Fourteen Years Later…
Rejection is the storm that strips the leaves, but in its wake, new roots grow deeper and stronger.
- - -
Luna felt horrible.
The blow was not physical or visible, but it was there, stronger than ever, like a thousand needles pierced deep into her heart. With every passing minute, the pain grew worse.
Lying in her bed, knees clenched to her chest, a fragile shield against the raw, burning ache of rejection, she drifted in a numb, trance-like haze, deaf to the world beyond the walls of her room. Each day was a suffocating eternity, each breath a jagged reminder of the pack's mocking laughter, the crowd's sneers, and his final, cutting words.
- - -
Luna was an omega of the Shadow Howlers pack, the second largest pack in the world. That evening, she was at home preparing for the pack run, which would start late at night and continue until early morning.
"Luna! What are you still doing? Hurry up, we're running late," a girl's excited voice called from the sitting room. She paced the room, waiting for her sister to finish getting ready so they could go to the pack house. Her excitement was palpable, a rush of adrenaline and joy buzzing through her, making her unable to stand still.
She called out again to her sister, who was still in the room, since she hadn't received any response.
"Luna!!!" the girl shouted, stamping her feet on the carpeted floor out of impatience.
Luna chuckled, her voice soft and calm, a stark contrast to the other girl's tone. "Sister Belle, you need to calm down. It's not like the whole world would fall apart if we missed this pack run," Luna said from her room, rolling her eyes as she tried to figure out what to wear to the run tonight.
She really didn't feel like going. After all, nothing changed for her, the outcast of the pack, who had to hide every day to avoid being bullied by those who thought they were above her just because she hadn't awakened her wolf.
In a world where late bloomers were considered trash, only Alpha Magnus thought otherwise. With that thought in her mind, the girl smiled brightly, her smile reaching her eyes. A subtle sheen surrounded her, soft and welcoming.
This was Luna's gift, or should I say curse, "because even she herself didn't know why the moon goddess gave her this curse—cough, cough—I mean gift," she said, her voice trembling.
Whenever she smiled, her whole form would shine brightly, making the people around her gape in surprise. But this gift did more harm than good for Luna, as she was soon targeted by her fellow omegas, who felt that Luna was only showing off. They thought there was no need for the moon goddess to bless her with this gift when she couldn't even awaken her own wolf at nineteen. She was considered a huge failure to the whole pack and to all the omegas of the Shadow Howlers. Since turning sixteen, she had been bullied because of it.
"Luna!" shouted Belle, her older sister, once more.
Realizing that her sister was no longer answering and they were getting late, and still needing to join the omegas to prepare for the pack run tonight, the girl made her way to Luna's room upstairs. Without bothering to knock or signal her arrival, she flung open the door with so much force and entered, seeing her younger sister sitting comfortably on the bed amid a careless pile of clothes. The bed was scattered with clothes, and the sun's rays drifting into the room hinted that sunset was near.
"Luna! Really?!"
"Stop shouting, Sister Belle. I'm sure Aunt Marion probably thinks I'm giving you a hard time," said Luna, who was still trying to sort out the clothes she would wear from the piles on her bed. Usually Luna couldn't care less about her appearance, as nobody really paid attention to her, but knowing her sister, she was sure she would not be able to step out the door in just anything. So she had put on this act to make it seem like she had been desperately searching for what to wear.
Belle rolled her eyes so hard that Luna thought they might fall out any moment. "It's not like the clothes we put on now are what we'll wear for the ceremony. You're just making up excuses, and of course you're giving me a hard time. Maybe I should just go to Aunt Marion to let her know what you are doing, since we ought to be in the pack house by now. You know we are omegas, and we have things to do. Stop stalling—aren't you excited for the pack run tonight? Hopefully your mate will recognize you today."
The pack run of the Shadow Howlers took place every year in the pack's forest near the territory borders. It was the only day of the year when the lower members—aka the omegas—could see their Alpha up close, except those who worked directly for the pack house, like Luna and Belle. What made the pack run even better was that it was held on the night of a full moon, which boosted senses and strength and helped unmated wolves find their mate quickly, since the whole pack gathered in one place.
This night was crucial for every wolf, as the excitement of running and hunting in wolf form was amplified. But for Luna, this night was the worst night of her life, the night that reminded her why she was an outcast and why she didn't belong.
Luna sighed. "Are you still eager to find your mate?" she asked, then fiddled with the hem of the dress she wore absentmindedly. Belle, who was a year older than her sister, had awakened her wolf at the age of sixteen, like every other she-wolf, and since werewolves could sense their mate after their eighteenth birthday, she had been looking for her mate since then, but with no luck.
Luna turned to look at her older sister, who looked excited to go to the pack run. It was obvious she had been looking forward to it like every other unmated omega in the pack who still hadn't identified their mate even after their eighteenth birthday. There was a flash of envy in her amber-gold doe eyes, which quickly disappeared as if it had never appeared. Luna felt she should cheer her sister on to find her mate today, but she just couldn't.
"Why would you ask such a ridiculous question? Of course I am. It's been two years since my eighteenth birthday, and I still haven't found my mate. I see Aunt Marion always looking out the window with a sad look on her face. If only I could be mates with a high-ranking minister or a warrior chief, our status and wealth would improve. Wouldn't you like it too?" Belle said, almost too excited, with a dreamy expression on her face, clapping her hands and sitting beside her younger sister on the bed. Belle had light brown hair that almost looked red and eyes that were green, while her younger sister had long silver hair and amber-gold eyes that had her living in her sister's shadow. "Come on and get ready quickly."
Belle stood up and spoke when she suddenly heard her sister's soft voice behind her.
"I don't want to go. It's not like I have ever gone to the pack runs before. Let me just skip this one as well." Luna's voice was soft, and it sounded like she was about to cry. This realization stunned Belle, and she finally realized that she had been so inconsiderate about her younger sister's feelings all along, talking about the pack run without thinking about how her sister might be feeling about all of this.
"Oh," the girl exclaimed in realization. "May the Moon Goddess forgive me. How can I forget about this?" Belle asked as she sat back down on the bed. It had completely slipped her mind, perhaps because her sister was the first werewolf who had not awakened her wolf despite being over eighteen years old, and to think that she was her elder sister, she thought with a sigh.
Belle took hold of Luna's hands. "I can't say I understand you, Lune, but I want you to come to this pack run this time. You might not recognize your mate, but there's no law that says your fated mate can't recognize you," said Belle to her younger sister.
Seeing the worried and concerned look on her older sister's face, Luna could not help but nod as she stared back into her sister's green eyes. "Everything will be fine," Belle assured before standing up again. "Now, I'll give you five minutes to get changed and meet me in the sitting room," she said before walking out of the room.
Luna sighed. She tried to believe her sister's words, that her other half might be able to recognize her, as it was a two-way connection. But she couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad would happen today, maybe not to her, but she really didn't want to go. She pushed aside her negative thoughts, picturing the smiling face of Alpha Magnus and his gentle touch when he held her, telling her not to worry about the fact that she had not awakened her wolf, that everything would be alright.
And with that thought, Luna finally stood up and picked random clothes from the piles on her bed, quickly putting them on before her sister barged into the room again. With that, Luna went downstairs, and the two girls stepped out and headed for the pack house…
No one knew that Belle's words would come true, but in the opposite way, because no one expected such a thing could happen.