Lisa's POV 

A flicker of hope bloomed in my chest.

This was the moment I had been waiting for. Maybe Roman would accept me, see me for who I was, and we could rise above the cruel whispers of the pack. 

But as I stepped closer, Roman's expression twisted into something dark, something furious. His grey eyes, which had held a brief moment of shock, now blazed with anger.

He took a step forward, and my heart began to flutter. 

"Hi, Alpha Roman," I beamed him a shy smile.

"No," he growled in response. "This can't be right."

My blood turned to ice in my veins. "Alpha Roman..."

I tried to reach out to him, but the words caught in my throat. 

"You?" he spat with disgust. "The Moon Goddess paired me with you?" 

He dragged his eyes from mine down to my feet and up again, as if he could barely stand the sight of me. "This has to be a mistake."

My heart shattered into a thousand pieces. The warm sensation of the bond had been comforting, now it feels like a chill in my spine. 

"I won't accept this," Alpha Roman declared loudly, turning towards the gathered pack.

"I - I don't understand," I stammered in a weak voice. "I'm your mate."

"No! I, Alpha Roman, reject you, Lisa. You're nothing but a weak omega, and you'll never be my mate!"

The words hit me like a physical blow, knocking the breath out of my lungs. The crowd erupted in shocked murmurs, but there was an underlying note of satisfaction in the air, as if they'd been waiting for this moment.

"I can't believe the Moon Goddess would pair an Alpha with an Omega like her," someone muttered.

"She's always been pathetic," another voice added. 

I stood frozen in place, my heart pounding in my chest as the words of rejection echoed in my ears. 

"I, Alpha Roman, reject you, as my mate and Luna to my Pack," his voice repeated in my mind, the words replaying over and over. The air around me felt thick, suffocating, as if the entire world had closed in on me.

Roman's face remained hard, his disgust evident as he turned away from me as if I were something dirty that I couldn't bear to look at.

"You're nothing but a weak omega," he had declared to the crowd, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. The public humiliation was unbearable, and the eyes of the entire pack were on me, waiting to see how I would react. 

"You're not fit to stand by my side," Roman's voice cut through me again, though now he wasn't looking at me. He was focused on someone else.

Tears spilled down my cheeks when I turned my head slightly to see who Roman was speaking to. And there, standing at his side with a smug smile, was my stepsister, Brenda.

Brenda, who had spent years tormenting me, laughing at my weakness, now stood beside Roman, her eyes gleaming with triumph. The realization hit me like a punch in the gut. Roman had chosen Brenda.

"I chose Brenda as my mate!" Roman announced in a loud voice.

The crowd gasped and my heart clenched painfully in my chest. 

Brenda stepped forward with a smirk, her arm wrapping possessively around Roman's. 

She turned to me, her smile widening as she relished the pain on my face. 

"Looks like I win, Lisa," She said with a mocking glare. "The Moon Goddess may have chosen you for Roman, but clearly, even she doesn't know what's best."

I couldn't respond when my voice was trapped in my throat. The betrayal, the rejection, the public humiliation. It was all too much. My legs felt weak, barely able to hold my weight as I struggled to remain standing. I wanted to disappear, to melt into the earth beneath my feet, to be anywhere but here.

Brenda leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper as though it was meant only for my ears. "You thought you had a chance, didn't you? Poor Little Lisa, always dreaming of something she could never have. It's pathetic." 

I blinked rapidly, trying to push back to the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks. 

"Go on, cry," Brenda continued, her voice low and cruel. "It's what you're best at. Everyone knows it's the only thing you're good for." 

A ripple of laughter spread through the crowd, joining Brenda's cruel taunts. 

Roman stood tall beside Brenda, his expression indifferent as the crowd laughed and jeered. To him, this was nothing more than a necessary act. He had rejected his fated mate in front of everyone and chosen someone more "worthy" of his position as Alpha. To him, I didn't matter. I never had. 

Suddenly, a female voice called out. I let it all go to hell. The tears slipped down my cheeks when I saw it was Luna Bella, Roman's mother. She was seated among the pack elders with a smug look on her face. 

