Celestina’s POV

My nightmares keep waking me up, and as much as I want to escape this suffering, I can't shake the feeling that it's slowly suffocating me to death. I opened my eyes and found myself gasping for air in the pitch black. I got down on the floor and crawled onto the bed, where I quickly put the heavy cover over my head.

I then heard something. A type of sound that could make me wonder what it was. When I looked around, I saw that the window was open. In the night sky, I could see the full moon shining brightly. Then, just as I was about to close the window, a rustling sound from outside started to bother me.

I start to tiptoe down the stairs because I don't want to wake up the housekeeper. When there are no lights on at night, the Villa looks like a haunted house, but that doesn’t stop me from sneaking out of the Villa.

I slowly cracked the great gate and made my way deeper into the forest. The scent of the forest was like a magnet, drawing me ever closer to investigate the source of the sound and find what type of beast lurked inside its depths.

But, when I got there, there was no one around, so I took a step back, but my foot caught on something hard, and I fell; luckily, a strong hand caught me, and his eyes were like a pair of furious crimson pools that stared straight into my very being.

In terror, I resisted his advances and attempted to kick him as hard as possible. He held on tight and drew me closer to him; I could hear a low growl as he trapped me against the tree and covered my mouth.

When he got a good look at me, his beastly eyes calmed down, and he asked, "Mate?"

"W-What?"

When I gazed into his eyes, my eyes widened in shock out of fear, and I wondered how I could ever have a mate if I was a wolf without a pack and a loser. I take a few deep breaths in, and he is still looking at me with his eyes glowing, but he gives me a puzzled frown when he doesn't expect my response.

"Let go of me!"

I tried to get away from him by pulling out and running away, but he chased me into the forest and watched as I ran like a human version of a helpless wolf. He stepped up, raised his husky voice, and yelled something while holding my hand aloft. "You are a living, breathing human being. A wolfless and powerless wolf. I cannot take you as my mate...even if you look like her....but you are not her."

When I cast a perplexed glance in his direction, I scowled, I understand why he have to reject me so suddenly. "It is acceptable if you decide to reject me because no one wants a Luna who has no wolves, is weak, and has no power. I Celestina Sullivan, accept your rejection." I turned away from him, but it was like walking away with a heavy heart after being rejected for the first time in my life.

I thought I could finally have my home and my mate, but the Moon Goddess wouldn't let this night be mine.

I was taken aback when I saw him standing in front of the Villa; how could he walk so quickly in there? I stop walking and just look at him in the dark. After that, he looked at me with intense crimson eyes that sparkled and asked, "Do you live here?"

"Y-Yes…" I felt anxious and afraid of him at the same time, so I pressed my fingers together to calm my nerves. He appears to be extremely tall and handsome as hell. But I don't have to forget that this creature rejected someone just like me!

"Celestina! What are you doing?! You girl! You're out again! What are you doing out here in the dark?" The elder woman questioned me; she was the one who adopted me after she found me in the street with severe cuts and near death. I took a deep breath and said, "I..." When I turned around to look at the man, he wasn't there anymore. Where did he go?

"What is your reason this time? Do you know that there are a lot of wild animals in this area at night? You haven't gotten your power back yet, but you're walking around as you can attack." Helene said and took me inside the Villa.

How can he leave so quickly and not even say goodbye?

Yet, on the deepest level of my existence, I am very much sad that a man like him rejected someone like me. My eyes started to well up with tears, and Helene's expression turned grim as she stared at me and asked, "Are you okay?"

"He...He didn't want me…." I sighed softly.

She held me close in her arms, and I could tell she felt sad for me too. She reminded me of a mother that worries for her child, and she tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Ohhh, dear…who’s that man?”

Celestina's POV

"I've never met him before..." I heaved a sigh and made my way back to my room in a leisurely manner without looking back at the elderly lady, who appeared to be quite concerned about me. Later, when I went inside, I quietly grieved and cried for what seemed like an eternity. Why do I feel so bad about myself in this way?

