Chapter 4 – Humiliation

The entire pack was celebrating tognight! banners hanging brightly across the pack square, and music blasting from large speakers set up around the open field.

Food stalls lined the edges, their delicious aromas mingling with the excitement, while children ran around wearing Damon jerseys, their laughter echoing. Every conversation seemed to circle back to one thing—the championship game, the winning goal, and the future Alpha himself. Damon.

I stood near the entrance, already regretting my decision to come out tonight. Crowds had never been my thing, especially not ones filled with wolves who enjoyed making my life miserable at every opportunity. “Smile,” my mother’s voice came from beside me, pulling me back to the moment.

I looked at her. She had spent extra time getting ready, her elegant dress catching the lights, and for once, she looked genuinely happy and relaxed.

“It’s a celebration, Elliot.”

I forced a small, tight smile. “I’m trying.”

She sighed softly. “You spend too much time alone.”

I looked away, unable to meet her eyes. Maybe because being around people usually ended badly for me. She touched my shoulder gently.

“Go socialize.” My stomach tightened immediately.

“Mom…”

“Just try,” she insisted.

I knew arguing wouldn’t help, so I nodded reluctantly. “Okay.” She smiled and disappeared into the crowd, leaving me completely alone. Fantastic.

I grabbed a drink from a nearby stall and wandered toward the edge of the gathering, hoping to stay out of everyone’s way. That was usually my safest strategy. Unfortunately, tonight it failed completely.

A group of young Omegas stood nearby, and among them was Ryana—beautiful, popular, and the type of Omega everyone liked. The type Damon would probably end up with someday.

She noticed me immediately, a strange smile appearing on her face that made me deeply uncomfortable. “Look who decided to show up.”

Several wolves turned toward me. I pretended not to hear her, but that was a big mistake. Because apparently, Ryana wasn’t finished. “I heard Elliot never misses one of Damon’s games.”

The group laughed loudly. My heart skipped a beat. How did she know that? I kept walking, but behind me the whispers started. At first, they were quiet, then louder, and soon impossible to ignore.

“Seriously?” “That’s creepy.” “I heard he’s obsessed.”

“I heard he follows Damon around.”

“No way.”

“He totally does.”

My chest tightened painfully as I sped up, but the last thing I needed was more attention.

Unfortunately, attention had already found me.

By the time I reached the refreshment tables, people were openly staring. Some laughed, others whispered, and I could feel the rumor spreading from wolf to wolf like fire, like poison.

“Elliot has a crush on Damon.”

“Elliot wants the future Alpha.”

“Elliot is trying to trap him.”

I wanted to disappear into the shadows. My hands trembled slightly. Because the worst part? The crush wasn’t just a rumor. It was painfully true. And somehow that made everything hurt even more deeply. I turned around, intending to leave as quickly as possible.

Then a familiar voice shouted, “Hey!” I froze in place. One of the young Alphas from training stood near a table, something in his hand that looked very familiar. My blood ran cold. No. No. No. My notebook.

The small one I always carried, the one I thought I had left safely in my room. My stomach dropped hard.

“Where did you get that?” I asked, my voice barely steady.

The Alpha grinned wickedly. “Found it.” Laughter erupted around him. Fear rushed through me because I knew exactly what was inside—hockey notes, game statistics, strategy sketches, and pages and pages about Damon. Not love letters, nothing overtly romantic, but still enough to destroy me in front of everyone.

The Alpha flipped it open dramatically. “Oh, this is good.”

My face burned with humiliation. “Give it back.”

He ignored me completely. Instead, he started reading aloud. “‘Damon scored twenty-three goals in eighteen games.’” More laughter followed.

“‘Fastest player on the ice. Strong left-side attack.’ The crowd laughed harder. I took a desperate step forward.

“Stop.” “‘Favorite move during power plays—’”

“Stop!”

The Alpha raised the notebook higher, out of my reach. Several wolves gathered closer, and more people joined the spectacle. The notebook was passed around like cheap entertainment. Every page brought more laughter. Every note became another cruel joke. I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole. One Omega flipped through the pages.

“Oh, my God.” Another laughed. “He really is obsessed.”

Someone else snorted. “This is embarrassing.” I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t move. All I could do was stand there while pieces of me were torn apart publicly in front of the entire gathering.

Then the crowd suddenly shifted. The laughter quieted. Heads turned. My heart sank. I already knew who had arrived. Damon.

He stepped into the gathering surrounded by his teammates and admiring pack members. Immediately, everyone’s attention moved to him. Just like always.

Unfortunately, one of the Alphas holding my notebook smirked, an idea clearly forming in his head. The moment I saw that look, dread filled my chest. Please don’t. Please. The Alpha waved the notebook high.

“Damon!” Damon stopped. His eyes moved toward the crowd, then toward the notebook, and finally toward me. For one terrible second, our gazes met. I looked away immediately, humiliation crawling across my skin like fire.

The Alpha laughed. “You know, Elliot keeps a whole notebook about you?” The crowd exploded with laughter. I wanted to die. Actually die. The Alpha continued mercilessly. “He tracks all your games.” More laughter. “He knows all your stats.” Even more laughter rang out.

Damon’s expression remained unreadable as ever. The Alpha wasn’t finished. Of course, he wasn’t. He grinned widely. Then, I asked the question that destroyed everything. “So tell us, future Alpha.” The crowd went quiet. “If Elliot is this obsessed with you…” His grin widened. “Would you ever consider him as your mate?”

For a second, nobody spoke. Nobody moved. The entire gathering seemed frozen in anticipation. My heart pounded so hard it hurt. I couldn’t look up.

Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.

Then Damon answered without hesitation, without even needing a second to consider it. “Not in this lifetime.”

Silence. Pure, crushing silence. The words echoed through the gathering—sharp, cold, and final. For one brief moment, nobody laughed.

Everyone stared. Then the laughter returned, louder than before. Much louder. Some wolves nearly doubled over with it. Others openly pointed at me. The humiliation was unbearable. I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t stand there another second.

My vision blurred as tears threatened to spill. Before anyone could see them, I turned and walked away.

Then I ran. Past the crowd. Past the music. Past the celebration. Past everything. I didn’t stop until I reached the edge of the pack grounds, far away from the laughter and far away from Damon. Only then did I finally break.

A tear rolled down my cheek, then another. I covered my mouth with my hand and squeezed my eyes shut. It hurt. Moon Goddess, it hurt so much.

Not because strangers had laughed at me. Not because they had mocked me. But because Damon had meant every single word. Not in this lifetime. The stupid part of me had always held onto a tiny, pathetic, hopeless hope. Now it was gone. Completely gone. I wiped my face angrily.

Then, it suddenly froze. A strange sensation rolled through my body. Heat. Intense, overwhelming heat. My knees almost buckled beneath me. I grabbed a nearby tree for support. “What…”

Another wave hit, stronger this time. My skin burned. My heart raced wildly. My wolf stirred uneasily inside me. Something wasn’t right.

Something was very, very wrong. And deep down, I knew this had nothing to do with tears. The heat building inside me felt far more dangerous. Far more terrifying.

I pressed a trembling hand against my chest as another wave rolled through my body.

And for the first time that night… I was truly afraid.