Lorien
The school hallways were always loud, filled with the sound of laughter, footsteps, and conversations. But for me, they were a battlefield.
I kept my head down, moving quickly as I navigated through the crowd, clutching my books to my chest like a shield. If I made myself small enough, if I didn’t make eye contact, maybe today would be different. Maybe they’d leave me alone.
But I knew better.
A hard shove from behind sent me sprawling forward. My books slipped from my grasp, scattering across the floor. The hallway erupted in laughter.
"Oops," a voice drawled mockingly. "Didn’t see you there, omega."
I swallowed hard, my hands shaking as I reached for my books.
"Pathetic," another voice chimed in. "I swear, the pack gets weaker just having you in it."
I didn’t look up. The sheer amount of disgust dripping from the words let me know exactly who it was.
Cassius Blackwood.
The future Alpha. My worst nightmare.
He stood with his usual smirk, arms crossed, exuding the effortless dominance that made everyone else fall in line. His friends—his pack—stood beside him, watching, waiting for the next cruel entertainment.
I kept my voice calm. "I just want to get to class."
"Yeah?" Cassius stepped closer, his polished shoes stopping right in front of my hand as I reached for my last book. "And I just want an omega-free pack. Looks like neither of us gets what we want."
I flinched as he nudged the book away with his foot, sending it sliding down the hall. More laughter.
Blood Fang Pack was built on strength. Ruthlessness. Power.
The weak had no place here.
It was something Alpha Dorian Blackwood had drilled into every single wolf under his rule. Cassius’s father was a legend—a brutal, cunning leader who had transformed Blood Fang from a struggling pack into one of the strongest in the region. He ruled with an iron fist, and under his leadership, only the strong survived.
Omegas, especially male omegas, were seen as defects. Burdens. Liabilities.
I was the only one in the entire pack.
A disgrace.
And for someone like him, my existence was an insult.
I wanted to fight back. I wanted to say something, anything. But my throat felt too tight.
A hand landed on my shoulder, making me freeze. But the grip was gentle.
"Enough," a familiar voice said. "You’ve had your fun, Cassius."
Julian.
I turned to look at him, my heart pounding.
Julian Halloway—Cassius’s Beta, his right-hand man. The only person in this entire school who had ever shown me any kindness.
Cassius rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Julian. You always ruin the fun."
Julian bent down, picking up my books effortlessly before handing them to me. "Come on, Lorien," he said softly.
I hesitated, then took the books, gripping them tightly. "Thanks," I whispered.
Julian didn’t respond. He just walked beside me as we moved down the hall, leaving Cassius and his pack behind.
But I could still feel Cassius’s gaze burning into my back.
And something told me this wasn’t over.
I barely made it through the school day. I kept my head down in class, ignored the whispers, the snickers, the cruel glances. It was nothing new. I had lived with it my entire life.
Omegas were weak.
Male omegas? Even worse.
I had been born a mistake, an embarrassment to the pack. My parents had abandoned me when I was a child, leaving me to fend for myself in a place that didn’t want me.
I was basically an eyesore to everyone that looked at me. I was treated even worse than a criminal sometimes.
Made to do dirty jobs that the pack members didn't want to do.
It was absolutely pathetic.
Tomorrow was my eighteenth birthday. The day every werewolf could finally sense their fated mate.
A lump formed in my throat.
I already knew how it would end. No one would want an omega like me.
No one.
*******
That evening, I stayed late in the library, dragging out the inevitable walk home. But eventually, the halls emptied, the school darkened, and I had no choice but to leave.
I moved through the pack house like a ghost, slipping through the halls unnoticed. The full moon cast a pale glow through the windows, painting everything silver.
The Blood Fang Pack’s estate was massive—a fortress of stone and steel, built more like a stronghold than a home. The walls were lined with weapons. The training grounds were filled with warriors, even at this hour, pushing themselves to the brink of exhaustion.
Weakness was not tolerated.
I walked alone through the dim lit streets, my footsteps quiet against the stony floor.
The clock bell tolled, its echoes reaching every corner of the pack, indicating the beginning of a new day, and I stopped to look up at it.
Happy birthday to me, I guess.
It's another year of constant bullying and insults.
How nice.
I was wallowing in self pity when I saw a shadow lurking in the distance.
And then I saw him.
Cassius.
He was walking toward me, his stride confident, his presence suffocating. He hadn’t noticed me yet, and for a second, I thought about turning around, about escaping before he could say anything—
But then it happened.
The moment our eyes met, something inside me snapped into place.
A fire ignited in my chest, spreading through my veins, hot and undeniable. My breath caught. My knees nearly buckled.
No. No, no, no.
