The Truth

Her cunt ached one more time and she felt his knee between her legs, preventing her from rubbing her legs together as he hit the spot for her instead. 

Valeska moaned as he slipped his tongue in her mouth. Her body had gone weak, she couldn't do anything to fight the temptation. 

Thankfully, everyone had dispersed from the garden but she could still feel their gazes on her. 

Nevian ravished her lips with insatiable hunger, groaning each time she moaned into his mouth as if he wanted to swallow her whole if he could. 

He'd already lost control, and Valeska had to hit his chest a few times to pause so he could give her space to breathe. 

Finally, he separated from her, his hands still on her waist. 

Nevian was still staring at her with hunger which was evident in his gaze as Valeska tried to acknowledge the fact that she'd just kissed the alpha of the Embermoon Pack. 

He was known to be brutal in battle, completely ferocious, and got rid of his enemies without batting an eyelash. 

"You're my…"

'She has no wolf…' Ember, Nevian's wolf said. 

'What?'

'I can't sense any presence of a wolf in her. She's just…normal.'

Nevian immediately took his hand away from his face as every feeling he felt after the kiss disappeared. 

Valeska could feel the change in his aura. She wanted to hold him but he'd already taken three steps away from her, creating distance between the both of them. 

"Wait…why are you—?"

"You don't have a wolf," Nevian stated, his expression filled with disgust. 

Valeska's heart sank. 

"Wait…what are you talking about?" She asked, tears already pooling in her eyes. 

"I reject you as my mate." It may have just been a simple sentence, but the pain that came with it was beyond endurable. 

"You can't reject me…please." At first, Valeska was confused by Nevian's words, but now it made sense that she'd found her mate. However, she was also getting rejected by him. 

She reached to grab him but he only created more distance between the both of them, as if she was some pest he didn't want to touch. 

He'd just rejected her. 

She'd thought finding a mate would make her happy, but now, he was right in front of her but she was rejected by him. 

"You can't do this, Nevian—"

"It's alpha Nevian to you," he cuts her off. 

Bile formed in her throat and her stomach churned with the urge to throw up at that moment. 

"You're wolfless and will make a weak Luna for my people. You'll disgrace me in front of my pack," he spouted with every word dripping with venom. His gaze was familiar, it was the same kind of gaze that her parents scrutinized her with. 

Without saying any other word, Nevian turned to leave her. 

Valeska could only watch him leave with the temptation to pull him back. But she stopped herself. 

Valeska wiped her tears with the back of her hands as she sniffled the rest back in. She didn't want to show weakness in front of the other werewolves after what had just been displayed earlier. 

All of a sudden, she saw Lucius walking towards her. 

"This is the anti-suppressant," he said, handing over the bottle to her. 

However, he redrew his hand when he saw her eyes red with tears. 

"What happened?" He asked, holding her shoulder. "Who made you cry?" He ordered, ready to take action. 

Valeska was tight-lipped, unable to voice out anything. She couldn't tell Lucius she'd already found her mate but was rejected by him because of her curse. 

"Was it Misha? I saw her earlier but she seems to be mad about something," he pressed. 

She reached for the anti-suppressant and snatched it from his grip. 

"Nothing happened," she replied, her voice barely audible. 

Lucius didn't believe her because she didn't look alright at all. But he didn't press on the matter anymore. 

"I'll be heading back now. If you need anything, just let me know," he said. When she nodded, he pressed a tender kiss on her forehead before taking his leave. 

Valeska stared at the empty bottle, her chest tightening. The suppressant worked—her pheromones were gone—but the ache still clawed at her. Desperation burned through her veins, but what was left to wait for? She'd found her mate. He'd rejected her.

What more did she need to push herself to leave tonight?

Valeska left the event without informing her family and went back home. 

Hours later, her family had already returned. 

"Why did you leave the event without letting either of us know?!" Roberto bellowed at her. 

"Let me guess, you didn't find your mate, right?" Aurora added with a sneer. "I thought, just this once, you might find your mate but you disappointed me as always. Not only are you wolfless but you'll die without a mate!"

"Can you stop already?!" Valeska's voice rang out, louder than she ever thought possible, leaving them stunned. She'd never dared to raise her voice like this before—not even Lucius had.

"Every single time, you remind me of how pathetic my life has become! But have you ever stopped to think if I wanted to live like this?! Do you think I enjoy being this pitiful?! No, you don't care. All you care about is me getting a mate and leaving your presence forever. And if that doesn't happen…" Her voice cracked, raw with emotion, as she glared at her mother. "You're ready to give me away to the vampire who killed your father, aren't you? Isn't that right, Mother?"

Aurora landed a slap on Valeska's cheeks and Amora snickered from behind her. 

"You've lost it—"

"No! I'm sorry but you're the one who's lost it, mother!" Then Valeska scoffed. "Should I even call you one? You only have the title but you don't know how to act like a mother at all!"

Valeska's words hit Aurora like a bolder. 

"You look at me like I'm some kind of curse—"

"That's because you are! If I hadn't saved you that night, Theone would have still been alive and be right by my side till this day! I wish I could go back in time and choose to fight by his side and just let you die!"