Bound To The Alpha Who Hates Me

I should have stayed home.That thought keeps running through my mind as I press myself against the cold stone wall of the great hall, trying to make myself invisible. It's not working. I'm still here, still surrounded by hundreds of werewolves from a dozen different packs, all of them more important and more powerful than me.The Harvest Moon gathering happens every year. It's supposed to be this grand celebration where all the packs in the region come together to honor the moon and strengthen alliances. In reality, it's just an excuse for Alphas to show off and for unmated wolves to find their partners.I'm only here because my Alpha demanded every pack member attend. Even the disgraced ones. Even me."Stay in the back, Sera," my father had told me this morning, not even looking at me as he said it. "Don't draw attention to yourself. Don't embarrass us more than you already do just by existing."So here I am, tucked into the shadows near the back entrance, wearing my plainest dress,

The sun isn't even up yet when someone pounds on my door."Sera! Get up! Alpha Morrison wants you in his office now!"It's one of the pack enforcers, his voice rough and impatient. I drag myself out of bed, my body still aching from yesterday. I barely slept, and when I did, the nightmares were terrible—endless loops of rejection and those cold golden eyes.I splash water on my face from the small basin in my room, trying to make myself look presentable. It doesn't help much. My eyes are still puffy and red from crying. My skin is pale. I look exactly like what I am—a rejected mate who spent the night falling apart.But there's no time to do better. The enforcer is still waiting outside my door, and Alpha Morrison doesn't like to be kept waiting.I follow the enforcer through the quiet pack house. Most wolves are still sleeping, but a few early risers watch me pass with curious, judgmental eyes. By now, everyone knows what happened. Everyone has an opinion about it.Alpha Morrison's o

I wake up to someone pounding on my door for the second morning in a row."Miss Blackwood! Beta Catherine wants to see you in her office in twenty minutes!"I drag myself out of bed, my body aching like I've been in a fight. The mate bond kept me up most of the night, pulsing with pain every time I thought about Kade. Which was constantly.I get dressed quickly in jeans and a simple sweater—nothing fancy, because I don't own anything fancy. My reflection in the bathroom mirror looks awful. Dark circles under my eyes, pale skin, hair that won't cooperate. I look like exactly what I am: someone who's barely holding it together.Beta Catherine's office is on the first floor. I find it easily enough by asking a passing omega, who points me in the right direction without actually speaking to me.I knock on the door."Come in."Beta Catherine sits behind a large desk covered in paperwork. She doesn't look up when I enter, just keeps writing something in a notebook. I stand there awkwardly,

[Sera's POV]I've been at the Thornridge Pack for five days, and I still can't sleep through the night.Every time I close my eyes, I see Kade's face. Sometimes it's the hatred from when we first met. Sometimes it's the cold indifference from dinner. But worst of all are the dreams where he looks at me with warmth, with love—and then I wake up and remember none of that is real.It's three in the morning, and I've given up on sleep entirely. I'm sitting at the desk in my room, staring at my mother's photo in the dim light from my phone."What do I do, Mom?" I whisper to the picture. "How do I survive this?"She doesn't answer, of course. She's been dead for fifteen years, and even when she was alive, I'm not sure she would have known what to tell me. How do you advise your daughter on surviving a mate bond with someone who hates her?My phone buzzes with a text from Maya: How are you holding up?I consider lying, but what's the point? Not great. Can't sleep. Everything hurts.Her respo

[Sera's POV]Riley wasn't kidding about six AM.I drag myself out of bed at 5:45, still sore from yesterday's emotional beating. My eyes are puffy from crying myself to sleep, and the mate bond kept me up half the night with phantom aches and pains.But I promised Riley I'd be there, and I'm not going to break my word.I pull on leggings and an old t-shirt—the closest thing I have to workout clothes—and head down to the training grounds. The sun is just starting to peek over the horizon, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. It's actually beautiful, and for a moment, I let myself appreciate it.Riley is already there, stretching near the equipment shed. She's wearing proper training gear and looks wide awake, unlike me."You showed up," she says, grinning. "I wasn't sure you would.""I promised.""Good. I like people who keep their promises." She tosses me a water bottle. "We're going to start simple today. Basic defense moves, building up your stamina, teaching you how to fall