The monthly pack gathering was always a special event for me. As an Omega in the Silverfang Pack, these nights were rare occasions when I could feel like I belonged. Tonight was extra special—I'd been planning to surprise Cristian with the news that I'd finally completed my thesis on ancient Lycan migration patterns, something that had taken months of research.

I smoothed down my simple blue dress—the nicest one I owned—and touched the silver ring on my finger for reassurance. It was my only heirloom, though few knew its true significance.

"You look beautiful tonight, Lexi," Elena, my roommate and closest friend, whispered as we entered the community hall. "Are you going to tell him how you feel?"

I nodded, clutching my folder of research papers tighter. "I think tonight's the perfect night."

The hall was already packed with pack members. Music played from somewhere in the corner, and the scent of food and excitement filled the air. I scanned the room for Cristian's tall figure, my heart racing at the thought of seeing him.

Then I saw him.

My breath caught in my throat. There he was—my mate, my future, the man I'd loved since I first felt our bond two years ago—lounging on the main couch with his arm draped casually around Sasha Berry's waist.

Sasha. The high-ranking Beta with her perfect blonde hair and designer clothes. The woman who always looked at me like I was dirt beneath her expensive shoes.

She was feeding him pieces of fruit from a silver platter, giggling as he leaned in to take each bite from her fingers. His eyes were half-closed in pleasure, his body language screaming intimacy.

"Lexi?" Elena's concerned voice pulled at me. "Do you want to leave?"

I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. The folder in my hands suddenly felt heavy, ridiculous. My research. My love. My mate who couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge me.

*What are you doing with her?* I pushed through our mind-link, the connection that had always been there since the day we met. *Cristian, I'm here. Your mate is here.*

His head snapped up, eyes narrowing as they found mine across the crowded room. For a moment, something flickered in his gaze—guilt? Annoyance? But then his expression hardened.

*You're being dramatic again,* his voice echoed in my mind. *Sasha is just a friend. Stop making everything so possessive.*

"But I'm your mate," I whispered aloud, not realizing I'd spoken until Elena squeezed my arm.

Sasha's perfectly manicured hand slid up Cristian's chest, her red lips curving into a smile as she leaned closer to him. "Is that little Omega bothering you again?" she stage-whispered, loud enough for nearby pack members to hear.

"She's just confused about pack dynamics," Cristian replied, not bothering to lower his voice. "She'll learn."

Something inside me snapped. Two years of hiding my feelings, of being the perfect, understanding mate while he paraded around with her. Two years of excuses and broken promises.

I pushed through the crowd toward them, my research forgotten on a side table. "Cristian," I said, my voice shaking but determined. "We need to talk."

Sasha's eyes widened in mock fear. "Cristian! She's coming over here—she looks so angry!"

As if on cue, tears welled in her eyes. "She's always so clingy," she sobbed. "I just wanted to be your friend."

Cristian's arm tightened around her shoulders. "Lexi, back off."

"Not until we talk," I insisted, stepping closer. "You can't just ignore our bond—"

Pack members around us began murmuring, some pushing me back. "Leave them alone," someone hissed. "Can't you see they're together?"

"I'm his mate!" I protested, my voice rising. "We're bonded by the Moon Goddess!"

More hands shoved me backward. I stumbled, losing my balance as someone pushed harder than necessary.

"No!" I cried out as I fell backward toward the glass coffee table someone had abandoned in the middle of the room.

The crash was deafening. Glass shattered beneath me, slicing into my arms and legs as I hit the floor. Pain exploded through my body, warm blood trickling down my skin.

"Cristian!" I gasped through our mind-link and aloud. "Help me!"

But he wasn't looking at me. He was cradling Sasha, who had dramatically covered her face and was trembling in his arms.

"She threatened me," Sasha whimpered. "She's dangerous when she's jealous."

"ENOUGH!" Cristian's Alpha tone vibrated through the room, forcing everyone into silence. His eyes, cold and unfamiliar, finally met mine. "You've embarrassed yourself enough for one night, Lexi."

He turned away, lifting Sasha gently as if she were made of glass. "Let's get you somewhere safe," he murmured to her, completely ignoring his bleeding mate lying amid shattered glass.

