Fated To My Own Nemesis

Tessa's POV.

"It's... it's right here." I stuttered, blinking my eyes rapidly in surprise as I glanced at the strange mark on my wrist. "I know it sounds absurd, but it's right here."

"What do you mean by that?" - Esme asked, turning to face me with a raised brow. "What is where?"

"The mark. It's on my wrist." I said, lifting my face to her as I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I-I don't know how it happened, but it's on my wrist."

"You must be mistaken. It can't be on your wrist." she said, her eyes suddenly moist with tears. "It could be something else but not the mark."

"I am afraid it is." I said, meeting her gaze. "The half-moon mark is on my wrist."

Finding it rather difficult to believe my words, she walked over to where I was standing, gripped my hand and glanced at it. As her gaze fell upon the mark on my wrist, I felt an icy chill as a drop of her tears landed on my arm.

"No, this can't be true." she said, shaking her head in disbelief as she lifted her face to me. "What games are you trying to play here, Tessa?"

"I am not trying to play any games here." I said, blinking back tears. "I am as surprised as you are too."

"No, this isn't happening. It's meant to be on my wrist and not yours." she said, pushing her fingers through her hair as she turned away as if to gather her thoughts. "This isn't happening."

"What is wrong?" - the rather familiar voice asked.

As I lifted my gaze, I found Damon standing in front of me. Judging by the look in his eyes, I could tell that he had an idea of what was going on. Perhaps, he wanted me to tell him by myself.

"The mark..." I paused, my voice husky with tears as I dropped my eyes to my wrist again.

"No, tell me that's not true." he said, shaking his head in disbelief as a sob seemed to strangle his throat. "Tell me that you don't have the mark."

"I am sorry Damon." I said, swallowing the sudden dryness in my throat. "I don't know how it happened, but I just found it on my wrist."

"No, I won't take that." he said, turning around as he charged towards Edward. "This is all his doing."

"Damon no..." I said, lifting a hand as if trying to stop him and at the same time attempting to take a step forward.

However, I froze, rooted to the spot as he paused and turned to face me.

"Don't try to stop me." he said, his voice matching the hardness of his gaze. "This is all his doing, and I'm going to confront him now."

As he continued on his way towards Edward, Esme turned to face me and forcefully gripped my hand.

"I can see what you're trying to do, but Edward is mine, and you can't take him away from me." she said, as her eyes shone with unshed tears. "I don't know how the mark appeared on your wrist, but it's best if you clean it off."

"What do you mean sister?" I asked, narrowing my gaze at the words as a look of confusion seemed to mask my face. "Do you really think that I would fake something as this just to take Edward from you? I mean, I don't even love him."

"You lie!" she shot back, her eyes glittering with anger. "Do you think that I don't know? You've had your eyes on him all the while but whatever scheme this is, it's not going to work."

"Can you listen to yourself right now?" I asked, with an edge to my voice. "Why on earth would I want to steal your happiness? It just doesn't make any sense."

"Says the girl who's always wanted everything I ever had." she said, her voice as hard as steel. "However, you aren't getting this one."

"What?" - the retort sprang from my lips as the shock on my face deepened.

"You heard me right. You aren't getting this one." she said, scrubbing her palm against my wrist vigorously as she tried to clean off the mark. "You can't take him away from me."

In all honesty, I didn't know what was happening. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that the half-moon mark appeared on my wrist. If anything, the mark was supposed to appear on her wrist and not mine because she ought to be his mate, and not me. There's no reason for me to steal her happiness. Besides, the person who she considers to be her happiness happens to be my worst nightmare, so I don't see any reason for me to fake the half-moon mark on my wrist. The last thing I would want in life is to be with Edward. No, I despised him with every nerve in me. Moreover, I've got the love of my life in Damon so, there's no reason for me to hurt her in any way. For goodness' sake! Why would I want to hurt my own blood sister? Or why would I even want to steal her happiness? It just doesn't make any sense.

"You are hurting me!" I yelled, retrieving my hand from her and hiding it behind me. "You should stop this already. There's no point doing this because the mark isn't going to come off. Do you think I want any part in this? I don't."

