The Rejected Luna’s Rebirth

Chapter 5: Sparks Of Change

Teresa’s POV

I was carrying a bucket of water walking around the training grounds in the sweltering morning sun. The grunts of the warriors were already resonating in the air as they sparred. Like usual, most people ignored me, but wherever I went, I could still hear says. The coward's daughter, the weak omega, the outcast girl.

I tried to look down, but then I noticed him. A young omega boy had been cornered close to the shed by a warrior twice my size. The kid appeared to be around ten years old. As the warrior snarled at him, he shook while holding a loaf of bread.

The man yelled, "Thief!" and gave the youngster a violent shove. “Are you brave enough to pilfer from the pack kitchens? You ought to be beaten.”

Tears welled up in the boy's big eyes. My chest constricted. I understood what it was like to be little, defenseless, and unimportant.

“Please,” the boy said, “I was hungry, sir.”

The warrior reached up to hit him. Before my intellect could keep up, my body moved.

"Stop!" I yelled and let the bucket fall, causing the hard water to splash on the ground.

All heads turned. There was silence in the training yard. Despite my racing heart, I made myself move to put myself between the boy and the warrior.

I trembled as I urged, "Don't touch him."

The warrior looked down at me with a sneer. “And who's going to stop me? You?”

I swallowed hard, but something new arose like fire inside of me. “He's only a kid. Fight someone your size if you want to.”

The crowd echoed with gasps. As the weak omega, no one anticipated that I would respond to a warrior.

The man's expression grew gloomy. "Are you willing to challenge me?"

Behind me, the boy whimpered. In my head, my wolf's voice snarled. Keep him safe. We are no longer weak.

I balled my fists up. "Yes."

The warrior sprang at me, but I was faster than I could recall and ducked to the side. He swiped the air with his fist. My wolf propelled me on, directing my actions. I seized his arm and twisted with unexpected strength when he swung again. His eyes flashed with shock as he staggered.

"How…what…" he said quietly.

I pushed him away. He groaned as he hit the ground hard. The murmurs became louder.

"Did Teresa simply retaliate?"

"Not possible. She is an omega.

"She confronted him head-on."

Red with embarrassment, the warrior scurried to his feet, but a snarling roar shook the ground before he could strike again.

"Enough!"

I screamed. Standing at the edge of the yard was Jordan, the Alpha. As he surveyed the scene, his golden eyes flared. Warriors instantly bowed, but I froze, feeling hot beneath his stare.

Jordan advanced with authority in every step. His eyes shifted from the terrified youngster to the warrior lying on the ground, and then back to me as he came to a halt a few feet away.

He said in a loud voice, "What happened here?"

The warrior staggered and gestured toward me. "Alpha, she…she got in the way. Food was stolen by the boy. He was being punished by me, and she…”

"She what?" Jordan interrupted, his tone piercing.

"She put me to the test."

Jordan looked at me abruptly. I briefly felt the connection pulsing in my chest like fire when our eyes met. His wolf, restless and savage, pressed up against mine. I resisted the urge to look away.

"Is that accurate, Teresa?" he inquired in an unintelligible tone.

My legs shook, but I raised my chin. "Yes, Alpha. A child was being harmed by him. I couldn't allow it to occur.”

There was a long pause. Everyone was observing.

Jordan's eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened as though he was trying to read my mind. Then he nodded briefly. "There will be no punishment for the boy. Bring him to the kitchens and give him some food.’’

Once more, the audience gasped. The boy gripped my skirt and sniffed with relief.

Jordan turned to the warrior and said, "As for you, if you misuse your might, it means nothing. This week, report to training duty each night. Dismissed.”

The warrior stormed off, humbled and humiliated.

Jordan looked back at me. Something I couldn't identify was burning in his eyes. My heart was racing. He didn't treat me like trash for the first time. He seems... uneasy.

In an attempt to conceal the heat that was building in my face, I bowed rapidly. "I'm grateful, Alpha."

He didn't respond. His greedy and possessive wolf growl reverberated softly in my chest. It scared and perplexed me. I spun around and rushed off, the boy still holding on to me.

I heard whispers close to the training hall later that day. Evelyn's piercing voice came naturally.

"Marcus, she's dangerous," Evelyn growled.

The Beta, Marcus, calmly retorted, "You're overstating things."

"No, I'm not! Didn't you notice how she was viewed by everyone today? What if an omega defeated a warrior? She's attempting to attract notice. She will use it to gain favor with Jordan.”

With my heart pounding, I pressed in closer.

Marcus let out a sigh. “Teresa is nothing, Evelyn. Weak blood. Jordan had already turned her down.”

"So why did he give her that look today?" Evelyn lost her temper. "You witnessed it. I witnessed it. His wolf responded. That link is still alive. If she starts to pose a threat to me…”

She stopped talking, but I understood what she was saying. She desired my departure.

Before they could catch me eavesdropping, I slipped away. Even though my hands were shaking, my inner wolf said, "Let them plot. Our strength has increased.”

I tried to quiet my mind by sitting by the river that evening as the sun was setting. Though my chest felt heavy, the water shimmered, serene and beautiful.

Why did Jordan give me that look? When I stood in front of him, why did his wolf growl? I was enraged by the memory.

The air suddenly changed. The leaves rustled. My wolf snarled. Risk.

When I closed my eyes, a vision of dark forms with crimson eyes and exposed teeth crawling along the boundary came to me. Rogues. Too many.

I opened my eyes, gasping for air. There was no dream here. It served as a warning. A present from the Goddess of the Moon.

"No," I said.

The attack was coming. And earlier than in my previous life.

I screamed my chest while gazing up at the fading sky.

"This time, the war is starting earlier," I said, my voice shaking.

My words were carried into the night by the howling wind.