The Alpha's Regret, The Lycan King's Obsession.

Hazel's POV

"Are you deaf, or just stupid, b*tch?" Hailey sneered.

Her hands slammed me back against the locker door. My worn-out books hit the floor with a slap.

I didn't need to look up to recognize those designer boots. Hailey Sterling, Lunas Crest royalty, and the girl the whole pack already treated like our next Luna. Beside her, Ruby and Natasha sneered in unison, watching me as though I were something scraped off the bottom of their shoes.

"I asked you a question," Hailey said, stepping into my space. She was flawless, as always. Her blonde hair fell in cascading waves over her dress.

"I-I didn't see you," I stammered, keeping my eyes glued to the scuffed toes of my sneakers. Rule number one of surviving Lunas Crest as a scholarship student, never look an elite in the eye.

"Look at her, dress in whatever trash she has," Ruby mocked.

"She is homeless, basically," Natasha barked out a laugh. "Lives in the slums with her junkie mother. Surprised she even knows how to bathe."

A sharp ache bloomed in my chest. Why me? What had I ever done to them other than exist in the same airspace?

Hailey reached out, her nails digging painfully into my chin, forcing my face up. Her eyes flashed gold-a warning of her rising wolf. "Stay out of my way today, bit*h. Because the next time you cross your pathetic useless body in front of me, I'll break your legs and feed it to the dogs. Understand?"

"Hey, blonde bitch!"

Zoey stomped down the hallway, her fiery red curls bouncing with every step. Her green eyes blazed with rage that made even Hailey and her friends take a step back.

"Back the hell off her," Zoey snarled, stepping in front of me, shielding my body with her own. "Or I swear to the Goddess, I will drag you by your hair all the way to the principal's office."

Hailey scoffed, rubbing her chin, though a flicker of annoyance crossed her features. Zoey might not be an Alpha, but she was a high-ranking pack princess, and she fought like a feral demon when provoked. "You're ridiculous, Zoey. Defending a bottom-feeder like her. Let's go, girls. Let's not waste a single second on them."

With a final, disgusted glare, they walked down the hallway, parting the sea of students.

Once they were gone, the tension drained from my shoulders, leaving me trembling. I slid down the front of my locker to gather my scattered books. Zoey immediately dropped to her knees beside me helping me gather them.

"Are you okay, Haze? Did that she-devil do something to you?" Zoey asked, her hands fluttering over my arms, checking for any injuries.

"I'm fine, Zoey. Really," I whispered, forcing a smile as I clutched my history book to my chest. "Thank you. Again."

"You don't need to thank me. I just wish you'd let me punch her properly just once." Zoey sighed, hauling me to my feet and linking her arm around mine. "Come on. Don't let her ruin your day. Today is the day, Hazel. You finally shift. You get to meet your soulmate. Everything changes today."

My stomach did a nervous flip. Eighteen. The day I would finally shift into my wolf form. But as we walked down the sprawling corridors of Lunas Crest... I felt nothing but dread.

"I doubt the Moon Goddess has a plan for me," I muttered. "I just want to survive until graduation."

"Stop that," Zoey scolded gently as we reached the hallway where our classes split. "You are amazing, Hazel. Your mate is going to be really lucky to have you. Now, go to class. I'll see you at lunch."

She gave me a quick squeeze and bounded off toward the science wing. Instantly, the cold isolation crept back in. Without Zoey or Killian by my side, I was defenseless.

I hurried into my first class History, my favorite subject and quickly took my seat at the very back of the room. I loved history. It was the only place where the ancient texts spoke of equality, where legendary Royal wolves ruled with compassion, and where omegas were revered as the heart of a pack, rather than its dirt.

I had just pulled out my notebook when the door swung open, and the entire atmosphere of the room shifted. The air grew heavy, thick with an intoxicating aura that made the hairs on my arms stand on edge.

Silas River walked in.

He was the school heartthrob, the king of Lunas Crest, and the future Alpha of our pack. Silas was unfairly gorgeous with thick, tousled blonde hair, piercing ocean-blue eyes, and a broad, athletic build that filled out his clothes seamlessly. He walked with an effortless swagger, knowing every eye in the room was on him.