Her beautiful face contorted in a mocking sneer as she stared at me. "Is she going to run away? Aww, the poor little omega can't take it." 

Another voice chimed in. It was my step mother, Jeanine. "No wonder the Alpha rejected her. Who would want a mate like that?" 

"Tell me about it." Even my father snorted a laugh.

The laughter grew louder, and I felt myself shrinking further into myself, trying to block out her mocking voices. I had been through so much, endured 18 years of being ridiculed, but this was different. This was worse. This was a rejection not just from a potential mate, but from my entire pack, from the life I had tried so hard to find my place in. 

My breath hitched, the tears I had fought so hard to keep back now spilled down my cheeks. I couldn't do it. I couldn't stand here any longer, couldn't face their jeers and cruel words. My vision blurred as I turned in my heels, the sound of Brenda's triumphant laughter ringing in my ears. 

"Run away, Lisa!" Roman called behind me, his voice carrying above the crowd. "Go cry in the woods where you belong!"

I didn't look back. I couldn't. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, pushing through the trees that lined the clearing. 

The branches scratched at my skin, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to be far away from the pack, from the pain, from the humiliation that clung to me like a suffocating fog.

My breath came in ragged gasps as I stumbled deeper into the forest, the cool night air biting at my skin. The full moon hung high above me, casting long shadows across the first floor, but even its light felt cold and distant. 

In a loud voice, I screamed at it, hoping the Moon Goddess would hear it. "It should've been a night of joy! You should've made it a night of celebration but you made it into my worst nightmare! Why!"

My response was my own echo and it infuriated me the most.

I continued my walk. 

After what felt like hours, my legs finally gave out and I collapsed on the floor, my chest heaving with sobs. 

I buried my face in my hands, the tears flowing feeling now, soaking the earth beneath me. 

"How could this happen? Why would you do this to me?" I whispered to no one in my breaking voice. 

"I had always believed in you, believed that you had a plan for every wolf. But now, it feels like you have something against me. Why would you pair me with someone who would reject me so brutally? Why would you let Brenda, my cruelest tormentor, win?!" 

The sound of my screams filled the empty forest, the only company I had left. 

I remained on the forest floor, crying until I had no more tears left. 

The cold air chilled me to the bone. I had to find shelter real fast. I remembered there was a bar up ahead. 

I got off the floor and dusted my gown, trudging slowly in the direction of the bar. 

There was no point in me returning to the pack. I had nothing left. No pack, mate, no future. Maybe, the bar wouldn't make me feel lonely. 

Lisa's POV 

I got off the floor and dusted my gown, trudging slowly in the direction of the bar. 

There was no point in me returning to the pack. I had nothing left. No pack, mate, no future. Maybe, the bar wouldn't make me feel lonely.

Eventually, I found myself standing outside a high-end bar called PICK ME UP. 

I stared at the door, feeling a pang of hesitation. I'd never set foot in a place like this before. 

With one last shaky breath, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The bar was dimly lit, reeking of alcohol and something else I couldn't quite place. 

A few patrons sat scattered across the room, their faces shadowed. No one paid any attention to me as I walked to the bar, slipping onto a stool. 

The bartender barely glanced my way. "What'll it be?"

"I don't care," I muttered, my voice barely a whisper. "Whatever's strong." 

He shrugged and slid a glass in front of me. 

I took a long swig, wincing as the alcohol burned down my throat. It was awful, but it worked. The numbness I craved began to settle over me, dulling the sharp edges of my thoughts.

"You look like you could use another." 

I turned my head and blinked. A man sat beside me, watching me with a curious expression. His golden eyes gleamed in the low light, and there was something unsettling calm about him. 

His dark hair was long and fell below his shoulder in frizzles. I had never seen a man with hair that long before. There was a tattoo of the moon in a shade of black and red on his exposed left upper arm.

"Does it show that much?" I asked, my voice laced with bitter humor.

"Just a little," he replied, leaning back casually. "Bad night?"

