Five

Kira 

The journey back to the Omega camp was a blur. I was tossed in the back of an open van with my hands tied behind my back.

A chilly wind whipped through the open windows, burning my nose and caused my bones to tremble.It didn't help that the van’s motion kept slamming my body against its hard sides. 

Alpha D'Angelo's hatred for me must be so intense that he was desperate to get rid of me. I wanted to label him as cruel. But what did I expect from a powerful alpha upon discovering our forbidden mating bond? 

Acceptance? 

Yeah right.

We drove out of the border, and my heart couldn't stop thrashing against my ribcage.

A low groan slipped from my lips as I shrank away, clinging to the van's side. I was desperate to wake up from this living nightmare as I imagined the sheer horror that would be visible on my mom's face when I dropped the devastating bombshell—our banishment.

It would shatter her.

We drew near the crumbling tents of the Omega camp, and the sky began to brighten with the initial hints of daybreak. It was nearing five a.m. when we arrived. I knew the guard and Beta’s presence would trigger a beehive of commotion among the omegas.

The stillness of the early morning was shattered only by the sound of our tires grinding on gravel. The angry Beta sprang out of his Jeep and dragged me out of the van.

His anger towards me was so scary that one might think I was mated to him and not the alpha. D'Angelo himself didn't react with such force, nor did he attempt to harm me physically—a fate I might have preferred over this cold rejection. 

But then, the Beta acted solely on Alpha's orders. Without D'Angelo's command, his beta wouldn't bother with me. He was merely a pawn, and the alpha was the true mastermind of my suffering.

“Hurry up," the beta spat, shoving me forward. I rushed into the tent. Mom was awake and looked like she hadn't slept a wink. 

“Oh, Kira,” she cried out, “I warned you not to go into the main pack.”

Seeing her in such a state made my weeping intensify. I ran to her, kneeled beside the bed, and wrapped my arms around her.

"Mom, we must leave.”

She cupped my face with a confused look dancing in her eyes. The beta's footsteps thundered closer. Mom panicked when he walked into our tent.

"Pack your filthy stuff and leave," he bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls. "Now!"

The confusion in Mom's gaze turned to horror as she saw the Beta towering over us. "Kira!" she trembled, her voice weak and raspy. "What's happening?"

"It's okay, Mom. I'll explain later. We have to leave now."

The beta was impatient and terrifying, and his pacing became more agitated. 

With shaky hands, I reached for our few belongings. Mom understood and looked shattered. I wondered how she would react if I told her that D'Angelo was my mate. 

The room seemed to spin around me, and my mom's cries were muffled by the pounding in my ears. Leo's fingers were digging into her flesh. "Take your whore of a daughter out of this camp. I don't ever want to see you here or anywhere near this pack.”

"Let her go, please," I pleaded in fear. 

"Shut up!" the beta yelled, then turned to face my mom. "Your daughter is a slut who had the guts to seduce the Alpha.”

Mom was in shock. I didn't respond or defend myself. Any word would only fuel his anger. Instead, I kept packing our stuff. 

“I'm sure you're a slut yourself. Like mother, like daughter.”

As if the disgrace wasn't enough, the beta made sure that all omegas gathered at the center of the camp. The crowd watched silently, their eyes wide with fear and curiosity. I saw pity in some, but mostly, I saw relief that it wasn't them being humiliated.

"Move it!" The guard beside Beta shoved me forward, and I stumbled, nearly falling. My mother was already standing by our few belongings and wiping her tears. 

"Please," she whispered to the beta. "Please, let us go peacefully."

The beta sneered, stepping closer to her. "Peacefully? After what your daughter did? She deserves worse than banishment." He turned to the crowd. "This filthy whore was naked on the alpha's terrace and attempted to seduce him.”

Shocked gasps filled the air as everyone gasped and looked at me with eyes burning with condemnation.

Zion stood there with guilt written all over his face. My breath sounded loud in my ears, and the hatred I felt for him at that moment was beyond words.

“Say your goodbyes now,” the beta commanded us. Nobody stepped forward to comfort me. 

Only Amari was close enough to reach me in time before her mom forced her back.

I sobbed in despair. Mom squeezed my shoulders. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Mom. I never meant for this to happen."

We pulled apart, and I saw the determination in my mom's eyes. "We need to go now," she said firmly. "Before the beta decides to kill us.”

I nodded, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. "What about the rest of our things?"

"Leave them," she whispered. "We can't carry much anyway. We need to focus on getting away."

The beta laughed upon hearing her words. "Good luck with that. You're going to need it."

With one last look at the life we were leaving behind, I took my mother's hand and started walking towards the edge of the camp and the crowd parted for us.

In their minds, they likely thought we were delusional to think we'd find acceptance elsewhere. No pack wanted extra omegas. We were a burden and our presence was a nuisance, not an addition to be welcomed.

"Don't stop moving. The sooner you leave, the better for you!" The beta shouted after us and warned the omegas that if anyone tried to help us, he would blow up their brains.

Mom and I disappeared into the woods. It was quiet, save for the sounds of the forest around us. "We need to keep moving, Kira. They might come after us."

I looked back one last time. The camp was now a distant blur among the trees. "Where do we go, Mom?"

She hesitated as her gaze scanned the unfamiliar surroundings. "It's a long shot if we make it through this. But if we die, I'll be happy knowing you were by my side to the very end.”