Chapter three: I Hate You
Killian's POV
I left her standing by the cliff, her tears mingling with the moonlight. My heart ached, but the sting of pain was nothing compared to the frustration of being bound to a human by the moon goddess herself. How could she believe I would ever accept such a mismatched union?
The night was aglow with the enchantment of the moonlight festival. My father had just announced my impending coronation, filling me with a sense of pride. Just as my friends were congratulating me, I saw her.
Valeria Gomez. A fragile human girl who, try as she might, couldn't have a wolf. A girl who always needed protection when our pack faced rogue attacks. She couldn't fend off even a single rogue. Even when it was decided that she would be trained, it ended up badly because she fainted on all occasions.
Three years ago, I encountered her alongside her brother, Jake—the son of my father's beta and my future beta. Her beauty struck me like a bolt, and I found myself drawn to her. Little did I know she was my fated mate. I waited for her to transform, to reveal her inner wolf, and secretly hoped she would be a strong, fierce female just like her family.
I longed for a mate like my father's, a warrior who matched his strength. Was it too much to ask of the moon goddess?
Yet, as time unraveled, my expectations crumbled. She was the weakest link in the pack. She doesn't have a wolf or the scent of a wolf. The scent of humanity clung to her, much to my dismay.
She was, against my wishes, purely human.
Only after confronting Jake did I learn the truth—she was discovered on the brink of death and raised by his parents as their own. He loved his sister and made me promise never to let her know.
"Don't you mind she isn't a werewolf? A human weakling," I asked him one day.
"Should I mind? She is my sister, Killian. I would appreciate it if you stopped calling her a weakling. Even if she doesn't have a mate, I will protect her for the rest of her life. I will kill anyone who hurts her," he said seriously.
At first, I didn't mind. After all, she wasn't related to me in any way. But not until my wolf smelled her unique scent. I thought it was all a dream.
It couldn't be real.
She couldn't be my mate!
But it was. She was my mate. This revelation hit me months ago during training with Jake, her brother. We were being groomed for our roles as Alpha and Beta. The moonlight ceremony, where mateless wolves find their partners, seemed destined to unite me with another powerful bloodline.
However, everything shifted when my eyes locked onto hers, and Kylie, my wolf, stirred with excitement. Our gaze entwined, and her smile ignited a storm of emotions within me.
Damn it! Did she know I was her mate? That's impossible! She doesn't even have a wolf.
"Down to earth, Kill. Do you like my sister?" Jake's voice cut through my thoughts, a friendly tap on my shoulder.
"Hell no! Why would you say such a thing?" I denied it vehemently.
"Because you've been staring at her for five solid minutes," Kayden, another of my friend, chimed in.
"Stop saying what you don't know! It's not like we have anything in common," I said, gritting my teeth in anger.
"That's true. She can't be your mate, right? But she did mention something about finding her mate," Jake said, his eyes fixed on me.
"Come on, Jake. I know you love your sister, but that's impossible. She doesn't have a mate." Kayden said.
"True, but she seemed so certain. Anyways, I will ask her as soon as we get back home," Jake said, taking a glass of wine from one of the waiters.
I bite hard on my lips as I stare at her. Did she want to tell everyone that I was her mate? Never! I won't let her make me a laughing stock in the pack.
Brimming with anger, I took three glasses of wine at a goal before walking towards her.
She was about to say something when I stopped her with a wave of my hand.
"Meet me at the cliff at the pack's border in five minutes. Don't follow me," I commanded, then walked away without a glance back.
I didn't listen to whatever she wanted to say because I just left her, making my way to the cliff. I was going to end it all tonight.
At exactly five minutes, I saw her running towards me. I felt angry at the goddess, I felt angry at Valeria, and I just wanted to free myself from this bond.
"I… am… sorry. Am I too late?" She stuttered, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
A subtle arousal stirred within me, a product of the mate bond, but I tamed it. I could not let my emotions sway me.
Damn! This fucking mate bond was making me drawn to her already. I pulled down the emotions creeping out, and that was trying to stop me from doing whatever I had in mind.
Even Kylie was becoming restless, but I shut him off. I wasn't going to be moved by his whining. I don't care if he wanted her. I wasn't going to be bound to a weakling all my life.
