His Broken Luna: The Omega He Discarded

The pre-dawn air bites at my skin as I slip out of the house, my training bag slung over my shoulder. Five AM is the only time I can use the pack gym without running into anyone who matters. The only time I can be myself without judgment. My breath fogs in the October morning as I jog the quarter mile to the training facility. Most of the pack is still asleep, which is exactly how I like it. Less people means less chances for humiliation. The gym is blessedly empty when I arrive. I drop my bag by the weights and start my warm-up routine, the familiar movements settling my nerves. This is my sanctuary. The one place where being the Beta's disappointing daughter doesn't matter. I'm halfway through my second set of pull-ups when I hear the door open behind me. "Well, well. Look who's trying to play warrior." I don't need to turn around to recognize Kaley's voice. My stomach drops. She never comes to morning training. None of them do. I finish my rep before dropping to the floor and turning to face her. Kaley stands in the doorway with her two shadows, Marnie and Jeanie, all three of them looking far too awake for this ungodly hour. "Just training," I say quietly, reaching for my water bottle. "Training?" Kaley laughs, a sharp sound that echoes off the concrete walls. "For what? The eating competition at the pack picnic?" Marnie and Jeanie snicker on cue. I've learned over the years that responding only makes it worse, so I stay silent and start gathering my things. "We're not done talking to you," Kaley says, stepping into my path. "I have to get ready for school." I try to move around her, but Jeanie blocks me from the other side. "You know what your problem is, Skylar?" Kaley leans in close enough that I can smell her expensive perfume. "You think you're special because your dad is Beta. But everyone knows the truth. You're the reason your mom is dead. You're worthless." The words hit like physical blows, but I've heard them before. I've heard them so many times they've lost some of their edge. Almost. "Move," I say, surprised by the steadiness in my voice. Kaley's eyes narrow. "Make me." For a second, I consider it. I could take all three of them easily. My training is light years ahead of theirs, even if nobody knows it. But fighting back means attention, and attention means my father finding out, and that never ends well for me. I step back instead, watching as triumph flashes across Kaley's face. "That's what I thought." She turns to leave, then pauses. "Oh, and Skylar? Stay away from the guys at school. Cameron asked about you yesterday, and we wouldn't want him getting the wrong idea about what you are." They leave in a cloud of perfume and cruel laughter. I wait until the door closes before letting out the breath I'd been holding. Cameron asked about me? That doesn't make sense. Cameron is one of my brother's best friends, one of the future Alphas. He's never so much as looked at me directly. I shake my head, dismissing it as another one of Kaley's mind games. She probably made it up just to mess with me. The locker room is still empty when I shower and change for school. I take my time, knowing that timing is everything. Leave too early and I run into my brother Mateo and his friends. Leave too late and I have to walk into school alone, which makes me an easy target. I've perfected the art of arriving at exactly 7:47 AM. Late enough that the popular kids are already in the building, early enough that the hallways are still crowded enough for me to disappear into. Today, my timing is off. I round the corner to the main entrance and nearly collide with a group standing directly in my path. My brother Mateo stands with Cameron, Dakota, Sam, and Oliver. The future leaders of our pack, all gathered like some kind of teenage wolf royalty. "Sorry," I mutter, trying to slip past. "Skylar." Cameron's voice stops me. "Wait a second." I freeze, confused. Cameron has never said my name before. I turn slowly, expecting some kind of joke. He's looking at me with an expression I can't quite read. Curiosity, maybe? "You train in the mornings, right? At the pack gym?" My heart hammers. How does he know that? "Sometimes." "Liar," Mateo cuts in, his voice cold. "She doesn't train. She can barely do a push-up." Oliver snickers. "Remember when she tried to spar with us in eighth grade? I thought she was going to cry." The memory burns. I had cried, but only after I got home. Only where no one could see. "I've seen her there," Cameron says, still watching me. "Early mornings. She's pretty good actually." The silence that follows is deafening. Mateo's face flushes red. "You're wrong. She's not—" "I'm not wrong." Cameron's Alpha authority bleeds into his voice, just enough to make everyone shut up. "I've been running surveillance on the training facility usage. For the security committee," he adds, like that explains everything. My face burns with humiliation and something else I can't name. He's been watching me? "Whatever," Mateo says, his jaw tight. "We're going to be late." They move past me as a unit, but Cameron glances back once. Our eyes meet for just a second before he turns away. The rest of the school day passes in its usual blur of trying to be invisible. I eat lunch in the library, finish my homework during study hall, and avoid the bathroom where Kaley and her friends usually congregate. It's in my last class, AP Calculus, that things get interesting. "We have a new student joining us today," Mrs. Chen announces. "Sierra, would you like to introduce yourself?" A girl walks in, and the entire room goes quiet. She's tall, confident, with dark hair and golden eyes that scan the room like she's assessing threats. She's beautiful in a way that makes even Kaley look ordinary. "I'm Sierra," she