THE REJECTED OMEGA

Your Majesty

The forest fell silent.

Not the peaceful silence of nature.

The terrifying silence that came before death.

Lyra's heartbeat thundered in her ears as she slowly backed away from the circle of rogue wolves.

One.

Two.

Three steps.

The rogues matched every movement.

Their crimson eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight, and their lips curled into cruel smiles.

The largest among them, a scar-covered man with tangled black hair, stepped forward. A long claw-shaped scar stretched across his left eye, making him appear even more menacing.

"So," he sneered, sniffing the air, "the Silver Moon Pack has thrown away one of its own."

The other rogues laughed.

"I can still smell the Mate Bond on her."

"Poor thing."

"Rejected on her Ceremony Day."

"What a pathetic ending."

Lyra clenched her trembling fists.

"I... I don't want any trouble."

The scarred rogue burst into laughter.

"You don't get to decide that."

He looked at the others.

"Brothers... she's alone."

"No Alpha."

"No warriors."

"No wolf."

"What do you think we should do?"

The forest echoed with cruel laughter.

One rogue licked his lips.

"We haven't eaten since yesterday."

Another grinned wickedly.

"She'll make a decent meal."

A third added,

"Or perhaps we should keep her alive for a little while."

Their laughter grew louder.

Lyra's face turned pale.

She turned and ran.

Branches whipped against her arms as she sprinted through the dense forest.

Behind her—

"Catch her!"

The rogues exploded into motion.

Their feet pounded against the earth.

Their growls grew closer with every passing second.

Lyra dared not look back.

She knew she couldn't outrun wolves.

Not without a wolf of her own.

She leaped over fallen logs, squeezed between thick trees, and stumbled down a steep hill.

Her lungs burned.

Her vision blurred.

Then—

Her foot caught on an exposed root.

"Ah!"

She crashed hard onto the forest floor.

Pain shot through her ankle.

Before she could stand—

A massive rogue landed in front of her.

His claws dug into the earth.

Another appeared behind her.

Then another.

Within seconds...

She was surrounded once again.

The scarred leader slowly approached, applauding mockingly.

"That was entertaining."

He crouched until his face was only inches from hers.

"You know..."

"I've always wondered."

"What does a rejected mate taste like?"

The rogues roared with laughter.

Lyra squeezed her eyes shut.

"Moon Goddess..."

"If this is where my life ends..."

"Please..."

"Let it end quickly."

The scarred rogue raised his claws.

"Goodbye, little omega."

A deafening howl split the night.

Every rogue froze.

The sound wasn't loud because of its volume.

It was loud because of its authority.

It carried power.

Dominance.

Ancient terror.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

The scarred rogue's smile vanished.

"No..."

His body began trembling.

"Impossible..."

Another howl echoed across the mountains.

This one was closer.

Much closer.

The ground began to shake.

Birds burst from the trees in panic.

The rogues looked around frantically.

"What is happening?"

"I don't know!"

"I can't move!"

Without warning—

A gigantic black wolf emerged from the darkness.

It was unlike any wolf Lyra had ever seen.

Its fur was darker than the night itself.

Silver markings shimmered across its body like moonlight dancing on water.

Its piercing silver eyes glowed with an ancient intelligence.

It stood nearly twice the size of an ordinary werewolf.

The air itself seemed to bow before it.

The rogues instinctively lowered their heads.

One even fell to his knees.

"A... Lycan..."

"No..."

The scarred leader's voice shook violently.

"That's impossible..."

"The Lycans disappeared centuries ago..."

The black wolf said nothing.

It simply looked at the rogues.

That single glance was enough.

Every rogue felt death staring into their soul.

The scarred leader swallowed hard.

"W-We were just leaving."

He slowly backed away.

The wolf took one step forward.

A terrifying pressure crashed over the forest.

Several rogues collapsed instantly.

Others coughed blood.

Lyra stared in disbelief.

The wolf hadn't attacked.

It had merely walked.

The scarred leader shouted,

"RUN!"

The rogues scattered in every direction.

None of them made it more than a few steps.

The black wolf moved.

Lyra barely saw it.

One moment it stood before her.

The next—

It was behind the first rogue.

A single swipe.

The rogue fell.

Another leap.

A second rogue was thrown against a tree.

A third.

A fourth.

The battle lasted less than a minute.

When the forest became quiet again...

Every rogue lay unconscious or dead.

Not a single one had managed to fight back.

Lyra could only stare.

"How...?"

"What kind of wolf is this?"

The enormous wolf slowly turned toward her.

Its silver eyes met hers.

Instead of fear...

Lyra felt strangely calm.

The wolf approached.

Each step was slow and deliberate.

When it finally stood before her, it lowered its massive head.

Its nose gently brushed the silver pendant around her neck.

The pendant began to glow.

A brilliant silver light spread across the clearing.

The wolf's eyes widened.

For the first time, emotion appeared in them.

Relief.

Recognition.

Almost... joy.

Then the light vanished.

The wolf stepped back.

Its body became surrounded by silver mist.

Lyra watched in astonishment as the enormous beast slowly transformed.

The black fur disappeared.

The powerful body shrank.

When the mist finally cleared...

A tall man stood where the wolf had been.

He appeared to be in his mid-twenties.

His black hair fell neatly over his forehead, and his silver eyes shone like the moon itself.

He wore a long black coat embroidered with ancient silver symbols.

There wasn't a single drop of blood on him despite the battle.

He looked at Lyra silently.

His calm expression revealed nothing.

Lyra quickly stood despite the pain in her ankle.

"W-Who are you?"

The man didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he removed his cloak and gently placed it over her shoulders.

Only then did he speak.

His deep voice was calm, steady, and strangely comforting.

"I've spent eighteen years searching for you."

Lyra frowned.

"Searching... for me?"

He nodded once.

"Yes."

She stared at him, utterly confused.

"But... I don't even know you."

The corners of his lips lifted ever so slightly.

"No."

"You don't."

"But I know exactly who you are."

The forest fell silent once more.

Then, in a voice that made Lyra's heart skip a beat, he said,

"Welcome home..."

"...Your Majesty."

Lyra's eyes widened.

"Your... Majesty?"

Before she could ask another question, the silver pendant around her neck began to glow once more.

Far away, hidden beneath the ruins of an ancient kingdom, thousands of candles that had remained extinguished for centuries suddenly burst into silver flames.

Something long forgotten had awakened.

And the world would never be the same again.