Flanking him on either side were his best friends and betas, Dante and Dennis. The twins were fiercely intimidating, Dante with black hair, and Dennis with messy brown hair and a playful smirk.

My heart did that foolish stutter it always did when Silas was near. It was my deepest secret I'd never admit aloud. But I knew the reality. Silas and I lived in two different worlds. We were worlds apart, and I dared not even dream of having him. I kept my head down as he passed my desk, catching only a brief whiff of his scent before the teacher called the room to order.

The class flew by in a blink of an eye. Before I knew it, the bell rang, signaling the dreaded transition to the next block.

I walked through the crowded hallways with my head down, slipping into my math class just before the bell rang. A wave of relief washed over me when I saw a hand waving from the middle row.

Killian Vargas.

My best friend and Zoey's mate, he was a gentle giant, broad-shouldered, standing well over six feet tall, with warm brown eyes. He had already pulled out the chair next to his, resting his legs on the desk in front of him.

"Hey, birthday girl," Killian whispered as I slid into the seat, dumping my bag on the floor. He bumped his shoulder against mine. "Eighteen. It's a big deal. What are the plans for tonight? Zoey and I want to take you to the diner, our treat. Burgers, milkshakes, the works."

A pang of guilt hit my chest. "I can't, Killian. But thank you. Truly."

His smile faltered, replaced by a deep frown of concern. "Is it your mom again?"

I nodded slowly, tracing the wood grain on my desk. My reality was a far cry from the glittering lives of my classmates. "I have to take care of her," I whispered, the shame burning my cheeks.

Killian sighed, his eyes softening with sympathy. "You're too good for this place, Hazel. Just... let me know if you need anything, okay? If you need me to come over and help you out, or if you need money, just tell me."

"I know. Thank you."

The teacher walked in a minute later, and the lesson began, but I couldn't focus. For the rest of the day, a strange heat spread through my body during the last lesson. My skin tingled beneath my uniform, and every sound in the classroom became painfully sharp. My breathing quickened.

Something was changing.

Then, deep inside my mind, a familiar voice stretched and yawned.

Eva.

My wolf was waking up. She had been restless lately.

"Strong," Eva's voice echoed in my head. "We're strong. No more hiding."

I spent the final hours of the school day gripping the edges of my desk, trying to keep Eva from clawing her way to the surface. She was pacing in the back of my head, demanding to be let out. It took every ounce of my strength to suppress her until the final bell rang.

The hallways descended into their usual chaotic rush as students walked out toward the parking lots. I trudged to my locker, feeling exhausted, sweaty, and thoroughly drained. The halls slowly emptied, the noise fading into an eerie silence.

I spun the dial on my locker, grabbed my threadbare jacket, and shoved my books into my bag. I stood there for a long moment, staring at the door. I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead against it. Please, I prayed silently to the Moon Goddess. Please let me find my mate soon. Let him be kind. Let him be someone who will love us, who will take us away from everything.

I slammed the locker shut and took a deep breath, preparing for the long walk back to my house.

But as soon as I turned around, it hit me.

A scent.

It hit my senses like a freight train, stealing the breath from my lungs and making my knees buckle.

Eva howled a deafening cry of pure need, her tail wagging so hard it made me feel dizzy.

MATE!

Hazel's POV

MATE

Eva screamed, her voice vibrating through my bones.

MATE! OUR MATE!

Inside my mind, Eva was leaping. Mate, mate, mate! she chanted. For eighteen agonizing years, I had felt completely alone an unwanted burden to the world and a punching bag for Lunas Crest. But the Moon Goddess hadn't forgotten me. She had saved someone just for me. Someone who's going to love and protect us.

Slowly, I raised my eyes. Standing at the far end of the corridor was Silas.

I froze in place.

He was looking straight at me. His intense eyes locked onto mine with unwavering concentration that made my pulse race. Beside him stood Hailey, her hand looped snugly through the crook of his elbow, her head leaning casually against his shoulder as she chattered away. But Silas wasn't listening to her. His jaw clenched tight as he inhaled deeply.

He felt it too.

Before Hailey could even finish her sentence, Silas unhooked his arm from her grip and started walking toward me.

