Chapter 1 The Lonely Huntress

POV: Nova (FL)

I could feel the forest breathing around me. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig underfoot, and every whisper of wind told its own story. Northern Alder was always my safe place, where I could move around without having to worry about the rules of the pack. I was supposed to be quiet, invisible, and obedient as an Omega. That was what everyone thought would happen. But I had never been happy with being less than what I could be. I had never wanted to fade into the background while other people lived their lives in bright colors.

I crouched low behind a thick patch of ferns and squinted as I watched a doe eat grass near the stream. My fingers moved, my muscles tightened, and my senses were alive with excitement. Every move counted. Every choice could lead to success or failure. In secret, I had taught myself how to hunt by studying the tracks, the animals' behavior, and the forest's rhythm. I had learned how to move quietly, hit quickly, and leave without a trace. I wasn't supposed to be in any of this. I was an Omega, and Omegas were weak. We were like pawns, quiet observers, and voices that could be ignored without any problems. But I wouldn't accept it.

The doe raised its head and twitched its ears. I stayed completely still, my breath steady and my pulse calm even though I felt tense in my chest. Then I moved, taking one careful step forward, and the forest seemed to hold its breath with me. My mind moved quickly, like instinct, and accurately, like l had practiced. I could feel the strength in my arms and legs, the sharpness of my focus, and the quiet strength I had built up over the years.

A mistake. I stepped on a hidden root without thinking, and my ankle hurt as I stumbled a little. I fought back, stabilized and kept going, ignoring the pain. I couldn't afford to be weak. Being weak was a punishment. Being weak meant not being seen, being ignored, or being forgotten. I wouldn't let that happen. Not here. Never.

The doe ran away. I chased after them, my lungs burning, my muscles straining, and my heart racing with excitement and fear. No one told me I couldn't do this. There was no Alpha to tell me off for going beyond what Omegas were "allowed" to do. I got to the clearing just in time, crouched down, and with a quick, practiced motion, I brought my prey down. I felt a rush of victory, but it was also mixed with the familiar pain of being alone. There was no one here to cheer. No one here to recognize what I had done. I was the only one who felt good about winning.

I bent over the dead doe to check for any injuries I might have gotten in the rush. Then, all of a sudden, a noise stopped me in my tracks. My head jerked up, and my instincts told me to hide in the shadows. I looked over the trees, ferns, and brush. There was nothing but the soft gurgle of the stream and the gentle sway of the leaves. I shook my head and told myself it was just nerves and the thought that something was watching me. But then I felt it, a cold, subtle presence that wasn't in sync with the forest's rhythm.

I froze completely, and my senses were on high alert. There was something out there, just out of sight, moving slowly and carefully while watching me. My heart raced, and I couldn't breathe as a chill ran down my spine. It wasn't just a traveler who was there. They weren't lost or curious. They were looking. Learning. Waiting.

I wanted to run away, to disappear into the trees, but a part of me wouldn't let me. I didn't want to be the one who was hunted. I didn't want to be the Omega who was always there but never spoke up for herself. I got up slowly and carefully, keeping a close eye on the forest. I felt the hilt of the small knife strapped to my waist with my fingers. I had been secretly sharpening and training with it for months. I was sure that I could protect myself if this shadow tried anything.

Then I saw him. A figure stood just outside the clearing, cloaked in the fading light, with piercing eyes that seemed to cut through the underbrush. He didn't move to attack or make a sound, but the air around him was full of power and danger. I felt the first real tremor of fear since I started this hunt. It wasn't fear of death or pain; it was fear of what this presence meant. The way he stood, calm and unshakable, told me that he was not an ordinary Alpha or an ordinary threat. He was powerful in his own right, and I was the first person he paid attention to.

I crouched down again, my mind racing. Could I run? Can I hide? But even though my heart screamed for me to live, another part of me, the part that had trained, planned, and fought to prove myself, wouldn't back down. I stood up a little straighter, daring him to come closer and make a move. I wanted to see what he would do to see how far this meeting could go before it turned into a fight I wasn't ready for.

He took a step, and the forest seemed to move with him. He looked at me without blinking or moving, and I felt a strange pull that I'd never felt before. It wasn't fear, not really, even though the shaking in my chest made it seem that way. It was something sharper and more dangerous. Wanting to know. Curiosity. A hard thing to do. I didn't know anything about him, but I knew right away that he was the Alpha Kael. He had come from a nearby territory, and his arrival would shake Northern Alder to its core.

My head was spinning. All the stories about how powerful, ruthless, and magnetic he was were true. I didn't expect to find him here, hidden among the trees, quiet, and impossible to read. I wanted to run away, to disappear, to keep myself and my pack safe, but my feet wouldn't let me. I had been weak, invisible, and letting other people tell me where I fit in for too long. I wouldn't be afraid, not now, not with him watching.

"Who are you?" I yelled, even though my heart was racing and every instinct told me to run.

He didn't answer right away. He tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes as if he were judging me, deciding if I was a threat, a curiosity, or something else entirely. Finally, his lips parted, low and controlled. His voice had the authority of a predator and the intrigue of a mystery I couldn't yet understand.

He said, "You are brave," and there was no sarcasm or insult in his voice. Just looking at it made my stomach clench and my heart skip a beat. "Maybe you're too brave for your own good."

I stayed still. I couldn't. All of my nerves were alive, shaking with tension and something I couldn't put my finger on. It all felt weak under the weight of his gaze: my victory in the hunt, my secret defiance, and my hidden strength. But I wouldn't give up.

He took a small step back, and for a moment he was hidden behind a tree. Then he moved again so quietly that it was hard to see. And just as I was starting to get brave and get ready for whatever this stranger might do next, I heard a loud crack from the bushes behind me.

I turned around with a knife in my hand and my heart in my throat. The deer I had just hunted ran by, and then I saw something move that I couldn't identify. He was gone when I looked back at where I had seen him. He disappeared into the forest as quietly as he had come, leaving behind only the echo of his presence as a warning.

I pressed my knife against my side and my chest heaved. My hands shook a little as I tried to figure out if I was angry, excited, or scared. He had looked at me, judged me, and then left without saying anything. I knew for sure that my life was about to change forever at that moment.

He wasn't just a stranger in the woods, no matter who he was. He was a force that would make me question everything I thought I knew about strength, hierarchy, survival, and myself. And I had a feeling that my fight to be more than an Omega, my rebellion, and my defiance were about to become much more dangerous than I had ever thought.

I stood up straight again and looked around in the shadows, knowing he was still out there, watching, waiting, and planning. I could hear the forest whispering around me, and I knew that my life, my freedom, and the fate of my pack were about to become intertwined with a man I couldn't yet trust-and maybe never would.