Banished Omega, Reborn as His Biggest Regret

Chapter 4

When I woke again, the air reeked of disinfectant. My throat was so dry it felt like sandpaper; even breathing hurt.

The phone on the bedside table wouldn’t stop buzzing, vibrating across the surface, rattling right into my skull.

I reached over and grabbed it. A familiar name flashed across the screen—Quinn.

I pushed myself upright with effort and answered. "…Hello."

"Karen," his voice was calm as always, "I’ve already booked your ticket. Did you get the notification?"

I glanced down at my phone. The latest text message was a flight confirmation—my name, my destination, my escape route.

My chest tightened, then slowly loosened, like someone had pressed a hand to my heart and given it a gentle shove forward.

"Yeah. I got it. I depart in seven days. Thank you."

I hadn’t finished speaking when the ward door slammed open.

Charles strode in, Alpha presence flooding the room so hard it pressed on my lungs.

He reached out and clamped his fingers around my wrist.

"A ticket?" His voice was low, simmering with anger. "Where are you going?"

I froze, nearly dropping the phone. Then I hit the lock button and let the screen go black, my tone flattening. "It’s nothing. You heard wrong."

"You’re leaving Moon Shade Pack?" His eyes went colder. "Do you want me to throw you back in confinement?"

I lifted my head, meeting his icy blue gaze. "When have you ever believed me?"

He faltered for a second, a crease forming between his brows. "Karen, stop saying things like that. What happened that day was your fault. Sophia begged Henry and Lisa not to press charges. That’s the only reason you’re even out of there."

He hesitated, then looked away. "Get some rest. Sophia’s still upstairs in another room. I need to go take care of her."

He turned and left without waiting for my reply. The door clicked shut behind him, clean and decisive, with not a moment’s doubt.

The room fell quiet again, leaving only the sound of my own breathing.

I don’t know how much time passed before a nurse came in to change my bandages. As she worked, she couldn’t resist whispering to her coworker, voice low but excited. "Sophia is so lucky," she said, smiling. "It’s just a fever and some shock, but Alpha Charles rushed her here in the middle of the night and rented the entire floor. Her parents hired a whole team of specialists to watch over her. They’re terrified something will happen to her."

I said nothing. The nurse didn’t notice and went on, sighing in envy. "Having a family and a boyfriend like that… she’s really blessed."

She finally glanced up at me. "What about your family? You’re hurt way worse than she is, and no one’s come to see you?"

I looked back at her, my throat burning, and still managed a small smile.

"The people you were just talking about," I said softly, "they’re my family."

The air froze for two seconds. The nurse’s face went stiff, then she forced a clumsy smile. "…Oh. I see."

She packed up her tray and practically fled the room.

Silence settled in again.

Two days later, Sophia and I were discharged on the same day.

We had barely been home an hour when a panicked shout rang from upstairs. "Luna! Your ancestral Moon Mark Stone—it’s shattered!"

Lisa rushed over. The moment she saw the glittering shards scattered across the floor; all the color drained from her face. "Pull the security footage. Find out who went into that room!"

The footage showed only two people entering the room.

Me. And Sophia.

The house fell into a suffocating silence. Everyone’s faces darkened; Henry and Lisa’s expressions were the worst, their eyes filled with heavy disappointment as they looked at me.

The broken Moon Mark Stone lay on the floor, its fragments glinting dully. It symbolized the continuation of Moon Shade’s Alpha bloodline.

Henry’s voice came out low and rough, thick with Alpha dominance. "Karen, did you break the Moon Mark Stone?"

I lifted my head. My fingertips trembled, but I forced myself to stand my ground. "It wasn’t me. If you don’t believe me, check the fingerprints."

Before I could finish, Kane’s face had already hardened, anger flaring in his eyes. "Stop lying. Who else would do something like this if not you?"

I opened my mouth to explain, but Lisa had already closed her eyes, her sigh barely audible. "Enough. Karen, when are you going to grow up? Every time something happens, all you know how to do is lie and push the blame away."

"It wasn’t me." My jaw ached from how hard I was clenching it. "I never ever touched that stone."

Henry’s expression went completely dark, his voice dropping to a stormy growl. "Take her outside. She can come back in when she’s ready to admit what she did."

A few guards stepped forward immediately, bringing a wave of cold air with them as they grabbed my shoulders and shoved me toward the door.

I didn’t fight them. I didn’t say another word. Explaining anything to them had stopped mattering a long time ago.

The door flew open and rain crashed in.

Wind whipped the water into my face like needles.

They pushed me out under the porch. The downpour soaked through my clothes almost instantly. My foot slipped on the wet stone and I nearly fell down the steps.

"Just let her stay here," Henry said. "Don't let her enter the house."

The door closed behind her and the moment the latch clicked into place, I seemed to hear the sound of my heart breaking.

I tried to turn back, but as soon as I got close, the guard stopped me.

The rain was getting heavier and the water dripped down my hair, freezing and numbing my bones.

I wanted to hold onto the wall to steady myself, but I slipped and fell onto the stone steps.

My palms scraped against the stone, skin splitting open. Blood mingled with the rain and washed away.

I looked up. Inside, the warm yellow light glowed comfortably. On the table were steaks, pizza, and the sound of laughter.

Sophia sat beside Lisa; eyes curved into a smile.

They were all around her. And all I had was the night and the rain.

The storm was so loud I could barely hear what they were saying inside anymore.

Memories surfaced in layers—back when no matter what I did, they always believed me. Back when they’d say:

"Karen wouldn’t do something wrong."

Back then, I had been Moon Shade’s pride.

Now, I was nothing but trouble in their eyes.

Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, swallowing everything inch by inch.

I don’t know how long I stayed on my knees. I only knew my body felt lighter and lighter, until at last there was no strength left in it at all.

…

When I woke up again, I was staring at a white ceiling.

The scent of medicine still clung to the air.

Charles sat at my bedside, holding a bowl of chicken soup.

He blew on it gently, then looked up as he saw my eyes open. His tone was almost impossibly gentle. "You must be hungry. Eat some."

I stared at him without moving.

The smell of the chicken broth filled the room, but it didn’t warm me at all.

"You suddenly being this nice… did something happen?" I asked, voice flat.

His hand paused. Hesitation flickered in his gaze.

"Another camera angle turned up," he said at last. "Sophia was the one who broke the Moon Mark Stone by accident. She was just too scared to admit it. Don’t blame her."

"Too scared," I repeated with a small laugh.

I’d gone through two years of hell, and all it took was "too scared" for her to be forgiven.

I closed my eyes, shutting him out.

They loved her too much to ever really blame her. I’d gotten used to that a long time ago.

I reached for my phone and checked the time.

Five days left before I could finally leave Moon Shade Pack.

Charles sat in silence for a moment, then spoke again, his tone softer. "Karen, calm down. We’re getting married soon. Try to be happy, okay? Don’t let the wedding end up like this."

My voice was quiet, but edged with ice. "Married?"

"When," I asked, opening my eyes to look straight at him, "did we ever decide we were getting married?"