Something felt different when I woke up.

The morning of my twenty-first birthday dawned with a strange burning sensation coursing through my veins. I pressed my palm against my forehead, checking for fever, but my skin felt cool to the touch. Maybe it was just nerves about finally being of legal age in the pack. Or maybe it was something else entirely.

"It's probably just the flu," I whispered to myself, rubbing the goosebumps on my arms. "That's all."

But as I swung my legs over the side of my narrow bed in the Omega quarters, I caught a whiff of something unusual—my own scent had changed overnight. It was stronger, more potent, with undertones of something wild and unfamiliar.

I sniffed my wrist, confused. "What is that?"

The scent was nothing like the typical Omega scent that had marked me for years. This was richer, more complex—almost... powerful.

"Stop being ridiculous," I muttered, grabbing my worn robe. "Omegas don't have powerful scents."

Still, something primal stirred within me, a restlessness I couldn't explain. I pushed the feeling aside and headed to the pack house kitchen. As the lowest-ranking wolf in the Silvermoon Pack, my duties started before sunrise.

The kitchen was already bustling with activity when I arrived. The pack house smelled of fresh bread and roasting meats—preparations for tonight's Alpha ceremony. Cason Duncan, our future Alpha, would officially take his place as pack leader today.

"Happy birthday, Nola!" called Mara, one of the few wolves who was kind to me. She was a Delta, higher than my Omega status but not by much.

"Thanks," I smiled, tying my apron. "Not that it matters much."

"Every birthday matters," she insisted, but her attention quickly shifted to the group of high-ranking females gathered by the walk-in refrigerator.

I recognized Kiana Burns immediately. My best friend since childhood, she was a Beta—seventh in command after the Alpha and his officers. Her copper hair gleamed under the kitchen lights as she leaned in conspiratorially with the other females.

"The Alpha ceremony is tonight," Kiana was saying, her voice carrying just enough for me to hear. "Cason needs a strong Luna by his side. Someone who can bear strong pups and command respect."

I turned away, pretending not to listen while scrubbing pots with extra vigor.

"Someone like you, Kiana," suggested another female. "You've been training for leadership since we were pups."

Kiana laughed, but there was no denying the calculation in her eyes. "I'm just doing my duty for the pack."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to find Kiana behind me, her smile bright but her eyes searching.

"Happy birthday, little Omega," she cooed, pulling me into a hug. Her nose twitched against my neck. "You smell... different today."

My heart skipped a beat. "Different how?"

"Never mind," she waved dismissively, but her eyes narrowed slightly. "Just the kitchen smells, probably."

---

Hours later, I was carrying a tray of ceremonial goblets through the main hall when it happened. Rounding a corner too quickly, I collided with a solid chest.

"Goddess!" I gasped, stumbling backward.

Strong hands caught my arms, steadying me. "Watch where you're going, Omega."

The voice was deep, commanding—undeniably Alpha. I looked up into Cason Duncan's steel-gray eyes.

Something electric passed between us at the contact. A jolt so powerful it made my knees weak.

"You're..." he started, his eyes flashing gold. "Mate."

The word hung in the air between us, heavy with implication. My heart thundered in my chest as his nostrils flared, taking in my scent.

"But you're an Omega," he said, confusion clouding his features. He stepped back, releasing me as if burned.

From the shadows of the hallway, Kiana emerged. "Cason! There you are!"

She slid between us, placing a possessive hand on his arm. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," he muttered, but his eyes kept darting to me. "I thought..."

"You thought what?" Kiana's voice hardened slightly. Then she leaned closer to him, whispering loudly enough for me to hear: "Don't tell me you think she's your mate? She's wolfless, Cason. Everyone knows it. The Moon Goddess must be playing some cruel joke."

---

That evening, I burst into our shared dorm room, still trembling with excitement despite Kiana's earlier words.

"Kiana, you'll never guess what happened!" I exclaimed. "Cason is my mate! I felt it when we touched!"

Kiana looked up from her mirror, her reflection multiplied in the cracked glass. Something dark flashed across her face before she composed herself.

"Oh, Nola," she sighed, turning to face me with mock sympathy. "You poor thing."

"What do you mean?"

"You're delusional," she said flatly. "Cason has been sleeping with me for months. We're practically mates already."

My world tilted sideways. "But he said..."

"He said what? That you're his mate?" She laughed, the sound sharp as broken glass. "You're imagining things because you're so desperate for someone to want you."

"That's not true," I whispered, but doubt had already taken root.

Kiana moved closer, her eyes gleaming with malice barely disguised as concern. "Nola, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but what you're experiencing isn't real. Your 'wolf'—it's just a mental illness. You need help."

