Letting Go in Three Seconds

"I, Alpha Damon of the Silver-Claw Pack, reject you, Kaima, as my mate and future Luna. You are a stain on my lineage, a weak-blooded omega who offers nothing but shame."

The words didn't just hurt; they physically ripped through my chest. We were standing in the center of the Moon-Circle, the silver light of the full moon exposing every tremor in my hands. Hundreds of pack members watched, their faces twisted in sneers or cold indifference.

Beside Damon stood Chloe, a high-ranking Beta’s daughter with a smirk that promised a lifetime of torment. She tucked her hand under Damon’s arm, her scent—sickly sweet jasmine—choking the air.

"Damon, please," I whispered, my voice cracking. "The Moon Goddess chose us. You can’t just—"

Slap.

The force of his hand sent me sprawling into the dirt. My lip split, the copper taste of blood filling my mouth. The pack erupted in laughter.

"Don't speak the Goddess’s name with your pathetic mouth," Damon growled, his Alpha aura crushing down on me like a lead weight. "Look at you. You can’t even shift properly. You’re a fluke. A mistake. I need a Queen, not a stray."

"He’s right, you know," Chloe chirped, stepping forward to look down at me. "You’re lucky he’s letting you live. If I were him, I’d have clawed that useless throat out years ago."

I looked up at the man I had spent my life loving. His eyes, once warm, were now chips of ice. "Is this what you want, Damon? After everything?"

"What 'everything'?" Damon spat. "You were a placeholder. A shadow. Guards! Drag this omega to the border. If she sets foot on Silver-Claw territory again, kill her on sight."

"Damon!" I screamed as two hulking enforcers grabbed my arms, dragging my knees through the jagged stones. "You’re breaking the soul-bond! It’ll kill us both!"

"It’ll kill you," he yelled back, his voice booming over the clearing. "I’m an Alpha. I’m strong enough to survive a weakling’s death."

The rejection snapped.

Inside my mind, a howl of pure, agonizing grief tore through my consciousness. It wasn't my wolf—she was too small, too quiet. It was something deeper. A tether, ancient and golden, turned black and disintegrated. My heart stopped for a beat, then restarted with a violent, rhythmic thud that felt like a war drum.

They threw me into the mud at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the dark canopy of trees swallowing the moonlight.

"Run, little omega," one of the guards mocked, kicking dirt into my face. "Try not to get eaten by the shadows. Or do. It would save us the paperwork."

They turned back toward the lights of the village, where the celebration of Damon’s new union was already beginning. I lay there, gasping, my fingers digging into the cold, damp earth. The pain in my chest was transitioning from a dull ache to a searing, white-hot heat.

They broke you, a voice hissed.

It wasn't my voice. It was deep, resonant, and echoed with the weight of a thousand years.

They threw away the vessel because they couldn't see the wine, the voice continued.

"Who's there?" I gasped, clutching my ribs. My skin began to itch. No—it was burning.

I crawled deeper into the woods, my blood dripping onto the roots of an ancient black oak. The forest felt alive. The wind stopped. The insects went silent. A thick, oppressive fog began to roll in, smelling of ozone and old blood.

I am the First Fang. I am the shadow that the moon fears. And you, little broken thing... you are mine.

Suddenly, my vision flipped. I wasn't looking at the trees anymore. I was looking at a sea of fire. My bones began to snap and reform, but this wasn't a normal shift. It was agonizing. It was divine.

My eyes snapped open. They weren't amber or blue. They were a terrifying, pulsing violet.

I stood up, but I didn't feel weak. I felt... heavy. As if my very presence was thinning the air. A low growl vibrated in my chest, a sound so primal it made the trees themselves seem to shiver.

"I am Kaima," I whispered. But as I spoke, the shadows around my feet began to writhe like living snakes.

A twig snapped.

I spun around. Standing twenty yards away was a man I didn't recognize. He was tall, dressed in dark tactical gear, his eyes glowing a piercing, predatory silver. His scent hit me like a physical blow—sandalwood, rain, and sheer, unadulterated power.

He froze, his nostrils flaring. He didn't look at me with pity. He looked at me with something that felt like... terror.

"That scent," he breathed, his voice a low rumble that vibrated in my marrow. "That scent shouldn't exist. Who are you?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't. The Beast inside me roared, and for the first time in my life, I felt the urge to hunt.

The man took a step back, his hand moving to the hilt of a silver blade at his hip. "Stay back, girl. I don't know what you are, but you're leaking power that could level this entire mountain."

"I'm the one they rejected," I said, my voice overlapping with the Beast's roar.

I took a step toward him, and to my shock, the powerful warrior—an Alpha by the look of him—dropped to one knee. Not by choice. His legs buckled as if an invisible hand had slammed him into the dirt.

"What... is this?" he gasped, struggling against the pressure. "What are you doing to me?"

I looked at my hands. Dark, ancient runes were beginning to glow faintly beneath my skin. I wasn't the omega anymore.

"I'm going to make them bleed," I whispered.

But as I stepped closer to the stranger, a sharp pain shot through my head. The world tilted. The last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was the silver-eyed Alpha reaching out to catch me, his face a mask of shocked obsession.