Chapter 4: Banished
Natalie~
The sting of rejection still coursed through my veins like venom. Every word Griffin had uttered replayed in my mind, a loop of agony I couldn't escape. My mate—my supposed other half—had tossed me aside as if I were nothing, as if I hadn't been made for him. The bond, fragile as it had been without a wolf to anchor it, was gone now. All that remained was the hollow reminder of how pathetic I was, a feeling no one could see but one I felt with every breath.
The dining hall had emptied hours ago, but its ghost lingered in the hateful stares and whispered insults that followed me wherever I went. I didn't need a wolf to feel their disdain; it was thick in the air, suffocating and cruel. I tried to keep my head held up as I walked through the pack house, but their voices pierced through my defenses.
"She doesn't belong here."
"Wolfless and rejected—what a disgrace."
"She should've been gone a long time ago."
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. The pain grounded me, kept me from breaking down in front of them. Tears burned at the edges of my vision, but I refused to let them fall. They wouldn't see me cry. Not again. Not ever.
I hurried to the small hut and fell on my bed.
The door burst open with a loud bang, and I turned to see Marissa standing there, a smug grin plastered across her face. I quietly got up from the mattress and faced her. She was one of Griffin's many admirers, and she took every opportunity to remind me of how unworthy I was.