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You could say that."

He didn't ask the questions I expected. Instead, he gestured to the bartender. "Another drink for the lady."

"I don't need... " I started to pretest, but he cut me off.

"Trust me. You'll want it." 

I sighed, taking the fresh drink. 

"What's your deal?" I asked, turning to face him. "Why are you being so...nice?" 

He flashed me a grin. "Call it a bad habit. I have a thing for helping people who look like they're drowning." 

I snorted, lifting my glass. "Well, cheers to drowning."

We sat in silence for a moment, the quiet hum of the bar filling this space between us. 

My thoughts drifted to the ceremony, the disappointment on everyone's faces when I wasn't claimed. I could still hear the murmurs, the whispers of pity and disdain. 

The stranger's voice cut through my thoughts. "You want to talk about it?"

"No," I replied quickly, taking another drink. "I just want to forget." 

He nodded, not pushing any further. There was a comfort in his presence, in the fact that he wasn't boring or judging. I could just exist for a while without explaining myself to anyone. The alcohol was starting to buy my senses, and I welcomed the numbness. 

Before I knew it, we were laughing about what, I wasn't even sure. 

The night blurred into a haze of drinks and slurred words, and for a brief moment, I didn't feel like the failure I knew I was. I felt free. 

I turned to him, probably thinking this was the worst decision I had ever made in my life, I cupped his cheeks and smacked my lips against his.

At first he was frozen, taken aback by my brazen action. Just when I was about to pull away, he pulled me closer, returning the kiss. 

His kisses were raw with passion and one other emotion I couldn't give a name. When I moaned into his mouth, he growled in response. It made my senses reel. 

We pulled away briefly to catch our breath, our eyes meeting each other's.

"Let's get out of here, somewhere quieter." I whispered behind his ears. 

The next thing I knew, his hands were wrapped around my waist, steadying me as we stumbled out of the bar.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my words thick with drunkenness.

"Somewhere quieter like you suggested," he replied, his voice low. "Unless you'd rather stay here." 

I didn't protest. It wasn't like I had anywhere else to go. Besides, I wasn't thinking clearly, not with the alcohol clouding my mind and the overwhelming need to forget everything weighing on me.

We ended up in an expensive motel nearby. The details were fuzzy, but I remembered his hands on me, his touch warm and fleeting. 

It was reckless and stupid, and I knew it, but at that moment, I didn't care. I let myself get lost in the haze of it all. 

His kisses trailed gently from my neck to my chest. I felt my skin was on fire from his touch. He teased and punished me with his tongue. I felt all the joys of heavens and hell all at once.

Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, he towered over me. His golden eyes burned into mine in an intense gaze. 

Suddenly, I felt embarrassed. Here, I was naked before a man I don't know. 

He leaned closer, burying his face in the nook of my neck he had made. "You are simply divine."

My cheeks turned pink and I bit my lower lip. Heat pooled in my stomach and down there too.

As if reading my body, he reached his fingers down to where my panties were. "I want them off."  

And just like that, he climbed over me and we rocked our way to the highest ecstasy anyone would ever experience. Pain riddled my body as he slid up and down but the pleasure numbed it all. The pleasure set me free.

I awoke the next morning with a throbbing headache. My mouth felt like cotton and the lower part of my body ached terribly.

I blinked against the harsh morning light streaming through the window, trying to piece together what had happened when I realised I was alone.

There was no one on the bed with me. The stranger from the bar was gone. No note, no trace. It was like he had never been there. 

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. What have I done?

Lisa's POV 

There was no one on the bed with me. The stranger from the bar was gone. No note, no trace. It was like he had never been there. 

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. What had I done?

I barely had time to dwell on it. Life at the pack didn't stop for my mistakes. The bullying resumed the moment I set foot in the halls. Whispers followed me wherever I went. The other wolves sneered and Brenda looked through me like I didn't exist. I didn't care about their bullying. All I did was bury that night within me, pretending it never happened..

A few weeks later, the sickness started. 

