DAMNED AND CHOSEN

The Crimson Ridge Pack — Ravenmere, Avaren

October 2018

I didn’t bother setting an alarm for the Ranking Ceremony. The truth was, I’d been dreading this day for years, and no amount of preparation could change that. Maybe that’s why I overslept—a subconscious rebellion against what I already knew was coming.

When I woke, the sun was already high, its pale autumn light spilling through my window like a cruel reminder. My heart lurched as I checked the clock. Twenty minutes late.

“Shit,” I hissed, yanking on the white ceremonial gown hanging from my closet door. The fabric snagged as I tugged it over my head, and I cursed again, my pulse hammering in my ears.

Outside, the woods were alive with the crisp sounds of October. Leaves crunched beneath my feet as I sprinted toward the clearing, branches clawing at my gown and whipping against my arms. My lungs burned, but I couldn’t stop. Not when this was my last chance to avoid being branded an outcast—a rankless wolf.

When I broke into the clearing, the world seemed to stop.

Dozens of eyes turned toward me, and the low hum of murmurs quieted into a heavy, expectant silence. Their gazes burned like fire on my skin—sharp, probing, judgmental.

“Lila Fletcher,” someone muttered under their breath.

From the front of the crowd, my stepsister, Mia, smirked, her glossy blond hair catching the sunlight. She leaned toward her group of friends, whispering something that made them laugh.

“Wolfless mutt,” Mia called out, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Heat rushed to my face, but I forced my chin up, clutching the edges of my gown as I moved forward. My heart thundered, but I didn’t falter. I wouldn’t give her—or any of them—the satisfaction.

The line of wolves waiting to be ranked stretched ahead of me, but most were already finished. Only two remained before me, and I could feel every whispered insult as I took my place at the back.

The high priestess stood at the center of the clearing, her robes flowing like liquid silver in the soft breeze. Her piercing eyes found me as I approached, narrowing with unmistakable irritation.

“Lila Fletcher,” she said, her tone too sharp, heavy with exasperation. “Late as always. Let’s hope this year is different, for your sake.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from snapping back. She didn’t need to say it—I knew what everyone here thought of me.

“Close your eyes,” she instructed. “Open your mind and call your wolf.”

The whispers grew louder as I obeyed, shutting my eyes and focusing on the bond that had never come. I tried to drown out their voices, to push past the weight of their scorn.

“She’ll never get her wolf.”

“Rankless. Cursed.”

“She’s a danger to the pack.”

Heat flickered at the edge of my consciousness—a faint spark. Then it grew, burning hotter and hotter until it consumed me. Fire tore through my veins, so intense it stole the breath from my lungs. My knees buckled, and I hit the ground with a scream, clutching my chest as pain ripped through me.

Just as suddenly as it came, the fire vanished, leaving me gasping for air. My body trembled as I looked up at the priestess, hope burning in my chest despite the agony.

But the look on her face made my stomach drop.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head.

“You are an Omega,” she said, her voice as cold as the wind.

The words hit me like a blade to the heart.

“No,” I said again, louder this time, scrambling to my feet. “That can’t be right. My mother was a Beta—my father is a Beta! I can’t be—”

“Omegas are rare,” the priestess interrupted, her tone clipped. “And not in a good way. You are a liability to this pack. A curse.”

The crowd erupted into murmurs, their voices laced with disgust. My chest tightened as I looked around, seeing the revulsion on their faces.

“Omegas carry the mark of the damned,” the priestess continued, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “You will not run with the pack, Lila Fletcher. I will inform your father of your status.”

Her words sealed my fate.

“No, please—”

“Leave.”

I stumbled back, tears burning my eyes as the priestess turned away. Behind me, the pack began to strip, shifting into their wolves to celebrate the ceremony, but their howls felt like knives in my chest.

I DON’T know how long I sat in the woods, my knees drawn to my chest, trying to hold myself together. The forest was silent now, the others long gone.

The sound of footsteps made me freeze. I sat up, my pulse spiking as I scanned the trees.

“Who’s there?” I called, my voice trembling.

There was no answer, just the snap of a twig behind me. Before I could move, a hand clamped over my mouth, yanking me back. My scream was muffled as I thrashed, but more hands grabbed me, pinning me in place.

“Goodnight,” a voice whispered in my ear, cold and familiar.

Then darkness swallowed me.

---

Pain was the first thing I felt when I woke. My head throbbed, my wrists ached where they’d been bound, and every inch of my body felt bruised and battered.

I opened my eyes to the dim light of a barn, the air thick with the scent of hay and blood.

“Finally awake?”

