Chapter 3

Chapter 003

Valeria's Point of View

I didn’t think; I just ran.

My heart pounded against my chest as if it wanted to burst free from my ribs while I rushed down the stone stairs faster than my thoughts could follow. The freezing wind slapped against my face but failed to extinguish the intense fire that burned inside me. My emotions were a whirlwind, spinning, crashing. I barely knew where I was going. The inner pain ripping through me was all I could focus on. My mate—my true mate—wasn’t mine. The greenhouse seemed within reach as I sprinted towards it until I paused at the intersection. The chest pain intensified and dragged me further into nothingness. The pain felt as though it was ripping my soul into pieces. I couldn’t breathe.

Suddenly I realized that Selene, my wolf, let out an agonizing howl.

“No! Our mate already has a Luna! Her scream for “A mate!” echoed through my mind while her voice overwhelmed me with its intense suffering. The owner of the pup has already claimed him. The words crashed through my head with the intensity of a hundred simultaneous thunderstorms. As another howl erupted, Selene's words pierced my being.

I stumbled, almost falling to the ground. The pain inside me was unbearable. A sharp pain tore through my chest as if someone had wielded a blade to carve my heart open. My eyes produced hot tears that ran down my face against my will, and I could not stop them. These tears burned my skin with acidic pain while confirming I wasn’t his chosen one. I wasn’t his true mate.

How could this be happening? How could I feel like this? How could it hurt this much?

I struggled to breathe as my knees gave way beneath me. The ground under me turned to ice in a flash as frost expanded quickly to fill the entire greenhouse. Unfamiliar energy drained from my body until I realized I had lost its power, leaving me empty like a shell compared to my previous self. As my body shook with tremors, the frozen ground began to grow sharp ice spikes around me. My feelings created a destructive storm of icy destruction that felt like I unleashed a blizzard.

Energy rushed through my body and fought against my chest pain, yet no comfort could diminish the harsh reality I was facing. Alpha Reynaldo Vargas, who was the supreme Alpha of all, did not belong to me. He had already bonded with someone else. Selene had received his mark, and they welcomed a son together. I was abandoned before I ever discovered what love from him felt like.

“Why, Selene?” I whispered through gritted teeth. “Why is this happening? Why did you bring me here when you knew you would tear me apart?

But Selene was silent. She vanished from my presence and left me isolated to endure this unbearable truth. Our connection was broken, and I lost the ability to feel her presence or hear her voice. A fragment of my being had been excised from me and left behind only a void of emptiness. The fold surrounded me while my thoughts raced uncontrollably.

Something else started to warm me from within. The comforting mint scent I recognized surrounded me while I sensed a jacket settling on my shoulders. Mateo. His scent. His presence was immediately obvious to me without needing to see him. His presence beside me provided a comforting weight that anchored me while everything else slipped away.

Whenever I needed him, Mateo was always present and ready to provide comfort when I couldn't find it myself. He dropped to his knees next to me while his arms softly pulled me into his embrace. His chin sat on top of my head while his arms wrapped around me tightly to hold me close.

He spoke softly to me, "Shh, Valeria," as his voice remained steady yet revealed his underlying worry. “I’m right here. You’re not alone. I’ve got you.”

Despite his soothing words, I felt the pain remaining within my chest as it burned fiercely. My partner had left me to spend time with another woman. His true Luna. I wasn’t her. I couldn’t be.

My body shook furiously while I sobbed into Mateo's chest and held onto him tightly. I longed to share with him the full extent of my inner torment but found myself unable to speak because my words remained trapped within my stomach. I had no idea how to start describing my emotions to anyone. I found myself without words to express the destruction happening to my heart and soul while feeling utterly helpless to stop it.

Mateo responded softly with "I know" while his hand provided comfort by rubbing my back. “I saw what happened. I was behind you.”

He didn’t need to say more. Just being near him brought me peace and provided some solace to my inner turmoil. Despite having Mateo's support, I found myself unable to stop the thoughts about Reynaldo. I couldn't stop imagining him with his Luna while I remained an insignificant shadow in his existence. My mate. My Alpha. He desired someone else instead of me.