Cassius froze. His entire body went rigid. His midnight-blue eyes widened, and for the first time in my life, I saw something other than amusement or cruelty in them.
Shock. Horror.
I felt it. He felt it.
We were mates.
A shaky breath left my lips, but before I could speak, before I could even process what was happening, Cassius’s expression twisted in revulsion.
His hands clenched into fists. His jaw tightened.
And then, without a single word, he turned and walked away.
Leaving me standing there, heart pounding, the bond burning between us like a cruel joke.
LorienCassius had been furious. I saw it in the way his jaw clenched, in the storm raging behind his dark eyes. When our bond was revealed, he didn’t just reject me—he recoiled, as if the Moon Goddess had played a cruel joke on him. “A mistake,” I had heard him mutter under his breath before he stormed out of the hall, his heavy boots echoing down the corridor. That was about two hours ago, but his reaction still burned. My mate—the one person who was supposed to love me, cherish me—had looked at me like I was nothing. Less than nothing. I curled up on my cot, staring at the ceiling of my tiny dorm. The night was quiet, but inside, my thoughts were anything but. Was this it? Was I doomed to feel this pain for the rest of my life? The mate bond was unbreakable—at least, not without rejection.Honestly, I might have been more surprised than him at finding out we were mates. It almost never happened that a man was mates with another man. It was almost unheard of, and it was seri
LorienThe morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth as I stepped outside. My body still ached from last night, from him, but the pain was overshadowed by a growing sense of anticipation. Cassius had come to me. He had found me in the dark, his hands desperate as they claimed me, his body pressed against mine, his breath uneven as he whispered my name like it meant something. And for the first time in my life, I had felt wanted. I was happy about what had happened between us, but I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach as I hadn't woken up with him by my side. I had expected him to be at my side the second I woke up, because mates that were newly discovered were practically inseparable.I searched for him all overy house, even checking the surroundings, but I didn't find him. I decided to take a walk, hoping that I might find him on the way. I clutched the hem of my jacket, pulling it tighter around myself as I walked toward the pack house. The m
LorienThe wind howled through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine as I ran. My breath came in ragged gasps, burning my throat, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. My legs ached, my lungs screamed for relief, but none of it mattered. I just had to get away—from the sneering faces, the cruel laughter, and, most of all, from him. Cassius Blackwood had rejected me. It wasn’t just the rejection—it was the way he had done it. Publicly. Mercilessly. As though I were nothing but filth beneath his boots. I squeezed my eyes shut as the memory resurfaced, my feet stumbling over uneven ground. "An omega like him is beneath me." His words played over and over in my mind, each repetition slicing deeper, cutting through the fragile hope I had dared to hold onto. I had been stupid. I had been so stupid to believe that last night had meant something. That the way he had touched me, the desperation in his lips and the way our bond had surged between us, had been more than
LorienI woke up with a gasp, my body jerking upright as panic clawed its way through my chest. My head throbbed painfully, and for a moment, the world blurred around me. The last thing I remembered was being surrounded by those soldiers, their claws ready to strike—then Kieran stepping in. And now… Where was I? The room around me was unfamiliar. The walls were made of dark wood, the scent of pine and fresh air lingering in the air. A large window let in soft morning light, illuminating the neatly arranged furniture. The bed I was in was far too soft, the blankets warm and thick—a stark contrast to the cold forest floor I had been running through just hours ago. I wasn’t dead. But I had no idea what was waiting for me. The door creaked open, and I flinched, my body instinctively tensing. Kieran stepped inside, arms crossed, his sharp blue eyes watching me carefully. He was tall and broad-shouldered, his dark hair slightly tousled as if he had barely slept. "You're awake,
LorienI stared at the ceiling of my room, the same sterile white color that made it hard to breathe. The doctor’s words were still ringing in my ears, over and over, like a curse I couldn’t outrun.“You’re pregnant.”I gripped the edge of the blanket, knuckles white.No… no, this can’t be happening.I wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant. Male omegas—there were rumors, old wives’ tales about it, but it was rare. Practically unheard of. The doctor herself had looked more surprised than I felt.I had begged her—begged—not to tell Matthias.“You have to understand,” I whispered, voice cracking as I stood there in the small medical room, “he’ll throw me out. I don’t even know what he’d do if he found out. I can’t… I can’t let him know. Please.”The doctor had studied me for a long moment before finally nodding.“I won’t tell him—for now,” she said slowly. “But you have to. You can’t keep training at this pace. Not in your condition. Eventually, he’ll know. And it’s better if it com
