I left Lunaris Hold without thinking and found myself heading straight towards Elena's place rather than going back to my lonely cottage.

I shoved Elena's door open harder than I intended, my chest still ached from his words.

Elena's cottage smelled of herbs and warmth, but that comfort only made my chest ache more.

Her cottage was small but alive, it felt like stepping into the heart of an old oak tree. The walls were lined with shelves that were packed with clay jars and filled with herbs, each one labeled with her neat handwriting. Bundles of sage, lavender, and wild thyme hung drying from the rafters, their soft green leaves brushed against my hair as I stepped inside.

She looked up from the fire. "Lila?"

"I didn't mean to, but I broke a vase." I slumped down to sit.

"It was unintentional but he threw me out still,' I said, my voice dull. "As if I was nothing but wasted air in his space."

Elena came and sat beside me, her hand on my shoulder.

"I don't know why it hurts so much," I admitted. "I know I should be used to being unwanted. But today the way he looked at me, the things he said... it made me feel like I was less than nothing."

"Don't let those words weigh you down child." She said as she pulled me into a hug "You are not useless, and you have never been. Don't let a boy's tongue, no matter how powerful he may become, tell you otherwise." 

She pulled away, her sharp eyes scanning my face.

"How are you doing?" She asked softly

"I don't know honestly but I have had the weirdest day." I let out a shaky laugh, shaking my head.

The dream nudged at the back of my throat, but I swallowed it down.

I told her everything that happened: my run-in with Raven, how my hand burned inside but showed no scar when she grabbed me, told her about the voice I heard, and the secret Raven said she knew about me, one she wasn't going to keep. 

Elena didn't interrupt once. She only sat back, hands folded in her lap, her head tilting now and then as though she was listening to something deeper than what I was saying. 

When I finally finished my story, her sigh was long and heavy, she rose and moved to the single candle burning on the shelf. She watched the flame like it would give her some answers to questions I didn't know I asked.

When she finally spoke, her voice was low and slow  

"The voice you heard, do you know what exactly triggered it?" She turned facing me again

I tried to remember "Well, I heard it exactly when she held me, it said something about Raven being fire or flame.... I also saw something, like fire, destruction" I said still thinking 

"Hmmm" she came towards me again stretching her arm out "Here try..... touch me and see if you'll hear the voice again 

I laid my hand on her arm. Her skin was warm, lined with age, but full of strength. I waited a while but heard nothing, I felt nothing, no voice, no vision, no hum. 

I shook my head, embarrassed. "It's not working. Maybe I imagined everything that happened earlier."

Elena gave me a firm look, her brow knitting. "Hmmm I don't think you imagined that but, it's alright."

We sat quiet for a while, both of us lost in thoughts. 

"Elena," I said suddenly, my throat tight, "I almost forgot to tell you. There's... something else."

The way her gaze caught mine made me hesitate a bit. Even so, I still pushed the words out: "I, um... I got a new mark. On my stomach.."

"What mark?"

"I think it's a crescent, but it does not look like one though." 

She moved closer, her tone softening. "Let me see it, child."

I got up and with reluctant fingers, I lifted the hem of my gown. The glow seemed even brighter in the dimness of her cottage, silver light humming softly like it carried a pulse of its own.

Elena knelt, close enough that her hair brushed my arm, and her lips pressed into a thin line. She studied it in silence, tracing the air above it but never letting her finger touch my stomach .

"Elena?" My voice cracked. "What does it mean? Because when it appeared, I swear I felt... something. A presence. Like I wasn't alone." I decided not to mention that I felt it was the moon goddess.

"This feels different, nothing I've seen before ... This isn't ordinary. It hums with energy, even without me touching you. It almost feels like..." She cut herself off.

"Like what?" I pressed, unease choking me. 

"Like it's watching me back," she muttered. "Can I?" She asked to touch it and I nodded.

"It's alive, I feel it pulsing, like a heart beating." She pulled back and got up from her knees to stand facing me.

