Chapter 5

SUZIE’S POV Mate? As the weight of the word “mate” hung in the air, a sudden realization crashed over me like a relentless wave. Asher and Blair, the very people I had viewed as adversaries, were meant to be my mates. The room felt suffocating, as if the walls were closing in, and the sweet scent that surrounded us became a bitter reminder of a destiny I never anticipated. A pang of sadness and anger twisted within me, knotting my stomach. I had eagerly awaited the transformative shift that awaited me under the moon’s glow, dreaming of finding my soulmate, someone who would understand and accept me for who I was. Yet, the cruel irony of fate had chosen Asher and Blair, the very figures I considered my enemies, to be the ones bound to me in this unbreakable bond. Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to spill over. The moon, once a symbol of hope and longing, now seemed to mock me in its cold, indifferent glow. I couldn’t fathom how the moon goddess, in her supposed wisdom, could weave such a twisted fate for me. It felt like a curse, a malevolent trick played on me by forces beyond my control. My chest tightened, and a raw, guttural scream clawed at my throat, but I suppressed it, not wanting to give Asher and Blair the satisfaction of witnessing my vulnerability. Anguish and disbelief mingled as I grappled with the harsh reality unfolding before me. As I looked at Asher and Blair, their expressions seemed to be the exact opposite of the despair I was feeling. The bond was there, an undeniable force that tethered us together, and I couldn’t escape it. A surge of defiance welled up within me, and I met Asher and Blair’s eyes with a resolute gaze, hoping to convey my rejection. However, as my eyes locked onto theirs, I couldn’t ignore the pain etched across their faces. It was as if they felt the sharp edges of my refusal. Yet, I couldn’t let their expressions sway me. This was not the fate I had envisioned, and I would not yield. “You can’t deny it, Suzie,” Asher spoke, his voice cracking a bit. “We’re bound by the moon, and there’s nothing you can do to change that.” Blair nodded in agreement, his eyes pleading for understanding. “You’re ours now Suzie.” I shook my head vehemently, as if the physical motion could dispel the ethereal ties that bound us. “I won’t accept this. I won’t accept you,” I declared, my voice trembling with a mixture of anger and despair. Yet, they stood resolute, unwavering in their conviction. “You can’t run from this, Suzie,” Blair asserted. The room seemed to close in on me, the air thickening with the impending weight of the shift. A sudden weakness overcame me, a tangible reminder that I couldn’t escape the shift that was coming. My knees threatened to buckle, and I staggered, bracing myself against the wall for support. “Leave my room. Now,” I demanded, my voice laced with desperation. I stumbled back, an attempt to get as far away from them as possible. “We won’t let you get away from us,” Asher growled. They both moved with a swiftness that betrayed their human nature, rushing to grab a hold of me. Alarms went off in my head and my hands quickly fumbled for the hidden reassurance under my pillow—a small, cold metal presence. Summoning the last reserve of strength within me, I yanked the gun from its hiding place, the cool steel sending a shiver through my trembling fingers. With a determination born from fear, I pointed the gun at Asher and Blair, my hands shaking but my gaze unwavering. “You can’t force me into this. I won’t let you,” I declared, my voice strained with a mixture of exhaustion and rage. In that tense moment, time seemed to stretch, each heartbeat echoing in my ears as I pulled the trigger. The sharp retort of the gunshot reverberated through the room, a sound that cut through the thick silence. Yet, Asher and Blair, alphas accustomed to danger, moved with an almost supernatural agility. They dodged the bullet with an uncanny synchronicity, their movements, evidence of their alpha nature. However, the unexpected trajectory found its mark, grazing Blair’s arm. A pained grunt escaped him as he staggered backward, clutching the wounded limb. A surreal stillness settled over the room, broken only by the heavy breaths and the scent of gunpowder lingering in the air. Asher and Blair’s wolves whined, a plaintive sound that resonated with an unspoken understanding—their mate despised them, and the pain of rejection cut deep. The gun wavered in my trembling hand, but I maintained a steely gaze, unwilling to surrender to the overwhelming tide of circumstances. The air crackled with tension, the aftermath of a desperate act that hung between us like an unspoken truth. Despite the searing hatred, my resolve began to crumble under the weight of an impending pain—a pain that I knew was more than the physical toll of a gunshot wound. As the gun’s barrel remained fixed on Asher and Blair, a throbbing ache unfurled within me, the first ominous herald of the impending shift. It started as a subtle, twisting discomfort in the pit of my stomach, gradually intensifying into a searing agony that radiated through every fiber of my being. The room seemed to warp, the walls closing in on me. I gritted my teeth, the metallic tang of blood filling my mouth as I fought to maintain my focus. But each passing second brought a new wave of anguish, a relentless crescendo that threatened to drown out my defiance. A low growl escaped my lips, an involuntary response to the torment coursing through my veins. My limbs trembled, the strength draining from me like sand slipping through my fingers. It was a pain that transcended the physical, weaving through the very fabric of my soul, and no amount of hatred could shield me from its relentless advance. “Get lost!” I spat the words, my voice a venomous hiss as I glared at Asher and Blair. The pain of the impending shift, a merciless force, coursed through me, leaving me in a state of both physical and emotional turmoil. Asher and Blair, their expressions a mix of concern and resignation, hesitated for a moment, caught in the crossfire of my anger and the unrelenting pull of the bond that bound us. Yet, the look in their eyes said it all—they weren’t going anywhere, no matter how vehemently I rejected them. As the room blurred around me, I clung to consciousness with a desperate grip. My limbs felt heavy, and the air seemed to thicken with an oppressive weight. I could sense the edges of my vision darkening, the world slipping away like sand through the hourglass of my diminishing strength. The edges of my vision tunneled, narrowing with each passing second. Every breath became a laborious effort, the room spinning as if caught in a maelstrom. With a final, feeble attempt to resist the encroaching darkness, I rasped, “Just go, please.” The words were barely audible, a whispered plea that hung in the air like a fragile thread. Yet, the relentless pull of the shift tightened its grip, dragging me into an abyss of darkness.