THE LYCAN KING'S RUNT

Pain. It was the first thing I felt. Not the sharp sting of a scraped knee or the dull ache of a bruised arm. This pain lived inside my bones. It crawled beneath my skin, wrapped around my muscles, and squeezed until every breath felt like another punishment. I lay face-down on the damp forest floor, unable to move. The scent of crushed pine needles filled my nose while cold morning dew soaked into my skin. Somewhere nearby, birds sang as if the world hadn't just ended for me. Slowly, I opened my eyes. Everything hurt. The elders always described the first shift as painful. They called it the cracking of the soul, saying it was the moment a human body finally accepted its wolf. They lied. This wasn't cracking. This was torture. A groan escaped my lips as I tried to lift myself. My arms trembled violently before giving out beneath me. My face hit the ground again, dirt sticking to my cheek. "So... this is what everyone survives?" I laughed weakly. The sound quickly dissolved into tears. No one should have to go through this alone. Most wolves celebrated their first shift with family gathered around them. Parents waited nearby with warm blankets. Brothers teased them. Sisters cheered. Friends laughed while helping them stand. I had no one. I was alone. Just like always. Just like the runt was supposed to be. A month ago, I still had my mother. She had been everything. The only person in Silver Creek who never looked at me with disappointment. When everyone else whispered that I was cursed, she simply smiled and brushed my hair behind my ear. "When your wolf is ready," she'd whisper, "she'll come." But every passing birthday made those words harder to believe. Most wolves shifted at fifteen. Some at sixteen. By seventeen, people had already stopped pretending. They called me useless. Broken. Pathetic. The pack's embarrassment. The runt. Even children younger than me had wolves stronger than anything I could ever dream of becoming. I learned to ignore the laughter. I learned to keep my head down. I learned that silence hurt less than hope. Then my mother died. The sickness stole her slowly, leaving me to watch the strongest woman I knew fade into someone I barely recognized. She held my hand until her last breath. "I'm sorry..." she'd whispered. I never understood why. She had nothing to apologize for. The funeral came three days later. Almost nobody attended. Silver Creek respected strength. My mother had been the widow of a low-ranking warrior. I was the wolf-less daughter everyone pitied. Neither of us mattered. For weeks after she died, I wandered through the pack grounds like a ghost. I barely ate. Barely slept. Sometimes I caught myself walking toward our kitchen, expecting to hear her humming while making breakfast. Instead... Only silence waited. Then, two nights ago... Everything changed. The grief became too much. My chest felt like it was splitting apart. Something deep inside me screamed. Bones cracked. Muscles twisted. My vision exploded into silver. The wolf I'd waited years for finally arrived. At twenty. Far too late. Even the elders had looked stunned. "A delayed awakening," one of them muttered. Another shook his head. "I've never seen anything like it." Neither had I. The wolf inside me had been strangely quiet. Most newly awakened wolves greeted their humans immediately. Mine... She simply watched. Patient. Silent. As though she had been waiting for something. Or someone. I finally forced myself onto my knees. The movement made every muscle burn. Cold wind brushed against my bare skin, reminding me I hadn't put my clothes back on after shifting. My oversized hoodie and leggings were hidden beneath a fallen log where I'd left them before running into the forest. My fingers shook as I reached for them. Even pulling fabric over my head felt exhausting. By the time I finished dressing, sweat covered my forehead despite the cold morning air. "I hate this," I muttered. A tiny voice echoed inside my head. You'll survive. I froze. My heartbeat stopped. "...Hello?" Silence. "...Was that..." Nothing. Maybe I imagined it. Maybe exhaustion was finally driving me insane. I sighed and adjusted the sleeves of my hoodie. The fabric still smelled faintly like my mother. Another ache settled in my chest. "I miss you." The words disappeared into the trees. No answer came back. Only the rustling of leaves. Snap. A twig broke somewhere behind me. Every instinct screamed. I spun around. Standing several feet away was the last person I expected to see. Ethan Blackwood. The future Alpha of Silver Creek. He froze the second our eyes met. "Oh." His face immediately turned away. "I'm sorry." He raised both hands. "I didn't know you were still changing." Heat rushed into my cheeks. I hurriedly tugged my hoodie lower, suddenly grateful it reached halfway down my thighs. "It's... okay." An awkward silence settled between us. Neither of us moved. Neither of us spoke. Finally, Ethan cleared his throat. "Can I turn around now?" "...Yeah." He faced me again. Golden morning sunlight filtered through the trees, catching the dark strands of his hair. Like always, he looked impossibly perfect. Tall. Broad shoulders. Calm gray eyes. The quiet confidence every future Alpha seemed born with. Even after spending the night shifting into a wolf, I probably looked like I'd been dragged behind a truck. Messy hair. Pale face. Dark circles beneath my eyes. Pathetic. "You came looking for me?" I asked quietly. