Run From the Ashes

Seraphina’s POV didn’t remember leaving. One moment, I was standing there—broken, rejected, shattered in front of the entire pack… The next, I was running. Branches scratched against my skin as I pushed through the forest, my breath coming out in ragged gasps. The cold night air burned my lungs, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. Not when every step felt like I was being torn apart from the inside. The bond. It was really gone. A strangled sob escaped my lips as I stumbled over a root, falling hard onto the damp ground. Pain shot through my palms, but it was nothing compared to the hollow ache in my chest. He rejected me. Kael Draven… my mate… rejected me like I was nothing. “Get up…” I whispered to myself, my voice trembling. But my body refused to move. My wolf was silent. Too silent. It curled deep inside me, wounded… almost gone. Panic surged through me. “No… no, please…” I pressed a hand to my chest, as if I could hold the pieces of myself together. “Don’t leave me too…” But there was no response. Just emptiness. Fresh tears streamed down my face, soaking into the earth beneath me. For a moment, I thought about staying there. Letting the darkness take me. Maybe it would be easier. Maybe the pain would finally stop. A distant howl pierced the night. My eyes snapped open. Rogues. Fear shot through my veins, sharp and immediate. Unlike the wolves in the pack, rogues had no rules… no mercy. And I was alone. Weak. Rejected. The perfect target. Forcing myself up, I staggered to my feet, ignoring the dizziness threatening to pull me back down. My legs trembled, but survival pushed me forward. Run. The word echoed in my mind like a command. So I ran. Deeper into the forest. Further away from everything I had ever known. The trees grew thicker, the path darker, until even the moonlight struggled to reach the ground. Every sound made me flinch—the snap of twigs, the rustle of leaves, the distant growls getting closer. Too close. My heart pounded wildly as I pushed myself harder, my vision blurring. “I can’t die here…” I gasped. Not like this. Not as the girl who was rejected. Not as nothing. A sudden pain shot through my chest, stronger than before. I cried out, clutching myself as I fell to my knees again. This was different. This wasn’t just pain. It was… burning. Like something inside me was waking up. My breath hitched as a strange warmth spread through my veins, chasing away the cold. For a brief second, the forest went silent. Then— A low, unfamiliar voice echoed in my mind. “You are not weak.” I froze. My eyes widened in fear. That wasn’t my wolf. “W-who…?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. No answer came. But the warmth remained. Stronger. Steadier. Alive. The distant howls suddenly stopped. The forest held its breath. And for the first time since the rejection… I didn’t feel completely broken. Confused. Terrified. But not… empty. Slowly, I lifted my head, staring into the darkness ahead. Something had changed. Something inside me had awakened. And deep down, beneath the fear and pain… A new feeling began to grow. Not love. Not hope. But something far more dangerous. Power.