02💫

Aurora POV.

“This is exactly what I warned you about!” Ice’s growl reverberated in my head, sharp and unforgiving. “You’re digging yourself deeper, Aurora.”

I ignored her, swallowing back the lump in my throat. It was too late to turn back now. The damage was done.

“What is your name?”

Alpha Cali’s voice was low and commanding, rich with quiet strength that sent a shiver through me. His amber eyes locked onto mine, their intensity forcing me to hold my breath. They weren’t just looking at me—they were peeling me open, exposing everything I wanted to hide.

My throat tightened, my tongue refusing to move. I’d never felt anything like this before, and his overwhelming presence left me frozen. I’d been around higher-ranked wolves, but Cali’s aura made even Rebecca seem insignificant.

Before I could speak, Rebecca, ever the opportunist, stepped in.

“Uh, she’s Aurora,” she chirped, her tone syrupy sweet, but the malice beneath it was impossible to miss. “She’s just a classmate of mine. She had too much to drink and wandered in here by mistake. Honestly, you can’t blame her—she’s just an Omega. This kind of place is way out of her league.”

Ice snarled in my mind, her anger simmering like a volcano about to erupt. This woman thinks she owns everything.

I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms. Rebecca was humiliating me, again, and this time, she was doing it in front of the most powerful Alpha I’d ever seen. But what could I say? She wasn’t wrong. I was just an Omega and Cali… Cali was on a level so far above mine that he may as well have been a god.

The tension was shattered by the door slamming open. The two men from earlier barged in, their faces flushed with frustration.

“Rebecca! She got away!” one of them barked, but the words seemed to dry up in his throat the second he laid eyes on Cali.

Rebecca’s face went pale, her usual smugness replaced with panic.

“Cali, uh…” one of the men stammered. “We didn’t think you’d be here.”

The second man straightened, his cocky demeanor vanishing under Cali’s steely gaze. Even Rebecca shrank back slightly, though she quickly masked it with a fake smile.

Rebecca latched onto my arm, her nails digging into my skin. She leaned closer, her voice low and venomous. “Say nothing, or I swear I’ll make you regret it. Got it?”

Cali seemed uninterested in the chaos swirling around him. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small velvet box, and handed it to Rebecca.

“Take it,” he said, his tone flat.

Rebecca’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is this… for me?”

“It’s your birthday,” Cali replied dismissively. “Now leave. I need to rest.”

Her cheeks flushed pink, and for a moment, she looked almost shy. I could hardly believe what I was seeing—was Rebecca flirting with her stepbrother?

She clutched the jewelry box tightly, practically glowing. “Thank you, Cali! You didn’t have to do this.”

He didn’t respond, his focus shifting to me. His amber eyes lingered for a moment, sharp and unyielding before he turned away.

Rebecca’s grip on my arm tightened as she yanked me out of the room. The second we were out of sight, her sweet façade melted away, replaced with a glare so venomous it made my blood run cold.

“You nearly got us all into trouble!” she hissed, shoving me so hard I stumbled.

“Trouble?” I shot back, my voice trembling with anger. “You’re the one who set me up—”

“Shut up!” Rebecca snapped, cutting me off.

One of the men stepped forward, his expression twisted with irritation. “You’re lucky you slipped away earlier,” he sneered.

“I don’t get it,” the other one added with a smirk. “Most women would kill for the chance to be with us. But you? A lowly Omega? You think you’re better than us?”

Ice snorted, her disdain rolling through me like a cold breeze. Idiots. They think they’re special just because they’re Betas. Pathetic.

Rebecca shot me one last glare before storming off, her heels clicking angrily against the marble floor.

“Leave,” she spat over her shoulder. “And tomorrow, at the university? Stay out of my way.”

I stood there, shaking with humiliation and fury, but I didn’t argue. I couldn’t. I bit back my pride and turned to leave.

The walk home felt endless. The cold air bit at my cheeks, but I barely noticed. My thoughts were a whirlwind of anger and shame, each step heavy with exhaustion.

“When will you learn to stand up for yourself?” Ice asked, her frustration bubbling to the surface.

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “Maybe I already know how, but… I just don’t have a choice.”

You’ll never have the strength if you keep letting them walk all over you, she snapped.

Her words stung because they were true. Ice had always been the stronger half of our bond. She was fire, passion, defiance. And me? I was water—calm, quiet, weak.

“Just a few more years,” I murmured. “We’ll endure this a little longer.”

As my small, rundown house came into view, my thoughts drifted back to Alpha Cali. His presence had been overwhelming, his power palpable.

Why didn’t I know who he was before tonight? I wondered. The son of Armano, the legendary veteran Alpha. It was only a matter of time before Cali inherited his father’s position.

Why did Armano marry Rebecca’s mother? Ice’s voice broke through my spiraling thoughts, irritated. Stop overthinking. You’re just torturing yourself for no reason.

I sighed, shaking my head. “I’m not even looking for a mate, Ice. So what’s the point?”

And that’s your problem, she shot back. Everyone else is looking, but you? You’re just waiting for fate to drop something in your lap. It doesn’t work like that, Aurora.

I didn’t respond. Ice was right—she always was.

When I finally stepped inside my home, the warmth felt hollow. The ache in my back reminded me of everything I’d endured tonight, and sleep felt like the only escape.

“Let’s just rest,” I whispered to Ice. “We’ll deal with tomorrow when it comes.”

For once, Ice didn’t argue. Fine. But tomorrow? Tomorrow, we will fight.

And as I crawled into bed, Cali’s piercing amber eyes haunted my thoughts, refusing to let me go.