I WAS HIS MATE-NOW I'M HIS PUNISHMENT.

Emily's pov. The wind was soft that night, it was brushing against my skin like a whisper. The Harvest Moon Festival was the biggest event of the year in our pack. Music played, wolves danced under the stars, and laughter echoed through the trees. I stood at the edge, like I always did—watching, but never joining. I'm Emily Dawson. An omega and a simple herbalist. I don't belong in the spotlight. I was always looked down on and humiliated in the pack, but that night everything changed. “Elijah’s looking at you,” My friend Naomi whispered, nudging me with her elbow. I softly laughed, shaking my head. “Don't joke with me like that”. “I'm not,” she said. “Look. He's coming this way”. My heart skipped. Elijah. The Alpha's son. The future Alpha. Tall, strong, confident. He was everything I wasn't. So why would someone like him look at someone like me? But he did. “Emily, right?” He asked, his voice low and smooth. I nodded, too shocked to speak. “You wanna get out of here?” He asked. I hesitated. I should’ve said no. I should've walked away, but it was hard to resist his look and his voice. All these made my skin tingle….. “Okay,” I whispered. We snuck away from the festival and walked through the forest. The moon was full, glowing above us like a silent witness. We sat near the lake, just talking. He made me laugh. He made me feel… seen. Then his hand brushed mine. Then his lips touched mine. One kiss turned into many. His hands were gentle. His touch burned. That night, under the stars, we shared something I thought was real. I gave him all of me. And in that moment, I truly believed the Moon Goddess had chosen me. But I was wrong. I found him near the training grounds the next morning. I smiled, ready to greet him, but he looked at me like I was a stranger. “Don't look at me like that,” he sharply said. I froze. “Elijah?”. “That night was a mistake, don't even think it was intentional”. He said. “To be honest I don't know what I was thinking”. My throat tightened. “But you said—”. “I said nothing,” he cut me off. “You're not my mate. I can't even imagine this happening”. And just like that, my heart broke. He walked away while the others watched. I heard the whispers. The snickers. Omegas don’t sleep with Alphas. I felt dirty. Small. Ashamed. I stopped going to the market. I skipped healer duties. I hid in my cottage and only came out when I had to. Naomi visited once, but I couldn’t talk. I just cried. Weeks passed. My world turned quiet and gray. Then one morning, I woke up and rushed to the bathroom. I threw up again. The third day in a row. My fingers trembled as I touched my stomach. No. No, it couldn’t be. But deep down, I knew. I was pregnant. “Elijah's child….” I whispered to myself, staring at the small clay mirror on the wall. Fear settled in my chest like ice. What would the pack do to me? What would Elijah say? Would he deny it again? Would he call me a liar? Or acknowledge the fact that it was a mistake again. I didn't know what to do. My mind raced in contemplation. The night became restless. I stayed awake lying in bed with my hands over my belly. “I don't even know if you're real or if it's just my imagination,” I whispered. “But if you are….I promise to protect you”. The next morning I went into the woods to gather herbs. I needed something to calm my nerves, something for the sickness, and something that would help me think. “Emily?”. I quickly turned. Elijah stood there shirtless, his chest glistening with sweat from the training. My heart thudded painfully in my chest. “What exactly do you want? Why are you even treating me this way? He looked uncomfortable. “I didn't mean what I said. That day I was just panicking. “Packniking?” I bitterly laughed. “You humiliated me in front of everyone and you called that panicking?”. “I know,” He said, stepping closer. “I know I messed up but I can't stop thinking about you”. I looked away. “You don't have to do this”. He reached for my hands but I pulled back. “Please Emily, just let me explain things to you so you can understand better”. “There is nothing better to explain here” I quietly said. “You made it clear already what I mean to you”. His eyes darkened. “I never said you meant nothing to me”. “But you made me feel like nothing”. He was silent for a moment, neither of us spoke. Then I said it. “I might be pregnant”. His whole body froze. “What? Pregnant?”. I looked him in the eyes. “I'm late. Sick. I haven't checked with the healer yet, but….I think it's yours”. Elijah blinked. His mouth opened and closed like he couldn't breathe. “Are you sure of what you're saying?” He finally asked. I shook my head. “No. But If I am. What then?”. “I'll take care of it,” He quickly said. “It?” I snapped. “You mean the child?”. He looked unsure. “I didn't mean it like that”. I turned to walk away. “You don't get to pick and choose when this matters”. “Elijah!” Someone shouted in the distance. It was his father—the Alpha. “Meeting now!”. He glanced back at me. “We'll talk after the meeting. I promise”. I kept mute without answers. I went back to my cottage, locked the door, and cried until my throat hurt. Later that night. Naomi came over. I told her everything. “Do you want to keep it?” She gently asked. I could feel some sharp piercings on my belly. So I placed my hand on my stomach. “I don’t know what to do now. But I don’t want Elijah to pretend to care just because of a child, he may hurt me more.” “You just have to be careful, Emily. Don’t make a decision now. Just think it over again,” she said. “But whatever you choose… I’m with you.” Her words were like a healing balm; I could feel its nerves all over me. Without hesitation, I quickly left her and walked through the woods when I felt the sharp pain again in my belly. I fell to my knees, gasping. My skin felt hot, and my wolf stirred inside me. My wolf had been silent for months. Ever since Elijah rejected me. What's happening to me now? How do I handle this pain all alone?