My heart pounded a frantic rhythm against my ribs. A surge of disbelief and pure happiness bloomed in my chest. Silas. The future Alpha. Was it really possible? Could the Goddess truly give a girl like me someone so bright? Could someone like him ever look at someone like me with love?

As he closed the distance between us, his long strides quick and purpose-driven, I swallowed hard, trying to smooth down my sweater and push my hair out of my face. I felt so painfully out of place standing in his path.

Silas stopped right in front of me. Up close, his scent was so intoxicating it made my head spin. I looked up timidly into his handsome face, hoping against hope to see a flicker of warmth, or maybe a soft look of recognition.

Instead, he wrapped his hand tightly around my wrist and looked at me with an expression of pure, unadulterated disgust.

"Silas?" a voice said behind us.

"Babe, what are you doing?" Hailey asked, her tone dripping with sweetness. "Why are you holding her hand? The car is waiting outside. We're supposed to go home for the pack dinner, remember?"

"Go wait in the car, Hailey," he growled, his voice tight and strained, and staring intensely at me.

Hailey took a step closer, her sweet smile dropping into a disgusted sneer as she gestured at me. "Silas, don't be ridiculous. Whatever this trash did, let the guards handle it. You don't need to waste your breath on a wolfless loser-"

"I SAID GO WAIT IN THE CAR!"

The words boomed through the hallway with the crushing weight of an Alpha's command. The air vibrated with raw power. The sheer authority behind his voice slammed into Hailey and me like a physical strike.

Hailey gasped, her mouth snapping shut as her knees buckled slightly under the obedience of the command. A flash of shock crossed her face. She looked at Silas, then threw a venomous glare at me, before turning on her heel and hurrying down the hallway, her posture rigid with humiliation.

Silas shoved me into the empty classroom and kicked the door shut. The heavy door slammed with a loud thud, locking us in the empty room.

As soon as we were alone, Silas tore his hand away from my arm as if my skin was coated in poison.

"Fucking dammit!" he roared, slamming his fist straight into the wooden teacher's desk. The force of it shattered the corner of the wood.

I flinched violently, taking a step back until my back hit the wall. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to make my body as small as possible.

Silas began pacing back and forth in the room. He ran both hands through his hair, pulling at the roots and cursing endlessly under his breath. He looked furious, his ocean-blue eyes filled with disappointment.

"Silas...?" I squeaked out, my voice barely a whisper. "What's... what's wrong?"

He stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned his head to face me.

"What's wrong?" he repeated, his voice dangerously low, laced with bitter sarcasm. "You're asking me what's wrong? The Moon Goddess must be having a sick, twisted joke with me. You. Of all the people... you are supposed to be my mate?"

Eva whimpered softly in my head.

"But, Silas... we...we're mates..."

"Shut up!" he barked, stepping into my space. "Don't you dare say that word! You think I'm going to stand in front of my pack, in front of the world, and introduce you as my future Luna? A pathetic omega?"

Every word hit me like a stone, but the worst part was... a small voice in my head whispered that he was right. How could I have ever been so foolish? How could someone like me stand beside the Silas River? I didn't deserve him. I didn't deserve any of this.

"Look at you, Hazel," Silas spat, gesturing distastefully at my face. "You're weak. You have zero power, zero status. You are a stain on this school, and you would be the utter embarrassment of my pack. Hailey is the daughter of an Alpha. She brings power, beauty, and respect. You bring nothing."

"I'm sorry," I sobbed out, hot tears streaming down my cheeks. I pressed myself harder against the wall, bowing my head in complete shame. "I'm sorry, Silas... I didn't ask for this... I'm so sorry..."

"I don't care about your apologies!" he shouted into the quiet room. Then drew in a harsh breath, taking two steps back. The air in the room grew suffocatingly heavy around us.

"Listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once. You're not my mate, and you'll never be one, Hazel." He said.

"I, Silas River, future Alpha of the Half Moon Pack,reject you, Hazel DeRose, as my mate and my future Luna."