At first, it was just the occasional nausea, the dizziness I blamed on stress and lack of sleep. But it didn't go away. It got worse, day by day. My clothes feel tighter and my body becomes bloated.

Weeks passed before I couldn't ignore it anymore. 

I was cleaning one of the guest rooms when a sharp wave of dizziness hit me. I dropped the broom to the floor and stumbled to the side, grabbing onto the bedpost to steady myself.

"What's wrong with you?" One of the maids, Hope, sneered from the doorway. "Can't you do your job right?" 

"I'm fine," I muttered, though my head was spinning. "I just need a minute."

She rolled her eyes. "You always need a minute. Useless." With that, she turned and marched off, leaving me alone in the room. 

I sank onto the bed, trying to catch my breath. Something wasn't right. I knew it in my gut. 

The pack physician was summoned, and my heart raced as he examined me. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel the tension in the air. Something was wrong. 

He didn't even say a word as he left, but an hour later, a guard appeared at my door, instructing me to see Alpha Roman.

My stomach churned as I made way to his office, dread pooling in the pit of my stomach. I knew whatever was coming couldn't be good, but nothing could've prepared me for what I was about to hear. 

Alpha Roman sat behind his massive desk, his face a mask of disappointment and anger. His piercing blue gaze seemed to see straight through me as he spoke the words that shattered me.

"So you're pregnant."

The room spun, and for a moment I couldn't breathe.

"I... I'm not..." I stammered, but the words couldn't come. Pregnant. How? Without warning, it all came crashing down. The stranger. That night. The drinks. Oh Goddess, what had I done?

"I didn't mean to–" I started, but Alpha Roman cut me off with a growl.

"You've disgraced this pack," he snapped. "Do you have any idea what this means? Do you have any idea what you've done!" 

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I forced them back. "Please, I didn't know... I didn't mean for this to happen."

The word "pregnant" echoed in my mind, drowning out everything else. 

I stared at Alpha Roman, my mouth dry, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it.

"I've already informed your father and your step mother."

No.

My legs wobbled beneath me as a sickening sense of dread settled in my chest. Father and Jeanine wouldn't understand. They had never cared about me, only tolerated me because they were forced to. What would they do when they found out?

"Leave," Alpha Roman commanded, his voice laced with disgust. "Go face the consequences of your actions."

I turned and fled, my heart pounding in my chest. 

The walk back to our house was like a death march. I knew what awaited me and prepared myself.

When I arrived, they were already waiting. The look in Jeanine's eyes was pure fury, while father's face twisted with disgust 

"Is it true?" Jeanine demanded, her voice trembling with rage. "You're pregnant?"

Tears stung my eyes as I nodded. I couldn't even look them in the eye. 

"Who's responsible?" Father's voice was cold, accusatory. 

"I don't know," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

It was the wrong thing to say. 

Jeanine's slap came so fast, I didn't have time to react. 

Pain exploded across my cheek, and before I could recover, they both pounced on me, hitting and kicking, their anger fueled by my shame. 

"Disgusting," she spat as she yanked me up by my hair. "You're nothing but a disgrace."

I collapsed to the floor, beaten, broken, and sobbing. When they were finally down, they stood over me, their faces twisted in anger and disappointment.

"You're no longer our problem," father sneered. "You're on your own now."

With that, they disowned me, leaving me in a heap on the cold floor. I had no one now. Nowhere to turn. 

As the weeks passed, my baby bump began to show, and the whispers and glares from the pack only grew worse. Wherever I went, I could feel their eyes on me, judging, mocking. I was their laughing stock, the failure who couldn't even find a mate but managed to get pregnant.

The humiliation became too much. I couldn't take it anymore. Everyday was a new hell, and very night I cried myself to sleep, wondering how I had let my life spiral out of control. 

And then one night, as I lay in bed, feeling the small flutters of life within me, I made a decision. 

I couldn't stay here. I couldn't raise my child in this pack, surrounded by people who hated and despised me. I had to leave. Run away from the pack and never look back. 

I packed my few belongings, heart racing as I prepared for the unknown.