3 - Accepted Rejection

Aurora's heart raced as fiery anger fueled her every step. She was on her way to confront Perez. She wanted answers. She needed them...

She had lost everything in just one day, and this caused a certain fire to burn inside her heart. With determination etched on her face, she barged into Perez's room, unable to contain the storm of emotions raging inside her. 

As she stood in front of him, her voice trembled with a mixture of pain, fury, and hurt.

“How could you do this to me, Perez? ” 

Her voice pierced the air, and her words were filled with raw desperation. While Perez just glared at her with blank brown eyes.

“You broke my heart, you killed my father, and you've torn my life apart! How could you be so cold!? I dedicated an entire year of my life to you!!

I gave you my heart, my body, my life, my throne, my pack, and this is how you pay me back!? “She howled further as angry tears streamed down her red, tear-streaked face, and Perez stared back at her with his eyes cold and devoid of remorse. 

“I never asked you to do all those things for me, Aurora, “He replied, and Aurora froze in shock. His voice was sharp with indifference and Aurora felt her heart, which she thought was completely broken, break further.

“You were always the fool, clinging to false hopes. “He continued, and his callous words ignited a spark of anger within Aurora as she stared at him.

She refused to let him belittle her pain or dismiss the true depths of the sacrifices she had made for him. Her voice rose, laced with both hurt and anger.

 “You're wrong! I believed in you when no one else did. I stood by your side! All I felt for you was nothing but love!! My dedication and loyalty to you were fueled by nothing but my true and pure love for you!

And this is how you repay me? With betrayal? What did you ever want that I didn't give you!? “She screamed and Perez was shaken a bit. He had never seen her so enraged. She may be broken, but something about her seemed dangerous. It made his skin crawl. Just a bit.

The weight of her words hung heavily in the room, and the tension between them was palpable. Yet, Perez remained unshaken. He had made up his mind to go down this wicked path without remorse. 

“I never begged you to do anything, Aurora.

Girls like you are just… Too easy. You are naive and blind. Simple. “He spoke, and Aurora took deep breaths as she glared at the man who once held her heart but crushed it and ruined her entire life with those same hands.

“You and your best friend are very much alike. Do you know that? “He continued, and only then did one tiny detail come to life in Aurora's mind. 

She hadn't seen her best friend all day.

“Serena… What did you do to her? “She questioned, and Perez smirked.

“I have taken her as my slave. “He informed, and Aurora almost staggered as she heard those words. 

“She dared to go against me. To fight me… for you! She tried to kill me. "He laughed, and fresh tears filled Aurora's already tired eyes. 

“So, her punishment will be that she will stay here. And serve me as my slave… In every way I want. “He spoke, and Aurora's eyes widened with disbelief.

Her heart began to pound with a mixture of fear and rage. She was now realizing that her actions had hurt one more person she cared about. She remembered the very first night when Serena asked her to reject Perez, but she didn't listen.

She felt rage fill her veins as guilt clouded her soul. Without hesitation or thought, she rushed up to him. and tried to stab him with one of her sharp hair pins, but before she could touch him, Perez grabbed her, and flung her mercilessly across the room. 

Her body crashed against the hard wall, and the impact nearly crippled her.

Pain coursed through her body, and tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision. She realized how broken, helpless, and lonely she had become.

In frustration, she threw her head back and let out a shrill scream that resonated throughout the entire palace. 

She screamed again as she remembered her father's dying face, her mother's cruel abandonment, Perez's betrayal, and the bitter mess her life was about to become.

She wailed, and Perez watched in silence as Aurora's last hope and desire to live were slowly slipping out of her. 

And then, with a sinister tone, he spoke.

“This is your final warning, Aurora MoonFang. Leave this castle and pack alone. They no longer belong to you. I'd also have you know that our shared past was nothing but a charade to fool you.

If you test my patience any further, I promise you that you will lose all you might have left. I will send your mother and best friend to join your father. “He spoke, and Aurora didn't even have the strength to look up at him as she wept.

His words were a stark reminder of the depth of darkness within him. A darkness that had consumed the reality she once knew.

Filled with profound hurt and a growing sense of isolation, Aurora picked herself up from the ground.

"I Aurora Moonfang accept your rejection, Perez Lufitony. "She softly whispered and with those heavy words, she walked out of the room. Never looking back once at Perez.

She made her way through the halls of the palace, her steps echoing like whispers against the stone walls. She felt like a shadow. An invisible curse that plagued and ruined the lives of all those she loved in just one day.

She was battered by the truth and weighed down by the burdens she carried alone. Silent tears escaped her eyes and not even her wolf, Alma spoke to or responded to her. 

As Aurora neared the exit, a figure ran up to her from the shadows. It was Eliza, her loyal personal maid. Eliza's eyes were filled with tears, concern and determination. 

“Where are we off to? “She spoke, and Aurora turned to her with shocked eyes.

“You really didn't think I was going to let you leave me here, did you? “She spoke again, and fresh tears began to pour from Aurora's eyes.

“Why would you want to come with me? I have nowhere to go. I don't even know where I'm going. "She spoke, and Eliza smiled bitterly.

“It's my duty to serve you, Princess Aurora. So, whether you know where you're going or not, it's my duty to be by your side and tend to your every need. “She noted, and Aurora looked away.

“You no longer owe anything to me, Eliza. I'm nothing but a rouge now. I'm not a princess. “She spoke, and Eliza smiled.

“You will forever be my princess, and I will forever remain loyal to a soul as pure and beautiful as yours. “She spoke and Aurora looked at her maid with blurry eyes. 

She broke down in tears, and Eliza was swift to wrap her arms around her. 

“I'd be here for you no matter what. “She whispered and as she pulled away, she draped a warm coat around Aurora's trembling shoulders, and then she took her hand.

"Are you ready? "she questioned, and Aurora remained silent.

As the guards finally pulled the gigantic doors open, together, they stepped out of the palace and made their way into the cold and snowy woods that were now calling them into the unknown.

Aurora had lost her will and Zeal to live, and Eliza had become her last flicker of hope. She had lost everything, and Eliza made a silent vow to make sure Aurora never lost anything again. She never wanted to see her princess

in that much pain again.

But little did she know the chaos waiting for them in those woods.