"You want me to believe you right now?" she asked, letting out a laughing scoff. "There is nothing that you say right now that I'm going to believe other than the fact that you want to take Edward from me."

"Get a grip of yourself sister!" I thundered, framing her face with my palms as I stared into her eyes. "The same way you don't want to believe that any of this is true is exactly how I want to believe that this isn't happening right now. However, in as much as you're trying to deny this reality, you should accept it."

"So this is what you've to say." she said, meeting my gaze as a tear trickled down the side of her nose. "Why won't you allow me to be happy?"

"You shouldn't be saying this." I said, shaking my head as the words left my lips. "Or do you think you're the only one here who's got something to lose? This mark means that I can't be with Damon anymore. I also have something to lose."

"Can you compare your loss to mine?" she asked, with ice in her voice. "Answer me!"

To that question, I didn't think I had the answer. The same way she loved Edward was exactly the same way that I loved Damon, if not more. Speaking of him, I noticed that he was standing at a distance through the corners of my eyes. Dropping my hands from Esme's face, I turned to face him. As I did, I noticed a slight cut at the corner of his lips.

"What happened to you? Your lips." I said, my voice laced with concern.

As if he didn't know that his lips had broken, he lifted a hand, pressed his thumb to the affected area and then glanced at the blood on his thumb.

"It is nothing. I'm fine." he said, lifting his pain darkened eyes to me.

"No, you aren't. I should-"

"Don't." he shunned, cutting me off. "It is over between us Tessa."

Tessa's POV.

"I, alpha Edward of the Crescent Moon pack, reject you Esme as my mate." he said, with a note of firmness in his voice.

He didn't even care to go easy on her considering the fact that they've been together for quite a long time. Nonetheless, as the words left his mouth, the air rippled with a loud gasp from the pack and what followed next was their muffled murmurs; each one of them turning to face the other to say a thing or two about what had just happened with a hand covering their mouth. I glanced at Esme who stood beside herself in front of Edward with drooped shoulders as if everything that she stood for had suddenly crumbled which in fact was true.

"I accept your rejection." she said, her voice husky with tears.

After saying the words, she turned to leave. However, as she got to where I stood, she paused and lifted her pain darkened eyes to me.

"There he is." she said, blinking back tears. "Just like you wanted, he's all yours."

"I never wanted-"

"I know exactly what you have to say." she said, swiping at the tears that narrowed down the side of her nose and at the same time, trying to steady her voice. "But there he is, right behind me. Once I leave here right now, he's all yours to take. So go ahead and laugh at me all you want. Laugh at the girl who has always been a loser."

"Esme..." I called, attempting to get a hold of her.

"Don't," she said, shooting a long pained at me. "Don't you dare lay those filthy hands on me. You have now gotten what you have always wanted, so there's no need to play the pity game with me anymore."

She took a step forward, almost walking past me, but then she paused as if having a rethink of her words and perhaps apologize, but then, seems I was wrong.

"I forgot to say," she said, glancing over her shoulder. "From tonight I am no longer your sister so you are now on your own."

"No, it hasn't gotten to that." I said, with an apologetic look in my eyes. "There was to be something that we can do about this. But don't denounce me as your sister. I beg of you please."

"You should have known better when you decided to take him away from me." she said, hunching over as if choking down a sob. "So, I'll appreciate it if you respect my decision about this. Don't ever call me your sister again because if you truly saw me as your sister then you wouldn't have done this to me. So, you should live your life without me from now on."

"Esme, you are taking things too far." I said, getting a grip of her arm. "We don't have to turn into enemies because of this."

"Of course, we have to." she said, taking my hand off her arm. "Like I said, I don't know who are you anymore."