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I figured you'd be alone." I blinked. "So?" "So..." He shrugged. "I remembered my first shift." A faint smile crossed his lips. "It was awful." I couldn't help laughing. "You?" "Oh, trust me." "I don't believe you." "My father made me run five miles afterward." "What?" "I'm serious." I stared at him. "Your father is insane." He grinned. "I've been telling him that for years." For the first time since my mother's funeral... I smiled. A real one. Not forced. Not fake. Just... Real. Ethan noticed. His smile softened. "There it is." "What?" "Your smile." I immediately looked away. "It's nothing." "I think it suits you." My face burned. Nobody had ever said something like that to me before. Especially not Ethan Blackwood. The future Alpha. The boy every unmated girl in Silver Creek secretly dreamed about. The one who had been dating Vivienne Vale—the Beta's beautiful daughter—for years. Everyone already considered them the future Alpha and Luna. The perfect couple. The perfect future. I was just... Rachel. The runt. Yet somehow... He had come looking for me. And for the first time in months... I didn't feel completely invisible. For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. The forest was quiet except for birds singing overhead and the wind weaving through the towering pine trees. I looked down at my worn sneakers. "I should get home." Ethan nodded immediately. "You don't look like you should be walking." "I'll manage." "You can barely stand." "I've survived worse." His brows knitted together. "I know." There was something in the way he said those two words that made my chest tighten. He knew. He knew how the pack treated me. He knew about the whispers. He knew about the rocks the younger wolves threw whenever no adults were looking. He knew people laughed whenever they called me "the runt." Yet somehow, he was the only one who had never joined them. As I took my first step, pain shot through my legs. My knees buckled. A startled gasp escaped me. Before I could hit the ground, a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist. "Easy." Ethan steadied me effortlessly. "You don't have to prove anything." "I'm fine." "No." His voice remained calm. "You're pretending to be fine." I opened my mouth to argue before closing it again. He wasn't wrong. Every part of me hurt. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "What are you apologizing for?" "I'm making trouble for you." A confused look crossed his face. "Helping someone isn't trouble, Rachel." No one had said my name that gently before. Not since Mom. He carefully slipped one of my arms over his shoulders. "Lean on me." "I'll slow you down." "I wasn't in a hurry." The warmth of his body chased away the cold that had settled into my bones. Slowly, we walked through the forest together. Neither of us rushed. Every few minutes he glanced at me, making sure I hadn't fallen behind. It was strange. The future Alpha... Walking beside the weakest member of the pack. If anyone saw us— "They'll gossip," I murmured. "They already gossip." I looked at him. "You don't care?" He shrugged. "They're going to talk no matter what." A laugh escaped me. "You really are fearless." "I've just learned not to waste energy worrying about people who enjoy judging others." We reached the edge of the forest where the pack houses came into view. Mine stood furthest away from everyone else's. Small. Old. Quiet. Ever since my mother's death, it had become unbearably empty. When we reached the porch, I reached for the door. My hand shook too badly to turn the handle. Without saying anything, Ethan gently took the key from my fingers and unlocked it. The familiar scent of lavender greeted me as we stepped inside. Everything was exactly where my mother had left it. Her favorite blanket still rested over the couch. A half-finished knitting project remained beside her chair. The mug she'd used the morning before she died still sat on the kitchen shelf. Time had stopped inside this house. "I miss her every day," I whispered. "I know." No. He didn't. No one could. The emptiness inside me wasn't something words could fix. Ethan helped me onto the old velvet couch before looking around. "You've barely eaten." "What?" He pointed toward the kitchen. "There are almost no groceries." "I haven't been hungry." His jaw tightened. Without another word, he disappeared into the kitchen. "What are you doing?" "Looking." "For what?" "Something you can actually eat." A minute later he returned carrying two bottles of water and a box of crackers. "This is all you have?" I gave a small shrug. "I forget." His expression darkened. "You can't keep living like this." "I'm trying." "I know." His voice softened again. "But trying doesn't mean doing it alone." The words almost made me cry. Nobody had offered to help me. Not after the funeral. Not after my first shift. Not once. Except him. He sat beside me, handing me the water. "Drink." I obeyed. My throat had been dry for hours. After a few crackers, the room felt a little less like it was spinning. "Better?" "A little." "Good." Silence settled between us again. This time it wasn't awkward. It was peaceful. The television sat quietly in the corner. Ethan picked up the remote. "You mind?" I shook my head. A random romantic comedy filled the screen. Neither of us paid much attention. Instead, we found ourselves talking. About school. About pack patrols. About my mother. About his dream of becoming a better Alpha than his father. Hours passed without either of us noticing. For the first time in weeks... I forgot to be sad. Eventually Ethan stood. "I should go." Disappointment surprised me. "Oh." He smiled. "I'll come check on you tomorrow." "You don't have to." "I know." He walked toward the front door before stopping. Then he turned back. "If anyone gives you trouble..." I raised an eyebrow. "What?" "They answer to me." I laughed. "They don't answer to you yet." "They will." There wasn't arrogance in his voice. Only certainty. He opened the door. Morning sunlight spilled into the room. "I'll see you tomorrow, Rachel." "See you tomorrow." He left. I watched him disappear down the path until he was completely out of sight. The house suddenly felt quiet again. But somehow... Not as lonely. I leaned back against the couch and closed my eyes. For the first time since losing my mother... Hope flickered inside my chest. Maybe things were finally changing. Maybe my life wouldn't always be filled with loneliness. Maybe... Just maybe... I wasn't destined to spend forever as Silver Creek's forgotten runt. I had no idea that the boy who had carried me home... The boy who promised to protect me... Would one day stand before the entire High Council... Look me in the eyes... And destroy my heart with six unforgettable words. "I reject you as my mate."