LorienI stared at the ceiling of my room, the same sterile white color that made it hard to breathe. The doctor’s words were still ringing in my ears, over and over, like a curse I couldn’t outrun.“You’re pregnant.”I gripped the edge of the blanket, knuckles white.No… no, this can’t be happening.I wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant. Male omegas—there were rumors, old wives’ tales about it, but it was rare. Practically unheard of. The doctor herself had looked more surprised than I felt.I had begged her—begged—not to tell Matthias.“You have to understand,” I whispered, voice cracking as I stood there in the small medical room, “he’ll throw me out. I don’t even know what he’d do if he found out. I can’t… I can’t let him know. Please.”The doctor had studied me for a long moment before finally nodding.“I won’t tell him—for now,” she said slowly. “But you have to. You can’t keep training at this pace. Not in your condition. Eventually, he’ll know. And it’s better if it com
LorienI woke up with a gasp, my body jerking upright as panic clawed its way through my chest. My head throbbed painfully, and for a moment, the world blurred around me. The last thing I remembered was being surrounded by those soldiers, their claws ready to strike—then Kieran stepping in. And now… Where was I? The room around me was unfamiliar. The walls were made of dark wood, the scent of pine and fresh air lingering in the air. A large window let in soft morning light, illuminating the neatly arranged furniture. The bed I was in was far too soft, the blankets warm and thick—a stark contrast to the cold forest floor I had been running through just hours ago. I wasn’t dead. But I had no idea what was waiting for me. The door creaked open, and I flinched, my body instinctively tensing. Kieran stepped inside, arms crossed, his sharp blue eyes watching me carefully. He was tall and broad-shouldered, his dark hair slightly tousled as if he had barely slept. "You're awake,
LorienThe wind howled through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine as I ran. My breath came in ragged gasps, burning my throat, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. My legs ached, my lungs screamed for relief, but none of it mattered. I just had to get away—from the sneering faces, the cruel laughter, and, most of all, from him. Cassius Blackwood had rejected me. It wasn’t just the rejection—it was the way he had done it. Publicly. Mercilessly. As though I were nothing but filth beneath his boots. I squeezed my eyes shut as the memory resurfaced, my feet stumbling over uneven ground. "An omega like him is beneath me." His words played over and over in my mind, each repetition slicing deeper, cutting through the fragile hope I had dared to hold onto. I had been stupid. I had been so stupid to believe that last night had meant something. That the way he had touched me, the desperation in his lips and the way our bond had surged between us, had been more than
LorienThe morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth as I stepped outside. My body still ached from last night, from him, but the pain was overshadowed by a growing sense of anticipation. Cassius had come to me. He had found me in the dark, his hands desperate as they claimed me, his body pressed against mine, his breath uneven as he whispered my name like it meant something. And for the first time in my life, I had felt wanted. I was happy about what had happened between us, but I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach as I hadn't woken up with him by my side. I had expected him to be at my side the second I woke up, because mates that were newly discovered were practically inseparable.I searched for him all overy house, even checking the surroundings, but I didn't find him. I decided to take a walk, hoping that I might find him on the way. I clutched the hem of my jacket, pulling it tighter around myself as I walked toward the pack house. The m
LorienCassius had been furious. I saw it in the way his jaw clenched, in the storm raging behind his dark eyes. When our bond was revealed, he didn’t just reject me—he recoiled, as if the Moon Goddess had played a cruel joke on him. “A mistake,” I had heard him mutter under his breath before he stormed out of the hall, his heavy boots echoing down the corridor. That was about two hours ago, but his reaction still burned. My mate—the one person who was supposed to love me, cherish me—had looked at me like I was nothing. Less than nothing. I curled up on my cot, staring at the ceiling of my tiny dorm. The night was quiet, but inside, my thoughts were anything but. Was this it? Was I doomed to feel this pain for the rest of my life? The mate bond was unbreakable—at least, not without rejection.Honestly, I might have been more surprised than him at finding out we were mates. It almost never happened that a man was mates with another man. It was almost unheard of, and it was seri
LorienThe school hallways were always loud, filled with the sound of laughter, footsteps, and conversations. But for me, they were a battlefield. I kept my head down, moving quickly as I navigated through the crowd, clutching my books to my chest like a shield. If I made myself small enough, if I didn’t make eye contact, maybe today would be different. Maybe they’d leave me alone. But I knew better. A hard shove from behind sent me sprawling forward. My books slipped from my grasp, scattering across the floor. The hallway erupted in laughter. "Oops," a voice drawled mockingly. "Didn’t see you there, omega." I swallowed hard, my hands shaking as I reached for my books. "Pathetic," another voice chimed in. "I swear, the pack gets weaker just having you in it." I didn’t look up. The sheer amount of disgust dripping from the words let me know exactly who it was. Cassius Blackwood. The future Alpha. My worst nightmare. He stood with his usual smirk, arms crossed, exudi