The Omega He Rejected, The Luna He Could Not Forget

Aurelia's POV "Get on your knees, Omega!" The command cracked through the training ground like a whip. My knees hit the dirt before my mind could even process what was happening. Laughter erupted around me. The sound burned worse than the bruises covering my body. I kept my eyes lowered because looking at them only made the humiliation worse. There were nearly fifty wolves gathered around the combat ring. Some were warriors,some were trainees,others had simply come to watch. Watch me fail,again. "You call that a dodge?" Delta Rowan scoffed. The tall she-wolf folded her arms across her chest. "Even a pup could move faster than that." More laughter. A familiar ache settled in my chest. I was twenty-two years old. An adult wolf,yet I couldn't shift. Couldn't fight,couldn't defend myself. In the Silver Crest Pack, that made me worthless. "Get up." I slowly rose to my feet. My legs trembled. The training session had already lasted nearly an hour. An hour of being thrown around like a rag doll. An hour of public embarrassment. An hour of proving everyone right. Rowan circled me. Her wolf glimmered behind her eyes. Enjoying every second. "You know why you're here, don't you?" I swallowed. "No." Her smile widened. "Because the Alpha is tired of weaklings embarrassing this pack." The mention of Alpha Ragnar immediately tightened my stomach. Everyone knew how he felt about me. The entire pack knew. I wasn't strong,I wasn't useful. I wasn't worthy of existing in his eyes. "Defend yourself!" Rowan lunged. I barely managed to move. Her fist slammed into my shoulder. Pain exploded through my arm. I stumbled backward. Cheers erupted from the crowd. "Pathetic." "She didn't even block it." "How is she still alive?" I heard every word. Every insult. Every laugh. Every cruel whisper. My fingers curled into fists. I wanted to leave,I wanted to disappear. But if I walked away, they would only make things worse. "Again," Rowan ordered. She attacked,I barely dodged The crowd fell silent. A small victory. Rowan's eyes narrowed. She attacked faster. This time I saw it coming and I ducked. Her strike missed. Gasps rippled through the training ground. For the first time all morning, Rowan looked annoyed. "Lucky." Maybe. But something felt different today. I couldn't explain it. My senses felt sharper. The movements around me seemed clearer. Almost as if something inside me had suddenly awakened. "Again." Rowan rushed me. Left,tight,turned and moved I reacted instinctively. My body moved before I thought. The attack missed. Then another,and another. Murmurs spread through the crowd. "Did she just dodge that?" "No way." "An omega?" My heartbeat thundered. I wasn't winning,not even close. But I wasn't getting hit anymore so I wasn't completely helpless. Rowan growled. The sound was low and dangerous. Her wolf was getting angry,very angry. "You think this is a game?" "No." "Then stop making me look foolish." The crowd shifted uneasily. Rowan had stopped training. Now she wanted revenge. Fear crawled down my spine. "Delta Rowan," I said quietly. "Maybe we should stop." Her eyes flashed gold. "No!" The air suddenly grew heavier. The crowd backed away. Someone whispered nervously. "She's shifting." My stomach dropped. This wasn't supposed to happen. Pack law prohibited full transformations during training. Rowan clearly didn't care. Bones cracked,muscles expanded and fur burst through the skin. Within seconds, a massive gray wolf stood before me. Twice my size,Its teeth gleamed. Its growl vibrated through the ground beneath my feet. Panic ran inside me,I couldn't fight a wolf. I couldn't even shift,how did I expect to fight? The crowd began shouting. "Rowan!" "Stop!" "That's enough!" She ignored them. The wolf lunged,everything slowed. A collective gasp rose from the training ground. The beast flew toward me. Death raced straight at my throat. Move The word ran inside my head. Move! I threw myself sideways. The wolf crashed into the dirt where I had been standing. Shock spread through the crowd. No one expected me to avoid that attack. Least of all Rowan. The wolf spun around being furious and murderous. I scrambled backward. My heart hammered against my ribs. I couldn't survive another attack,not from a Delta,not from a fully shifted wolf. The beast charged again. I could smell its breath,see its teeth. Hear the pounding of its paws. Then….A powerful voice shattered the chaos. "ENOUGH!" Everything stopped,every wolf froze and its head turned. Even Rowan's wolf immediately lowered itself. Alpha. Fear swept through the crowd. I looked up and there he was. Ragnar Blackthorne. The most feared Alpha in the region. Tall,broad-shouldered and dressed in black. His silver eyes scanned the training ground. Power radiated from him. The pressure of his Alpha aura forced several younger wolves to bow their heads. Including me. I hated that my body reacted automatically. I hated how weak it made me feel. Ragnar's gaze landed on Rowan. "What exactly are you doing?" Rowan immediately shifted back. "I was teaching the omega a lesson." The Alpha looked toward me. For one brief second our eyes met. There was nothing special between us. Nothing except years of disappointment. His expression hardened. "Teaching?" Rowan nodded. "She embarrassed the training division." Ragnar looked me over. The dirt on my clothes,the bruises. The trembling in my hands. Then he spoke. "She embarrasses the entire pack." The words hit harder than any punch. The crowd instantly relaxed,some even smirked. Because their Alpha had confirmed what they always believed. I wasn't worth defending. I lowered my gaze. Ragnar stepped closer. The training ground became eerily quiet. "You are twenty-two." His voice was sharp. "Still unable to shift." I remained silent. "Still unable to fight." "Still unable to contribute anything useful." Each sentence felt like another wound. "Tell me, Aurelia." His gaze locked onto mine. "What purpose do you serve this pack?" The question stole my breath. The crowd watched,enjoying every moment of this. I opened my mouth but nothing came out. Because I didn't know,maybe they were right. Maybe I truly was useless. Ragnar scoffed. "Exactly." Humiliation burned through me. Then suddenly. A scream echoed from beyond the northern gate,everyone froze. Another scream followed. Then another. The smell hit seconds later. Fresh blood. Fear swept through the training ground. A warrior came sprinting across the compound. His face was pale. His clothes were torn. "Alpha!" Ragnar immediately turned. "What happened?" The warrior struggled to breathe. "Rogue wolves." The crowd erupted. "What?" "Inside our territory?" "How?" The warrior pointed toward the forest. "There are dozens of them." Ragnar's expression darkened. Every trace of annoyance vanished. The Alpha emerged,the leader. The warrior. "The Alpha commands!" someone shouted. Instantly the entire pack mobilized. Warriors rushed toward the gates. Betas barked orders. The training ground exploded into chaos. Ragnar turned. "All civilians return to the residential sector!" No one argued,including me. I started backing away. Then another scream tore through the air. A terrified she-wolf stumbled through the gate. Blood covered her body. Her eyes were wild with terror. "The rogues broke through the northern line!" Then she pointed directly behind us. My blood turned cold because standing at the edge of the training ground,was a massive black rogue wolf. Its eyes glowed red,Its muzzle dripped with blood. More wolves emerged from the trees. The rogue leader stared directly at me. Then it growled. A low,terrifying,predatory sound and suddenly every rogue wolf charged straight toward the training ground.