Chapter 1 The Rejection

The scent of sweat, damp earth, and blood filled the air as Selina scrubbed the stone floor of the training hall, her hands raw from the icy water in the bucket beside her. The warriors had just finished a brutal sparring session, leaving behind mud, discarded bandages, and the metallic tang of spilled blood. It was her job to clean up after them-just as it had always been.

The other pack members passed her by without a second glance, as if she were nothing more than the dirt she was wiping away. Invisible. Insignificant. Worthless.

The voices of the warriors echoed in the hall as they laughed and boasted about their fights.

"She's still here?" one of them sneered, kicking a rag in her direction. "Thought an omega like her would've run off by now."

"She's too weak for that," another chuckled.

"Can't even shift properly." Selina kept her head down, her grip tightening around the rag. She had learned long ago that fighting back only made things worse.

Her stomach growled painfully, but she ignored it. The pack ate first. Whatever remained-if anything remained-was thrown to the omegas.

The warrior closest to her sighed dramatically. "I'm starving," he said, stretching. Then, with a smirk, he picked up a half-eaten plate of food and dumped it onto the floor in front of her.

"There you go, Omega," he mocked. "Eat up."

Laughter erupted around her.

Selina's body stiffened, shame burning through her, but she didn't move.

This was life in the Bloodfang Pack-this was what it meant to be an omega.

****

Her hands trembled as she reached for the discarded food, trying to swallow her pride along with the scraps. But before her fingers could touch it-

Everything shifted.

A sudden shockwave of energy rippled through her body, freezing her in place. Her heart stopped, then pounded hard against her ribs.

The air thickened, carrying a scent she had never noticed before-wild cedarwood, stormy rain, and something darkly intoxicating.

A pull-deep, primal, undeniable-wrapped around her soul.

Her head snapped up, eyes darting across the training hall as her vision blurred for a moment. Then-

She saw him.

Zane.

The alpha.

He stood at the far end of the hall, tall and powerful, his golden eyes glowing under the dim light. He was speaking to his Beta, Marcus, but his posture suddenly stiffened-as if he felt it too.

The bond.

Selina's breath hitched.

No. It wasn't possible.

She was an omega.

Omegas didn't get fated mates, especially not alphas.

But the overwhelming sensation in her chest-the way her wolf stirred to life, whimpering his name-told her there was no mistake.

She had been fated to Zane.

Her mate.

Her Alpha.

Hope, Then Fear

For a moment, she dared to hope.

If the Moon Goddess had chosen them for each other, maybe things would change. Maybe she wouldn't have to live like this anymore. Maybe-just maybe-Zane would protect her.

She slowly stood, her heartbeat racing as she locked eyes with him.

But as soon as their gazes met-

Zane's expression darkened. Confusion flickered across his face for the briefest second before it twisted into something else-disgust.

His hands clenched into fists at his sides. His wolf growled lowly, but instead of accepting the bond, his jaw tightened.

Then, he turned away.

As if she were nothing.

As if the bond had never formed.

Selina's knees nearly buckled beneath her.

No. No, no, no...

The whispers began around her before she could even process what had happened.

"Did you see that?" "She-she looked at Alpha Zane like-"

"Impossible. She's an omega."

Selina barely heard them. All she could focus on was the way her wolf howled in pain, the mate bond pulling at her like a thread being ripped apart before it could even be woven together.

And then, realization settled over her like a cruel shadow.

He wasn't going to accept her.

He was going to reject her.

And when he did-it would break her.

****

The moment Selina realizes Zane won't accept the bond, everything around her fades into a blur-the training hall, the laughter of the warriors, the weight of the pack's disdain.

All she can hear is the rapid pounding of her heart and the roaring agony of her wolf.

But she doesn't have time to process it.

Because Zane turns back to face her.

And the entire pack is watching.

Public Humiliation

Zane takes slow, measured steps toward her, his golden eyes hard-emotionless.

Selina's breath catches in her throat.

Maybe he won't do it. Maybe he'll take time to think.

But then, his voice cuts through the silence like a blade to her chest.

"I, Alpha Zane of the Bloodfang Pack, reject you, Selina, as my mate."

Gasps ripple through the gathered pack members. A hush falls over the warriors, their amusement shifting into shock, intrigue-satisfaction.

Selina's entire body locks up as the words slam into her.

It feels like her soul is being torn apart, like someone has reached inside her chest and is shredding the mate bond before it can fully form.

Her wolf howls in agony, clawing at her from within.

But she doesn't collapse.

She refuses to.

Instead, she lifts her chin, blinking back the tears burning in her eyes.

Zane watches her reaction, waiting-expecting her to beg. To cry.

But Selina forces her shoulders to stay straight, her fists clenched at her sides. She won't give him the satisfaction.

Zane's expression hardens.

"You're weak," he says coldly, his voice loud enough for the entire pack to hear. "An omega could never be my Luna."

Laughter erupts around them.

A sharp, cruel echo of her worst fears.

Her vision swims, but she doesn't break.

She won't break.

The Final Blow

Zane steps closer, towering over her. Close enough for only her to hear his next words.

"Leave. You don't belong here."

Selina flinches.

Not because of his words-but because she already knew that.

Still, the pain of hearing it from her own fated mate slices deeper than any wound ever could.

And then-he turns away.

Just like that.

As if she doesn't matter.

As if she never did.

The warriors continue laughing, the pack whispering as they watch her.

But Selina doesn't stay to listen.

She doesn't wait for them to mock her further, to push her to the ground and remind her of what she already knows.

Instead, she turns and runs.

Away from the training hall.

Away from the pack.

Away from everything.

Her wolf is screaming, her heart shattering, her body burning with the pain of rejection.

But she doesn't stop.

She never looks back.

Because deep down-she knows.

She's not just running from them.

She's running from who she used to be.

And this time, she's never coming back.