"What does all of these mean?" I was even more confused. 

"Lila, I cannot give you an answer. And that terrifies me more than if I had one. But listen to me well,  if anyone else sees this, they will not ask questions, they will draw their own conclusions and it'd be dangerous ones."

I tried to move towards the table, my legs fell weaker than I realized. I immediately held the table to steady myself, even the wood creaked under my palm. I thought I'd steadied myself but as I was about to move I felt my ankle roll and I stumbled forward. 

But before I could crash into the floor, "Careful!" Elena caught me, her hands closing over my wrists.

The moment her skin met mine, it happened.

I heard the voice, colder and sharper than before but clear:

The healer. Her hands heal. She carries their wounds as her own. She takes the ache, the burn, the break. The herbs obey her, the roots whisper her name. But she has only tasted the surface of her power.

My breath caught, my fingers clutching her sleeve. My vision blurred as the images spiraled in my mind, herbs burning until only ash was left, Elena bent down cradling a wolf's broken leg until her own arm bruised, her palms shining faintly as she pressed them over wounds.

Heat spread up my arm, not as painful when Raven had grabbed me but this was heavy, like I was carrying something that wasn't mine. A flicker of pain darted through my ribs and vanished, as though I'd borrowed it for her. 

I gasped and stumbled back, staring at her. That was when I noticed she was staring at me back with wide eyes like she had seen a ghost. 

"Elena," I whispered, still trembling from shock, "I heard it again. And this time... it wasn't about Raven. It was about you."

Her mouth opened, but no sound came. 

For two days I perfected the art of being a ghost. I slipped past others like smoke, hiding in the corners of the kitchens or the forgotten shelves of the laundry. I ate in the kitchen when no one was around, I took the long way through the laundry corridors, to slip out when returning to my cottage while the other omegas gathered to gossip, not like they noticed anyway. 

I couldn't bear the sneers, the whispers, or worse the looks of pity. I wanted none of it. It wasn't hard. People already didn't see me. Blending into nothingness just required less effort than usual.

I sat on the creaky bed in my cottage looking at the simple plain dress I'm to wear this evening. 

Tonight is the mate ceremony, lanterns already being strung through the courtyard and the heavy scent of fresh pine covering the stale air of the Ranch. 

I couldn't ignore the weight pressing down on me, the ceremony was supposed to be a night of promise but every year since the rogues and the witch came, it had turned into something else.

After the incident three years ago, we've not had a mate in the mating ceremony. A lot of people mumbled, they said the Moon Goddess had turned her face away from us. Others whispered that the witch had placed a curse on the pack. And every ceremony since then has been a mockery of what it used to be.

Three years in a row and not a single wolf got a mate. Three years of emptiness. Three years of us lining up like cattle beneath the moon, waiting for a sign that never came.

And me? This would be my second year. My second year of humiliation. My second year hoping that maybe the Moon Goddess would get me out of this place.

I told myself last year would be different. But my wrist had stayed cold, my skin bare and unmarked.

 And this year, I have zero expectations towards the mating ceremony. I'm attending just to fulfil all obligations because I know once my mate finds out of this pregnancy he'll reject me. 

I got up from the bed and I touched the faint birth mark on my stomach hidden beneath my clothes, the birthmark I didn't understand. 

I decided to get ready for the mate ceremony. 

*******

The path to the ceremony field seemed longer than usual,as I walked down the path, my steps became hesitant. My feet moved slowly through the grass.

The field was beautifully arranged, it seemed different from the last two years. It was brighter somehow, nearly cheerful in how it was set up. 

The chairs were arranged in perfect rows, the wooden chairs were neatly polished and set out for the she-wolves together on the left while the he-wolves were to be seated on the right.

The high platform at the center was where the Alpha and the Beta twins Alex and Zander sat , and their twin mirrored faces made them almost uncanny to look at. Both of them were tall and muscular,  they both had piercing dark eyes and sharp cheekbones. Alex carried a scar on his jaw, while Zander's skin was unmarked but equally commanding.

