Exile and sparks of power

The forest did not welcome me.

It swallowed me whole.

The moment the pack boundary faded behind me, the night grew colder, heavier, as if the land itself knew I no longer belonged anywhere. My feet ached, my body trembled, and my chest burned with every breath I took. The wound Kael had carved into my soul throbbed like it was still fresh, still bleeding.

I stumbled through thorns and roots, my thin cloak snagging on branches, tearing little by little, just like my dignity had been torn apart beneath the full moon.

Why did he reject me?

The question echoed endlessly in my head, louder than the rustling leaves, louder than my shallow breaths. I replayed his face again and again—the coldness in his eyes, the disgust in his voice, the way he didn’t hesitate.

You are an omega. Weak. Powerless.

I sank to my knees beside a fallen log, my strength finally giving out. My hands were scraped raw, my palms streaked with dirt and blood, but I barely felt it. Compared to the pain in my chest, it was nothing.

“I wasn’t asking for a crown,” I whispered into the empty forest. “I just wanted… you.”

My wolf whimpered softly inside me, curled tight and trembling. She felt smaller now, wounded by the rejection, confused by the broken bond that still pulsed faintly where it once roared.

The night stretched on mercilessly.

Hunger gnawed at my stomach. Cold seeped into my bones. Every snap of a twig made my heart race, every distant howl sent fear crawling up my spine. I was an omega, alone, untrained, unprotected. Exactly what Kael had called me.

Weak.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “No,” I said hoarsely, forcing myself to stand. “I won’t be.”

I forced my legs to move again, one step after another, until I found a shallow cave hidden behind hanging vines. It wasn’t much, but it was shelter. I curled up inside, wrapping my arms around myself, trying to trap what little warmth I had left.

My thoughts drifted back, unwanted, cruel.

Back to the clearing.

Back to Kael.

While I lay alone in the dirt, shivering and bleeding, he was not suffering.

He was celebrating.

I could picture it too clearly.

The pack hall glowing with torchlight. Music. Laughter. Cheers echoing off stone walls. Kael standing tall at the center, Lyra at his side, her arm possessively looped through his as if she had won a prize.

The Alpha who rejected his mate.

The Luna who replaced her.

“They’ll call it strength,” I whispered bitterly. “They’ll call it leadership.”

Lyra would be smiling, soaking in the attention, basking in the admiration she had always craved. She would wear her victory like a crown, whispering lies about me into willing ears.

And Kael?

He would let her.

The thought burned hotter than the cold.

Inside the cave, the silence pressed in until it became unbearable. I pressed my fingers to my chest, right where the bond had shattered. The ache was still there, dull, persistent, like a scar that refused to fade.

Why did you reject me?

I searched my memories desperately, looking for some hidden flaw, some sin I had committed without knowing. I had obeyed the rules. Kept my head down. Served the pack faithfully. Loved quietly.

Was that my crime?

A tear slid down my cheek, followed by another. “I won’t be weak forever,” I said aloud, my voice shaking but firm. “I swear it.”

Something shifted.

At first, I thought it was the wind, but there was no breeze inside the cave. Then warmth bloomed in my chest, slow and deliberate, like an ember being coaxed back to life.

I gasped, pressing my hand harder against my heart.

The warmth spread, threading through my veins, easing the ache, dulling the pain. My wolf stirred, lifting her head, ears pricked, not afraid this time.

Curious.

The air around me shimmered faintly, silver light dancing along the cave walls like reflections on water. I sucked in a sharp breath, panic and awe colliding in my chest.

“What… is this?” I whispered.

The moonlight outside grew brighter, spilling into the cave, wrapping around me like a living thing. My breathing steadied. My trembling stopped.

I felt… strong.

Not physically, not yet, but anchored. As if something ancient had finally found me.

Images flickered behind my closed eyes. A silver crown. A woman cloaked in moonlight. A voice, distant but familiar, humming with power.

You are not broken.

My heart slammed painfully against my ribs.

“I was rejected,” I whispered. “Cast out.”

You were awakened.

The warmth surged, sharp and exhilarating. My wolf rose fully now, no longer curled in fear. She stood tall beside me, her eyes glowing softly, her presence stronger than I had ever felt before.

I pressed my palm against the cave floor, and to my shock, the stone beneath my hand warmed in response. Veins of silver light pulsed briefly, then faded.

I yanked my hand back, staring at it as if it didn’t belong to me.

“No…” My breath came fast. “This isn’t possible.”

I was an omega.

I was supposed to be nothing.

And yet...

Far away, beyond the pack borders, I felt it.

A sharp, disorienting pull.

A flash of heat that wasn’t mine.

Kael.

I saw him, not with my eyes, but with something deeper. His smile faltering mid-celebration. His hand flying to his chest as confusion sliced through his pride. Lyra’s laughter freezing as he staggered, his golden eyes darkening with something unfamiliar.

Pain.

Regret.

The connection flickered, unwanted, unwelcome, but undeniable.

I exhaled slowly.

“So you feel it too,” I murmured.

The warmth inside me settled, coiling like a sleeping beast, powerful and patient. Whatever this was... whatever I was becoming, it was no accident.

The Moon Goddess did not make mistakes.

Kael had rejected me.

But fate?

Fate was not finished.

I curled deeper into the cave, exhaustion finally pulling at my limbs, but for the first time since that night, sleep did not feel like surrender.

It felt like preparation.

Because when I rose again, I would not be the broken omega he cast aside.

I would be something else entirely.

And the Alpha who celebrated my exile would learn exactly what it meant to awaken the power of a woman he should never have underestimated.