Blood seeped into my blue dress, staining it crimson as tears blurred my vision. The pain in my heart far outweighed the cuts on my skin.

And in that moment, as pack members stared and whispered around me, I realized that the mate bond I'd cherished for two years meant nothing at all to him.

I limped back to my small Omega quarters, each step sending fresh waves of pain through my sliced arms and legs. The cuts weren't deep enough to need a healer, but they were numerous—a map of betrayal etched into my skin.

My hands trembled as I unlocked the door to my tiny room. It wasn't much—just a bed, a desk, and a small bathroom—but it was mine. Or at least, it was the space the pack had allocated to me, the lowly Omega who'd somehow gotten lucky enough to be mates with their future Alpha.

I dropped my ruined dress into the trash, wincing as blood smeared across the fabric. In the bathroom mirror, I barely recognized myself. Tears had streaked my makeup, and tiny shards of glass glittered in some of the cuts.

"Why didn't he come for me?" I whispered to my reflection, touching a particularly deep cut on my forearm.

The first aid kit was under the sink—basic supplies that Omegas were expected to use for minor injuries. No one would waste healer resources on us for something as trivial as falling through glass.

I cleaned each cut carefully, biting my lip against the sting of antiseptic. Blood welled up again immediately from some of the deeper wounds.

"He's my mate," I said, more to convince myself than anything else. "The Moon Goddess chose us for each other."

My fingers found the silver ring on my finger—my only treasure, my only connection to a past I barely remembered. I touched it gently, feeling the intricate engravings against my skin.

"Where did you come from?" I asked the ring, as I had countless times before. It was the only thing I had from before I came to the Silverfang Pack, the only remnant of a life I couldn't quite recall.

Tears streamed down my face as I bandaged my wounds. Not just from physical pain—from the agony of watching my mate choose another woman while I bled on the floor.

A knock at the door startled me two hours later.

"Lexi?" Cristian's voice, deep and commanding, filtered through the wood.

I froze, a bandage halfway around my wrist. "Come in," I called, my voice smaller than I intended.

He opened the door, filling the frame with his tall, imposing figure. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, his eyes taking in my bandaged arms with a flicker of something—regret? Concern?

"You should have come to find me," he said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "These cuts could have been treated properly."

"I didn't want to bother you," I replied, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice. "You seemed... occupied."

His jaw tightened, but he moved closer, gently taking my wrist to examine the bandages. "I'm sorry about tonight," he said, his voice softer than usual. "Things got out of hand."

"Sasha got out of hand," I corrected, pulling my wrist away.

Cristian sighed, running a hand through his hair. "She's just... she gets nervous around you sometimes. She doesn't understand our bond."

"Our bond?" I echoed incredulously. "You ignored our bond for two years, Cristian."

"Let me make it up to you," he said, suddenly taking both my hands in his. His eyes—those beautiful eyes that had captivated me from the first moment—were earnest now. "The mate ceremony preparations start tomorrow. Come with me."

My heart stuttered. "You want us to attend together? Like... like proper mates?"

"Of course," he smiled, and for a moment, everything felt right again. "We're mates, Lexi. It's time we started acting like it."

Hope bloomed in my chest, painful and fragile. "Tomorrow then," I whispered.

"I'll pick you up at noon," he promised, pressing a kiss to my forehead before leaving.

That night, I barely slept. I washed my hair, chose my best dress—a simple white sundress that Elena had helped me pick out—and polished my shoes until they gleamed.

At eleven-thirty, I was ready, standing before the mirror with my heart pounding. The bandages were hidden beneath long sleeves, but I could still feel the pull of healing skin with every movement.

Noon came and went.

Twelve-thirty.

One o'clock.

I stood at the pack ceremony grounds, checking my watch repeatedly, smoothing my dress, and looking toward the path that would bring Cristian to me.

Other pack members passed by, some slowing to stare.

"That's the Omega," I heard someone whisper. "Cristian's mate."

"She's waiting for him," another replied with a snicker. "Poor thing doesn't know better."

By two o'clock, the sun was high overhead, beating down on my exposed skin. My carefully styled hair had begun to frizz in the humidity.

And still, I waited.

Two hours passed with no sign of Cristian. No message. No explanation.

Just me, alone at the ceremony grounds, with whispers following me like shadows as I finally turned to walk away.