I walked close to her, my eyes never leaving hers. I could feel that she knew I was her mate but how? She didn't have a wolf. How could she perceive her mate's scent? Was this a joke by the moon goddess?
"What the fuck were trying to do back there? You want everyone to know you were lusting after me?" I asked, disgusted at her weakness. Disgusted at the fact that she was weak… too weak to be my Luna.
"Do you honestly think I'd accept you?" I sneered, awaiting her response.
I could see her face changing. She looked angry, yes. I wanted to hear it from her mouth so I could fulfill my mission for tonight.
"I am your mate!" She blurted out, her eyes locked on mine defensively.
Good. That's the only thing I need to hear to get it done! I smirked, my hatred evident on my face. I wonder what she would do when I finally do it?
"I, Killian Romero, reject you, Valeria Gomez, as my mate and future Luna. The moon goddess is our witness!" I said, waiting for her next reaction.
"Killian… you…"
I could see she was hurt, but she was trying to hide it. I don't care because I was damn hurting too! Although it was better than the humiliation of being mated to her for life!
But what I didn't expect was that she would easily accept the rejection. In anger, I berated her and did things I wasn't supposed to do. I saw the hurt in her eyes, and damn, I was hurting as fuck!
"You should have just died instead of being a nuisance to everyone! You are worthless even to your own parents! You made them ridicule in the pack, and I won't let you make me too!"
" If I were you, I would just jump off the cliff and die!"
I didn't mean those words, but I was too angry. I didn't want to do what I would regret, so I just turned around and left her on the rocky ground where I pushed her.
She was sobbing, but I steeled my heart before leaving.
Without turning back.
I didn't know how I got home. But I had stayed a few minutes before leaving there. I left her at the cliff, and I had hidden some steps away, canceling my scent to watch what she was going to do. I stayed for a while and saw her going home before turning to leave.
Awakening to an insistent knock, I was ready to unleash my wrath. Instead, I found Jake, his eyes bloodshot, struggling with grief. He was trying to hold back his tears and anger. Only family issues could provoke such a reaction from him. Did that weakling tell her brother I rejected her?
"Val is missing," he said, looking devastated.
It felt like an arrow just pierced my heart. What did he mean by she was missing? How could she be missing all of a sudden? Did she run away from the pack? Was I too harsh on her?
"Have you searched the pack thoroughly?" I asked, getting anxious and… scared.
" We have been searching for the past six hours, man. I can't find my sister!" He said, getting frustrated.
We got out of the palace and followed the men to search for her all night long. There was no trace of her. I remembered that I left her at the cliff last night.
"Did they search the river beneath the hill? What if…" I suggested.
" My sister would never hurt herself!" Jake said, shaking his head.
We were still talking when we received a mind link from one of the warriors to come to the stream close to the border. We immediately rushed there, only to see Jake's mother sobbing as she held something in her hand tightly.
"Val, my sweet Valeria. How could you do this to your mother?" She sobbed.
Jake rushed up to her, and I followed too, shakily. I just hope it wasn't what I was thinking.
"What happened?" I asked one of the warriors.
He bowed his head before replying," We were searching this area using the scent from one of her clothes. It directed us here, and we happened to see this one leg of shoe floating in the water. It matches her scent. We alerted the beta and his wife."
I watched as the family grieved together, and I, the culprit, just couldn't utter a word. I stood there watching them mourn my mate. I was supposed to be happy she was gone, right?
But why was I feeling so empty and guilty? Why does my wolf silently mourn in my head as he repeatedly tells me how much we are going to regret it? Was it my fault? Shouldn't she have endured the rejection? Why did she kill herself?
I was drunk and said those nasty things to her. I didn't want her dead even if I rejected her! It wasn't my fault that she decided to kill herself. Shouldn't she have taken it in good faith?
She was just a human, for goodness sake! I can't be mated to her, and that's why I rejected her. That's why I was in an awkward position.
What would happen to me if my father found out about our meeting last night? What would happen to my throne?
No, I can't let them know. Although I rejected her, I didn't kill her.
But the memory of her final words echoed loudest.
"I hate you!"
She must really despise me.