It felt as if my entire soul was being forcibly torn apart. A blinding, searing agony flared in my chest, so intense that my legs gave out completely, collapsing onto the cold floor, clutching at my shirt over my heart as a ragged scream tore from my throat. It felt as if someone had plunged a blade into my chest and twisted it slowly. I curled into a tight, trembling ball, sobbing hysterically as the agony consumed me. Eva whimpered in absolute despair, retreating into the deepest, darkest corner of my mind, broken and silent.

"Please... please stop..." I wept, suffocating on my own tears. "It hurts... please..."

Silas stood over me, looking down at me. There was no pity in his eyes. Just the quiet relief of a man who had just discarded a worthless burden.

He adjusted his shirt, brushing a speck of dust off his sleeve.

"Get over it, Hazel," he said coldly. "And if you ever tell a single soul about what happened in this room today, I will make sure you and your addict mother are banished from this territory to starve in the rogue lands. Do you understand me?"

I couldn't even form words. I just lay there on the floor, trembling violently, and clutching my aching chest as my quiet sobs filled the empty room.

Without another word, Silas turned on his heel and walked out, living proof of how disposable I was to him. He left me alone on the floor, slamming the door shut behind him. His footsteps echoed down the corridor until they faded into total silence.

I lay there on the floor for what felt like hours, squeezed against the wood, waiting for the pain to stop. The room grew darker around me.

He threw us away, Eva whimpered weakly in the silence of my mind. Because we aren't enough.

We never were, I thought back, tears silently soaking into the sleeve of my sweater.

Silas was right. I was just a wolfless omega with a mother who barely remembered my name. Of course the future Alpha couldn't have me as his Luna. It was foolish of me to even hope, even for a single second, that the Moon Goddess had saved something good for me. I was meant to be at the bottom. I was meant to be forgotten. This was simply my place in the world.

Slowly, I dragged my weak body up off the floor. My chest throbbed with a dull, hollow emptiness. I wiped my tear-stained face with the back of my shaking hand and stared blankly at my worn-out shoes.

He didn't want us. He rejected us because I was a mistake. And who was I to argue with an Alpha?

I squeezed my eyes shut, letting out a small, broken breath. If this was what was meant for me, I had no choice but to accept it.

"I... I, Hazel DeRose accept your rejection, Silas River," I whispered quietly into the empty room, my voice trembling with defeat. "And I... I reject you too."I picked up my backpack from the floor, slinging the heavy strap over my weak shoulders. I turned toward the door, my head hanging low, hugging myself tightly to keep from falling apart completely.

I pulled the door open and stepped out into the dark, empty hallway.

Hazel's POV

I pulled the door open and stepped out into the dark, empty hallway, forcing my head to stay down.

Don't cry. Whatever you do, Hazel, do not cry here.

I bit down hard on my lip. If someone saw me sobbing, if Hailey or her friends caught even a glimpse of my weakness, it would only give them more reason to hurt me. I hugged my worn out bag tightly against my chest like a shield, my limbs trembling so violently I could barely keep my feet moving straight.

The walk through the hallway felt endlessly long. A few students were still walking around laughing and chatting about their evening plans.

As I passed, their chatter faltered.

I could feel every eye on me. I must have looked terrible. My skin felt clammy and drained of all colours, my eyes swollen. Whispers rippled through the air like a cold draft.

"Look at her..."

"What's wrong with the scholarship girl?"

"She looks like she's about to faint."

I didn't look up to see who was speaking. I just kept my eyes glued to the floor, placing one shaking foot in front of the other. Usually, during moments like this, a faint, warm presence would nudge the back of my mind. Eva would usually growl at their hushed tones, or whisper comforting words into my thoughts, reminding me that one day, when we finally shifted, things would be different.

But inside my mind, there was nothing.

Absolute silence.

I reached out for her, searching for the faint blue spark of her energy, but met only nothing.

For the first time in my entire life, I felt utterly alone.

By the time I pushed through the front doors of the academy and stepped into the evening air, the sun had fully set, burying the territory in shades of navy and shadow. I ran down the long path that led away from the school, leaving behind the glittering lights of Lunas Crest.

The walk home took nearly an hour, but my mind was completely numb to the distance. The cool wind whipped through my thin sweater, biting into my skin, but I barely felt it. The cold inside my chest was far worse.