As she spoke, she reached out to brush a strand of hair from my face, her touch gentle but her words devastating.

"No one will ever want an Omega like you," she whispered. "Especially not an Alpha."

The morning sun filtered through the trees as our pack gathered for the mandatory run. My body still ached from yesterday's encounter with Cason, but the pain was overshadowed by a strange new sensation—a restless energy coursing through my veins.

"Everyone shift!" Cason's command echoed through the clearing. His voice carried the unmistakable weight of an Alpha's authority.

All around me, wolves dropped to their knees as their bodies contorted and reshaped. Fur erupted across skin, bones cracked and reformed, and within moments, dozens of wolves stood where people had been.

I closed my eyes, trying to summon the wolf inside me. For years, I'd been told I was wolfless—a defect that made me the perfect Omega. But after yesterday's touch with Cason, I knew something had changed.

"Come on," I whispered to myself. "Please."

I felt heat surge through my body as I concentrated. My bones began to crack, sending waves of pain through my limbs. I fell to my knees, gasping.

"Look at her," came Kiana's voice from somewhere nearby. "Trying so hard to be like us."

I ignored her, focusing on the transformation. My skin prickled as if fur was trying to break through, but it remained trapped just beneath the surface.

"Shift!" I commanded myself, desperation making my voice crack.

More bones shifted, more pain exploded through me. I could feel something wild trying to emerge, but it was stuck—caught between forms.

"Enough!"

Cason's voice cut through my concentration. He stood before me in his magnificent silver wolf form, his gray eyes now glowing Alpha red.

"Submit," he growled, his Alpha tone vibrating through the air.

My body responded instantly to the command. I collapsed forward, my face pressing into the dirt. The partial transformation reversed itself, leaving me human and vulnerable before the entire pack.

"An Omega who can't even shift properly," Kiana's voice rang out. "What use is she to anyone?"

Laughter rippled through the pack. Through my tears, I saw Kiana shift back to human form and wrap herself around Cason's wolf, her hands stroking his fur possessively.

"Some mate bond," she sneered. "The Moon Goddess must have been drunk."

---

That night, a Beta guard summoned me to the Alpha's office. My heart leapt with desperate hope—maybe Cason had reconsidered. Maybe he'd felt our connection.

But when I entered, my hopes shattered. Cason sat behind his desk in human form, Kiana perched on the edge beside him. Her hand rested possessively on his shoulder.

"Nola Simpson," Cason began formally. "I've called you here to address a... misunderstanding."

Kiana's smile was venomous as she leaned toward him. "Tell her, darling. Tell her what we discussed."

Cason cleared his throat. "Yesterday, when we touched, I may have... mistaken our connection."

"You didn't mistake anything," I whispered. "We're mates."

"No." His voice hardened. "We're not."

Kiana's eyes gleamed with triumph as she slid her arm around Cason's neck. "Cason needs a strong Luna—someone who can shift properly, bear strong pups, and command respect."

"I, Cason Duncan," he began, his voice taking on the formal cadence of ritual, "Alpha of Silvermoon, reject you, Nola Simpson, as my mate."

The words hit me like physical blows. Each syllable tore through my chest, ripping apart something vital inside me. I doubled over, a metallic taste filling my mouth.

"You're... rejecting me?" I gasped, blood trickling from the corner of my lips.

"Completely," he confirmed, not meeting my eyes.

Kiana stepped forward then, her face twisted with disgust. "You're pathetic," she hissed, and kicked me hard in the ribs.

I collapsed to the floor, coughing up more blood. "Kiana, please..."

"You're nothing but a waste of space," she spat. "A broken Omega with a broken wolf."

---

I dragged myself back to my room, each movement sending fresh waves of agony through my body. The rejection had torn something loose inside me—something fundamental.

I curled into a ball on my narrow bed, shivering despite the warmth of the room. The pain was unbearable, radiating from my chest outward.

"Why?" I sobbed into my pillow. "Why would he do this?"

As the tears flowed, something strange happened. The pain in my chest intensified, then suddenly cracked—like an eggshell breaking from within.

Heat flooded my veins, different from before. This wasn't the painful heat of transformation but something powerful and ancient.

My eyes flew open as golden light spilled from them, illuminating the dark room.

"What is this?" I gasped, staring at my hands as they began to glow with the same golden light.

And then, a voice spoke within me—deep, powerful, and utterly foreign.

"Where is Father?" it demanded. "Why have you not called for him?"

I sat up straight, clutching my chest. "Who are you?"

"I am your wolf," the voice growled. "But I am not just any wolf."