The elders of the pack were seated adjacent to the Alpha, Elena had sat with them, meanwhile the rest of the pack spread out across the field. I scanned the crowd for a moment because I had arrived there a bit late. Most of the young she-wolves had occupied the chairs, they sat murmuring quietly among themselves.

I caught Raven glaring at me, but I immediately looked away from her.

I found an empty chair at the very edge and slid into it with my hands on my lap. The seat was good for me, far enough not to be noticed and far enough to watch the ceremony unfold without involving myself in it. 

The moment the moon shined the brightest, Elder Thanon stepped forward with authority, he stood tall and stoic. His long grey robe brushed against the floor, he raised up his hand to silence the pack then folded his hands behind his back.

"Packmates," he began " Tonight, we gather to honor the bond of the soul, the bonds of mates.....  A mate is not merely a companion, but the soul intertwined as one. A mate is not just chosen, it is recognized. And yet each wolf may choose to accept or reject what is offered. But remember that rejecting someone doesn't free them, it ties them to the choice you make."

I could feel the words settling inside me, twisting in my chest.

"Rise, Pups," Tharon said. " And face one another."

My stomach tightened as the she-wolves and he-wolves stood up to line in a mix of order and anxious anticipation.

The she-wolves stood to the left while the he-wolves stood to the right facing each other, eyes scanning faces as if hunting for some hidden spark. 

The elders got up and stepped out to form a circle then they began chanting.  I had expected Kai to step into the field as he did the previous years since he had no mate but he remained seated. 

The chant was low, their voices rising and falling. The vibration settled in my chest, and without thinking I pressed my hand to my stomach, feeling the crescent mark pulse faintly under my palm. 

I tried to breathe, tried to steady the pounding in my chest as the ceremony gushed around me. The elders' voices lifted, chanting in waves that washed across the field. One by one the wolves were matched, a spark flared between them that I could feel with every fiber of my being, I could feel every spark and every spark of recognition. 

My hands trembled and the crescent mark on my stomach burned faintly beneath my gown. 

Then... it all stopped. The sparks thinned, and the energy in the field shifted

That was when I felt it, the pull, a sudden and impossible tug to ignore. It was like an invisible thread pulling me forward, my eyes moved about looking for something, someone even. 

And my heart kept beating against my ribs, that was when my eyes found his, he stood there frozen across the field looking at me. 

His brown eyes locked on mine, wide, sharp, unblinking. I felt the world go silent. The wings fell silent, the lanterns dimmed and the chants of the elder dissolved into silence. 

I heard it..... the voice, low and urgent, whispering in my head:

The Alpha. He is yours. You are his.

Kai's eyes widened, and he got up from his chair. His identical Beta twins exchanged startled glances, but he didn't falter as he walked towards me. He looked at me  like he had just remembered something he'd always known but was buried deep in his soul. 

"You're..." His voice shook, low and strained. "...mine?"

"Mine," I whispered, voice trembling, as the thread between us kindled into a pulse that the whole field seemed to feel. Heat, power, it all surged in one overwhelming heartbeat.

The chant had stopped and the crowd had gotten quiet, Kai locked eyes with mine. It felt beautiful, I could feel the warmth of belonging cause then it felt as though the moon goddess hadn't abandoned me. 

The silence that followed me getting my mate was deafening, then I heard murmuring.

 "She's his mate?"

"The Omega?"

That was when he said, "I reject you." without flinching. 

" I, Kai Sterling, Alpha of the Silver Moon park reject you, Lila Ashworth Omega of the pack."

It wasn't loud, but it was final.

Pain shot through me as I felt the bond snap, it felt like a claw tearing at my chest.

Elena gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, eyes wide and shiny with disbelief.

The voice in my head echoed incoherently:

No... flame... wrong path... pain

Then silence. 

