Rise & Reign Of The Forsaken Luna

"I, Alpha Justin Blackwood, formally reject you. I reject your bond."Justin marched forward, breathing with anger. "I reject your existence as my mate."

It was not just his voice I heard. But the tension.

The cold of Oakhaven's woods always found its way into my bones, even inside the Moonstone Pack House. It wasn't just the damp Pacific Northwest air. It was the constant presence of fear.

I was just myself-Elara Vance, a twenty-two-year-old omega, and my life was a study in invisibility. Small, quiet, I moved through the pack house like a ghost, hoping no one would notice, no one would bother.

My oversized, worn clothes were less about comfort and more about mere covering. They hid my small frame and made me blend into the faded wallpaper.

It was safer that way.

Every sudden noise, every raised voice, sent a jolt of terror through me, a familiar flinch I couldn't control.

Even my aunt considered me as a worthless Omega.

Today, the fear was a living thing, a predator in my mind. Alpha Justin Blackwood had announced the compulsory Mating Ceremony afterwards. He was with authority and something colder, heavier, and hung over everyone.

Alpha Justin.

His name alone sent shivers down my spine. Thick black hair, sharp pale blue eyes that missed nothing, a lean, powerful build. He moved with a scent of dominance that made every wolf bow. He treasured power.

Everyone else was a tool.

I heard wolves discussing the ceremony in hushed tones. "Who do you think he'll choose?" a young wolf female asked, her voice filled with excitement.

"Someone strong, surely," another replied. "Someone who can truly lead. Lyra Thorne, perhaps?"

Lyra.

Lyra Thorne was the Alpha's daughter. Flawless blonde hair, sharp, calculating blue eyes, always in expensive pack clothes. Vain, wicked, and very jealous. She believed she deserved to be Luna. She was always trying to undermine others. Especially me, though I tried so hard to be unseen.

I walked past a group of wolves, the females, heading for the kitchen.

Maybe I could grab a stale piece of bread, then disappear into my tiny, dusty room in the omega quarters.

Just survive.

That was my only goal. Survive today. Survive the ceremony.

A voice, sharp just a wolf's, made a breaking noise in the silence. "Elara! Where do you think to?"

My shoulders tensed.

It was Britta, a Beta's daughter, always eager to assert her voice. I turned slowly, my eyes still downcast. "Nowhere important, Britta. Just... to my room."

"Oh? Avoiding the ceremony?" Her voice was laced with a mocking sweetness. "Everyone is required. Even omegas." She stepped closer, her scent-sharp and dominant-holding my nose. "Unless you're planning something?"

My heart pounded. "No, Britta. Of course not. I wouldn't. I'm just... I'm getting ready." My voice was a whisper, as always.

"Getting ready?" She laughed, a brittle sound. "For what? To be rejected by everyone, as usual?" Her words were a familiar blow, but they still stung. "Don't bother trying