Chapter 1

4 years ago...

The annual Luna Moon Ball was on its last leg and all my hopes of finding my mate tonight were slowly fading, any excitement I had at the beginning of the night was already dead.

I stood away from the crowds and watched as everyone else had the time of their lives. If I slipped away no one would notice. As an omega, my presence was trivial anyway.

Resolved, I dropped the glass of water I had been holding and make my way to the great room which led out into the night air.

I took two steps before I was blocked by an all too familiar frame.

Suddenly I was back in our little house on the outskirts of the pack territory, a place where all I ever felt was fear, a place I had only managed to move out of on my eighteenth birthday last year.

I stared into the face of my stepfather.

“Yara, how are you child?” The wicked glint in Malcom's eyes reminded me of all the years of abuse and just like back then my wolf took over.

One step at a time, Tanya moved us away from the despicable human being. We kept moving blindly until we ended up in a darkly lit room. I was brought back to reality by hushed voices.

“So what? You want me marry the next girl you shove in my face?”

“Being an Alpha requires these sacrifices Kaiden.”

“Bullshit you only want a marriage because of your political crap! The pack is strong uncle, we have finally managed to regroup-“

“Yes and that is why I am telling you that you need to get married.”

Oh no.

While looking for a place to hide for the rest of the night, I had ended up where I obviously was not supposed to be. Guilt made me take a step back but my elbow bumped softly against the doorframe and the hushed argument came to a halt.

Tanya cursed my clumsiness inwardly and I cursed myself even more. After a moment of silence passed, a voice said,

“We’re done with this Uncle. No, just no.” The voice I finally recognised as the Alpha of my pack said stiffly.

Before I could slip away, a domineering figure appeared at the doorway and my breath caught.

The seconds before our eyes met felt like an eternity and when it finally did a shiver of awareness ran down my spine and I just knew.

Mate.

The events after those soul-touching seconds were going to completely wreck me but at that moment I had no idea.

I watched the face of the handsome aloof werewolf for any sign that he felt the same connection that I did.

Instead, he stared blankly at me then the bridge of his nose scrunched up as though he had just perceived something nasty. In the blink of an eye, he took my hand without a word and he pulled me down the hall into a small room near the pack house entrance.

The door closed with a thud but I remain too caught up by him to even scan the small space.

My mate is an Alpha.

The Alpha is my mate.

At the absurd thought, a small giggle escaped my lips. That seemed to be a trigger as his dark gaze settled on me.

Suddenly I remembered just how strong the being before me was. A healthy dose of fear took root in my mind along with some excitement.

“What are you?” he asked “Human?”

“Would I be here if I were?” my wolf whined reproachfully at my non-submissive answer but I got that annoying question a lot.

“Ah, an Omega then.” The Alpha said with a scoff that broke my heart a little.

“Do you feel it too?” the question almost sounded like a plea but I just needed him to acknowledge that he felt this bond too.

“What I feel, is an inconvenience. An ill-timed one at that.”

No. This time, the cry of anguish is from my wolf.

They say rejected mates know when the rejection is about to happen but as I looked into the eyes of this man whom I had never met, who was supposed to love me with his soul, I just could not bring myself to put together the pieces.

I wish I had...

“Wait we-“

“What’s your name?” He demanded.

“Yara Mason. But I need-“

“I, Kaiden Grey, Alpha of Greymoon rejects you, Yara Mason, as my mate and Luna. I need someone strong to stand by my side, and that person is not you little Omega.”

That was how my world crumbled.

The utter despair and unfairness of the situation washed over me all at once. My tongue felt like lead and my feet stayed stuck as I watched my supposed mate turn his back and leave.

The door hit back against its frame and it dawned on me that he never even waited for me to accept or deny the rejection.

Was I that insignificant?

Shoulder shuddering sobs racked through me and the thought of breathing seemed irrelevant. I gasped desperately for air between sobs and within me, Tanya felt so far away.

I could understand, all I wanted at that moment was to not exist. To just fade away.

So I did the next best thing. I left.