The Outcast's Rise

Raine pov

The world had already decided my place. At the bottom.

Whispers followed me like shadows as I walked down the crowded school hallway of bloodmoon academy, the weight of stares burning into my back. I knew what they were saying. I'd heard it all before.

"That's her... the wolfless girl."

"She shouldn't even be in this school."

"What kind of werewolf doesn't have a wolf?"

Each word was a dagger, sharpened by years of disappointment-not just from my classmates, but from the entire pack.

I wasn't just an outcast. I was an embarrassment.

I kept walking, chin up, even though my chest tightened with the familiar ache of being unwanted. It wasn't just school- I felt it at home, too.

Once, I had been someone's world.

My father had never looked at me like I was broken. He used to tuck me into his arms, brushing his calloused fingers over my hair, whispering, "It'll come, little wolf. Some take longer."

But then he died, and with him, so did the last person who ever believed in me.

My mother, my family, the entire pack-they had given up on me.

Well, except "Luna Monroe", the only person I can call a friend in this godforsaken town.

And now?

Now, I was nothing to them.

"Move, freak."

A hard shove sent me slamming into the lockers, the sharp metal digging into my ribs. Pain flared up my side, but I swallowed the wince, forcing myself to straighten.

Laughter echoed around me, cruel and sharp.

I didn't have to turn to know who it was.

His smells of cedarwood and sweat gave him away.

Ronan Graves.

The future Alpha. The golden boy of the Bloodmoon Pack. And the boy who had made it his life's mission to remind me that I was worthless.

His tall, muscular frame loomed over me, dark brows arched in mock amusement. He was every bit the Alpha-in-the-making-commanding, effortless, untouchable.

"Too bad he's also a complete asshole."

"Didn't you hear me, wolfless?" His voice was mocking, but there was something sharper in his gaze. "I said move."

I clenched my fists, heart pounding.

I could take the stares. The whispers. But Ronan?

He was different.

Because unlike the others, there were moments-fleeting, barely-there moments-where he looked at me differently. Not with pity. Not even with disgust.

But with something else. Something I couldn't name.

Not that it mattered. Whatever it was, it was buried under years of torment and cruelty.

I lifted my gaze, meeting his golden-brown eyes head-on. Refusing to shrink.

"Go to hell," I muttered.

For half a second, something flickered in his expression. A flash of something that wasn't amusement.

But then he smirked. And that moment was gone.

"You first, wolfless," he murmured, voice just low enough for only me to hear.

And then he was gone, leaving me standing there, fists trembling at my sides.

"Fuck him and his arrogance"

Ronan Graves was someone I once called a friend and unfortunately he was my... .first love too.

He is built warrior -like and smells like cedarwood mixed with sweat. His eyes are intense golden brown that always glow with anger, disgust when trained on me. His hair is dark brown, almost black, with a slightly tousled look though I can bet that it took him a lot of time in front of his mirror to achieve that look.

I bent down and started picking and dusting my books that fell on the floor with tears pricking my eyes but I willed them not to fall.

I will not cry because of that asshole.

"Raine", I turned to the voice of Lena Monroe calling my name and I suddenly felt grateful that she was here. Though I will never admit it to her, " Lena" , my best and only friend, always makes me feel safe. Her presence alone is able to ease the storm settling in my stomach.

"Hi", I returned her grin with one of my own.

Then she finally sees what I'm doing and her face clouded with fury.

"He did this" right? She asked me and I nodded. The tears threatened to come back with full force but I swallowed them down.

With Lena, I was an open book, she is the only one I feel comfortable enough to show my emotions to.

" I swear to the moon goddess that I'm going to gut that motherfucker right in the heart and send him to his maker" Lena swore ferociously.

"It's okay Lena, my books only fell down". I said, trying to placate her.

Then why are you holding your hip like that? She asked.

"It's nothing" I said

She scoffs.

Seriously, I don't know why you allowed him to push you like that, the moment you start fighting back, the day he starts respecting you. She said angrily.

I think it is just easier to just take it silently, it is not like he is going to kill me, I said.

It is against the rule to kill a pack member, because even though I'm an outcast, I'm still a pack member.

Just as she was about to reply me, the biology teacher, "Mr Crater" came in. I hurriedly sat down on my seat as Lena grudgingly went back to hers.

Mr Crater stood in front of the board and said with a loud booming voice, "The topic we will be treating today is "Reproduction". I feign interest in what is coming out of his mouth as his eyes scan the class but he quickly avert his eyes immediately it meets mine.

"I'm used to that". They think that if they stare into my eyes for too long, I will transfer my curse to them.

Seriously, I'm used to it but why do I feel like tearing up.