I draw in a deep breath and try to keep my breathing calm while suppressing the need to sob this time. As I close my eyes, I have the illusion that my power has been restored; nevertheless, I am not regaining control of my wolf.

TWO WEEKS LATER…

"Celestina, you have a guest who would like to see you," Helene said.

Helene treated me much like her own daughter, and after her own daughter passed away, she even gave me the same name as her own daughter. I have no recollection of the past and no idea who I am. She took me in as her own child; as a result, she is a wealthy and influential woman in this Italian country. She is aware that I was once a werewolf, but because I have forgotten everything about who I was, she now treats me as if I were a human.

When the maids saw me descending the stairs, their heads turned quickly to stare in my direction. They can't take their gaze off me no matter what they do. After living here for two years, I've become accustomed to people staring at me, but it can sometimes make me feel uncomfortable.

The man stood up as soon as he saw me, and his eyes stared at me from head to foot. His eyes sparkled with joy, and he handed the bouquet to me while saying, "Celestina..."

I gave Helene a sidelong glance and asked, "What is this?"

"Let me introduce you to Alexander, you'll be marrying him very soon." She stated to me while smiling at me, but the idea that the woman who adopted me already possesses my life is something that I cannot accept. I took a step back and then handed Alexander the bouquet back to him.

"I'm sorry, but I can't marry someone I just met,"

The man with a fair complexion and blonde hair frowned at me because he felt insulted by what I said. I get the impression that he does not appreciate how I treat him.

Helene followed me out the door as quickly as she could, but I stopped looking back after a while and kept walking. I didn't want to destroy my prior existence because I wanted to relive it and retain my power back again. I also don't want to tie the knot with a human and have a miserable life.

“Celestina! Don’t run away!”

But I had no intention of complying with her demands because she is not my mother, and I am not her daughter. Her daughter had passed away on the day that she found me, but I refused to let her dictate the terms of my life. I will not give someone the power to control my life or coerce me into leading a life that I did not choose for myself.

I raced into the forest without turning around. As I went farther and further away from the house, I didn't understand how far away I actually was until I suddenly noticed how quickly I was moving.

I was taken aback by my speed, but then I was stunned when I bumped against someone's firm chest, which caused my head to spin and caused me to lose my balance.

“Fuck!” I heard a silent curse before I passed out.

***************

I slowly opened my eyes and saw that this wasn't my home at all. I looked around and didn't see anyone, but I could smell something wonderful coming from outside. I got up and tried to open the door, but it was locked. I tried to kick and hit it a thousand times, but no one answered.

"Hey! Let me out! Or else I will report you to the authorities! I tried to yell at the top of my lungs, and the door suddenly opened. It was the man from two weeks ago; he was like a greek god in shirtless, and his black, curly hair was dripping wet. He stepped forward, and I stepped backward nervously; I was dumbfounded while staring at his penetrating gaze.

Finally, after taking a deep breath, I mustered the strength to utter a few words:

"Y-You...again?"

He reached behind me for a towel, and I cringed quietly. I sat down on the bed with my pulse racing and thumping rapidly, and I looked at him with confused eyes. Then I recalled what had transpired earlier in the day, so I heaved a sigh and expressed my concern to him, saying, "I'm sorry for what happened, and I promise I won't bother you anymore."

"Why are you running away?" His voice was so intimidatingly masculine that it sent shivers down my spine. I brought my head back down after raising it to gaze up. I hate him for rejecting me, so I have no reason to stay here.

I got to my feet and attempted to escape him, but he stopped me and questioned, "But where are you going?"

Celestina’s POV

He was icy, heartless, and cruel... but he was also strikingly good-looking.

I realized this after staring into his ocean-blue eyes for a moment; this prompted him to release his grip on my arm.

"Get out of here!" he growled angrily at me.

