Chapter 15: Loss and Life (Ariana’s POV)
What I experienced at Scott‘ s pack is now just a memory I have to leave behind, I kept walking to the forest back to my
senses.
Later on, I found a spot by the river, surrounded by the mountains, where the birds sang and the flowers bloomed. It was here that I buried my mother’s ashes, laying her to rest in the place where her kindness had once saved a life.
I took a deep breath, feeling the mountain. air fill my lungs. “Mom,” I whispered, “I‘ 11 stay here with you. I’ll help the children like you want to. I’ll make a life here, far from the lies and the pain.”
And so, I did. I settled into the old village, taking up the role of a teacher within my old pack, just as my mother had dreamed.. The days were simple and filled with laughter from the pups under the warmth
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Chapter 15: Loss and Life (Ariana’s POV)
of the sun and the trees around us.
It was a rare sound, one I cherished. I knelt beside a young boy, showing him how to tie a makeshift snare from vines and sticks.
“Remember,” I said gently, guiding his small hands, “the forest provides, but you must treat it with respect. Take only what you need.”
Teaching survival skills had become my solace. It was a way to pass on what I’d learned during my time in Scott’s pack and a way to distract myself from the gnawing silence that had settled in my
heart.
No news from the city. No word from Scott.
The absence was a heavy weight I carried every day. I told myself it didn’t matter, that I was building a life here, back in my old pack. The pack respected me, and sought my guidance.
It was on one of those quiet days that it happened.
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Suddenly, a sharp, searing pain tore through my chest.
I doubled over, clutching at my ribs, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My wolf, silent for so long, howled inside me, a mournful, anguished cry that echoed through my mind.
“No,” I whispered, panic rising. “Not now.”
The pain intensified, and I felt something breaking, snapping like a fragile thread. I screamed, my hands clawing at the earth as tears streamed down my face.
“Ariana!”
The voice was distant at first, but soon strong arms were lifting me, carrying me back toward the village. My vision blurred, the world spinning as I drifted in and out of consciousness.
When I woke, I was lying in my bed, the room dimly lit by the soft glow of a lantern. The oldest member of the pack, Elder
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Chapter 15: Loss and Life (Ariana’s POV)
Mariana, sat beside me, her weathered face etched with concern.
“Child,” she said softly, brushing a damp cloth over my forehead. “You‘ ve been through something grave.”
I struggled to sit up, my body weak and trembling. “What happened?”
Mariana sighed, her expression heavy.
“Your bond with Scott has been severed.”
Her words hit me like a blow, leaving me breathless.
“Severed?” I croaked, my voice barely audible.
She nodded. “The red string that ties mates together has been cut. It is a forbidden act among our kind, a breaking of the sacred bond. It’s why your wolf cried out in such agony.”
I shook my head, disbelief washing over me. “No. Scott wouldn‘ t…”
But even as I said it, doubt crept in. The
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silence, the distance–it all made sense
now.
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“What does it mean for me?” I asked, my voice trembling.
Mariana placed a comforting hand on mine. “You have two paths before you. You can remain mateless, like your mother, and endure the pain of heart sickness for the rest of your days. Or you can choose to mate with someone else, though your wolf may resist.”
I closed my eyes, tears slipping down my cheeks. The thought of being with anyone else felt wrong, like a betrayal. But the idea of living with this emptiness, this aching void it was almost too much to bear.
Mariana‘ s voice softened, a hint of
something unreadable in her tone. “There is… more.”
I opened my eyes, meeting her gaze.
“What do you mean?”
She hesitated, as if unsure how to proceed.
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Finally, she said, “You are with child, Ariana.”
The world seemed to stop, her words echoing in my ears.
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