Chapter 4 He already has a substitute for me

Troy roughly flung me into the midst of the crowd and they all gave way as I landed painfully on the hard ground with a loud thud.

I whimpered struggling to get up on my knees still clutching the bedding stained with my blood tightly around my naked battered body.

My dark hair fell around me in tangled waves making me appear more haggard.

I stared at the crowd with fear and my heart trembled when I saw the disgusted gazes they gave me.

"Useless trash..." someone commented in a low tone.

"I can't believe she is supposed to be our luna."

"Don't be silly, how could such a useless thing be our mother? We'd die at the hands of the enemies."

The crowd broke into harsh whispers and no one spared me a word or look of pity.

Tears streamed down my face as I bit on my already chapped lips, lowering my head to avoid these hateful looks.

I was still in a slight daze about how my life had changed within a few days.

Wasn't I just daydreaming about having my mate's arms around me? Didn't I just bond with him in his private forest leaving with the promise that he'd soon announce me as his Luna to the people?

What caused such change? How could he have known about my secret?

Suddenly, the crowd whispers fell into a silent hush as they parted and I watched with fear still in my gaze as Apollo made his way towards me.

The betas all lowered their heads not daring to lift their eyes and meet with the alpha's. Apollo paid them no mind, his icy blue gaze on mine as he marched towards me with the pack's shaman by his side.

The shaman stopped and hit her long gnarled stick on the floor raising a bit of dust. Cool night breeze blew playing with my hair solemnly as it conveyed the story of impending doom.

I slowly lifted my head to stare at my mate with a wide broken and desperate gaze when he got closer to me and immediately broke into sobs again at the cold look in them.

My father was right. Bonding with the pack's alpha was my undoing. It had gotten my parent's killed and now, I was being humiliated in front of the other members of their large pack.

"Gemma Celeste Woods..." Apollo's deep voice that had always plucked at my heartstrings called and I shook at the icy tone it conveyed.

Towering above me, he looked so cold and fierce that I couldn't believe that he was the same person I'd bonded with three days ago.

"I reject you as my mate and Luna. Tonight, I break the bond between us and want nothing to do with you again as long as I live." he raised his voice and heartlessly declared these words of renouncement.

I was too weak to scream at the pain that came with our bond breaking and I simply tried to crawl towards him whimpering dejectedly like a dumb.

It felt as if my heart had shattered right there into a million pieces. Being unable to cry, I got choked up and started to hyperventilate in that moment tears streaming down my face.

As if unaware of the pain I was going through, Apollo lifted his finely chiseled face and raised both his hands to the sky facing them towards his subordinates.

"From now henceforth, the Moon Halo pack rejects you as one of hers," he said, his voice rising like the crack of thunder. "And I, the true alpha Apollo, the sovereign ruler of this mighty kingdom, banishes you into the forest of despair never to return again."

A loud scream mirrored mine as a stir was created in the solemn crowd and I noticed Sri lurch forward towards me going on her knees and weeping hysterically.

I turned to stare wide eyed at Apollo, suddenly wondering what was going on with me as I felt my consciousness slip on and off as though someone were turning with its switch.

I watched him glance coldly at Sri, his icy blue eyes twinkling as he gave his next command in a sharp tone.

"No one from this pack and its subordinate packs is allowed to relate to her in any form. Failure to comply to this means...death to the offender."

My head turned of its own accord towards my best friend and I saw her shoulders shake, her brown eyes holding a determined gaze as she lowered her head to the floor and disappeared back into the crowd sparing my dirt and blood stained sorry figure a last glance.

The crowd nodded to all he said and stared at me as though I no longer existed.

Lots of theta wolves and their ruthless eta packs roamed in the forest of despair untamed, so being banished there was as good as being dead and that was sure to be my fate.

I didn't want to be banished there or sent away at all. I craved my alpha and wanted him to pull me into his arms and try to assure me that this was some kind of nightmare.

The pain from our broken bond was still there but it caressed my mind, toying cruelly with it as I seemed to lose control of my thoughts.

Did he feel it too? Or was it only the rejected that was meant to feel such mind shattering pain of the broken bond?

I whimpered trying to implore him to look at me one last time and have a change of heart.

Then, as if hearing my pleas, he turned towards me one last time and I broke into another sob at how he regarded me like I was never his.

Turning to the solemn shaman who stared straight at me without any emotions, he spoke quite rudely.

"Lead the way, and let's get this done with. I need to get to my substitute Luna and make a bond." he spat and the shaman nodded once.

His words undid me. Tears gushed out of my eyes as my body wracked with muted sobs.

He already had a replacement for me? His substitute Luna? Who was she? How could he already have a replacement?

Two guards rushed towards me as stared listlessly at the uncaring Apollo with tears streaming silently down my face and dragged me by the arms towards the faroff forest.

The shaman led the way, followed by the two guards dragging me. Apollo fell in behind us leading his people and not looking at me once.

But my widened eyes never once left his, even when the guards were sent to throw me deeper into the forest. I never stopped staring at him as the tears well dried up, until I could no longer see his icy blue gaze.

Soon, I was all alone in the dark forest, laying on the muddy soil with my long dark hair spread out around me.

Pain still shot through my body from the multiple silver coated wounds that stubbornly refused to heal, and my mind became blank from the effect of the day's event.

I remained in this position until darkness enveloped me and I fell unconscious from the pain.

...

Weak light filtered bleakly through the dense canopy of the forest and landed on me; a ragged bundle laying on a large patch of muddy soil on the forest grounds.

I was still in undescribable pain both emotionally, mentally and physically as my body twitched oddly from time to time.

No sound could be heard in this dreary forest except for the occasional growl of unknown beasts and shrill tweets from ominous birds.

I laid there refusing to move as I tried to make sense of what had happened to me last night.

And then, the memories came rushing back to me not leaving me a chance to digest them one at a time.

My brain became overloaded and I blanked out again, fainting just as I saw Apollo's face glaring down at me with hatred and a lady's panicked voice calling out my name.