Because of this, I didn't hesitate to run away from him, even though my tears were slowly falling down my face. My long white dress was covered in mud and dirt, and I ran barefoot through a dark forest, not knowing where I was going. I had never been here before, so I looked around. As I did, I heard a loud growl coming from close by, and I could see red eyes moving slowly toward me.

They are attacking me and trying to pull me toward them. They look like wild beasts and are hungry for human blood and flesh. They were runaway dark rogues who wanted to eat a wolf like me who didn't have a pack. I screamed as loud as I could, desperately hoping that someone would hear me and come to my rescue before it was too late!

But, a little while later, I heard a menacing snarl coming from behind me, and the Rogue attackers that had been fighting me ran away like a startled cat and vanished instantly with the bat of an eye. I turn my head slowly to the rear, and there, standing behind me, is a huge werewolf with glowing red eyes and pointed fangs. He looks pretty menacing. I haven't seen anything like this in the past two years, so the novelty of seeing it almost caused me to pass out from excitement.

He turned on human form, and as I looked down at his shirtless body, my gaze fell upon his shorts. At that moment, he addressed me with a concerned voice and asked, "Are…Are you alright?"

He touched my stomach, then felt the blood streaming down, and cupped my face, “You’re bleeding….”

As I finally understood that I had huge cuts in my stomach, I moaned in pain, and he stared at me with wide eyes. "Come with me," he whispered, but I pushed him away.

“No, I don’t want to be with someone like you, you rejected me, remember?!”

He didn’t answer.

“Then just leave me alone, if I die, you’ll find a new mate.”

Then, when people were approaching in our direction, he quickly hid in the darkness.

Alexander arrived with his men and asked me softly, "What happened to my bride?"

"Alexander…help me!" I moaned in agony and noticed that my breathing was becoming increasingly strained. We left the place, and just before I closed my eyes for the night, I saw the man's eyes flash furiously while he was staring at me in the dark. Alexander tightly drew me into his arms while his men investigated the surrounding area.

***********

Alexander drove me to the closest hospital, and the staff there was able to treat my condition on time. They told me that I had lost an unhealthy amount of blood and miraculously survived. He has a firm grip on my hand, and I can't help but gaze at him with my body shaking. I don't know what to do, but whenever I close my eyes, the image of the menacing man's face keeps repeating over and over in my head. But why?

"Celestina, how have you been doing? Are you okay?" he said as he gently kissed my knuckles, but I pulled away my hand and sighed. Just then, the door opened, and it was Helene, who was looking quite concerned about me.

While she was in a state of fear, she uttered the words, "I told you to forget who you are, you will never be turned into anything you want."

I didn't pay attention to her, so she stroked my face and asked me, "Why did you run away? Look at what happened to you!"

Alexander clears his throat, and I look at him. "I know you don't want to marry someone like me, but since I saved your life, you need to marry me, Celestina."

"N-NO…." I shake my head, but Alexander hits me. Helene was shocked, so she pulled Alexander away from me and asked, "What are you doing?! Can't you see that she's still in pain?!"

"Helene Sullivan, you owe me a lot of money. If you can't get her to marry me, I will have to take everything you own! You'll be as broke as a rat!" Alexander said in an angry tone and gave me an edgy look. I stroked the side of my face and groaned in pain when I moved slowly.

"You can't treat me like this, Alexander! We have an agreement!" Helene said.

"That makes no difference anymore; I want to have her all to myself!" Alexander opened the door but quickly retreated as soon as he saw who was on the other side. It was the mysterious man, and I rolled my eyes when he peered at me. His eyes landed on the side of my face and my bruises. I rolled my eyes again.

Alexander asked, "And who the heck are you?!"

He gave Alexander a suitcase full of cash and told him, "You can have it all, just leave her alone, or else you won't see daybreak anymore."

Helene was speechless.

Alexander took the suitcase, and with his jaw clenched, he left without looking back. The man turned his back on me and said to his men, "Bring her to my castle."

Wait, what?