I think my period is on its way because this is not normal. I'm not this emotional.

I made the mistake of turning and my eyes clash with that of golden amber and my stupid fucking heart skip a beat. He is sitting with his gangs at the back of the class. He quirk his eyebrows at me and I rolled my eyes. I let my eyes trail over the others. Sitting at his right hand side is Jaxon Wolfe ( Ronan beta). He has Stormy gray eyes, short dark brown hair, slightly shorter than Ronan but just as muscular. He is Serious and disciplined.

Sitting at his left hand side is Zane Archer . He has deep green eyes, wavy blond hair, laid-back but observant. He is the quiet one of the group.

While sitting beside Jaxon is Kai Donovan. He has dark blue eyes, jet-black hair, the most reckless and hotheaded of them.

Together, they are a force to be reckoned with.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me, wolfless? Ronan asked. The jibe didn't even sting like it always did before.

"Chill dude, you are too harsh on her" Jaxon chastised him.

I arched an eyebrow at Jaxon, because even though I am mildly surprised that he defended me, I'm not touched, because after all, they are all birds of the same feather.

I turned my back on them and tried really hard to keep my eyes open and focus on what was spewing out of " Mr Crater" mouth.

I groaned with relief when the bell finally rang indicating that class had ended.

"Raine", Lena called. I'm sorry but I won't be following you home today, mum said I should deliver this to elder benedicta after school. She raised up something wrapped up in a blue linen.

"I will see you later", she said.

Even though I am a bit disappointed, I plastered a smile on my face. "Okay", I replied.

Fortunately, I didn't bump into Ronan or any of his gangs on my way out.

Raine pov

I wandered aimlessly after school, I can't go home now because I don't have the patience and strength to take my mum and sister piercing gaze and their sniding remark if I'm yet to feel my wolf.

I just can't, I might snap at mum, and that will make dad really disappointed in me.

There is only one place to go that will welcome me with open arms.

"The Nightshade forest"

I hated the pack's territory.

Hated the way everyone looked at me. Hated the way even the air felt suffocating.

But the forest? The forest was mine.

It was the one place no one followed me. The one place I could pretend i wasn't an embarrassment.

The scent of pine and damp earth filled the air as i walked deeper, inhaling the crisp coolness. The full moon was rising, and in the distance, I could hear wolves shifting, running through the trees.

I tried to picture myself among them.

I had spent years wondering what it would feel like.

To belong. To feel the power of my wolf, wild and unshackled, surging through my veins.

Instead, all i felt was emptiness.

My fingers curled into fists.

"What if I never shift?"

I can understand the pack's frustration.

I will be turning 20 in a few months time and I can't even feel my wolf talkless of shifting.

Most cub can shift before the age of 16 but me.... I sigh.

My sister shifted last full moon and she is not even 16, she will be 16 in a few months time .

There is something definitely wrong with me.

I had spent so long pretending i didn't care, pretending that it didn't tear me apart inside. But the truth was-

It did.

It did, and I hated myself for it.

A sudden rustling snapped me from my thoughts.

My body went rigid.

Something was here. Watching me.

Slowly, I turned-just in time to collide into a broad chest.

I gasped, my breath stalling in my throat as my head snapped up-

And met golden-brown eyes.

Ronan.

His scent hit me first-cedarwood and something dangerous, something wild.

I stumbled back, heart hammering. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Ronan didn't answer right away.

For a moment, he just stared at me, his brows furrowed like I was something he couldn't quite understand.

Like he had been expecting something else.

Then, just as quickly as it came, the look vanished.

He scoffed, crossing his arms. "Relax, wolfless. I wasn't following you. No one would waste their time doing that."

My jaw tightened. "Then leave."

For a second, he didn't move.

And then-he stepped closer.

Not enough to touch. But enough that the air between us tightened. Enough that i could feel the heat radiating off his body, smell the sharp, woodsy scent of his skin.

Something deep in my chest twisted.

"No."

I wouldn't let him get under my skin. Not today.

But then, just as I was about to step back, Ronan's lips parted.

His voice was lower this time. Less mocking.

"You don't belong here."

My stomach dropped.

My hands trembled, but i forced myself to stay still. Forced myself to keep my voice even.

"I know."

The words tasted bitter.

God, I hate him.

Because no matter how much i fought, how much i pretended i didn't care-

I knew it was true.

Something flickered in Ronan's gaze. A sliver of something I couldn't read.

Then, with a shake of his head, he stepped back.

"You're nothing," he muttered.

And then, he turned and disappeared into the woods.

I exhaled shakily, heart pounding as i watched him go.

I didn't know why-but for the first time, his words didn't just sting.