Her voice suddenly became as hard as steel. Without looking back, she strode forward, away from me until her steps could no longer be heard. I'd thought of going after her, but I saw no reason to do so when it was rather obvious that she'd made peace with her decision even though it was a painful one. In the meantime, I scrubbed my palms against my face as if to wash the pain away but then, I head some footsteps approaching me and so, lifted my eyes only to find Edward coming my way. As he did, I wanted to take reverse steps, but where exactly would I go? Besides, it was clear that I was his mate because of the half-moon mark that was on my wrist. So, choosing to run away would only complicate things the more which was the more reason I had to wait. As he got close enough, he looked me straight in the eyes.

"You should know that I would never have anything to do with you if the mark didn't appear on your wrist." he said, his voice low, but hard as steel.

Well he didn't have to say that because the feeling was mutual. I would never have anything to do with him but then, fate seems to have other plans for us. And trust me, if it was possible to have rejected a fate such as this, then I would have done so long before now. Or better still, if it was possible to meet with the moon goddess then I would have done so and pleaded for her to change my fate.

"You didn't have to say that because I also feel the same way about you. So I guess we're even." I said, forcing a smile through my lips.

He'd said those word to me using a low voice and I, on the other hand had said mine with a forced smile on my lips because we didn't want the pack to know that there was something going on between us even though, a few of them might have had an idea of what exactly was going on. However, it was better for a few of them to have an idea than for the whole pack to know what was going on.

"Very well then." he said, smiling back at me. "We will leave it as that."

He turned to face the pack.

"As the tradition would have it that whosoever bears the half-moon mark becomes my mate. I hereby accept Tessa as my one true mate." he said, returning his gaze to me.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the pack erupted with the usual Zayzay chant which was used to celebrate the emergence of the alpha's mate and then what followed next was a rain of applause.

While the pack seemed to have been drenched in the celebration, he took a step forward, coming shoulder to shoulder with me.

"You are welcome to my home." he said, his breath stirring against my skin.

As I felt his breath brush against my skin, I flinched and at the same time, I stiffened at the curt note in his voice. After saying the words, he walked past me, proceeding to his chamber. Before long, the pack began to leave in their numbers too as the celebration approached its end. However, I stood there, with my head hung low as I bit the bottom of my lips trying to wrap my head around what had happened a few minutes ago. Why did the moon goddess choose to put the mark on my wrist and not on Esme's wrist? Why subject me to such pain of having to lose both my sister and lover in the same night? And worst of all, why did she choose to make me Edward's mate?

As the questions kept me company while I was all alone out there, ignoring the wind that seemed to slice at my exposed skin, a tear trickled down the side of my nose.

"Hey, are you alright?" - the voice came from behind as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, I am." I said, swiping at the tears on my face as I turned to face Vivian. "I am doing just fine."

"It is not your fault." she said, framing my face with her palms as she stared into my eyes. "I get that it feels wrong, but there was nothing you could have done to change it."

"I know, but I just one question. Why me?"

Tessa's POV.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, closing the door behind me as I glanced at the figure whose back was turned to me.

I didn't need to see his face before I could tell exactly who he was. This is someone that I've been with for the past three years until tonight so I knew exactly what he looked like from behind.

"Nothing much." he said, turning around to face with a smile on his face and a picture frame in his grip. "I only came here to take one last look at this."

Of course, he did. What exactly was I expecting? That he would apologize for breaking up with me some minutes ago even though I felt like he should have apologized. But more than anything, I thought that he would fight for us. For goodness' sake! We've been together for the last three years and in those years we've seen and experienced love in its truest form. Not only that but also, we've been together through thick and thin. However, he just chose to throw all that away because of what exactly? The half-moon mark on my wrist? Oh, come on! He should have done better than that. Perhaps, if he had done as much as fought for our love, who knows? Maybe the moon goddess would have changed her mind and erased the mark from my wrist but no. Instead of choosing to fight for our love, he withdrew himself. What about the promises he made? Even till yesterday, he still reminded me of how much he loved and would stay by me. What happened to all that? What happened to us growing old together? I guess he never meant any of those words to begin with.

Dropping my gaze to the picture frame in his grip, I didn't even know when a tear trickled down the side of my nose. The picture in that frame was taken the very first time that he took me out and confessed his love for me. How sad because I can still recall every moment of that day as though it happened yesterday. It's rather saddening how time flies. Or better still, how things changes in the twinkle of an eye and how fate seems to ruin our lives in ways we can't explain.

