The echoes of the great hall still clung to me, sharp and bitter, long after Kael's words had cut through me like knives. Rejected.
I could feel them in my bones. Every murmur, every sideways glance, every titter of disbelief whispered it back to me. Rejected. Humiliated. Weak.
I lowered my gaze, trying to make myself smaller. The ceremonial hall was emptying, the torchlight flickering across the stone walls, but the whispers seemed to follow me. They echoed in my ears, louder than any footstep, louder than my own heartbeat.
I wanted to vanish. I wanted to sink into the floor, swallow myself whole, and escape the pack's eyes forever. But the bond, the violent, searing pull that had made me stumble forward just minutes ago was still there, buried beneath my chest. It throbbed, a relentless reminder that Kael Nightfang, the Lycan King, had chosen to turn away.
I wanted to hate him. I wanted to scream, to lash out, to tell him he had no right. But I couldn't. Not yet. The bond was cruel in its absence, teasing me with warmth I would never touch, whispering of a destiny he refused to accept.
I stumbled toward the exit, each step heavy, my robe dragging across the cold stones. My palms were scraped, my knees stinging, but it didn't matter. The humiliation was deeper than any physical pain could ever reach.
Whispers followed me.
"She is nothing."
"An Omega, rejected by the King."
"Pathetic."
Every word landed like a blow. My wolf trembled inside me, clawing at the edges of my mind. Fight. Survive. Rise.
The elders lingered near the throne, murmuring among themselves, exchanging glances I could not fully interpret. I felt their judgment more than their pity. Even they seemed unsure of what to do when a mate bond is refused, when the Moon itself decrees something and the King turns away.
I finally made it to a quiet corridor, away from the main hall, away from the piercing silver eyes of Kael and the judgmental stares of the pack. I sank to the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees, pressing my face against them to hide the tears that would not stop.
The wolf inside me whimpered, trembling, her own instincts bruised by the rejection. She had been born for this moment, primed for the bond, and yet it had been denied. The pain of being unseen, of being dismissed, tore through us both, and I could feel her rage mingling with my own despair.
But even in that dark corner, a spark flickered.
The Moon had not abandoned me. My wolf's instincts whispered secrets I did not yet understand. You are stronger than they know. You are rare. You are destined for more than this humiliation.
I pressed my palms to my chest, willing the pain to focus, willing the ache to turn into something sharp and alive. The wolf beneath the surface shifted, rolling through my veins like liquid fire. I was trembling, weak, human, but also something else. Something the Lycan King could not reject even if he tried.
I stayed there for what felt like hours, curled against the stone walls, until the torchlight dimmed and the hall was empty save for the lingering echoes of Kael's presence.
When I finally stood, my knees were unsteady, but my mind was quieter. The whispers in the hall were gone, replaced by something else: a rhythm that felt like possibility, a pulse that said, you are not broken.
The pack, of course, did not let the rejection go unnoticed.
By the next morning, I was aware that every Alpha, Beta, and Omega who could gossip had done so. I had barely managed a single meal without being stared at, whispered about, or outright ignored. They thought I was defeated. They thought the Lycan King's words had crushed me completely.
I let them believe it.
It was easier that way. Easier to observe, easier to listen, easier to prepare.
Because I was not defeated.
The wolf stirred constantly now, restless, impatient. It pressed against my chest in sharp little jabs whenever I tried to sit still. Her claws itched, her instincts screamed. She knew I was rare. She knew something inside me that the pack could not see. Something Kael could not see. Something even I was only beginning to understand.
I spent the day wandering the edges of the territory, far from the pack's eyes. The forests were familiar, yet tonight, they felt alive in a different way. The Moon hung low, silver and bright, illuminating paths I had never noticed. Every leaf, every rustle of wind, every ripple of the river seemed to speak to me.
I could feel the bond pulsing faintly, remnants of Kael's presence lingering in the threads of fate that tied us together. Painful, yes, but also illuminating. I could feel him proud, unyielding, distant and it made my chest ache in a way I could not ignore.
I closed my eyes, letting the Moon's light wash over me. The wolf whispered, stretching, rolling, testing the limits of her newfound awareness. And in that moment, I realized: rejection was a gift.
If I had been accepted, I would have remained small, weak, invisible. But the denial… it forced me to see my own power.
Kael, of course, remained oblivious.
He strutted through the pack grounds with the confidence of a King unchallenged. Alphas bowed, Betas whispered, Omegas averted their eyes. He believed he had made the right choice. That I would disappear. That the Moon had been wrong, that destiny could be ignored.
But the wolf inside me growled in protest.
I did not belong in the shadows forever. I was not meant to crumble. I would rise.
And Kael, cold, arrogant, unfeeling would regret it.
The next days were a blur of whispers and silent observations. I walked through the pack grounds like a shadow, avoiding unnecessary contact, yet always listening. Every conversation, every glance, every hidden murmur was fodder. I learned who doubted me, who feared me, and, most importantly, who had underestimated me.
I began training in secret. Alone, I pushed myself, ignoring exhaustion, ignoring fear. The wolf guided me, instincts awakening, power slowly coiling beneath the surface. My claws grew sharper, my senses keener, my mind clearer. I had been humiliated in front of everyone, yes but humiliation was temporary. Power was forever.
And I would have both.
Then, one evening, as the sun bled into the horizon and the shadows stretched long across the pack grounds, I felt it.
The bond.
Not the soft, distant pull that had teased me the night of the ceremony. No. This was sharper, more insistent, more demanding. I stiffened, my heart racing. The threads were tightening, writhing like living tendrils in my chest. And I knew Kael was near.
I did not want to see him. I did not want to feel him.
And yet… I could not stop the bond from screaming.
It drew me out of the shadows, toward the main hall, toward Kael. I kept low, hidden behind trees, stones, walls. The wolf stirred, her instincts buzzing with excitement and fury. Something was coming. Something big. Something I could not yet name.
I watched him from the shadows. Kael, tall, perfect, dominating, unaware of my gaze. His jaw was tight, his eyes scanning the grounds, restless. Something had shifted. I could feel it in the threads of the bond, like electricity humming through my veins.
He was searching.
And I smiled, quietly, venomously.
Let him search. Let him realize. Let him regret.
The Omega he had rejected was no longer the weak, trembling girl he had spat words at. She was rising. She was awakening. She was power.
And when the Moon itself sang its verdict, when destiny whispered through t
he winds and the forests, Kael Nightfang would see.
The Omega he had scorned… was untouchable.