Elaine walked out of the Alpha's office , her chest tight with the weight of everything she had just endured . Every step felt heavier than the last , yet her mind was clear . She wanted to leave . Not just the office , not just the suffocating walls of the pack house , but the entire pack itself . She longed to turn her back on all of it , to disappear into the wilderness where no one could find her . But she couldn't - not yet . Too many eyes , too many obligations still bound her to this place . For now , all she could do was escape the pack house . Her footsteps echoed against the polished floors as she moved through the long halls . Members of the pack passed by , their eyes flickering toward her before quickly looking away . None of them dared to stop her . None of them spoke her name . They didn't need to . Her expression , the fire burning in her eyes , was enough to silence any questions . She was determined , and they all saw it . The moment she pushed past the double doors of the pack house , a sharp breath of freedom filled her lungs . Elaine's control shattered . She bolted forward , her feet pounding against the earth as she ran . Faster and faster , her body driven by fury , grief , and a desperation to escape . She didn't care where her legs carried her - only that she got away . Away from the walls that suffocated her . Away from the whispers , the judgment , the betrayal . Away from them . She ran until her lungs burned and her legs screamed , until the world blurred around her . And finally , she reached the waterfall . The thunder of crashing water drowned out every thought in her head , but not the ache in her chest . She stumbled forward , her breath ragged , and then she let go . Her howl tore through the forest , raw and unrestrained . It was a sound filled with everything she had buried deep inside - pain , disappointment , betrayal , and heartbreak . The cry of a wolf who had given everything and been left with nothing . Her voice carried across the valley , a wound laid bare for the world to hear . What right did they have to hurt her like this ? Her thoughts came in fragments , jagged and sharp , each one cutting deeper . What right did Michael have to feel jealous of Darius ? What right did they have to stand before her and claim they understood her suffering ? None of them knew . None of them had endured what she had . 1/3 < Chapter 20 More Rewards They had all abandoned her . Broken her . Betrayed her . She had sacrificed everything for this pack - her future , her place , her heart . The Goddess had chosen her to be Luna , and yet they stripped her of that sacred title . She had given up her family - a sister who stole her mate , parents who stood by and allowed it to happen . And worst of all , she had given up her mate . Her fated one . The mate the Goddess herself had destined for her - gone . Rejected . Torn from her so he could stand at her sister's side instead . And every time she saw them together , smiling , touching , sharing what was meant to be hers , her heart cracked a little more . It was unbearable . It was cruel . And now - now he dared ? Now he dared to stand before her , calling himself her mate as if the past had never happened ? Daring to demand that she stay away from Darius ? Acting jealous , possessive , as though she belonged to him ? Mate . He had the audacity to still call himself that . Her lips curled in a bitter snarl as tears stung her eyes . What right did he think he had ? What right did any of them think they had ? Her howl rose again , sharper this time , echoing off the stone and crashing water . Her body trembled with rage and sorrow . She didn't deserve this . Not the humiliation , not the betrayal , not the suffocating agony that had become her life . She had given everything . And all they had given her in return was pain . Elaine's chest heaved as the last echoes of her howl faded into the wilderness . The sound of the waterfall roared back into her ears , but it wasn't enough to drown the storm inside her . She clutched at her chest as if she could hold the pieces of her heart together , but they were already shattered beyond repair . Why ? Why her ? She had followed every rule , upheld every expectation . She had carried the burden of duty with grace , sacrificed her happiness , her very soul , all in the name of the pack . And what had it earned her ? Nothing but chains . Nothing but wounds that never healed . 2/3 < Chapter 20 More Rewards Her mind spun with cruel memories - Michael's eyes when he first looked at her sister , the way her parents avoided her gaze , the pack whispering as though she was a mistake the Goddess regretted making . Every betrayal replayed itself , a dagger twisting deeper with each recollection . Her knees buckled , and she sank to the mossy earth by the water's edge . She wanted to scream again , to claw at the ground , to tear the pain from her chest . But only ragged sobs came , harsh and unyielding . " What more do you want from me ? " She whispered hoarsely , though the Goddess was the only one who could hear . " How much more do I have to lose before it's enough ? My title ? My family ? My mate ? My pride ? My heart ? What else is left ? " The questions fell into the air , unanswered , swallowed by the roar of the falls . She curled forward , hugging her knees , her body trembling with the weight of it all . For so long , she had kept her head high , swallowed the pain , told herself she was strong enough to endure it . But here , alone beneath the crashing waters and the empty sky , there was no one left to pretend for . Tears blurred her vision as she lifted her face toward the heavens . " I sacrificed everything ," she choked out . " Everything . And still you let them break me . " Her voice cracked , turning into another howl . One not of anger this time , but of despair . A sound that carried all her brokenness , all her unanswered questions , all her surrender . Her heart ached , but beneath the pain was something colder - emptiness . The terrifying realization that she had nothing left to give , nothing left to fight with . And if no one would fight for her ... then what was she even holding on to anymore ? The forest listened . The waterfall raged . And Elaine , let her sorrow consume her in the silence that followed . Comments