My phone buzzed as I sat on my bed, staring at the wall. Two hours of waiting at the ceremony grounds had left me hollow, my white sundress wrinkled from sitting too long. I didn't recognize the number.

"Who would text me?" I muttered, picking up my phone.

The message made my blood run cold.

"Come to the pack house basement. You need to see the truth about your precious mate."

Attached was a photo of the basement door—a heavy metal thing I'd never noticed before in my two years with the pack.

Another message followed immediately: "Don't tell anyone. This is about Cristian's true intentions."

My fingers trembled as I typed back: "Who is this?"

Silence.

Then another photo appeared—Cristian's hand, distinctive silver ring glinting on his finger, reaching for something out of frame.

"He's waiting for you," the message read. "Or should I say, THEY are waiting."

My heart hammered against my ribs. Maybe this was it—his apology for missing our meeting, a surprise to make up for leaving me waiting. The basement... maybe it was some kind of romantic gesture?

"Lexi," Elena called from the hallway, "everything okay? You've been in here forever."

"Just... just got a message," I said, my voice strange even to my own ears. "I need to go out for a bit."

"What? Now? It's almost dinner—"

But I was already grabbing my cardigan, sliding my feet into shoes. The mysterious texts had awakened something desperate in me—a need to know, one way or another.

"Be careful," Elena said, concern etching her features as I rushed past her.

The pack house loomed ahead, its stone facade suddenly ominous in the evening light. Few members were around—most were at dinner or evening activities. My footsteps echoed on the marble floors as I slipped inside.

The basement door was exactly where the photo showed—at the end of a narrow service corridor I'd never noticed before. It was partially open, a sliver of warm light spilling into the hallway.

I pushed it wider, wincing at the creak of hinges. "Cristian?" I called softly.

No answer.

The stairs descended into shadow, but light filtered up from below. Someone was down there.

My bandaged arms throbbed as I gripped the railing, each step sending pain through my healing cuts. The basement smelled of dust and something else—something that made my wolf stir uneasily within me.

Then I heard it—soft moans, the rustle of fabric, a feminine gasp.

My heart stopped.

I rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs, and the world collapsed around me.

Cristian stood with his back to me, his hands tangled in Sasha's blonde hair. She was pressed against the wall, her head thrown back in ecstasy as his lips traced a path down her neck.

"Oh God, Cristian," she breathed. "Do it now. Make me yours."

His teeth elongated, sharpening into fangs as he positioned them against her skin. The marking—the sacred ritual that bound chosen mates together.

"Sasha," he growled, his voice thick with desire. "With this mark, you'll be my Luna. My chosen."

"I've always been your chosen," she whispered, her fingers clutching his shoulders. "Not that pathetic Omega."

A gasp escaped me before I could stop it.

Cristian's head snapped up, his eyes finding mine in the dim light. There was no guilt there—only irritation at being interrupted.

"Lexi," he said flatly, stepping away from Sasha but not releasing her hand. "You shouldn't be here."

"Sasha sent me," I lied, my voice breaking. "She wanted me to see."

Sasha's eyes widened in mock innocence. "I would never—"

"Enough," Cristian cut her off. He straightened his shirt, his expression hardening as he approached me. "Since you're here, this saves me a trip to find you."

He was taller than me, broader, his Alpha presence filling the small basement space until I could barely breathe.

"Lexi Nichols," he said formally, his voice taking on the resonance of an Alpha command. "I, Cristian West, future Alpha of the Silverfang Pack, reject you as my mate."

The words hit me like physical blows. Each syllable tore through me, ripping at the bond we'd shared for two years.

"You are not worthy of an Alpha," he continued coldly. "Sasha is a Beta—she understands pack hierarchy, pack politics. She will be my Luna."

"And what am I?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

"You're an Omega," he said, as if explaining something to a child. "And if you can't accept your place in this pack, perhaps you should leave."

Sasha's smile was triumphant as she pressed herself against Cristian's side, her fingers tracing the spot where he'd been about to mark her.

"Choose wisely, little Omega," she purred. "The pack won't look kindly on a rejected mate making trouble."

I stood frozen, the world tilting beneath my feet as my future shattered into a thousand glittering pieces.