Alyssa’s POV
He is strong, and fast. His reflexes catching me off guard.
I am not in the mood for someone to make me feel weak. Not tonight.
Heat flares inside me—anger, rage—like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
A sudden strength surges through me, feral and untamed.
Before I can think, I tear my arm from his grip, spin around, and shove him hard.
He stumbles back.
His expression shifts—surprise flickering through his golden eyes before something darker replaces it.
"How dare you touch me?" I snarl, my whole body burning.
I feel... different.
My blood hums with something new, something powerful.
My muscles tense, my body taut, as if something deep inside me is awakening for the first time.
The stranger watches me carefully.
"Do you even know where you are?" he asks, his tone harsher now.
I look around, my chest rising and falling with quick uneven breaths.
This part of the forest is unfamiliar.
Unforgiving.
Nothing looks the same.
Panic tightens around my ribs.
"What pack are you from?" he asks again, stepping closer.
I stare at him, my jaw clenching.
I have no pack.
And after tonight, after Levi, Mira, and Alpha Conan, I know my chance to be named a Moonborn is gone.
Unless...
I agree to Alpha Conan’s terms.
Become his pet. His toy.
No.
I refuse.
"I need to make my way back to the Moonborn pack," I say, forcing the words out. "I have unfinished business there."
His eyes flicker with something unreadable.
"I can take you back," he offers. "You’re not far off—"
"No."
The word rips from me, sharp and furious.
I’ve had my fill of men and their help.
I turn, stepping away.
"At least tell me your name," the stranger calls after me.
I pause.
My heart pounds, my thoughts a tangled mess of pain, betrayal, and hatred.
I don’t trust him.
I can’t.
I cast him one last look over my shoulder before turning away, my steps quick and determined.
I don’t know where I’m going.
But I will find my way.
Even if I have to do it alone.
But as I disappear into the trees, I hear it.
A low chuckle.
Deep. Sinister.
"See you soon, little wolf."
***
The night has stretched on. I don’t know how long I’ve been walking.
The full moon is slipping away, fading into the early light of dawn, taking with it the wild, burning anger that had fueled my escape into the woods.
But what replaces it is so much worse.
The heartbreak.
The ache.
It creeps back in like a slow-moving poison, seeping into my bones, wrapping around my chest, making every breath feel heavy.
Then I see it.
The great banquet hall.
The place where my world shattered.
The place where I stood in silence, watching Levi—the man who once whispered love into my skin—kiss Mira, binding his life to hers forever.
The man who promised he would find a way.
Who swore to me, over and over again, that we would always be together. That I can finally have a name. A lineage.
Liar.
A bitter laugh escapes me, but it’s swallowed by the morning breeze.
I should have never believed someone like me—an omega, an outcast—could ever be more than a secret.
I turn my back on the hall and keep walking.
The pack is waking up now.
I can hear them moving around, going about their day like nothing has changed.
Like there wasn’t a girl who had her heart ripped apart in front of them all last night.
No one looks at me.
No one acknowledges my existence.
Just an omega.
A stray that should be grateful she was taken in at all.
I want to scream at them.
I want to grab every one of them and shake them until they understand that I love him, that I wasn’t just some girl sneaking around with the Alpha’s son—I was his.
But love means nothing here.
Power does.
And I have none.
I push open the door to my house, bracing myself, because I know what’s coming.
She’s already there, Astra, standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed, her face a storm of worry and frustration.
The moment she sees me, the dam breaks.
"Where the hell have you been?!" she yells, her voice thick with emotion. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
I blink at her, my body numb. "I needed air," I say, my voice flat. "I needed to breathe, Mother."
The words barely leave my lips before Astra's sharp gaze narrows in on me.
I know she sees everything—the wrinkled dress, the smudged tears, the way I can’t seem to look her in the eye.
"What happened?" she demands, softer now but just as urgent.
I swallow, my throat raw. "Alpha Conan has always known," I whisper.
"Known what?"
"About me and Levi."
I don’t have to say anything else.
Astra stiffens, her lips pressing into a thin, white line.
Of course. She has always warned me that this was coming. She warned me a hundred times before, but I had been too blind, too hopeful, too defiant, and determined to prove my worth.
"I told you, Alyssa," she says, shaking her head. "I told you this would lead to nothing but heartbreak."
"He loves me," I say, my voice trembling.
Even now.
Even after everything.
Even after watching him stand before the pack, before the gods, and vow himself to another.
"I know he does," I say trying to convince myself.
Astra lets out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Even after last night? Even after watching him marry Mira?"
I flinch.
"I don’t understand, Mom," I whisper, dropping onto the couch. "How could he do this to me? How could he make me believe we had a future?"
Astra sighs, the anger in her face shifting to something softer, sadder.
"Oh, Alyssa," she says, her voice laced with pity. "You were never his future. You were never meant to be."
My hands clutch my lap, my nails digging into my skin so hard it hurts.
"But don’t I deserve a chance?" I look up at her, my voice breaking. "I am strong, Mom. Stronger than half the wolves in this pack. Yet I have to bow. I have to hide. I have to act like I am less than them."
"Because you are less than them," Astra says, her voice hard now, her face unreadable.
The words sting.
"You are an omega," she continues. "You have no bloodline, no family name, no power. You were abandoned, Alyssa, left to die. You have nothing to protect you. And your defiance? Your pride? It will get you killed."
I shake my head, tears burning in my eyes. "That’s not true. Levi—"
"Levi will always choose the pack over you, it Is his fate and his duty." Astra cuts in sharply. "Like you, he has no choice."
I suck in a breath, but the pain doesn't stop coming. It just keeps hitting, over and over again.
"Alpha Conan—" I whisper, fresh tears spilling down my cheeks. My voice cracks.
Astra’s face darkens.
"What about Alpha Conan?" she asks, voices low and dangerous.
I clench my fists. My whole body shakes.
"He cornered me at the wedding," I whisper. "He touched me. He kissed me. He said I had two choices—be his or be banished."
Silence.
Pure, horrible silence.
Then, Astra screams.
"No!"
Her whole body trembles with rage as she starts pacing, running her hands through her hair.
"You can't," she mutters, more to herself than to me. "You won't."
I let out a bitter laugh.
"Why not? Maybe he’ll make me Luna." The words come out drenched in sarcasm, but Astra doesn’t laugh.
She turns to me, her eyes filled with panic.
"You have to leave, Alyssa," she says suddenly, her voice tight with urgency.
I blink at her.
"Leave?" My voice sounds small, like a child’s. "I… I can’t. I have nowhere to go."
"You have to go," Astra insists. "You are stronger than you think. You have no idea what’s inside of you. You are safer out there than you are here. Because if you stay—" She stops, looking at me, her lips parting, but no words come out.
She’s afraid. I can sense it.
But of what, I don’t know.
