Chapter 1. Rejected

Raven’s POV

I stared at the mirror one last time, trying to steady my breathing. Midnight was close. The moment every wolf dreamed of. The night I would find my mate.

My eighteenth birthday.

The dress I wore was plain, but I’d done my best to smooth my hair, to hide the exhaustion from years of chores and humiliation. My wolf was restless inside me, pacing, howling, sensing what was coming.

“Oh, look who it is,” a sneering voice cut through my thoughts.

I didn’t even need to turn. Lily. My ever perfect stepsister.

“The ugly duckling, trying so hard for her Prince Charming,” she mocked, arms crossed, her smirk wide enough to split her face.

I turned slowly, meeting her eyes. “Get your ashy ass out of my room, Lily. I don’t have time for your tantrums tonight.”

Her cheeks flared red instantly. Good. Hit a nerve.

“Prepare to be disappointed,” she shot back. “Who knows who your mate will be? Some filthy rogue? Or maybe another weak omega like you. At least then you’ll be a matching pair of losers.”

Her words cut, sharp as a blade. I swallowed hard, refusing to let her see.

“At least I’m not the pack slut,” I said sweetly, my lips curling into a smirk.

Her face twisted, rage clouding her features. “How dare you—” She slapped me so hard my head whipped sideways.

For a moment, the sting burned. But I lifted my chin, stepped closer until my eyes locked on hers. “Hit me again, and I’ll skin you alive. Don’t you dare ruin my night, Lily.”

Her eyes flickered, shocked at the venom in my tone. For once, she didn’t have a comeback. I shoved past her and stormed out.

Ugly duckling? No.

I was beautiful, and I knew it. Everyone did. But my status as an omega, my lack of power, those were the chains they used to mock me, to break me down. Not tonight. Not anymore.

The ceremony grounds were glowing with torches, music vibrating in the air. Wolves laughed and cheered, girls in silks, boys already posturing with dominance. Mating season at its peak.

And then, at the stroke of midnight, my world shifted.

My wolf howled inside me, a sound so powerful it nearly buckled my knees. Mate.

The word echoed, filling me, pulling me forward. My senses sharpened. A scent, rich, masculine, intoxicating, wrapped around me.

I followed it, heart thundering, breath short. Step after step until—

I collided with a chest. Hard.

The scent slammed into me stronger than before, and when I looked up, the world tilted.

Him.

Ares. The alpha’s son. My soon to be Alpha.

My mate.

His stormy eyes widened as recognition flashed. For one heartbeat, I thought maybe, just maybe, this was fate smiling on me.

Then his lip curled.

“No.” His voice was low, sharp, and full of disgust. “No, no, no. You can’t be my mate.”

My stomach dropped. “What… what are you saying?”

“You’re a filthy omega,” he growled, loud enough for those around to hear. “Weak. Worthless. How could i be mated with a weakling like you?”

Gasps rippled. Snickers followed. Eyes burned into me, cruel and mocking.

My wolf whimpered, clawing at me. Mate. Mate.

“No… please, no…” Tears burned my eyes, but I blinked them back.

“I, Ares, son of the Alpha and future Alpha of this pack,” he said coldly, his voice carrying through the crowd, “reject you, Raven, as my mate and future Luna.”

The words cut through me like silver. Pain exploded in my chest, searing, ripping my heart in half. My knees trembled.

The crowd roared with laughter. Whispers spread like wildfire.

“Did you hear that? Rejected!”

“Who would want her?”

“Pathetic omega.”

Ares smirked, satisfied. He thought he’d crushed me.

But he hadn’t.

I lifted my head, locking my gaze with his. My voice shook, but it carried. “I, Raven, accept your rejection.”

Gasps echoed.

“She… she accepted it?”

“She actually had the guts.”

“She’ll regret this.”

The pain doubled, my chest on fire as the bond shattered. But I refused to look away. For the first time ever, I met Ares’s eyes without fear.

He stiffened. Just a flicker but I saw it.

“Wow,” someone muttered. “Even weak omegas got balls, huh?”

“She’s still just a bitch,” another spat.

I turned on them, spotting a girl in the crowd, the same one whose mate had cheated on her last year. “Even you,” I said, voice dripping venom, “with your cheating mate, have the balls to talk about me? Sit down before I remind everyone how pathetic you looked.”

Her mouth snapped shut, shock flashing across her face.

That was enough. I turned and ran, my wolf howling in grief, my vision blurred with tears. My chest burned with the agony of rejection, the laughter still ringing in my ears.

I had been humiliated. Destroyed. Rejected in front of everyone.

I crashed through my bedroom door, falling onto my bed, sobs shaking me. The bond was gone, ripped from me, leaving me empty.

Moments later, the door creaked. Lily strolled in, her laugh shrill and cruel.

“Well, well, well. The infamous omega, rejected and humiliated.” She leaned on the doorframe, smugness oozing off her. “I told you, Raven. And now? Watch me take Ares for myself. The Alpha’s son deserves a real Luna. Not trash.”

I glared at her through my tears, my fists clenched.

Then my stepmother entered, her heels clicking against the floor. Her eyes raked over me with disgust.

“I heard,” she said with a cruel smile. “Rejected. Pathetic. I warned you. You should’ve stayed hidden. Now look at you, shamed, unwanted. You’ll never be accepted anywhere, Raven. Never.”

She laughed, and Lily joined her, their voices slicing through me like knives.

When they finally left, the room was silent.

I buried my face in my pillow, sobbing until my throat ached. My wolf whined low inside me, broken but alive.

Rejected. Alone.

But somewhere, deep in the hollow pain, a spark lit.

This wasn’t the end.

It was only the beginning.