Today was supposed to be my happiest eighteenth birthday. The day I was supposed to fully awaken my wolf spirit and shift for the very first time.

I reached the front door of my apartment. When I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, the sharp stench of cheap vodka and cigarettes hit me right in the face.

I closed the door softly behind me and flipped the light switch on. The bulb flickered to life, casting a dull, white glare over the tiny living room.

Bottles were everywhere-scattered across the floor and resting on the armrests of the faded sofa. An empty pill bottle rolled lazily across the floor.

I let out a slow breath.

Dropping my bag by the door, I didn't even pause to take off my shoes. I grabbed the small plastic trash bin from the kitchen nook and began picking up the bottles one by one.

A familiar rhythm to a routine I had performed a hundred times before. I wiped down the sticky coffee table, swept up a few tiny shards of glass near the hallway, and threw away the garbage.

Once the living room was presentable, I crept down the dark hallway to my mother's bedroom. The door was cracked open.

I pushed it open gently, stepping onto the room. The room was dark, the curtains pulled tight against the moonlight. Laying sideways across the mattress was my mother, still dressed in her stained blouse from yesterday, fast asleep. Her chest rose and fell in a heavy, raspy rhythm, her breath smelling strongly of cheap alcohol even from the doorway.

I stood there for a few moments, watching her sleep. Part of me... a very foolish part-wanted to walk over, wrap my arms around her, and cry into her shoulder. I wanted to tell her that my mate had rejected me, that my heart was broken into a million tiny pieces, and that I didn't know how to keep going. But I knew better. If I woke her, she would only get angry, and probably beat me to death. She hadn't remembered my birthday in three years. She wasn't going to start tonight.

"Goodnight, Mom," I whispered softly to the dark room.

I quietly closed her door, and strode back into my own bedroom at the end of the hall.

My room was tiny, just big enough for a single bed pushed against the wall, a small wooden desk I had salvaged from a neighbor's curb, and a tall, narrow mirror hanging on the closet door.

I walked over to the window and pushed open the curtains. Outside, sitting high in the clear night sky, was the full moon.

My heart beat a little faster. A faint, desperate hope flickered back to life inside my chest.

Maybe this is it, I thought, clutching my hands together over my stomach. Maybe the shift will fix everything. Maybe when Eva comes out, the pain will stop.

I stepped into the center of the room, directly under the moonlight. I closed my eyes, took a deep, steadying breath, and focused all my energy inward, searching for the instinct every wolf was born with.

"Eva?" I whispered into the quiet. "It's time. Please... wake up."

I waited for the spike in body temperature, the feeling of bones cracking and rearranging.

I stood there, waiting. Five seconds...Ten seconds...three minute passed.

But nothing.

The air in the room remained still. My body stayed human. There was no heat in my blood.

"Please," I begged out loud, my voice cracking as tears began to fill my eyes again. I dropped to my knees on the cold floor, spreading my hands out. "Please, Moon Goddess. Please... just this once. P-please... give me my wolf. Don't leave me like this."

I tried again. I squeezed my eyes shut so hard my temples throbbed, I strained until my breathing turned into ragged gasps, praying with every fiber of my being for even the smallest hint of a spark, a single twitch of a claw, a shift in my eyes.

But nothing.

Not even a whisper.

The full moon continued to shine down on me, distant, and unbothered.

I dropped my forehead against the wooden floor, letting out a raw, broken sob. Somewhere in the distance, a chorus of triumphant howls rose into the night. One after another, young wolves celebrated their first shift, surrounded by cheering friends and proud parents. The sound drifted through my open window like a cruel reminder of everything I would never have

It was true. Everything everyone had barked into my face-it was all real. I wasn't just low-ranking. I was broken. A discarded creature that the Moon Goddess had abandoned.

Slowly, I pushed myself up off the floor. The weakness in my knees made me stumble forward until I caught myself against the closet door.

My face was inches away from the mirror.

I raised my head slightly, staring at the girl looking back at me in the dim moonlight.

She looked terrifying. I reached up with a trembling hand, my fingertips lightly touching my cheek.

I stared into my own hollow, tear-filled eyes in the glass.

"Was I really that embarrassing?" I whispered to the empty room.