THE THORNVEIL OUTCAST

ANYA

The Thornveil estate glimmered with lanterns and ribbons that night, the grand hall filled with chatter and laughter. It was supposed to be my night, my eighteenth birthday, the night I would finally discover my mate. Being Beta’s first daughter meant the entire pack was invited. The Gamma family and their kin stood among the crowd, watching with keen eyes as the celebration unfolded, waiting to see who fate had chosen for me.

“Poor Anya.”

The whispers rippled as I made my way toward the cake.

“Such a shame… Beta’s daughter cursed with that face.”

My younger sister, Juliana, stood among the crowd, radiant as always, her golden hair catching the light. Even tonight, my night, her beauty stole every eye. I felt her gaze brush over me, sharp and mocking rather than sisterly.

Juliana’s laugh cut through the hall like glass.

“Honestly, Anya, did you even look in a mirror before coming down tonight? Goddess, even if your dress could save you, your face won’t. Not without makeup.”

A ripple of laughter followed. Some of the pack girls covered their mouths as though to soften the cruelty, but their eyes glittered with malice.

Heat burned my cheeks, but I said nothing. I never did. Words only made things worse.

“Juliana.”

The crowd hushed at my brother’s voice. Dominic’s tone was quiet, steady, but there was steel beneath it. He stepped forward, broad shoulders blocking their view of me, his presence radiating authority even though he wasn’t the Alpha’s son.

“That’s enough.” His voice dropped lower, colder.

Juliana’s smile faltered, but she lifted her chin. “I was only teasing, brother. Don’t be so dramatic. Everyone knows she—”

“Everyone knows nothing,” Dominic snapped, his eyes flashing. “She’s our sister. Don’t you have any shame left in you, Juliana? If anyone here has a problem with her, they have a problem with me.”

Silence followed. A few wolves looked away, shifting uncomfortably. My throat tightened. I wanted to speak, thank him, but the words stuck. No one had ever stood up for me so openly. Not even Father. Not even Mother.

Dominic turned, his eyes softening only for me. “Ignore them, Anya. They don’t see what I see.”

For a heartbeat, the world stopped spinning. His words wrapped around me like a fragile shield, though I knew it wouldn’t last.

Then, with a low sigh, he squeezed my shoulder. “I need to check on something. I’ll be back soon.” He gave Juliana one last warning glare before leaving the hall, his tall frame disappearing into the crowd.

The murmurs grew louder when the doors opened. The Alpha’s family entered, commanding silence.

Alpha Magnus Blackmoor, broad and commanding. His wife, Valeria, flawless and glittering in jewels. But it was their son, Rafael Blackmoor, who made the air catch in my lungs.

My heart stuttered. My wolf stirred. His scent, rich, wild, undeniable.

Mate.

The word echoed inside me, a rush so strong I nearly stumbled.

But before joy could bloom, Rafael’s dark eyes flicked over me. Disgust hardened his expression.

“Her?” His lips curled into a cruel smirk. “The Moon Goddess must be joking.”

The crowd stilled, tension rippling like a storm. He hadn’t whispered it, he wanted them to hear. He wanted me to hear.

“You?” Rafael stepped closer, his voice sharp as a blade. “You’re supposed to be my mate? Look at you. Pathetic. Ugly. Not even worthy to stand in my shadow.”

His eyes slid past me to Juliana, glowing and beautiful. He laughed softly.

“Why couldn’t the Goddess have chosen someone like her instead?”

Cruel laughter and whispers bubbled through the hall. My hands trembled, but I forced them still. The pain of the mate bond rejection began to burn in my chest, raw and unbearable.

“What’s your name?” Rafael sneered.

My lips quivered as I answered, dreading what I already knew.

“Anya Thornveil.”

His voice carried like a curse across the hall.

“I, Rafael Blackmoor, reject you, Anya Thornveil, as my mate.”

The bond tore like fire through my veins. I gasped, clutching my chest as if I could hold myself together. My wolf howled inside me, wounded beyond words.

Before the tears could fall, I turned and ran, out of the hall, out of the laughter, out of my own birthday.

The cold night air struck me as I burst into the forest, my vision blurred by tears I couldn’t hold back anymore.

Each step was agony. Every breath tore like glass as Rafael’s rejection seared deeper into my soul.

“Why?”

The question pounded in my head with every stride.

Why me? Why always me?

I collapsed against the rough bark of an oak tree, clawing at my chest as the bond ripped apart.

My wolf, Iris, whimpered inside me.

“He rejected us… our mate rejected us…”

A sob tore from my throat.

“Why did you make me this way?” I cried into the night. “Why did you make me ugly? Why give me a mate who despises me?”

I lifted my eyes to the moon, tears streaking my face.

“Moon Goddess! Why did you curse me to live this way? Why give me a heart only to shatter it?”

The forest answered only with silence.

Pain flared, hot and suffocating, until my body could bear no more. My bones twisted, fur sprouted, claws ripped free, and my cries became the mournful howl of a wolf.

Iris stood on four trembling legs, her coat a plain brown, not shimmering like Juliana’s black wolf, not powerful like Dominic’s deep obsidian. She howled into the night, so sorrowful the trees themselves seemed to shudder.

Exhaustion dragged me down, but I forced myself forward. I couldn’t go back. Not after that. Not after Rafael’s rejection had been announced to the entire pack as a cruel spectacle.

And yet… Dominic. My heart ached for him. He was the only one who had ever seen me. The only one who whispered, You’re enough, Anya. You always were.

Shifting back, I crept through the shadows until I reached my window. The house still pulsed with laughter, but none of it was for me.

I packed quickly, a cloak, clothes, bread, water, cash. My birthday gown lay crumpled on the floor, torn at the hem, forgotten.

For a moment, I stood in the silence of my room, listening to the celebration below. My mother wouldn’t notice my absence. My sister would be glad. My father… had long stopped looking at me with pride.

Only Dominic would grieve.

“Goodbye,” I whispered, voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”

And then I slipped into the night, determined never to look back.