Stolen by the Rival Alpha

Selene

"There is the cursed one," someone sneered.

A sharp kick hit my side, leaving me breathless. I struggled to catch my breath, my face pressed into the cold, damp ground. The chill seeped into my skin as I wheezed for air. Someone with a rough voice said nastily, "So, Omega's still breathing?"

"Let me be," I whispered weakly, my voice barely audible over the mocking laughter and insults surrounding me. Their cruel words hurt a lot, but I was too weak to say anything because they always made fun of me.

In the Crimson Dawn Pack, the only way they ever paid attention to me was with mean looks that showed with mean pleasure.

"Let you be?" The wolves laughed, their laughter echoing everywhere because they thought it was funny. Their mean chuckles made me feel so cut off from everyone.

"Why would we deny ourselves such… entertainment? It breaks the dullness of your pathetic existence."

The shame of what my father did felt like a weight on me, a once-respected Beta executed for betrayal. My mother's shame was a whispered story about her weakness. She died after having me, the cursed child who brought them bad luck.

"Your blood corrupts this pack," another voice sneered, the words dripping with bitter hatred that cut deep. "You should have died with her. You're a curse to us all, a constant reminder of what we've lost." The venom in their tone made it clear I was unwelcome.

My fists clenched, hidden beneath the dirt that was my constant companion. Feeling treated unfairly was like a bad drink I had to have every day, and it always hurt inside.

Finally, Alpha Killian Duskbane's loud voice stopped the pain, a short rest I barely hoped for. 

"Enough.” The gathering is for the bond announcements. Let us not dwell on the unfortunate." His gaze was cold and uncaring as it passed over me.

Everyone was excited. Alpha Killian Duskbane walked forward, looking strong and bossy. He made it hard to breathe and gave me a secret, hopeless feeling that he might be the one for me. He was my fated mate, but he didn't know it, and I kept it hidden.

He looked at all the wolves carefully, like a king surveying his domain. He was magnificent, the embodiment of strength and leadership, the future of our pack – a future that could never include me.

Then, his gaze locked onto another: Lyra. She is beautiful and strong, her smile shining as she looks right at him. My gut twisted with a touch of jealousy, and I immediately ignored it.

"I have chosen my Luna," Killian announced, his voice resonating with an undeniable authority, an announcement that sealed my fate. "Lyra, my heart finds its anchor in yours."

Everyone in the pack sighed, showing they admired and accepted his decision. My world broke apart, and the little hope I had been holding onto shattered.

I felt so much shame, like I'd been burned, marking me as the one nobody wanted or picked. He hadn't even really noticed me – I was just the omega, the cursed one, like a shadow he didn't see at the side of his world.

He glanced at me and then looked away, like I was nothing. He knew. I felt the bond, a silent, awful pull, reminding me it could never be.

"Any rumours about me being with someone else are not true," Killian said firmly, making it very clear. Everyone felt the unspoken rejection, and it felt like a heavy weight, making my sad spirit even worse.

Tears pricked at my eyes, blurring the edges of the cruel faces that surrounded me, each one made me feel worthless. Escape. I wished for it so badly, a silent scream inside me.

Later, as the moon cast long, eerie shadows through the trees, a figure detached itself from the darkness. "Selene Raventhorn?" a low voice questioned, sending a shiver of unease down my spine, a feeling of something unknown and potentially dangerous.

"Who are you?" I said quietly, stepping back without thinking. The forest, which usually felt safe, suddenly felt scary, and the leaves sounded like quiet threats..

"An opportunity," the figure replied, his eyes gleaming creepily in the low moonlight. "A way out of this… persistent misery that clings to you like a second skin."

"Out?" The word caught in my throat, a fragile bit of hope reaching through the suffocating misery. "How? There is no escape for someone like me."

"There are those who recognize your… unique abilities," he said, looking right through me, like he saw something I was hiding.. "This pack is too unaware and scared to see what this power is."

"Power?" Bitterness laced my voice, a harsh opposite to the fragile hope he offered. "I am the weakest omega. Power is a word that has no meaning in my existence."

A dry chuckle escaped his lips, a sound lacking warmth or humor.. "Weakness is a convenient lie they have allowed you to believe. Some find… rarity… quite… valuable.  Especially if it's something forbidden."

I felt a chill, creepy feeling inside me. Valuable? Not as a cherished mate, but as… what? A specimen? A tool?

"Who are these… other people?" I asked, my voice shaking. I could feel the fear now, like a snake twisting in my stomach.

"Collectors," he murmured, a predatory smile finally curving his lips. His eyes showed something dangerous but also tempting. "And they are exceedingly eager to acquire… unique assets."

He pointed to the darker shadows in the forest. It felt like a hidden energy was there, and it was silently asking me to go into the unknown. "Come, Selene. Your true worth… and your true destiny… await in places far beyond the reach of this ignorant pack."

I didn't know what to do. Staying with the Crimson Dawn was like being in a bad place I knew, but going into the darkness felt scary because I didn't know what was there. But Alpha Killian's rejection hurt so much, and being an outcast was so heavy, that anything felt like it had to be better.

I breathed in and out, trying to be brave. Then I walked towards the shadows, towards the person waiting there. They had said I could have a different life, even if I wasn't sure what it would be like. The person smiled, like they were quietly promising a journey into the unknown.

Then, Alpha Killian’s voice boomed from the edge of the clearing, sharp and commanding, cutting through the silence of the night. "Stop! The omega is not going anywhere."

Everyone in the pack looked confused and whispered because they were surprised and didn't know what was happening. The cloaked person next to me got still, and his hungry smile disappeared when Alpha Killian stared at us.

Alpha Killian's cold, thinking eyes stared at the cloaked person. "Who do you think you are, sneaking around in the dark, trying to steal what's ours?"

The figure’s hand moved with lightning speed, a glint of polished metal flashing in the moonlight. But before he could unleash whatever weapon he concealed. Alpha Killian growled loudly, and big, angry wolves quickly surrounded us, so we couldn't get away.

"She is a cursed burden, yes," Alpha Killian said, his gaze returning to me, without any pity, his firm look making me shiver. "But she is our burden to bear, and only we can decide what to do with her."

My heart dropped. The small chance of getting away, which felt so near, was now gone, leaving me feeling sad and hopeless.

Then, what Alpha Killian said next made things even worse and terrified me. "However," he continued, looking at me with a sneaky, thinking look, "I have received… a rather lucrative offer. One that acknowledges the… unique… nature of our omega."

He turned to address the pack, his voice sounding mean and like it was the end of the discussion. "Alpha Lord Voran of the Black Peak Pack has made a generous exchange for the special abilities our cursed omega has."

A collective gasp of horror rippled through the assembled wolves. Alpha Lord Voran. His name was whispered in fear, a creepy legend of unimaginable brutality and dark desires.

Alpha Killian’s gaze settled upon me, without any trace of empathy. 

"Consider this your new life, omega. You no longer belong to the Crimson Dawn. You are now the property of the Alpha Lord of the Black Peak Pack. A place where your… special… attributes will be… fully appreciated."

Rough hands seized me, dragging me away from my old pack who wer,e too shocked to say anything. My last bit of hope was gone as they dragged me towards the dark shadows and the scary, unknown rule of Alpha Lord Voran. A fate far more horrifying than any scorn I had ever known.