REJECTED BY THE ALPHA, CLAIMED BY FATE

It Begings

We made our way back to the townhouse, shifted, and showered. As I crawled into bed—my bed, in my home, in my new pack—I felt exhausted but peaceful.

Tomorrow would bring orientation, meeting new people, starting classes. Tomorrow would bring challenges and adjustments and probably some moments of pain when something reminded me of what I'd lost.

But tonight, for the first time since Garrett Blackwood had shattered my world, I let myself believe that I had a future worth living.

I picked up my phone one last time before sleep, scrolling through social media out of habit. And there, of course, was a post from Silverpine's official pack page: a photo of Garrett and Vivian at some pack function, her hand on his arm, both of them smiling for the camera.

*"Alpha Garrett and Luna-to-be Vivian at tonight's Council Dinner. #PackStrong #FutureLeadership"*

I stared at the photo for a long moment, waiting for the pain to hit. It came, but it was duller now, more distant. Like looking at a scar that had healed enough that it no longer bled at the slightest touch.

I closed the app and set my phone aside.

"I hope you're happy, Garrett," I whispered into the darkness. "I really do. Because I'm going to be."

And for the first time, I actually believed it.

Aurora purred her agreement deep in my mind as I drifted off to sleep, dreaming not of what I'd lost, but of what I might find.

I had no way of knowing that in just a few days, I would walk into a crowded room and catch a scent that would change everything.

Pine and rain and something wild.

The scent of my second chance.

The scent of Alpha Kael Nightshade.

But tonight, I slept peacefully, a rejected omega's daughter who had crossed borders into a new territory, a new life, and the beginning of a destiny far greater than she could possibly imagine.