The reaction of the rest of the pack was instant. Gasps, whispers, and the sting of laughter hidden behind palms. Some wolves shifted uneasily, others stared at me like I was cursed.

"I... I accept your rejection, Alpha." I spoke quietly, but everyone in the ceremony heard me.

Raven tilted her head, looking pleased, like she'd planned all of this and was enjoying the ending.

Kai turned away quickly, brushing me off like I didn't matter. But I saw his hand curl into a fist, a tiny pause in his step like he wasn't as certain as he wanted to seem. 

I just stood there, shattered

"I have something to say."

The pack had not even finished laughing at the rejection when I heard Raven's voice, loud and sharp. 

My chest was still rising and falling too fast, I was still trying to breathe.

Every eye in the field shifted to her. My stomach twisted and my heart skipped, already knowing she wasn't about to offer comfort because I knew Raven thrived on my spectacle.

"She's hiding something from you all,"

My eyes immediately got teary, cause I knew exactly what she was about to say. 

"Lila, the weakling Omega, is pregnant." she blurted out without even blinking twice.

Gasps broke out from the pack and I heard my name in whispers;

Pregnant? With whose child?

An omega carrying pups? Disgraceful.

She thought she could be Luna while hiding this?

"That is a grave accusation, Raven. Do you have proof?" Elder Thanon said watching everything that has been happening. 

"If you dare to speak lies during the sacred mate ceremony, you know the punishment is blood bound." Another elder said.

"Would I risk the Goddess's punishment for a lie?" she asked sweetly, bowing her head in mock respect.

"Do you have proof?". Beta Alex asked

I turned to look at Alpha Kai's face, but nothing. I saw no reaction, he just watched Raven keenly.

"Well, I heard her and Elena whispering. I heard Elena promise to help her hide it. And I heard Lila admit it was true." She said.

My throat tightened, my body trembling as though all the air in my lungs had been sucked away.

Not only had my mate rejected me, but now my secret is out there.

"Those are strong allegations and how are we supposed to believe you??" Elder Thanon asked "Anyone can come up with that, we need evidence"

Raven's smile widened. "I knew you guys would ask that. And yes, I have evidence". She flicked her hand and the shadows around her seemed to stir, answering her command.

"The other day when Lila fainted during chores, it seemed odd to me. No matter how hard she is pushed during chores she never breaks down. So I decided to keep an eye on her, I knew Elena would see her so I decided to use my goddess-given power to monitor. In the evening of that day I went by her cottage and made the shadow of the tree in front of her place keep an eye on her for me and it did, if you want I can show you what I heard?" She finished smiling feeling proud of herself.

I stood there, bowing my head down in shame cause I knew the moment she mentioned her goddess-given gifts the whole pack would believe her. Elena had left the elders to come stand by me now, her hands wrapped around me. 

Beta Zander snarled getting up from his seat. "You spied on your packmate?"

"I protected my pack," Raven snapped back smoothly. "If she had succeeded in hiding this, who knows what shame she would've brought to Silver Moon?"

The crowd erupted again. 

"Pregnant?" I heard someone mutter. "With whose child?"

"I heard her speak with Elena and I heard every word. Lila had confessed and Elena swore to help her hide it from her mate, they also agreed to  pin the pregnancy on whoever her mate." Now she's lying 

Gasps rippled through the crowd like wildfire. Faces twisted with shock, irritation, betrayal.

Beside me, Elena stiffened, fury vibrating through her. "You're twisting what you hea..."

"Enough!" Zander's voice cut her off, his gaze torn between me and Raven. "Is this true, Lila?"

Dozens of eyes stabbed into me. My throat closed, words clawing but refusing to come.

Raven's smirk said it all. She had cornered me.

"Yes Beta" I replied solemnly.

"Does Elena know about it?" He asked 

"Yes, but she wanted to tell the Alpha but I told her not to." I lied because I don't want her  to be punished also. 

The mate ceremony had been disrupted because of me.

