Nova
"You really don't know your place, omega." She spat, her voice like venom dripping into an open wound.
Andressa stood before me like a queen surveying something beneath her notice—perfectly dressed, back straight, blonde hair curled to impossible perfection, and blue eyes full of disdain. She looked like she belonged here, like every inch of the pack house was her domain. And maybe, in a way, it was.
But her words cut deep.
My hands clenched into fists at my sides. I looked at her, fire building behind my eyes. She smirked when she saw my fists, as if she were hoping I'd snap. As if she wanted an excuse.
"Aww" she cooed mockingly. "Did I, by any chance, offend you?"
Her tone was sugary sweet, but every syllable dripped with cruelty. Her heels clicked slowly toward me, deliberate and confident.
I swallowed hard, trying to stay calm. Kain was inside, doing everything he could to stop this marriage—I couldn't ruin that. Not by rising to her bait. Not by starting a fight with the woman who wore his engagement ring like a medal.
So I turned.
Cowardly, maybe. But I turned to leave.
"You're walking away?" she called after me, laughter in her voice. "You're just like the rest of them. Submissive. Weak."
The word slapped against my pride, but I didn't stop. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.
I had barely made it a few feet before I felt her grip on my arm—tight. Painful.
"Did I give you permission to leave?" she hissed. The fake sweetness had vanished completely. "Do you even know who I am?"
"Let go." I said through clenched teeth as her fingers tightened around my arm by the second.
She tightened her grip even more. "Or what? What are you gonna do, omega? Answer me, do you know who I am?"
I turned my head, meeting her gaze without blinking. "I know who you are."
"Say it," she demanded.
"You are Kain's fiancée," I spat, jerking my arm.
Saying those words hurt more than I expected them to. I knew that at some point I would have to see her, but I didn't expect it to be this soon.
"So, you do know who I am…" she paused as she finally relaxed her grip, watching me pry my arm from her grasp. "You're aware of our engagement, yet here you are, prancing around in his clothes," she said, her eyes trained on his jacket.
She reached out to touch it, and I flinched, holding onto the piece of clothing like my life depended on it. She chuckled.
"Calm down, omega. I'm not taking it from you…" she paused, a smirk plastered on her face. "You can leave the pack house with it," she added, turning away.
"I'm not leaving." I said, enunciating each word as my anger rose. I rubbed the spot where her nails had dug into my skin.
She turned sharply, her eyes narrowed.
"You have a lot of nerve, you know. Coming here, wearing his clothes…" she paused. "I was kind enough to let you leave with it—thought you should get a souvenir. But now, you don't want to leave?" She queried as she stared down at me in anger.
"He is my mate, I'm not leaving" I spat out with equal anger.
"Well your mate is getting married to me in a month and I will be Luna of this pack" she said, staring at me with disbelief. "What don't you understand, omega? You don't belong here. You will never belong here." She snapped.
The words cut deep, but I couldn't stay silent. I couldn't let her know that what she said was true—that I knew I didn't belong here.
"He doesn't want the marriage. He doesn't want you. He's in there doing everything he can to make sure he doesn't have to spend the rest of his life with you. You're never going to be Luna, because this marriage won't happen," I declared vehemently, my chest rising and falling heavily.
"It seems like you think what he wants actually matters…" she laughed, but it wasn't kind. It was mocking—victorious. "This marriage was finalized years ago. The wedding is just ceremonial. There's nothing your mate can do to change that." She said, making air quotes around the word 'mate'.
Her words disarmed me, stripping me of any bravery I had managed to muster.
"Why would you want another wolf's mate?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly.
"I don't want your mate, Nova…" she spat out my name like it was something foul. "I want to fulfill my end of the alliance. I want to perform my duty, and marrying your mate just happens to be my duty." She said, as if stating a simple fact.
I stayed silent, completely disarmed. What else could I say?
"Oh… and what wolf, Nova? What wolf?" she taunted with a sick smile, and the realization crashed down on me.
She knew.
She knew I was wolfless. She had done some digging—she knew who I was.
I looked away as tears threatened to fall. I held them back. I didn't want her to see them. I didn't want her to see how weak I truly was.
"I know all about you, Nova Wells. You didn't even belong with the omegas. You're weak—even for an omega, and for some reason, you thought you belonged here. Do you really think the pack would accept you—an unwanted, wolfless omega—as their Luna?" She said, venom dripping from her voice.
"You're pathetic," she sneered, then turned and walked into the meeting room.
I stood there, staring at the large doors. My throat burned. The tears pricked at my eyes as I continued fighting them back.
Every single thing she said was true. Who was I fooling, staying here, wearing his clothes, thinking that being his mate was some sort of badge of honor?
I had been disregarded even among omegas, and for some reason, I thought that since I was his mate now, I would be treated differently.
That anyone would ever see me differently.
I took off Kain's jacket, letting it fall to the ground, and looked down at the bruise she'd left on my skin.
It was just another one in the collection.
As the old ones faded, new ones always took their place.
********************
By the time I reached the stairs, my legs felt like lead. I barely made it to the room before my knees gave out. I slid to the floor, chest heaving, the tears I had tried to hold back were flowing freely now. The walls closed in. My vision blurred.
I couldn't do this. I didn't belong here. She was right.
And Kain… maybe he meant it when he said he was trying. Maybe he didn't. But either way, I couldn't stay.
I pulled myself up slowly and reached for my phone.
Cami answered on the third ring.
"Nova!" she said, her voice filled with excitement. "So how is it over there?"
I didn't know how to answer. The words stuck in my throat.
"I… I need you to come get me," I said finally, my voice trembling. "From the pack house."
"Wait—what? What happened?"
"I just… I can't stay here, Cam," I whispered. "I don't belong here. I need to leave."
"Nova, talk to me." she urged, but I couldn't. If I said it all out loud, I'd break.
"Please," I said, swallowing down the sob rising in my chest. "Just… come get me. I'll explain later."
She was quiet for a second, then said, "Okay. I'm on my way."
I hung up with trembling fingers, unable to move, unable to think. My phone dropped to the floor beside me.
And that's when I heard it.
The door creaked open.
I froze, too drained to even pretend to be okay.
Kain stood in the doorway, his eyes locked on me.His jacket in hand as his expression darkened as he took in my tear-streaked face, the phone on the floor, and the way my body seemed to collapse in on itself.
"How long have you been standing there?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
"Long enough." he said softly.
And just like that, the silence between us said everything.