still and looked at the image before me. I wanted to believe it was a dream, but a part of me knew it wasn’t. Deep down, I kept struggling to hold onto the lie I called hope.

But like a glass, it came crashing into tiny pieces that can never be pierced together. My hope was shattered over and over again.

This is really happening, I thought to myself.

I watched my Luna Queen’s body dangle from the ceiling with a green rope around her neck that had squeezed the life out of her. Her face was so pale that not even a single trace of red could be traced.

There was no sign of struggling. It was like she accepted what was coming, but on a deeper look, the expression of pain cannot be mistaken.

My Luna.

I had never imagined such a tragedy in a million years. Not with the future before us.

That fateful day, I had gone to train with warrior wolves as I usually did every Tuesday. Part of me wanted to stay back and continue cuddling her, but I had no choice because I had to be present for the training. There were new recruits that day.

Missing her all through the training, I decided to wrap things up quickly. But then I remembered I had an important meeting with the Elders of the pack. After the meeting, I decided to go and get her favorite flower as a gift.

As I was picking the flowers, my Beta called me through our mind- link out of the blues and the first thing I noticed was how his voice quivered with urgency in my head. But I don’t know what happened, the mindlink got cut off.

Just as I was wondering what happened, I saw a maid rushing towards me.

“Your.. your… Grace… something happened! Your attention is needed at once.” The maid said breathlessly.

Looking at the maid, I remembered she was one of the ladies waiting for my Luna. Was she sick? I quickly left all that I was doing and rushed out towards the palace, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to come across a scene like this.

Her personal maid had gone to call her for breakfast as usual, only to replace her dead with a rope around her neck.

Something – which I couldn’t define – dug its claws into my chest and ripped my heart out, leaving me to bleed internally. My world crumbled before my very eyes.

It squeezed my heart and sent it crashing towards the ground, shattering it into a million pieces that I couldn’t gather even if I tried. I felt shaken yet rooted to the ground.

I sought for air while standing still, but even oxygen abandoned me. The air refused me and I struggled to let out a sniff. I had to, because I believed it wasn’t true. I didn’t want to leave her alone when we eventually woke up from the dream.

“Sunshine…” I called out softly. I waited to hear her response but even after several minutes, I still couldn’t hear that soothing voice.

Realisation hit me like the waves of a tsunami. She was really gone.

Hot tears stung my eyes as a wave of soul wrenching torment rolled over me.

“Niyol…” My beta nudged me to tell the three warrior wolves standing in the room what to do. I could feel the heavy sorrow emanating in the air.

I looked up one last time at the sight, knowing it was going to traumatize me for the rest of my life. But I didn’t care, I needed to see her, at least one more time.

“Cut her loose,” I instructed, my own voice sounding like that of a stranger in my ears. I was a shadow of myself, which I knew I would be for a long time. I don’t know how long, but I knew I would be broken.. for long.

“Yes, Alpha,” they chorused and went to work, climbing the same stool she used to put the rope over her neck, to cut the rope loose.

I took swift steps to the spot so I could catch her body before the warrior wolves. Even in death, I still couldn’t bear another touching her body. She was mine.

They all stepped back as soon as I held her in my arms and crotched to the ground letting her weight settle on me. Her scent still lingered around her, calming my mind yet preparing for an eruption that was going to shake me for a long time or perhaps…forever.

She laid limply on my arms, her whole body cold and almost stiff. Those long lashes were as still as concrete.

“Why Sunshine? Why?” I m0aned softly.

It was like a nightmare, one I couldn’t accept. One I prayed to wake up from as soon as possible.

Her thick wavy red hair that I loved to play with whenever we were lying together on the bed sprawled across the floor. They were still as silky as it was this morning.

Her eyelids were partly closed and her forest-green eyes were nowhere to be found. I wiped my hand over her face, closing her eyes. It took all my self restraint not to burst into tears.

I stared down at her lips which were once lucious and soft, shining with her favorite lipstick color, pink. Her perfectly shaped brows are as dark as coal.

But they were so pale now, almost blue. The same lips I k!ssed this morning before leaving and she had smiled sweetly at me even though she was half awake.

I remembered how her smiles always lit up my day and gave me the strength to always carry on. Whenever I was tired or in a difficult situation, I just needed to remember her smile and my mind would become calm and sharp.

Last night, we talked a lot about our future together. We had talked about our joys and sorrow and she told me she had planned the perfect birthday gift for me.

“Was this your birthday gift for me?” I asked no one in particular.

It didn’t make sense, none of it made sense.