They unsettled me.

As if he didn't believe them.

Raine POV

The forest had always been my refuge. But I couldn't stay there forever.

The walk home was supposed to clear my mind.

I kept my head down, my fingers still curled into fists from my encounter with Ronan. The scent of pine and damp earth faded as I stepped out of the forest and onto the dirt road leading into town. The Bloodmoon Pack's territory stretched around me, the houses growing closer together. I told myself I was fine. That Ronan's words didn't sting.

But the ache in my chest said otherwise.

The air here was different-thicker, suffocating. And then, just as I expected, it soured further.

The first warning came in the form of laughter. Sharp. Mocking.cruel, and too familiar.

I recognized the voices before I even turned around.

"Well, well," Ana Vaughn drawled, crossing her arms. The streetlight cast a golden glow over her sleek blonde waves, her sharp blue eyes glittering with amusement. "Look what crawled out of the woods."

Ana Vaughn-daughter of the current Beta. The pack's golden girl. The one who made sure I never forgot just how far I had fallen.

I used to be someone. My father had been the Second Beta, respected, powerful.

Now, he is dead.

And I was nothing.

Behind Ana, Kelsey and Mira smirked in unison, their perfectly coordinated outfits pristine, as if they hadn't spent the last hour chasing after Ana like well-trained pets.

I clenched my jaw, gripping the strap of my bag tighter. Keep walking. Don't engage.

I moved to step around her, but Kelsey blocked my way.

"Where are you running off to, wolfless?" she sneered. "Back to your little hole?"

The old Raine would've ignored them. Would've kept walking.

But tonight, my patience was running thin.

"Move," I said, my voice even.

Ana gasped dramatically. "Did you hear that, girls? She's growing a spine."

Mira snickered. "Maybe she thinks if she acts tough, she'll finally shift."

The words hit harder than I wanted them to.

"Or maybe," Ana mused, tilting her head, "she finally realizes that no one in this town wants her." Her smile sharpened. "Not her pack. Not her family. And certainly not Ronan."

A flicker of something cruel passed through her eyes. She stepped closer, lowering her voice.

"Even your father would've been ashamed of you."

The world tilted.

I don't remember moving.

One second, I was standing still. The next, my hands had shoved Ana backward, the force of my anger pushing her off balance.

She stumbled, eyes wide. Then her shock turned to rage.

"You little bitch-"

She lunged at me.

Pain exploded across my cheek as her palm connected with my face. The sting made my vision blur, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing me break.

Laughter rang out around me.

"That's not how you behave to those better than you, wolfless."

I clenched my fists. "I don't have time for this."

"But we do," Kelsey chimed, her voice dripping with faux concern. "You've been spending so much time alone, Raine. It's kind of sad."

"More than sad," Mira giggled. "Tragic, really. Beta's daughter should be strong. Respected." She tilted her head, eyes gleaming. "Then again, I guess that's hard when your father isn't around to protect you."

The words hit like a slap.

Because that was the difference between Ana and me.

Her father was still here, still powerful, still making sure the pack treated her like royalty.

Mine was gone.

And with him, everything else.

Ana stepped closer, her lips curling. "Maybe you should just leave already. Save everyone the embarrassment."

For a split second, I almost let the words sink in.

Because they weren't wrong.

My family was ashamed of me. My mother barely looked at me, my sister made sure to remind me I was lesser, and my father...

My father would have never let me be treated this way.

But he wasn't here anymore.

So I did what I always did.

I swallowed the words.

Buried the hurt.

Lowered my gaze-

No.

Not tonight.

Not anymore.

I lifted my chin, meeting Ana's icy gaze head-on. "You're right about one thing," I murmured. "Beta's daughter should be strong. Respected." My lips curled. "But you're just daddy's spoiled little princess, desperate for an Alpha who doesn't even want you."

Ana's smirk vanished.

Kelsey and Mira sucked in sharp breaths, eyes darting toward Ana as if waiting for her to explode.

And she did.

"You bitch-"

Her hand shot out, aiming for my face.

But this time, I caught her wrist before she could land the slap.

Silence.

For the first time, Ana looked surprised.

"You want to hit me?" I asked, my voice calm. Steady. "Do it. But don't expect me to just take it anymore."

A flash of something dark crossed her face-anger, disbelief, maybe even the smallest trace of unease.

Kelsey and Mira shifted uncomfortably.

Ana yanked her arm free.

"You'll regret that," she hissed, her voice lower now, full of promise.

Maybe.

But as I turned and walked

away, shoulders squared, heart pounding, I realized something.

For the first time in years, I wasn't just enduring.

I was fighting back.