I turned toward the voice, my stomach sinking as Mia stepped into view. Her lips curled into a cruel smile, her arms crossed as she looked down at me.

“What… what are you doing?” I croaked, trying to sit up.

She shoved me back down with a laugh. “Your place is on the ground, Omega.”

Her words stung more than her touch, but I forced myself up again, glaring at her. “If you’re going to kill me, just do it,” I spat, my voice shaking.

Mia’s laugh was loud and cold. “Oh, trust me, I will. But not yet.”

The barn door creaked open, and my heart sank as Alex walked in. His scent hit me like a punch to the chest, warm and familiar.

My wolf stirred, howling in my mind. Mate. Mate. Mate.

For a moment, hope flickered in my chest. But it died as quickly as it came when Alex crossed the room and pulled Mia into his arms, kissing her as if I wasn’t even there.

“Hello, Lila,” he said, turning to me with a smirk. “It’s nice to see you’ve finally gotten your wolf. Now I can do what I’ve been waiting for all these years.”

I stared at him, confusion twisting my features. “What are you talking about?”

Alex’s smirk widened. “I, Alexander Langley, reject you as my mate.”

The words hit me harder than any blow. My chest tightened, and I felt my wolf howl in agony as tears blurred my vision.

“Accept it,” Mia ordered, her voice cominb out in a hiss.

I shook my head, and the first blow landed—a fist to my stomach that stole the air from my lungs.

It went on for what felt like an eternity. When I finally whispered my acceptance, I felt my wolf shatter, leaving me hollow and broken on the barn floor.

And as they left me there, laughing and victorious, I realized one thing.

I had nothing else to lose.

—

WHEN I woke again, the first thing I felt was the sharp ache radiating through my body. Pain licked at my ribs and shoulders, a reminder of every punch and kick they’d landed. I groaned, forcing myself upright, my palms pressing against the cold dirt beneath me.

It was dark outside now, and the sound of heavy rain beat down on the roof. The barn was silent except for the creak of its old wooden beams. I must have passed out after they left me. My bloodstained gown clung to me, torn and filthy.

Gathering what remained of my dignity, I clutched the ruined fabric in my hands and stumbled out of the barn. The air was cold, the rain pouring down in sheets, biting against my skin as I trudged toward my father’s mansion. I knew he would have heard by now—there was no hiding what had happened at the ceremony. The first Omega in decades. His daughter. The disgrace of it all.

A part of me hoped he wouldn’t be awake, but the warm glow spilling from his office window killed that fragile hope. He was waiting.

I climbed the steps slowly, each one heavier than the last, until I reached his door. I hesitated, my hand hovering over the handle as I took a shaky breath. This was it. Whatever little place I had left in this pack would be decided tonight.

Without knocking, I pushed the door open.

“Father, I—” The words died in my throat.

My father’s office was suffocatingly silent as I stepped inside, my bloodstained and drenched gown sticking to my skin. I didn’t bother addressing my state; I was too focused on the man seated across from him.

He was unlike anyone I had ever seen. His hair was dark and unruly, curling over his broad shoulders like it was molded from shadows. His eyes… they were storm clouds, thunderous and wild, and they locked onto mine the moment I entered the room.

For a second, everything stilled. I swore I saw his chest rise sharply, his lips parting ever so slightly as his gaze bore into me. His expression hardened, but he didn’t look away—not even once.

“And if this one is available too,” his deep, resonant voice broke the silence, “I want her.”

The room seemed to shrink around me. My knees threatened to buckle at his words. He wanted me?

I shifted my gaze to my father, expecting him to demand an explanation, to defend me, to do something. Instead, I found his hands trembling against the desk, his usual steel-gray eyes clouded with fear.

“Father,” I whispered, my voice barely audible, “what’s going on?”

My words did nothing to stir him. He avoided my gaze, his jaw tightening as he turned to the man who still hadn’t stopped staring at me.

Then, for the first time in my life, I saw something I never thought I’d see in my father’s eyes: panic.

“Then we have a deal, Kael,” he finally said, his voice cracking just slightly at the edges.

The moment I heard his name, the blood drained from my face.

Kael.

A name that didn’t belong here, in my father’s home. A name that didn’t belong anywhere but in the whispered fears of wolves who knew better than to speak it aloud.

I took a slow, unsteady step back, my fingers curling into the wet tattered fabric of my dress as I struggled to process what I was seeing. My father, a man who never bowed to anyone, stood before him with his head lowered down.

It couldn’t be him.

The Kael I had heard of was a ghost, a phantom lurking in the shadows of myths and nightmares. No one had seen him. No one had lived to tell of him. He wasn’t real—he couldn’t be real.

