Chapter 1

NOVAH’S POV

I sprang up from the bed, chest heaving and my body drenched in sweat. My throat ached from how loud I had screamed, but as usual, no one burst through the door, nor did my father check in on me through our mind link. 

He felt it, I knew he could hear my wolf howling, seeking his warmth.

The breeze blew gently, hitting the windowpane in a soft thud; the sound did nothing to soothe the loud pounding in my chest. 

I had dreamed of her again. I tried to fight it, but the images kept on flooding my mind. Rogues had torn her body like she was a piece of trash, and her eyes were wide but hollow.

“No!” I hissed, slapping the side of my head as I rushed into the bathroom. Her anniversary was coming in a few days, but the rogues still roamed free.

It was getting harder to blink, not when each time I blinked I could see her at the back of my mind, her mouth wide open but no sound coming out of it.

I was young, way too young to have witnessed that, but I did. My mind latched onto it, slowly forgetting her soothing smiles and voice.

School starts in just an hour. I looked like a ghost.

I kept my eyes stuck to the ground, my ears tingling as sounds of their harsh whispers filled the hallway.

Their eyes followed me down the hallway, their judgment burning the back of my mind. No matter how hard I tried to be invisible, they always found new ways to crack me open.

“Ugh, I can’t believe she is wearing that hoodie again,” Loveth muttered, her voice cutting through the air like ice.

“She probably thinks it is some spell, maybe she can finally be not just more than an omega,” her friend snickered.

I stole a glance in their direction, my eyes watering as I found them, leaning against the locker, their faces in a scowl as they watched me.

Their words barely made me feel a thing, it had been the same right from the moment my mother died. Loveth, my best friend turned on me, leaving me to the wolves, literally.

I was an omega, an outcast. I should have been the one to die, not their Luna.

My eyes drifted towards him— Ashton Vince, my heart cracking as I watched him wrap his hand around her, pulling her closer to his chest as she continued to rip me apart.

My heart felt the familiar tug. 

Pathetic. I was longing for someone who hadn’t even spared me a glance.

Loveth’s eyes met mine, a mischievous glint flickered through her eyes, “Freak, she should have just died with her mother,” she spat. Her voice was low, but we had all heard it. 

“Come on,” Jason said, his hand pulling me away from the crowded hallway, leading me towards the library.

Jason, our beta’s son and the only friend who saw me past being just an omega, glowered, his eyes darkening as he stared at me, “Why do you always let them do this?” he hissed, his hand pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“He didn’t say anything,” I mumbled, my pathetic excuse in trying to make Ashton look innocent.

He sighed, a familiar look of rage etched on his face as he shot me a pointed look, “He stood there, heard their words, and said nothing. Novah, he is part of the problem,” he growled.

I sighed, biting my lip. Jason just didn’t get it. He didn’t understand just how crushing it was to feel the weight of an unrequited longing.

“He doesn’t have to say anything. Their words stopped hurting a long time ago,” I mumbled, but even I could hear the lie in my voice. Ashton was never going to stand up for me, a reject. Loveth was more of his time, cheeky and every man’s dream on legs.

The bell rang, cutting through the tension that had cloaked us.

“Come on, we can’t be late,” I said, walking out of the library.

I wasn’t excited about the class, I had mastered the equations. Ashton was in that class, and maybe today would be the day that he would see me.

“See you later,” he muttered. 

“Jason!” I called out, but he was already gone.

Later in class, I was seated in my usual seat, an empty space beside me, calling out to Ashton to sit, but even I knew just how unrealistic the dream was.

Just like he was summoned by the moon goddess, he walked in, tall, effortlessly cool, and so attractive that it hurts.

I tried to keep my eyes stuck in my book, but his scent flooded my lungs. My wolf whined, basking in the wild honey tangled with smoke, like it had been crushed in cedar. He smelled like a symphony of secrets, and to my wolf, it was intoxicating.

I bit my lower lips, trying to distract myself from the pain that sliced through my heart. Of course, he wouldn’t notice me, not when Loveth smiled so brightly as she waved him over to her seat.

“Sometimes, we just have to take a step. A leap of faith,” my mother’s words echoed through my ears.

I walked over to them, my heart slamming hard against my chest like wild drums. My feet were shaky, but I needed to make him notice me.

“Hey, Ashton,” I whispered, my voice shaky, but I hope it sounded confident. “C— Can I talk to you for a second?

He didn’t look at me, his eyes fixed on loveth like she was the moon, calling out to his soul.

“Maybe later, Omega,” he spat, the words burning my skin like venom.

“Ashton, please,” I whispered, my voice slowly cracking.

Before I could say anything else, Loveth leaned in, her gaze sharp, her voice dripping with venom. 

“What’s the matter, Novah?” she sneered, eyes glinting with cruel amusement. “Didn’t you hear? He’s not interested in you. He doesn’t even look at you.”

Her words hit me like a slap. I blinked, fighting back the sting in my eyes, but Loveth wasn’t done.

“You really think you have a chance with him?” she continued, voice low, full of scorn. “You don’t. You’re just another girl thinking she’s special. He’s mine, and if you’re smart, you’ll stay away.”

Her words, sharp as knives, dug deep into me. I couldn’t stop the tears that pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I refused to cry in front of them. Not in front of everyone.

Loveth grabbed my glasses, yanked them off my face, and tossed them to the floor. The class fell silent.

I bent down quickly to pick them up, my hands trembling, but when I stood again, the humiliation felt suffocating.

A few students snickered, and I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks.

Ashton didn’t even glance my way. His attention was still completely on Loveth, who was practically glowing with her cruel victory.

“You’re pathetic, Novah,” Loveth cooed, her voice honey-sweet but laced with malice. “Maybe if you tried looking like someone Ashton would actually want, you wouldn’t be embarrassing yourself like this.”

I could feel the tears threatening to spill, but I bit my lip to hold them back. I wasn’t going to let her win.

“You’re just a joke,” Loveth whispered, her words barely audible but full of venom. “Stay away from him, or you’ll only make things worse for yourself.”

I stood there, feeling small and invisible. My throat felt tight, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to scream, to yell at her, but I couldn’t find the words because even if I did, no one would take me seriously.

Finally, I wiped the tears from my face as quickly as I could, trying to hold myself together. I straightened my back, forced a shaky smile, and walked away.

I couldn’t look back. Not with everyone watching, not with Loveth’s words echoing in my ears.

The walk home was excruciating; Loveth’s words echoed at the back of my mind. Ashton sat still, no emotion on his face as he listened to her words.

When I got home, everything felt the same. My father was buried in pack business, as usual, his focus never on me.

I walked into the living room, finding him at his desk, scribbling through papers without a glance my way.

“Hey, Dad,” I said, my voice uncertain. “What’s going on?”

He glanced up, his face unreadable. “Your stepmother and her son are moving in tonight.”

I didn’t know how to feel. Was I supposed to be angry? Hurt? 

But the truth was, a strange sense of relief washed over me. Maybe having them around would mean my father wouldn’t be so absorbed in his pack duties. 

Maybe he’d pay attention to me for once.

I forced a smile, though it didn’t reach my eyes. “That’s great, Dad.”

He nodded, already back to his papers, and I realised with a sinking heart that nothing would change.