"Oh, what are you doing with that?" I asked, swiping a hand at the tears on my face as I tried to steady my voice. "I hope you aren't planning on taking it away from me, or are you?"

"Would it be wrong if I chose to take it away from you?" he asked, lifting his gaze to me. "Would I be selfish to do that?"

"Are you even supposed to be saying this right now?" I asked, as something in between a laugh and sob escaped my throat. "You just broke up with me not quite long without any reason and here you are trying to take away the only thing that reminds me of you. Is that even something to do?"

"What then would you have had me do?"

"Fight!" I said, speaking through my teeth with forced restraint. "I expected you to fight for us and not give up like you did back there. You should have fought for what we believed in. You should have fought for our love."

"Do you think I didn't want to do that?" he asked, managing to quell the sob rising in his throat. "I wanted to but of what use is fighting for a lost cause?"

"Pardon?" - the retort sprang from my lips on its own accord as I blinked my eyes rapidly in confusion. "Did you just say that to me? Did you just call our love a lost cause? How can you? Don't you have any conscience? Instead of helping me go through this phase, you're breaking me the more."

"Look, I know it's a lot to take in, but we have to accept the reality of things now." he said, dropping the picture frame on the bedside table where he picked it from. "There is nothing we could have done to have stop it. It was always going to happen. And we? We never stood a chance to be together from the onset."

He strode towards me while saying the words.

"How can you say these words without feeling a thing?" I asked, as my eyes shone with unshed tears. "Am I worth nothing to you? Not even a drop of tear from your eyes, huh?"

"You mean a lot to me. In fact, more than you can ever imagine or more than your fragile mind could conceive. You mean more to me." he said, framing my face with his palms as he stared deep into my eyes. "But things are different now. We can't be together anymore. Even though we try to push for our luck, the mark on your wrist would always be a hindrance to us. I need you to understand this."

"No, there has to be something that we can do about this." I said, blinking back tears. "We can decide to see the moon goddess, perhaps she'll help us. Or maybe, we can elope together..."

"Hey,"

"There just has to be something that can be done about this. We could even..."

"Tessa, look at me. You need to calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" I growled, as a flash of amber lighted eyes. "Don't tell me to calm down."

"Your hand." he said, dropping his hands from my face and then taking hold of my left hand.

As he brought my attention to it, I dropped my gaze to my hand only to find out that the half-moon mark was sparkling with a silvery hue.

"I believe that you understand me now when I said that you were overreacting." he said, lifting his pain darkened eyes to me. "You should accept the reality already. There's nothing that can be done about this."

"Please don't say that. There has to be something that can be done about this." I said, breaking into tears as I buried my face against his warm throat. "I don't want to be separated from you."

"Neither do i." he said, stroking my hair gently. "I do not want to be separated from you too. However, this is our fate and we have to accept it."

"I know," I said, taking my face away from his throat. "However, if there was a way for us to be together still, would you do it?"

"Tessa..."

"Please, don't say no. I beg of you please." I said, swallowing the lump that seemed to rise in my throat.

"I am sorry Tessa." he said, with an apologetic look in his eyes. "Trust me when I say this, if there was a way for us to be together, I would have loved to find out but like I said and will always do, things are different now Tessa, and you'll understand it soon."

"Is there something you aren't telling me?" I asked, as a wedge of pain mixed with tears filled my throat. "If so, then please do. If there's a way for us to be together then please tell me. I'll do anything. Anything at all for us to be together but don't keep this away from me."

"I am not keeping anything from you." he said, with ice in his voice. "If anything, I regret not fighting for our love."

"You can still do Damon, it's not too late." I said, framing his face with my palms as I stared into his eyes. "You can still do."

"I am sorry Tessa, but I came here to say goodbye." he said, taking my hands off his face. "You should be happy."

As he attempted to walk past me, I gripped his hand and held him back.

"Are you sure about this?"