Elder Thanon stepped forward. He was old, but his authority was unshaken, his voice broke the silence, steady and firm.

"First before I proceed, who is the father of the child?" he asked 

Goddess what do I say to that still in Elena's arms

"I do not know, elder"

The pack shouted ahh in conjunction 

He raised his  hand for silence. His eyes lingered on me, soft with pity, though his voice was stern.

"Such matters of shame do not pass unnoticed, child," he said, his gaze fixed on me, but not unkind. "Deceit among pack members is no small matter, But the blood you carry... It is still in this pack. The Moon Goddess blesses every child."

"She is young and frightened." He continued "And her greatest mistake was not trusting her people. Let her pay her punishment in service to the healers, under the eyes of the Moon Stone. Let her labor until the child comes, and learn what it is to rebuild honor."

"Exile is reserved for those who shed blood or betray the pack to our enemies. This is not the same." He concluded. 

For a moment, hope quivered in my chest like a fragile bird. Maybe it wouldn't be an exile. Maybe I could survive this humiliation.

"You are wrong, Elder." Alpha Kai said 

He stood rigid, rage spreading out from him. His rejection still pounded in my chest, and now his words came like another wound layered atop it.

"This is betrayal," he declared, his voice carrying fury and finality.

I looked at him, looked at the man that was once my friend, the one that was supposed to be my mate and I saw only a stranger. 

"Betrayal of me. Betrayal of this pack. She stood before us tonight, thinking she could stand by my side, when all along she carried another man's child. That is beyond forgiveness."  He said "This is no small betrayal, it is an insult to me, to my bloodline, and to the Moon Goddess herself." 

Zander's brow furrowed. "Kai, to cast her out would be harsh. Think about it carefully, the Moon Goddess....."

But Kai raised a hand, silencing him. His glare pinned me where I stood, his jaw clenched. 

"I have thought carefully," Kai snarled. "And I say this: Lila of Silver Moon is no more. From this night forward, she is banished. If she remains, she endangers us all. The pack will not shelter her. The pack will not claim her. The pack will not even speak her name." 

A collective gasp tore through the crowd. My knees nearly gave out, but I forced myself to stay upright. 

Raven's smile widened and genuinely I don't know why she hates me that much.

"Lila is no wolf of Silver Moon. If she is seen within our borders again, she will be treated as rogue."

Elena burst into tears. 

Elder Thanon's voice grew heavy with sorrow. "Alpha Kai..." he tried once more, but the decision had already been made.

Kai had spoken. And his word was law.

******

Elena's punishment was quieter, they didn't even shout at her. Elder Thanon's voice cut through the air like cold steel,

 "From this day forward, you are forbidden to administer medicine without supervision. You will be under watch," he said. "A guard will follow you wherever you go. Every herb you touch will be seen , every touch will be felt, every word you say will be heard." 

Elena flinched as if she was slapped. She was still a healer, but she was no longer free. My chest ached watching her, her spirit bound in invisible shackles.

It's all my fault. 

"As for her," He said to the guards "Take her beyond the borders and throw her out. And make sure she doesn't step foot here again."

Without hesitating. The guards shoved me forward, they obeyed in vicious delight. They dragged me across stone, dirt, and jagged ground until my knees and palms burned raw.

Some of the pack mates followed, laughing behind me. I could hear Elena sobbing closely as we approached the borders. I'd never seen her break before, not like this. Tears spilled down her cheeks, and I knew this was worse than exile.

The Alpha, Raven, the Betas and the elders stayed behind at the ranch.

When they reached the boundary, one kicked me hard, and I fell across the forest floor outside the only home I had ever known. I stumbled and fell, dirt filling my mouth and lungs.

I couldn't rise immediately. My body trembled, my breath shallow, but I whispered to the ground, to the stars, to myself:

"One day... one day, I'll walk back through these gates on my own terms. And you'll regret this."

When I lifted my head, Elena's gaze caught mine. Her lips moved in silence. Wait for me.