Mate! Mate! Death.
“Mate! Mate! Mate!” My wolf kept screaming, but I was terrified. It was a mixture of emotions I couldn’t even name—scared, yet somehow hopeful. Having a mate could be a blessing, or it could be my death sentence.
I was already the mockery of the town, a disgrace to my clan. No one wanted me. If my mate rejected me in this state, I knew I would die. I looked down at myself; my clothes were nothing but tattered rags. I had just finished taking a beating from my colleagues. They treated me worse than a dog simply because I was an Omega, and in this clan, werewolves didn't even consider Omegas to be part of the pack.
My own parents hated me for it. When I didn't shift at fifteen like the others, they held onto a tiny bit of hope that I was just a "late bloomer" with some kind of special power. That hope was the only thing that kept them kind to me.
I will never forget the night I finally met Veronica, my wolf.
It felt like my body was on fire, like a thousand stinging ants were crawling over my skin. I could hear my bones snapping and reshaping. Right there, in the center of the town, I transformed.
Then, everything went silent.
The silence was worse than the abuse. The first voice I heard was my mother’s.
"She is a disgrace to the whole family," she said.
I didn't fully understand what was happening, but I felt the disappointment radiating off her. When I tried to reach out to her for comfort, she slapped me and pushed me away. My wolf couldn't tolerate the rejection; she retreated, leaving me alone and human again. One word rang in my head: Disappointment.
"Queen, you are a disappointment," my mom repeated.
I sat there naked on the cold ground. I saw people’s lips moving, heard them laughing, but I was deaf to it all. My mother didn't even bother to give me a towel to cover myself. She just walked away, leaving me shattered and ashamed, without showing a single ounce of mercy.
My dad didn't care either. No one did.
Then at school, the bullying never stopped rather it increased.
People dumped food on my hair and pricked my skin just to see me bleed. They hated me because I was weak, and they took turns using me as a tool to vent their anger.
That's how I ended up here. A she-wolf attacked me earlier, hitting me with her full strength until I was shaking in a pool of my own blood. My colleagues had beaten me black and blue before tossing me into the forest to die.
And in this moment, between life and death, I heard my wolf shout: “Mate! Mate! Mate!”
I didn't want to look up. I was scared that my only escape would turn out to be my doom. I knew that if he rejected me, nothing could save me.
Slowly, I raised my eyes and saw him. He was handsome, standing there in his full glory. For a split second, I thought I might finally be accepted. Then I saw his face. He was looking at me with pure disgust.
If my own family wouldn't accept me, why would the Alpha’s son?
I looked back down, my heart was sinking. I braved the pain and forced myself to stand up, wrapping my arms around my bruised, half-naked body to cover the soul-crushing shame. I looked down as a sign of respect, realizing then that the Moon Goddess was just playing a cruel joke on me.
"I will never choose someone like you," Kelvin said, a sneer plastered on his face.
"Please, wait! Don't reject me! I’m going to die if you reject me," I pleaded, falling to his feet.
He didn't hesitate. He kicked me away. My heart didn't just break; it shattered. This man was supposed to cherish me. He was supposed to love me more than my parents ever could, regardless of my rank. Instead, there was only hatred in his eyes.
"I look dirty, and I know you don't want me," I sobbed, begging for my life. "I’m not someone who deserves your love, but please, don't reject me now. I’m weak... my wolf isn't strong enough. I promise I won't disturb you. I'll keep it a secret!"
Kelvin looked down at me coldly. "What makes you think I care whether you live or die? You're just some disgusting Omega trying to work your way up. Being mated to someone like you is the worst mistake of my life."
He began to kick me again. I coughed up blood, gasping for air. "Please... take pity on me... stop..."
But Kelvin didn't stop. He kept hitting me with such force that I knew I wouldn't make it. I looked into the eyes of the man who was supposed to love me, and realized he was the one taking my life.
"I hate you, Kelvin," I whispered with the last of my energy.
As I lost consciousness and everything went dark, the last thing I saw was the happy, satisfied look on Kelvin’s face while I fought for my life.