Emiliano came towards us his voice showed tension as he scanned the frozen greenhouse.

“Who created these?” he demanded while gesturing toward the dangerous ice spikes emerging from the ground. He shook his head in disbelief. “Mateo, I’ve already linked the warriors. The team is arriving with a vehicle to drive Valeria back home. We must take her away from this place immediately.

Valeria You must reject him. My father Santiago told me. The frantic tone of his voice carried an urgency that reached me despite the pain fogging my thoughts. “It’s the only way. I understand this will cause you pain, but you must reject him. For your good. You can’t keep this bond. It will destroy you.”

My eyes welled up with tears while I looked at him. He walked back and forth repeatedly while his loud footsteps echoed against the cold ground, but none of his words helped alleviate my suffering. I heard nothing but the crushing weight of his words, which ordered me to abandon what had been my only sense of rightness. I felt torn between my love for him and the painful truth that he saw me as nothing.

“He has a Luna. He called me a son while tears broke through his voice as he stared at me. Valeria, you must reject him now to protect yourself. Do you hear me?”

Santiago muttered, "I can’t believe this," as his voice trembled with both anger and regret. “First, my son disappoints me. He stopped speaking about his daughter, but his eyes revealed deep pain.

I hadn't had time to think before Emiliano stepped up and punched my father in the face, which landed with a horrible thud. My father lost his balance while retreating and collapsed onto the frozen plants scattered across the greenhouse floor.

“You have no right to speak to her this way!” Emiliano snarled while his teeth flashed dangerously in the dim light. Dark fury consumed his eyes while his voice carried intense rage. “You think this is easy for her? Do you believe advising her to deny him will solve everything? You cannot understand how it feels to go through something like that.

Without warning, Emiliano attacked my father, lifting him by the collar with his hands ready to deliver another blow. Mateo intervened just in time to prevent Emiliano from striking my father as he pulled him away with his powerful hands.

Mateo demanded, “Emiliano, stop!” using a voice that was strong yet gentle. You will worsen the situation if you don't calm down. He’s coming. We can’t let him see this. Not like this. The destruction he witnesses will lead him to believe that we’re launching an attack.

Emiliano fought against Mateo's hold, but his efforts were futile. Mateo was stronger. They shared an unspoken bond that remained strong between them even during their disagreements.

Emiliano growled his refusal to allow him to treat her this way while his anger continued to simmer beneath the surface.

Mateo replied softly. “I know,” he said as he placed his hands on Emiliano’s shoulders and spoke in a calm voice. We must find a way to rescue Valeria from this place. We’ll handle this, I promise.”

Mateo picked me up into his arms and carried me as if I weighed nothing at all. The energy in my body had faded, leaving me struggling to maintain my thoughts. The chest pain felt so overwhelming that breathing became nearly impossible. Our bond had broken, so I felt nothing from Selene anymore. My connection to her had vanished just as my bond with Reynaldo had disappeared before.

Emiliano warned us to leave with a nervous tone while he searched the room with eyes that kept darting to the door. “Now.”

I couldn’t think. I couldn’t feel it. Mateo carried me because his arms held me with the care that someone would use for something precious and fragile.

We continued through the back exit of the greenhouse while the cold pressed in around us, with each step becoming weightier and requiring more focus because of the icy ground beneath our feet. The decision I made to turn down Reynaldo weighed heavily on me. A crushing heaviness emerged in my stomach that threatened to overpower me.

My composure started to disintegrate when we arrived at the driveway. The pain in my chest was unbearable. I had to reject him. It was the only way. But could I?

With difficulty, I whispered, "I, Valeria Montoya…" as the words struggled to emerge. My thoughts became a storm where the cold sensations, physical pain, and deep sorrow merged. “I reject Alpha Reynaldo Vargas…”

A burst of intense pain shot through my body before I had a chance to finish the words, leaving me in agony beyond any I had ever experienced. A sharp blade struck my heart, causing my surroundings to disappear into darkness.