I didn't move. I slept where I lay, my phone alarms going off, signaling chores that needed to be done. I heard my uncle's booming voice inside the house, but nobody came to find me.

Nobody cared, and I already knew that.

The pain of losing a mate bond to rejection was indescribable. When Alpha Arlo rejected me, it felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest and crushed. I had always believed that a mate bond was unbreakable, a sacred connection that transcended everything. But in an instant, that belief shattered, leaving me with nothing but emptiness.

It rained, and still, I didn't move. My despair kept me rooted to the spot, despite being chilled to the bone. The cold seeped into my bones, but I couldn't find the strength to care. The world felt bleak and devoid of color, as if every bit of happiness had been drained away. My heart felt numb.

Finally, after about 24 hours of not doing chores or being seen, my aunt stepped outside and found me.

"What the hell are you doing, Melanie?" she screeched. I covered my ears and closed my eyes, trying to block out her voice.

"Answer me, you worthless girl," she yelled and kicked me in the side. I didn't react. I was too numb to care.

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"Kyle! Come here, please!" she called, still glaring at me.

My uncle came outside and saw me on the ground, covered in dirt and soaked to the bone. No sympathy crossed his face, only fury.

"Ah, so he was your mate. He rejected you too. What a smart man," he said snidely.

"Who...what?" Aunt Chris asked, confused.

"Arlo is her mate. Well, he was her mate. He rejected her to marry our Britney," Uncle Kyle explained, and an evil smile crossed my aunt's face.

"Good. Britney is better. You're worthless, Melanie. Nobody will ever want you. Just remember that," she told me before kicking me again and walking away with my uncle, laughing.

Something within me snapped at that moment. I stood up, rushing past the two of them to my room, tracking mud through the entire house. I changed into dry clothes and threw everything I owned, which wasn't much, into the giant suitcase I'd come here with. I grabbed a few hundred dollars I'd managed to find lying around the house that nobody had missed. I wiped the makeup off my face and pulled my wet hair into a bun.

I would leave, and nobody here would ever find me again. Ever.

Let's see how they get along without someone there to be at their beck and call, someone to do everything for them. I'll make sure my running away makes the news, and I'll make sure everyone knows why.

I grabbed the suitcase, rolling it alongside me as I slung my old, raggedy backpack onto my back. It held my computer and a few important items.

I strolled down the stairs, ignoring everyone who tried to talk to me. Arlo was at my side in seconds, trying to speak, but I continued like he wasn't even there. His words fell on deaf ears.

"I made a mistake," I heard him say out loud as I shut the front door.

Yes. You did.