Page 47 of My Fated Mate

"He…" she begins, then stops, her lips pressed into a thin line. "He was worried about you."

"Worried?" I repeat sarcastically. "Or is this just some elaborate… game? First, he rejects me, and then he plays the hero? Does he think I'm some gullible village girl who will fall for such cheap tricks?"

Elara winces at my outburst, but her voice remains steady. "I don't know his motives, child. But he brought you here, injured and unconscious. That much is true."

A bitter laugh escapes my lips. "He brought me back? Saved me?" I echo, the irony dripping from my words. "He's the reason I was out there in the first place!"

Elara frowns. "What do you mean, dear?"

I clench my jaw, a surge of anger and resentment coursing through me.

Do I really want to relive the humiliation of his rejection with a complete stranger?

No! I’m out of here.

Ignoring my throbbing pains, I push myself off the bed in a single, jerky motion. Dizziness washes over me, threatening to send me crashing back down. But I grit my teeth, fueled by a desperate need to escape.

"Wait!" Elara cries out.

But her words fall on deaf ears. I stumble towards the door. Every muscle in my body screams in protest, but I push on, only seeking escape.

The door swings open, and I burst out into the hallway. Bright sunlight assaults my eyes, forcing me to squint. The outside air, crisp and cool, jolts me awake.

My head throbs with a dull ache, the pain radiating out from the wounds on my body. Each step is a monumental effort. But I keep moving. My only goal is to get as far away from Thorne and this pack as possible.

A gasp sounds behind me, but I don't bother turning around. I just keep walking, the forest floor blurring beneath my feet.

Suddenly, a slender figure appears before me, blocking my path. I look up, my vision blurry, and I see a woman staring at me with wide, frantic eyes.

Her appearance throws me off guard. Unlike the stoic Elara, this woman is all wild energy, her clothes a mismatched mess of vibrant colors and her hair a tangled mess of fiery red braids.

"You…" she begins, her voice trembling with a mix of awe and urgency. "You are the fated one! The one who will save us all!"

Her words come out in a breathless rush, nonsensical and garbled. I stare at her, confusion warring with the ever-present anger simmering within me. Save us all? What is this woman talking about?

Just as I'm about to voice my question, Elara appears behind her, grabbing the woman's arm firmly.

"Grace," Elara scolds gently, "calm down. Let me explain things to her properly."

The woman, Grace, throws Elara a defiant look but eventually relents. She turns back to me, her eyes still blazing with an unsettling intensity.

"You have to listen," she pleads, her voice softer now but no less urgent. "There's a prophecy, an ancient one… it speaks of a darkness rising, threatening to consume the world. Only the fated one, marked by the moon and the wolf, can stop it."

Grace's words are like gibberish, a nonsensical jumble that only adds to my growing disorientation. The pain in my body throbs and the woman's manic assertions are starting to give me a headache.

Before I can even attempt to process any of this, Elara steps forward, placing a calming hand on my shoulder.

"Come back inside, child," she says gently. "Let me take care of your wounds. Then, I can explain everything."

Grace opens her mouth to protest, but Elara cuts her off with a firm look.

Collapsing back onto the bed, exhausted and overwhelmed, I allow Elara to usher me back into the room. Collapsing back onto the bed, I close my eyes, willing the world to stop spinning.

Elara sits beside me, her touch surprisingly cool and comforting against my burning skin. "Don't worry," she whispers. "I'll explain everything that has happened. Just… try to rest."

Despite the gnawing pain in my body and the turmoil within my soul, exhaustion claims me. The last thing I register before sleep takes hold is Elara's soft voice, weaving a tale that promises to change my life forever.

When I awaken, sunlight streams through the window, casting a warm glow across the room.

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