His Regret, My Escape

OLYMPIA'S POV

I stood at the edge of the grand hall. My heart was beating, racing in anticipation. The air was electric with the collective longing of our pack. Twenty-one years of searching, twenty-one years of disappointment. Yet tonight, I could feel it in my bones: this would be the year I found him. The Mating Festival was ordained, a centuries-long practice-a holy ritual for our pack to collectively rejoice at the consummation of two spirits. The air held so much anticipation; pheromones hung heavy in the crowd. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, letting that animalistic energy course through me. My eyes met those of so many hopefuls in the room, each in search of his perfect match. Some were wriggling in anticipation and some had set their faces to imply expectation of winning-sureness in their eyes gleaming with a sense of entitlement. The drums echoed across the hall, signaling the commencement of the ceremony. There was silence in the room as all eyes turned toward the alpha pair standing at the center. They raised their hands, and the crowd erupted into cheers. The search began! I perceived a cold minty floral scent and just followed it as there was no doubt. Tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome, he stood across the room, his eyes scanning the room but I couldn't make out his face. There was something very familiar about him. Could it be? Could he have been the one? I pushed through the crowd; my heart racing with excitement, when suddenly, just as I reached him, he turned and stared down at me, and in his eyes was so much hatred. Oh no, it's Silas, the newly crowned Alpha of this pack. "Mate!" he snarled, an unpleasant one at that. No! I can't lose him now! I stood before Alpha Silas, and my heart was adrenaline-pumping with excitement. All my life, I had been in search of my mate, and now I finally found him. Or rather, so I thought. My eyes met his, and in them, for a flash, I felt a flicker of recognition. It was replaced in a moment by his usual stern expression. "Everyone, please stop," he commanded, his voice echoing down the hall. "Musicians, cease playing." The room fell silent, all eyes fixed on us. I felt a squirmy feeling. What was this? "Olympia, I think there has been an error here," Alpha Silas said firmly but without anger. "You don't know that," I whispered, finding it hard to voice out words well. But in his eyes, I saw only scorn and revulsion. "You think you are worthy of being my mate?" he sneered at me; his voice oozed with malice. "You're nothing but a weak, pathetic outcast." I felt as if his words had slapped me. "I.I thought we had some kind of a connection," I said, trying to hit back. Alpha Silas laughed out loud, the sound completely devoid of humor. "You can't even connect with me. You are a disappointment, Olympia. A failure." I felt my eyes prick at the corners as the room seemed to close in around me. The music had stopped, and the only sound was those venomous alpha words. "Who wants a weak, useless omega as a mate?" He actually spoke it in front of the crowd before us, then everybody laughed. Throwing spiteful words at me. It hurts so bad. Dark mind! Dark heart! Dark soul! Happiness Killers, Living Demons. If only my mistakes can be stated. "I, Alpha Silas Moore of the Black Hitten pack, reject you, Olympia Swan, as my mate. You are not fit to stand by my side, bear my children, or hold the title of a Luna." I felt my heart crashing into a thousand pieces when Cassie and her crew suddenly started talking. " Olympia is Alpha Silas's mate?" Crystal exclaimed, though bringing forth gasps from the crowd as its eyes flew impossibly wider at their staring, furrowing their brows and curling their lips into a sneer. I shrieked, looking away from them, wringing my hands together to obvious my mind off their hateful glares or I might detonate into a loud weal. "How could that be? that's so bad luck" Cassie chipped in, compassion lacing her tone. "I feel so sad for him, he deserves better". Crystal echoed to the ears of everyone, sighing heavily and looking down pretending to be sorrowful. There were murmurs about this circumstance, running around and around again, and I turned my eyes to Sila's uncertainty. His eyebrows seemed to be drawn together in some sort of frown, jaw clenched, nostril flare. "See what you have caused?" he asked, his lips pressed to thin lines. Instantly, I drew my eyes from him, down to my feet, biting my lips and fidgeting at the same time. "Why does it just have to be you?" he questioned silently and I kept mute not knowing what to say in reply but feeling my heartbeat racing like insane, like it was about to pop out my chest. "I have waited 30 years, only to end up with a crap like you?" he asked with disbelief, scoffing. I, however, was just standing there, silent in front of him, with tears rolling down my cheeks. I couldn't hold it anymore, and I had a very bad feeling that something unfortunate was about to happen. I walked out of the scene in absolute weakness and exhaustiveness. I swear I strolled up to that bar, heels clicking across the floor, announcing the time bomb that was about to go off. I plopped onto a stool, nodding to signal for the bartender. "Your hottest drink, please. And make it a double." Shot after shot, I gulped down the drink, each one charging my emotional inferno. At the corners of my eyes, tears pricked, and I let them flow in silent sobs that raked my body. The room grew dim; my heart was slipping into a haze of despair. A set of fingers wrapped about my face, gentle yet firm, I turned my face towards him only to meet a set of dark eyes.