Solana

CHAPTER ONE

SOLANA

My wolf stirred restlessly in me as I ran.

The path from my father’s house to the square had never felt so long. My lungs burned, but I did not slow down. After six months of mandatory training in the Capital, Jason was home. My boyfriend. My mate.

His parents, the Pack Alpha and Luna, had called the entire Pack to the square for the welcome ceremony. Tonight, he would finally choose his Luna. He would mark me.

Excitement burned in my veins, which was enough to make me forget the fresh blisters I’d gotten from scrubbing the bath chambers and pots. I knew Raina, my stepmother, had kept me behind on purpose, but none of it mattered. Once Jason claimed me, I would be free from her cruelty. 

I burst into the square and stopped abruptly. 

The ceremony had already begun.

The Pack watched as Jason knelt before his father, with his sword laid at his feet. I smiled happily, proud of how far he had come.

But my smile fell away when I saw Lyra, my stepsister, beside him.

My heart stumbled in confusion, and I pushed forward, believing this was all a big misunderstanding. He had written that he would choose me. He had promised. I smoothed my hands down my wrinkled shirt, wiped the smear of ash away and stepped towards the open space.

“Jason –”

Raina’s hand slammed into my shoulder, and I hit the ground hard. Pain shot up my wrist and laughter rippled through the square.

My face burned, but I pushed myself up. 

Jason rose, and his eyes found mine for a second before he looked past me as if I was nothing. My stomach twisted hard enough to make me nauseous as bile rushed up my throat. 

No. No.

“I have made my choice.” His voice carried easily across the silent Pack. “Lyra will stand as my Luna. She is strong, well-connected and suited to the life waiting for me in the Capital. An Omega cannot hold that place.” Then, he turned to me, and there was no trace of the man I’d loved. I could not recognise him.

“No, please.” My eyes burned with tears.

“I reject you, Solana.” The words came anyway.

The bond between us, fragile at best, snapped clean and bright. My knees weakened, and my wolf recoiled hard, whimpering as she fled deep inside me. The world spun around me, and the pain drowned everything out. I couldn’t breathe – my lungs were filled with shards, stinging with every shaky inhale I took. 

I wiped my tears away angrily and stepped forward. “No –”

My father’s hand closed around my arms, and he dragged me away, away from Lyra’s smug expression, Raina’s satisfied smirk, and the mockery of the Pack. 

I stumbled beside him, tears streaming down my face. 

“Pull yourself together and stop embarrassing this family.” He let me go, barking at me the moment we were out of sight. 

“You promised her.” I choked out, the ache pressing hard against my sternum. “Before Mother died, you swore you would take care of me. Instead, you let Raina turn me into a servant in my own home!” 

His jaw ticked, but I didn’t care. I was shaking so hard that my teeth clicked together. 

“I did everything you asked of me. I did every hateful chore, scrubbed pots till my hand blistered, and endured every insult. Jason was supposed to be my way out. He was supposed to be mine! How could you stand there and let him do that? How could you let them do that to me? You were supposed to protect me!” My words broke apart at the edges, as if they'd been dragged straight out of my heart.

“Quiet.” He snapped, voice stripped of softness. That was always reserved for Lyra, not me. “Did you think the Alpha’s son would make you, a weak Omega, his Luna?”

“I am – I am your daughter!” A sob broke out of me. 

“You are a mistake.” He scoffed hatefully. “You were a mistake. Your mother was a mistake I paid for far too long, and tonight, I will be finally.” 

Tears burned my vision, and I wiped them away with trembling hands. “What are you talking about?” 

He looked past me for a moment before continuing. “The family has owed the Supreme Alpha for a long time, and it is time for us to pay our debt. We do not have money, as you well know, but thankfully, he is willing to accept payment in kind. Lyra is too young, too valuable, but you will be the right fit, an offering he will accept.” 

The ground shifted from under me, and my stomach dropped. “What?” My ears rang, and it grew louder with every passing second. 

“You leave tonight.” He decided. “The Pack Alpha has signed off on it. The Supreme Alpha has sent his men. You belong to him now.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out.