3

CHAPTER 3: The Mark That Ruined Me

Freya's POV

Did I spill something on my dress? Was my hair a mess from last night? I glanced down at myself but everything looked normal. Then I noticed the whispers starting around us. People in the crowd turned their heads. A few pointed. Others stepped back like I smelled bad. One older lady clutched her kid’s hand and pulled him away, muttering loud enough for me to hear.

“Disgusting,” she said.

My cheeks burned. What the heck was going on? I spun around, searching for an escape but the whole pack gathering felt like it was closing in on me. Everyone buzzed like bees around spilled honey and I caught snippets of talk.

“Is that really her?”

“An Omega? Marked?”

I touched the back of my neck without thinking and it felt a little sore like a bruise from a love bite. Oh no. My feet moved before my brain caught up. 

I pushed through the staring crowd and ran straight to the big window on the side of the meeting hall. I leaned in close, using the glass like a mirror and tilted my head.

There it was.. a small fresh mark on the lower side of my neck, right where it met my shoulder. It looked like a bite but deeper and more permanent.. a mate mark?! 

My eyes went wide. What the actual heck? That stranger from the woods last night... he hadn’t just kissed my neck and given me those little nips while he was fucking me. He’d marked me..! Like, for real. Claimed me without even asking!

I stared at my reflection, mouth open. My hands started shaking. This couldn’t be happening. I was just some nobody Omega who snuck off for one wild moment. And now the whole pack was losing their minds over it.

The chatter grew louder. Someone shouted, “She’s a whore! Getting herself mark her like that?”

Another voice joined in. 

“Abominstion! You don’t get marked before you’re mated. What kind of girl does that?”

I turned back around, face hot with shame. My legs felt like jelly. I wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. 

Cassandra stood there with her arms crossed, smirking like she’d just won the biggest prize ever and Dad looked like he might explode. His face was red, jaw tight.

Beta Julian Pierce stepped forward from the front of the gathering. He was tall and stern, the kind of guy who ran things when the Alpha wasn’t around. His eyes locked on my neck and his expression turned dark.

“Victor Donovan,” Beta Julian called out, voice booming so everyone could hear. “Explain this..”

Dad marched over, grabbing my arm hard enough to hurt. 

“Freya, what did you do?” he hissed at me furiously. “You disgrace our family name. After everything I’ve told you about staying out of trouble.”

I tried to pull away, words tumbling out fast. 

“Dad, I didn’t know! It was just… last night at the party. I thought it was nothing. He was just...”

“Shut up,” Beta Julian snapped and before I could finish, his hand flew out and backhanded me across the face. The slap stung sharp and hot. 

I stumbled back, tasting blood on my lip. Tears pricked my eyes but I blinked them away fast. No way was I crying in front of all these people.

“You’re lucky the Alpha himself isn’t here to deal with you,” Beta Julian growled. “He left early this morning to handle that new threat from rival Alpha Damon Lancaster. If he saw this mess, you’d be in real trouble. Elder Reginald, what do you say?”

Elder Reginald stepped up beside him looking at me like I was garbage on the side of the road. 

“Disgraceful. An Omega acting like a common slut. Councilor Victor, you have until sundown to do the right thing. Fix this. Or the council will step in.”

I rubbed my cheek, trying not to shake. 

“Please, it was a mistake. I didn’t ask for the mark. I didn’t even know...”

Beta Julian cut me off again. 

“I said shut up. You’re done talking. Get out of the gathering. Go home and wait for your father’s decision.”

Two pack guards grabbed my arms and marched me away and I could feel everyone’s eyes on me the whole time with whispers following me like shadows. 

“Whore.” 

“Embarrassment.” 

“She’ll bring bad luck to the pack.” 

My chest hurt so bad I thought it might crack open. I kept my head down and let them push me toward the edge of the grounds.

***

Back home, I sat on the couch with my knees pulled up, staring at the floor. The door slammed open later as Dad and Cassandra walked in. Dad’s face was still red with anger and Cassandra looked like she was having the best day of her life.

“Well, well,” Cassandra said, dropping into the chair across from me. “Look who’s the pack slut now. You really outdid yourself, Freya. Letting some random guy fuck you and mark you in the woods? Classic.”

“Cassandra, enough,” Dad said, but his voice wasn’t as sharp as usual. He turned to me. “You’ve gone too far this time. The council’s ultimatum is clear. I have to disown you and cast you out of the pack. It’s the only way to save our name.”

My heart stopped. 

“Dad, no. Please. I didn’t mean for any of this. I was just… lonely..”

Cassandra laughed. 

“Lonely? Try desperate. A slut who spreads her legs for the first guy who smiles at her. And now you’re marked like some cheap claim. Pathetic!”

Dad held up a hand to stop her but he didn’t defend me. 

“The decision’s made, Freya. As a council member, I can make it official. Cassandra’s right... you’re a risk and your wolf needs to be sealed permanently too. It’s for the best.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks now. I couldn’t hold them back. 

“Dad, please. Don’t do this. You’re my father. I’m your daughter. Don’t throw me away like this.”

He looked away, jaw clenched. His heart was hardened. I could see it in his eyes. 

“It’s done. The pack gathering tonight will make it official.

I begged more, voice cracking. 

“I’ll leave quietly. Just don’t seal my wolf. Please. It’s all I have left.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes. 

“Cry me a river. You brought this on yourself!”

***

That night, the whole pack gathered at the meeting ground again and I stood in the middle like a criminal, my one small bag at my feet. Dad read the banishment words out loud, flat and cold. 

“Freya Donovan, you are disowned. No longer part of this pack. Your name is struck from our records.”

The crowd cheered.. some clapped. I scanned their faces through blurry eyes, heart shattering into pieces. 

Somewhere in that sea of people was the man who marked me.. He had to be watching.

The ritual finished fast... some elder chants, a quick cut on my palm to seal the exile. Then the guards grabbed me again. As they dragged me toward the edge of the pack lands, Dad pulled me aside for a second. His grip was tight but his voice dropped low just for me.

“I didn’t seal your wolf permanently,” he whispered, eyes flicking around like he was scared someone would hear. “Just restrained it. For now. I’m sorry, Freya. I had no choice. The council… they would’ve done worse.”

I stared at him, searching for the dad I used to know. There was a flicker of sadness there, gone in a blink. 

“Then help me,” I whispered back. “Don’t let them take me.”

He shook his head. 

“Stay safe. That’s all I can say.” He let go, and the guards yanked me forward again.

Elder Reginald growled orders from behind. 

“Drag her out. Leave her at the outskirts. Let the woods decide.”

***

They dumped me just beyond the pack boundary, bag in my hands and turned back without another word. 

The night air felt colder than ever as I started walking, one foot in front of the other through the dark woods. Trees loomed like giants. 

My legs ached and my neck still throbbed from the mark. I tried to laugh at myself to keep from crying... look at me, the big adventurer now. Omega Freya, banished for one hot night in the trees. Hilarious.

After what felt like hours, I stopped as exhaustion hit me hard. I gathered some sticks for a fire, rubbing two together like I’d seen in movies. 

“Come on,” I muttered. “Work, you stupid sticks.” But the fire stayed dead. My whole body gave out and I collapsed onto the forest floor, dirt cool against my cheek.

The world spun a little and I blinked hard, trying to stay awake.. then I saw it... a blurry figure walking toward me through the trees. Was it a wolf? A person? The man from the party? My heart jumped with hope and fear all at once.

I tried to push up,m but darkness pulled me under. My eyes closed and everything went black…