says simply. "Just transferred from the Western Territory." "Wonderful. You can sit next to Skylar in the back." Mrs. Chen gestures to the empty seat beside me. Every head turns to look at me. I sink lower in my chair, wanting to disappear. Of course the new girl has to sit next to the pack's designated loser. Sierra doesn't seem to care. She walks to the back with the kind of easy grace that speaks of serious training and slides into the seat beside me. "Hey," she says quietly, pulling out her notebook. "Hi," I whisper back, not quite meeting her eyes. Mrs. Chen starts the lesson, and I try to focus on derivatives and integrals, but I can feel Sierra watching me. It's not hostile like Kaley's stares, or dismissive like my brother's. It's curious. When the bell rings, I grab my stuff quickly, hoping to escape before awkward small talk becomes necessary. "Skylar, right?" Sierra's voice catches me halfway to the door. I turn reluctantly. "Yeah." "I heard you train at the pack gym in the mornings." She smiles, and it's genuine. "I'm looking for a sparring partner. Interested?" My mouth opens, but no words come out. Is she serious? Nobody wants to train with me. Nobody except— "I saw you this morning," Sierra continues, lowering her voice. "Before those girls came in. Your form on those pull-ups was perfect. And your footwork during shadow boxing? That's not amateur stuff." Heat floods my face. "You were watching me?" "The gym has windows." She shrugs. "I'm an early riser. Couldn't sleep, went for a walk, happened to see you training. You're really good, Skylar. Way too good to be working out alone." I don't know what to say. Compliments aren't something I'm used to receiving. "Think about it," Sierra says, heading for the door. She pauses, glancing back. "Oh, and those girls? The ones who cornered you this morning? They're amateurs trying to look tough. Don't let them get in your head." She's gone before I can respond, leaving me standing in an empty classroom with my world tilted slightly off its axis. Someone noticed me. Someone saw me training and didn't mock me or dismiss me. Someone called me good. I gather my things slowly, processing. This could be a trick. Another elaborate scheme to humiliate me. Kaley's done worse. But something about Sierra's directness, her confidence, felt real. I'm so lost in thought that I don't notice the crowd gathered in the hallway until I'm right in the middle of it. "There she is!" Kaley's voice rings out. "The Beta's little waste of space." My stomach drops. This is bad. Public confrontations always are. I try to push through the crowd, but hands shove me back into the center of the circle. Kaley stands across from me, Marnie and Jeanie flanking her like always. "I heard Cameron talked to you today," Kaley says, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Want to tell everyone what that was about?" "Nothing. It was nothing." "Really? Because it looked like he was actually having a conversation with you. Which is weird, right? Why would a future Alpha waste time on someone like you?" The crowd murmurs. I can feel their eyes on me, judging, waiting for me to break. "Leave her alone, Kaley." The voice comes from behind me. I turn to see Sierra pushing through the crowd, her expression calm but her eyes hard as stone. "Who the hell are you?" Kaley demands. "Someone who doesn't like bullies." Sierra steps up beside me, close enough that our shoulders touch. "Back off." Kaley laughs, but there's uncertainty in it now. "You don't know who you're messing with, new girl." "Don't I?" Sierra tilts her head. "You're the Gamma's daughter. Kaley, right? I've heard about you. Mediocre grades, mediocre warrior skills, but great at making other people feel small to make yourself feel big." The hallway goes dead silent. Kaley's face turns red. "You b***h—" "That's enough." Everyone freezes. Cameron stands at the edge of the crowd, his Alpha authority rolling off him in waves. Dakota stands beside him, her expression unreadable. "Everyone get to class," Cameron orders. "Now." The crowd disperses immediately. Only Kaley hesitates, shooting me a look of pure hatred before storming off with her friends. Cameron's eyes find mine. "You okay?" I nod, not trusting my voice. He looks like he wants to say more, but Dakota touches his arm and they leave together. "Well," Sierra says cheerfully. "That was fun. Want to grab coffee and talk about how we're going to make your bullies' lives hell?" I stare at her. "What?" "You heard me." She grins. "I didn't transfer here to make friends with the popular kids, Skylar. I transferred here because I heard there was a Beta's daughter who could take down warriors twice her size but let everyone treat her like garbage. I wanted to see if it was true." My head spins. "How did you—" "My uncle is Delta Kyle. He runs the elite training program." Sierra's expression softens. "He told me about you. About how good you are, and how nobody knows it. About how you deserve better than what this pack has given you." Delta Kyle talked about me? To his niece? "So here's what's going to happen," Sierra continues. "Tomorrow morning, we train together. Then we're going to show this whole pack exactly who Skylar really is. Deal?" I should say no. I should walk away and keep my head down like always. But something in Sierra's eyes, some spark of genuine friendship and fierce protectiveness, makes me want to be brave. "Deal," I hear myself say. Sierra's grin could light up the whole hallway. "Perfect. See you at five AM. And Skylar? Bring your A-game. I don't go easy on my friends." She walks away, leaving me standing alone in the empty hallway with my heart pounding and something that feels dangerously like hope blooming in my chest. For the first time in years, I can't wait for tomorrow.