NOBODY'S MATE

The entire pack was gathered in the grand hall, a sea of crossed arms and averted eyes. The air was thick with the smell of pine, judgment, and the cloying, sweet perfume of Gamma’s daughter. She stood near the front, her chin tilted up in a smug, victorious smirk. She had the strong wolf they wanted. I had nothing. I am an Omega. I was abandoned in the woods as a pup, raised on scraps and pity, and forced to fight for every inch of respect I ever got. I don’t have a wolf. I don’t have a powerful lineage. But I have a spine of steel, and I refused to let my knees touch the floor.Jax, the Alpha son, stood three feet in front of me. He wouldn’t look at me. His jaw was clenched so tight I thought his teeth might shatter, his eyes fixed firmly on the polished hardwood floor. "Say it," the Alpha King commanded from his throne. His voice was cold, pragmatic, devoid of any fatherly warmth. "The council has decided. You will mate with the Gamma’s daughter to secure the bloodline. Say the words, Jax. Jax finally lifted his head. His eyes met mine, and for a fraction of a second, I saw the agonizing conflict in them. He loved me. I knew he did. But he was a coward. "I, Jax," he started, his voice cracking slightly before he forced it into a steady, authoritative boom. Alpha son of the Moonlight Pack, reject you, Lyra, as my mate."The words didn’t just hit my ears; they detonated in my chest. It felt like a rusted fishhook was violently ripped out of my sternum, taking a chunk of my soul with it. A gasp tore from my throat as my knees buckled. The physical agony was blinding, a white-hot fire coursing through my veins, but the emotional devastation was worse. The mating bond humming in the back of my mind since we were teenagers, snapped with a sickening, audible crack that echoed in my skull. Blood dripped from my nose, splashing onto the pristine white rug. "Look at her," the Gamma’s daughter whispered loudly, a cruel giggle escaping her lips. "Pathetic. She can’t even stand."Don’t you dare, I thought, my vision swimming with black spots. Don’t you dare give them the satisfaction. I dug my fingernails into my palms, using the sharp sting of pain to ground myself. I forced my trembling legs to lock. Slowly, I pushed myself back up. I wiped the blood from my upper lip with the back of my hand, leaving a crimson smear across my skin. I didn’t cry. I raised my head, holding it so high my neck ached, and locked my glare onto Jax. You’re making a mistake," I said. My voice was raspy, but it carried across the dead-silent hall. "You’re trading a diamond for a shiny rock, Jax. But don’t come crying to me when you realize you can’t polish it. Jax flinched as if I’d struck him. The Alpha King’s eyes narrowed, his aura flaring with a warning growl, but I didn’t care. I turned my back on the Alpha son, on the King, and on the pack that had treated me like dirt for eighteen years. I walked out of the grand hall. I didn’t run until I hit the tree line. Then, I sprinted. I ran until my lungs burned and my vision tunneled. I ran without a wolf to heal my aching muscles, relying purely on the sheer, stubborn willpower that had kept me alive since I was a child. The pain of the rejected bond was a physical weight, dragging at my limbs, but the anger kept me moving. I crossed the river. I crossed the stone markers. I didn’t even realize I had crossed the border into Valerius territory until the surrounding air changed. The comforting scent of my home pack vanished, replaced by the heavy, metallic tang of dark magic and ancient pine. I stumbled into a clearing deep in the woods, my legs finally giving out. I hit the dirt, clutching my chest as a fresh wave of agony from the broken bond washed over me. The dam inside me finally broke. I threw my head back, opened my mouth, and let out a frustrated, primal scream. It tore through my throat, raw and bloody, echoing into the night sky. It was a scream of grief and rage, of a lifetime of being told I wasn’t enough. I didn't hear the snap of the branch behind me. I didn't smell the enemy until it was too late.