Chapter 1

Raven’s POV

My heart pounded in my chest as I stepped out, joining the others around the bonfire, wearing a white dress, my long black hair falling on my back.

Tonight is going to be a special night…Jax and I will be announcing our bond. I shivered in excitement, holding back myself from screaming while telling the pack about it. It has to be Jax to say the word… After all, I’m just an Omega.

Nobody would even listen to whatever I’d say, but it would be different for Jax Thorn, the Alpha of the Iron Howlers Pack. His word is like an iron, the rule of the pack.

Oh, look at that. Isn’t she that Omega?

Uh-huh. Did she seriously come here?

I can’t believe how shameless she can be!

The whispers and mumbles around me were clear, but I paid no mind to them. I was too busy praying to the moon goddess…praying that tonight would be the start of my new beginning.

Paying attention to any negative comments about me would only hurt my feelings. Pain was inevitable, but I’ve been getting used to it.

I stood on the corner and shut my eyes briefly before looking up at the night sky. I realized the sky was too open… too wide, like it was watching everything that’s happening down here.

Suddenly, I felt something strange…like something not good was about to happen.

Clutching my chest, I took a deep breath, calming down myself. They said fate never missed, that it always found its way back. And tonight, my fate will be decided.

The pack slowly gathered around the fire, coming in groups of their circle of friends. Even the other Omegas came with their families and friends, while I stood here…alone and ignored.

The alpha!

Shh. It’s the Alpha.

The noise in the crowd slowly died down as Jax Thorn arrived. He looked so fierce with his sharp deep blue eyes, not to mention his tattoos that tell a story of how the Iron Howlers Pack lived.

He walked like he owned the night, glancing at everyone in the pack.

My breath hitched when our eyes met for a moment. My mind told me to smile and I did, but the execution appeared to be awkward, embarrassing and probably weird in his eyes.

Jax stopped at the center, everyone’s eyes following his every move. He quietly stood there and a few seconds later, he opened his mouth.

My heart raced like a horse in the race track, my hands clasped together as I waited for him to speak.

“I, Jax Thorn…”

Oh my! He's going to say it…

My hands turned white as my grip tightened, anxiety lurking within me as I impatiently waited for him to finish what he was going to say.

After all, Jax is going to tell the pack that I’m his mate-

“... Reject Raven Kincade as my mate,” Jax continued, causing an uproar not just among the pack members, but to my heart.

“Wh-What?” I felt my blood leaving my face before it rushed back at the unexpected humiliation I received. “B-But why?”

The Moon Goddess granted us a mating bond we shouldn’t break… But Jax would rather go against the Goddess than accepting his fate with me.

Woah! That’s right. We don’t want a traitor as our Luna.

Yeah. She’s the daughter of a traitor. We don’t want her here!

The pack agreed, cheering for the Alpha’s decision.

The excitement I felt quickly turned into embarrassment as my erratic heartbeat slowed down in a blink. It was suffocating, like my heart was going to explode any moment.

N-No… Jax, A-Alpha… Please don’t do this to me, I screamed in my head, but words didn’t come out. I can’t accept this… please!

Tears streamed down my face as my heart crumbled into pieces. He didn’t even bother to talk to me before breaking our bond. He never cared the least about me…

“Raven Kincade, do you accept my rejection?” Jax asked, his voice was cold, his gaze was indifferent.

What else should I say? I could scream and beg for him not to reject me, but he already did. And as the Alpha of the pack, there was no way he was going to take back his words.

My father was recently blamed for betraying the pack. I believed he wouldn’t do it, but they said there was evidence that proved he was guilty. If the Alpha rejects me like this… I wouldn’t know what to do anymore.

Slowly, I nodded my head against my will. I listened to the laughter of people around me as they celebrated my misfortune. They all seemed to enjoy seeing me hurt and rejected…They all seemed to want to see me suffer.

“I-I…Raven Kincade, accept your rejection as your mate,” I whispered, grabbing my skirt at either of my sides. I clenched my hands so tightly my nails cut through my palms.

Blood dripped from my wounds, staining my white dress.

Hey, traitor! Go away!

Yes, leave the pack if you still have conscience!

Do not appear in front of the Alpha again!

I bowed my head as the pack continued shunning me. I wasn’t expecting anything, but I took another glance at Jax to see how he’d react. Maybe he’d let me stay at least. If he just told the pack that I could stay…

My hopes were gone when I saw Jax’s back. He was already heading back inside, already turning his back to me. The pang in my chest worsened, and I struggled to breath.

It was at that moment I realized I was truly alone… Even the pack where I should belong didn’t want me here.

“That’s right…” I whispered, glaring at the ground while trying so hard to hold back my tears. “I don’t belong here anymore…No, I never belonged here ever.”

With that realization in mind, I quietly slipped away from the crowd and ran as fast as I could away from the packhouse.

I stopped under the huge oak tree standing in the middle of nowhere…just like me, alone. I leaned on it, staring at the gentle moonlight as tears slowly fell from my eyes.

“Urk…” A choke came out of my lips. Not long after, I found myself crying hard…hugging the tree alone in the middle of the night…telling myself everything is going to be okay.

“Y-Yeah… It’s going to be okay.”