And yet, he stood there, silent, watching.

“Dad…” My voice barely rose above a whisper, but my father still flinched as if I had shattered something fragile. “What’s going on?”

He tore his gaze from Kael and turned on me, his expression dark with warning. “Excuse me, Alpha Kael,” he said stiffly. “I need a word with my daughter.”

Kael said nothing, but I felt his presence like a lead pressing against my chest as my father grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my skin as he dragged me out of the office and down the stairs.

The moment we reached the main hall, I wrenched myself free, my pulse hammering against my ribs. “What the hell was that?” I hissed, shaking off the lingering sting of his grip. “You bowed to him.”

My father straightened, his face void of emotion. “You’ll be leaving with him.”

The air vanished from my lungs.

I let out a breathless, humorless laugh. “You’re joking.”

He didn’t answer.

“Dad,” I said, taking a step forward, but he lifted a hand, stopping me cold.

“You were marked an omega,” he said, his voice quiet, measured. “You are a weakness to this pack. And I will not let you destroy what I have built.”

The words cut deeper than any wound my sister had ever given me.

Tears burned at the edges of my vision. “So, you’re just giving me to him?” My voice cracked, but I forced myself to hold his gaze. “Throwing me to a man no one even believes is real? A man they say is cursed?”

He didn’t deny it.

I laughed, the sound bitter and hollow. “You’d rather let me die than stand by me?”

“If you were anything but an omega, Lila…” His voice trailed off, and something inside me shattered.

I had known my father didn’t love me. Not really. But this—this was confirmation.

My hands curled into fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms. “I was always disposable to you, wasn’t I?” My voice dropped to a whisper. “Even after everything—after she took my mate, after she tried to kill me—you still choose her.”

“Do not speak of your sister that way,” he snapped, but there was no conviction behind it. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, then set his hands on my shoulders. The weight of them did nothing to ground me. “Lila, if I do not do this, the pack will kill you.”

I stepped out of his grasp, shaking my head. “No, Dad. If you wanted to save me, you would.”

Footsteps echoed down the stairs, slow and deliberate, and I knew—without turning—that Kael was there.

I swallowed hard and lifted my chin, forcing myself to meet his gaze.

He looked exactly as he had when I first saw him—dark eyes, sharp jaw, presence suffocating. He studied me for a long, silent moment, then turned to my father.

“I believe I have given you enough time,” he said, his voice smooth and even, but edged with something final.

My father nodded quickly. “Yes. And the others…?”

“They are coming with me.”

My stomach dropped. “Others?”

My father glanced at me, then away.

I turned to Kael. “You take people?”

He didn’t answer.

“You told us the wolfless were given homes,” I whispered, turning back to my father. “You told us they were safe.”

He didn’t even look at me.

A sharp, searing rage burned through my chest. “You lied.”

“I did what I had to do,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion. “For the pack.”

Kael shifted beside me, impatient. “I didn’t come here to watch your family’s affairs, Lucas.”

My father flinched at the sound of his own name. A powerful Alpha reduced to something small.

“Yes, you’re right,” he said quickly. “Please… take her.”

And then, just like that, he walked away.

No glance back. No hesitation. Nothing.

It felt like being gutted.

I sucked in a sharp breath and willed myself to stay standing, to stay still, to not let my father see me break. But when I blinked, Kael was suddenly in front of me. Close. Too close.

I felt his stare, cold and unreadable, pressing against my skin. My breath stilled.

Then, without a word, he turned and walked past me.

I caught the faintest glimpse of movement as he lifted his hands and pulled on a pair of gloves.

A chill ran down my spine.

Owen—the man who had been standing with him earlier—stepped up beside me. “Miss Lila,” he said, nodding toward the door.

I hesitated. Then, finally, I followed.

Outside, sleek black vehicles lined the road. I hadn’t seen them when I arrived, but that didn’t surprise me. A man like him would never left himself exposed.

Owen opened the back door of one of the cars. I stepped inside, stiffening when I realized Kael was already there, seated on the other end.

The moment the door shut, the car started moving.

I forced my hands to stay still in my lap, resisting the urge to clench the bloodstained fabric of my dress. The silence was suffocating.

Then, out of nowhere, I felt it—warmth.

Kael was closer.

I turned, barely processing the movement before his hand was on the back of my neck.

A sharp inhale left my lips, and my vision blurred. My body felt impossibly heavy, my head lolling against his shoulder.

The last thing I felt was the ghost of hands pressing against my forehead.

Then, a whisper. A language I didn’t understand. A language that felt like it had been buried in my soul for centuries.

“Eísai dikós mou xaná, ee theá moo.”

Then—darkness.