My hand reached instinctively for the silver locket I'd worn since childhood—the one thing I'd never been able to remove. As my fingers closed around it, the metal heated beneath my touch.

"What are you?" I whispered to the voice inside me.

"I am Lycan," it replied simply. "And you are not what they think."

The heat from the locket against my skin intensified until it burned like molten metal. I gasped, tearing it from my neck and watching in astonishment as it glowed with an otherworldly light.

"What is happening?" I whispered, my voice shaking.

And then, a voice filled my mind—deep, powerful, and commanding.

"Nola? My daughter?"

I froze, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Who's there?"

"It's Father," the voice boomed, making me wince. "Noah Simpson."

Noah Simpson. The name hit me like a physical blow. Everyone in the werewolf world knew that name—the Alpha King who ruled the most powerful pack alliance in the Pacific Northwest.

"No," I breathed. "That's not possible. I'm an orphan."

A bitter laugh echoed through my mind. "Is that what they told you? That you were abandoned?"

Something cold and terrible settled in my stomach. "You're... my father?"

"I am," he confirmed, his mental voice vibrating with barely contained rage. "And I can feel your pain, daughter. I can sense the broken bond."

I pressed my hand to my chest, where the rejection still burned like acid. "How?"

"I've been watching over you," he explained, his voice softening slightly. "Waiting for the right moment to reveal your true heritage."

"My true..." I trailed off as understanding dawned. "I'm not an Omega, am I?"

"No," he growled. "You are a Lycan Princess."

The words echoed in my mind as golden light pulsed behind my eyes. My wolf stirred within me, no longer dormant.

"They rejected you," Noah continued, his fury building. "They dared to reject my daughter?"

"I want to leave," I whispered, suddenly desperate to escape. "Please, help me get out of here."

"Leave?" Noah's mental voice turned icy. "I will burn the Silvermoon Pack to the ground for what they've done to you."

"No!" I cried, though part of me thrilled at the idea of revenge. "I just want to go. I'm not strong enough..."

My voice broke as another wave of pain washed over me. The rejection was still tearing me apart from within.

"Then call for me," he commanded. "When you're ready to escape."

---

I stuffed clothes into a worn backpack, my hands trembling with excitement and fear. The truth of my identity still reverberated through me—I wasn't a worthless Omega but a Lycan Princess, daughter of the most powerful Alpha King in the region.

"I can do this," I whispered to myself. "I can get out."

The pack house was quiet as I slipped down the back stairs, avoiding the main hall where Cason and Kiana would be celebrating their engagement. My wolf stirred restlessly within me, lending me strength I'd never known before.

I'd made it to the edge of the property when a familiar scent hit me—copper and malice.

"Going somewhere?" Kiana's voice sliced through the darkness.

I spun around to find her flanked by three pack warriors, their expressions grim.

"I'm leaving," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "You got what you wanted."

Kiana's smile was venomous. "Actually, I don't think I do. Not yet."

She nodded to the warriors. "Take her."

Two of them lunged forward, grabbing my arms. I struggled, summoning the Alpha command I'd inherited from my father.

"Let me go!" I shouted, infusing my voice with power.

The warriors faltered, their eyes widening in surprise, but Kiana laughed.

"You're too inexperienced," she sneered. "You don't know how to use your new powers."

One of the warriors pulled out a syringe filled with pale green liquid. "Wolfsbane," he muttered. "Enough to keep her quiet."

I fought wildly as they pinned me down, but it was too late. The needle plunged into my arm, and cold fire spread through my veins.

---

Darkness swallowed me whole.

When consciousness returned, it came in fragments—the rumble of an engine, the smell of gasoline, the feel of metal pressed against my cheek.

I was in the trunk of a moving car.

"She's still breathing," a male voice said from somewhere outside. "You sure this is worth our trouble?"

"Viktor Blackwood doesn't ask questions," Kiana's voice replied. "He pays cash for merchandise like this."

My blood ran cold as I heard the name of the notorious Rogue King.

"And you're sure she won't come back to haunt us?" the man asked.

Kiana laughed, the sound chilling me to the bone. "Once she's sold at the auction, she'll belong to whichever rogue pays the highest price. She'll be too busy being someone's breeding stock to ever find her way back."

The car hit a bump, sending pain shooting through my battered body.

"Don't damage the goods," Kiana snapped. "Viktor wants her intact."

"Relax," the driver replied. "This one's already broken. Her mate rejected her."

Their voices faded as drugs pulled me back under, but one thought burned in my mind: I was being sold to a rogue auction, and no one knew where to find me—except my father.

If I survived long enough to call for him.