I laid helplessly on the bed, my eyes were swollen from the rounds of crying, and my head still hurt from the alcohol intake.
"Our mate." My wolf whispered and I could feel her curl dejectedly in a corner. I couldn't comfort myself and the pain felt unbearable. It hurt more than a knife through my skin.
I struggled to get up from the floor and limped towards the mirror. My forlorn eyes stared back at me. I used the hem of my dress to clean my tears. Afterwards, I adjusted my clothes and prepared to leave.
My gaze fell on the pouch containing money that he had thrown at me. I sighed, knowing that I didn't need it. I abandoned the coins and walked outside.
"Are you sure there's no woman here?" I heard familiar voices as I walked towards the bar. I approached them, and my friends faced the barman, asking several questions, probably about me.
"Maria, you're here." Diana called out as she saw me approach them. I faked a smile as they came towards me. I couldn't tell anyone about my shameful experience, not even my friends.
"Are you alright? We lost track of you." Diana apologized while holding my hand.
"Everything's fine. I had a good time." I lied, knowing that what I experienced was far from being labeled good.
"Next time check properly." Lacy snapped at the man.
We walked out of the bar and my veil was still in place, covering my face. My mate hadn't even bothered to know what I looked like. He just rejected me without caring if my face under the veil was beautiful or not.
"Where did you go?" Lacy asked as they stopped in front of a carriage that would take us to the packhouse.
"I met an old friend, we had a few drinks." I lied once again, lacking the courage to say the truth.
The driver came down and supported us into the carriage. In a few minutes, we were moving along the road. I turned behind to see the bar which we had left, and promised myself that I won't go back there. I had to move away from this rejection.
Lacy and Diana sat by my side, conversing loudly. Normally, I would have chipped into the talk, but today was different. I couldn't wait for us to alight so that I could spend time alone in my room.
As if the driver heard my thoughts, the carriage paused in front of the packhouse. We came down from it, and the driver took off in a different direction.
"We have to go home, we'll see you another day." Lacy said as she hugged me. Diana also came to my side and hugged me.
"You don't need to be sad about the marriage. I'm sure you'll find your mate that would love you." Diana said, trying to comfort me.
I watched as they walked together in the opposite direction. I inhaled deeply and walked inside the packhouse.
Brian and Sasha, they stood in the central room, and my parents were there with them. That wasn't all, Brian's parents were also there. It was the usual marriage blessing from both parents.
As I opened the door, Brian turned towards me with his eyes focused on me. Sasha nudged him and he turned away, returning his focus to her.
I walked away from them without bothering to talk to anyone.
"Maria." My mother called out just as I was about to climb the stairs.
"Your sister is leaving to Brian's pack."
"And so, what am I supposed to do with this information?" I said in my mind, while trying hard to keep my cool. Laura got up from where she was seated with my father and walked towards me.
She pulled me towards where Sasha and Brian stood, and made me stand by Sasha's side.
"I want to remind you that both of you are still sisters." She paused and held my hand as if pleading with me.
"Please, forgive your sister." She said in a gentle voice. I directed my gaze towards the ground, but I could feel Sasha looking at me.
"Yes mother." I responded and pulled my hand away from hers.
I left them as soon as my mother dropped the last statement. I couldn't stand anyone. Brian, Sasha or my parents. But revenge was far from what I desired. There was no point in fighting for a man who didn't love me. Something else settled in my mind—now that the marriage was out of the way, I was going to train until I got my special abilities.
I didn't go to my room, but headed to the training room. I bumped into the room without knocking, and the entire place became quiet, but I could still hear some of their whispers.
"I heard she cheated and her suitor decided to marry her sister instead." I heard one of the girls whisper to her friend.
"I also heard that she tried to pin the blame on her sister." Another person murmured.
I turned towards the direction that I heard the voices and they kept quiet. They didn't have the nerve to speak to my face. I was still the alpha's daughter and everyone knew that.
I shook my head in annoyance and walked towards my tutor, Jada. Different rumours were already spreading from people who hadn't even bothered to attend the wedding to see what happened.
"Maria," Jada called out as I stood in front of her table. "I thought you'd take the day off today."
"I want to train." I responded sharply.
"Alright, we could start with the regular. Archery." She said, bringing out a bow and arrow.
I picked the arrow from her and dropped it by the pile of stones in the corner.
"I need something bigger. I'll enter the naked tomb."
Jada's jaw dropped slightly, and all the girls stared at me as they whispered among themselves. Everyone was taken aback by my decision.
"Maria, that's too intense, especially for…" She paused, refusing to complete the words.
"Especially for someone like me with no abilities?" I chuckled as I completed her words.
"I didn't mean it that way. If it's what you want, then I'm okay with it." She said, but I could still sense her agitation.
I walked past the girls and they shifted towards the side, making way for me. I descended the concrete stairs into a room that people hardly set foot in.
The door opened automatically as it sensed someone arriving. The fire torches in the dim dungeon were lit, giving it a blue glow. The girls watched from above.
An armoured suit stood at the corner and I put on a helmet and held a sword in my hand. The door behind me closed, leaving only the opening on the top—somewhere I could climb only if I was a ladder.
The iron gate in front of me creaked and opened slowly. I heard the snarling of a beast in the distance. Its heavy feet thumped against the ground as it moved. My hands began shaking as I held the sword in my hand.
For a moment, I felt like retreating, but the door behind me shut. The next thing I saw was a bronze carving, shining brightly as it displayed a message in ancient language: "Defeat the kraken."