Howl of the Forgotten

The Public Rejection

Elinor’s Point of View

The ceremony day had finally arrived and I was standing with the rest of the omegas, my heart pounding. The full moon above hung high, casting silver light on everything below. I had dismissed the Beta’s words, and even though it still echoed in my mind, it didn’t matter now.

I had to hold onto the small thread of hope I’d allowed myself—the hope that maybe, just maybe, Lucian would choose me. After all, we had spent so many nights together. His touch, his scent, his smile… they had made me feel like I might be the one. I couldn’t let go of that feeling. Not yet.

As night fell, individuals began to gather in a circle around the ceremonial grounds. My gut twisted, fear uncoiling inside me. I glanced over at the other omegas, their faces smeared with fake smiles, and their eyes darted nervously about. The crowd grew quiet as the pack leaders ascended onto the stage.

Lucian stood straight in the middle, his wide shoulders squared, his black hair rumpled but perfectly groomed. Moonlight caught his sharp jaw, his eyes slicing through the darkness like a hunter tracking its prey. Tonight, however, those eyes weren't on me. I could barely hold my breath, watching him as he spoke, his deep voice rising in the night.

“Tonight, we choose. Tonight, we claim.”

I heard murmurs in the crowd, low and restless. The ceremony began right when the clock struck midnight, my heart skipped. My palms were clammy. The moment had arrived—the moment where Lucian would choose his mate, and the day I turned eighteen.

And then it happened.

The most intoxicating scent I’d ever encountered, flooded my senses. It was so sweet, so powerful, that my wolf stirred violently within me, her voice screaming one word only.

Mate.

The scent was so unmistakable that I was already walking down the street before I even had a chance to consider it. My heart pounded in my chest, my breathing in ragged gasps as I pushed through the crowd of people, attempting to find its origin. It was like some sort of intangible force was pulling me.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"What is she doing?"

I tuned out the voices of the pack members as my gaze remained on Lucian while the scent grew stronger with every step in his direction. Lucian's eyes finally met mine. His eyes widened and he began to walk in my direction. My heart skipped a beat and I held my breath as I realized this was the moment.

But his face wasn't what I had expected. Instead of the happiness I had expected, the joy that I had dreamed, I saw something else, something that made no sense to me. A flash of anger appeared on his face, a clench of his jaw. His warm eyes now appeared cold, detached.

The pack fell into a hushed silence as I took another step toward him, my heart beginning to sink. Something was off. My heart was pounding against my ribs, my hands trembling at my sides.

”Mate!” My wolf growled, the sound ripping through my mouth.

Gasps echoed around us. I barely noticed them, my entire focus on Lucian. He stared at me, his silver eyes darkening, his lips pressing into a thin line. I took another small step forward.

“Lucian.” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

He moved and began to walk towards me. For a fleeting second, hope surged through me. But then, he walked past me. My breath caught in my throat as he strode forward, and stopped in front of another figure.

Serena.

The beta’s sister. The same woman I had witnessed kissing him on the training grounds. She was standing in front of me, tall and beautiful, her golden locks glowing in the moonlight, and her lips set in a wicked smile.

Lucian lifted his head, his voice hard and unyielding as he uttered the words that broke me. “I choose Serena as my mate.”

My lungs were drained of air. A burning, stabbing pain ripped down my chest. The crowd gave out gasps, guffaws, ugly mutterings that wrapped around me like vines, choking me. My fists tightened.

This wasn’t happening. This had to be a mistake.

I turned to Lucian, my vision blurring. “No.” I breathed. “Lucian, you—”

His gaze finally met mine, and what I saw there killed whatever hope I had left. Indifference. He looked at me as if I were a stranger. As if all those nights meant nothing. As if I meant nothing.

And then he moved towards me, his expression cold, hard as he approached me. For the second time, the crowd fell silent as every one of their eyes rested on us.

"I, Lucian Blackthorn of the Silver Fang Pack, reject you, Elinor Nightshade of the Silver Fang Pack, as my mate.” He stated in a clear and loud voice, the words carrying over the hushed crowd, "

The words hit me like a punch to the stomach and I gasped as my knees gave way beneath me from the pain. My chest felt empty as though they had torn out something important and it hurt badly. I stumbled backward, gasping for air, the room spinning around me.

“She really thought she could be Luna?”

“Pathetic.”

“She’s just an omega.”

Laughter rolled through the crowd. Whispers turned to jeers, derisive voices closing around me like sharp knives.

Their laughter was knives cutting through my skin. My heart was torn apart, his rejection crushing me, pushing me to the floor. I did not know how to stand anymore. The world was disintegrating around me, the laughter growing louder, the faces merging around me.

My eyes stung with tears, but I would not cry. I would not give them the satisfaction. My mouth opened, but no sound came out, just a strangled gasp as the agony grew.

“Be gone from here, Elinor.” His tone was icy, nothing like the voice I had been waking up to.

That was the final blow as my knees gave way and I collapsed onto the ground. The agony in my chest was unbearable. Everything around me blurred and I felt my heart break, tearing itself into pieces.

But nobody came to save me. Nobody stepped up to catch me, not even Lucian who was standing right before me. My vision dimmed, and the darkness closed in. The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me and I passed out was Lucian's face as he gazed down at me.