Chapter 1:Heartbreak

Alyssa’s POV

“I take you as mine.”

Levi stands tall, and handsome in his ceremonial robes, his golden hair catching the glow of the torches that line the hall.

His words ring through the grand hall, his voice strong, unwavering. Conviction bleeding from every syllable.

I feel the rip in my chest deepens.

His grip on Mira’s hand is firm as he takes the sacred mating ties and wraps them around her wrist.

My Levi.

The man who has always whispered promises into my ear under the cover of darkness.

The man who has held me as if I were his world.

And yet—here he is. Binding himself to another.

I should have expected this.

It was forbidden from the start.

I am an omega.

A stray with no place in the Moonborn Pack.

A nobody they took in out of pity. And Levi—Levi is the Alpha’s son. The future of this pack. Mira is the heir to the Raven Pack, her bloodline pure, her worth undeniable.

This was always meant to happen.

Still, it doesn’t make the pain any less unreal.

I stand among the servants, my presence an afterthought, my existence insignificant in a room filled with powerful wolves. My hands tremble as I hold a silver tray of goblets, but no one notices. No one cares.

The crystal decanter trembles slightly in my grip as I pour the deep red wine into the waiting glasses. My hands are steady, but my heart—my heart is in ruins.

I keep my gaze fixed on the dark liquid, watching how it swirls, how it pools, how it fills.

Anything but looking at them.

But I do.

I can’t help it.

I swallow the lump in my throat as I extend the bottle toward their table, my arm stretching out like an offering.

A sacrifice.

The humiliation burns through me as I tip the bottle forward, the wine cascading into the waiting glass before Mira’s delicate fingers reach for it.

Her lips curl into a smile, soft and sweet like she isn’t gutting me from the inside out.

“Thank you, Alyssa,” she says, her voice light, as if this is just another night as if I’m not breaking apart piece by piece in front of her.

I nod stiffly, bowing my head, a servant’s posture.

That is all I am to both of you, I think to myself. I feel the vile, fighting my urge to scream.

I want to smack her in the face… scream the questions that are eating me alive.

How can she thank me, knowing what Levi means to me, knowing that’s shes ripping my heart out?

Her polite smile reminds me that I will never be truly accepted here. I am tolerated, only taken in because of Astra, my mother—because of her power, her gift of healing.

Not because of me.

Never because of me.

…

The hall is alive with joy.

Glasses clink together, laughter fills the air, and the scent of food and candle wax swirls around me, making my stomach churn.

The celebration of their union is deafening, and yet, it all feels so distant. So far away.

My eyes drift upwards, and I meet the gaze of the one man who has made my life a living hell since the moment I arrived.

Alpha Conan.

His expression is unreadable, but his eyes bore into me, sharp and assessing. Judging. Punishing.

Is this what I get for following my heart?

The answer is clear.

The walls feel like they’re closing in, suffocating me with the weight of my grief.

I clutch the bottle tighter, my nails pressing into the glass, and then I turn.

I walk.

Not too fast. Not too slow.

Holding my breath, quietly asking Velyssara, The Silver Huntress to guide me.

To keep from falling apart until I make it past the doors, into the quiet of the hallway.

Only then do I let myself breathe.

The silence is thick, heavy, pressing against me as I lean against the cold stone wall.

My chest tightens, my body shuddering.

I blink hard, willing the tears to stop, to stay buried deep where no one can see them.

They don’t deserve my pain.

They don’t deserve to know that they’ve shattered me.

I swipe at my cheeks quickly, erasing any trace of weakness. But then—

The sound of heavy footsteps echoes down the hallway.

I freeze.

The presence behind me is unmistakable, overpowering, sending a shiver down my spine.

Slowly, I straighten. I turn. My head bows instinctively.

“Alpha Conan,” I say, my voice quiet, full of the respect I have no choice but to show. Meek. Submissive.

His laugh is deep, sharp-edged with something I can’t name. “Are you crying for my son?”

His words are a slap, laced with mockery, with cruelty.

“No, Alpha.” My voice is firm.

A bit too firm.

A mistake.

“You really thought he would marry you? An omega?” He takes a step closer, his boots echoing against the stone floor. “Abandoned. Weak. Without the power of a bloodline. And you thought—” he chuckles, dark and low “—you thought you could be Luna one day?”

My fists clench at my sides.

“I don’t know what you mean, sir.”

A lie.

A weak one.

Alpha Conan sighs as if I’ve disappointed him.

“You think I don’t know what happens in my pack?” His tone sharpens, cold as steel. “Levi is the next Alpha. And you? You are no one. We rescued you, and this is how you repay me?”

Rescued.

The word makes my stomach twist.

His son was my rescue. His son was my salvation.

But now?

Now he is my destruction.

Alpha Conan steps closer, his presence a storm rolling in.

“You really thought Levi would risk jeopardizing an alliance formed before he was even born?” His voice is softer now, almost pitying. “Levi and Mira were mated since birth. They were both having fun with you.”

The words slice through me, tearing flesh from bone.

Just fun.

I stiffen as Alpha Conan moves even closer, so close that I can feel the heat radiating from him.

His breath brushes against my skin.

“Alpha Conan, please…” I whisper, my voice barely audible, my body trembling.

He doesn’t stop.

“You could have ruined the pack’s future,” he murmurs, and then—

A sharp push.

My back hits the cold hard stone, and the air leaves my lungs in a gasp.

“I should punish you,” he breathes into my ear, his voice dark, sending a different kind of fear crawling through me.

My hands move on instinct, shoving him back.

He steps away, but only slightly, only enough to study me with a mixture of amusement and something far more dangerous.

“Insolent,” he murmurs, shaking his head. “You forget your place, omega.”

I swallow hard, forcing my voice to remain steady.

“Please, Alpha Conan… if you know about me and Levi, you know this isn’t right.”

Something shifts in his eyes.

His amusement vanishes, replaced by something sharp and angry.

Before I can move, he’s on me again, pinning me to the wall. His lips crush against mine, his hands gripping my arms with bruising force.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t think.

No. No. No.

This isn’t happening.

I push against him, but he’s stronger, his body pressing against mine, his hands sliding lower.

His touch is slow, teasing, as if he enjoys my resistance.

As if he wants me to break.

And I might.

I might just let him have me.

A little shame might make me forget my heartbreak.

His weight presses against me, trapping me, his scent suffocating.

His hands roam my body, slow, calculated.

Not cruel.

Not brutal.

Almost… savoring.

As if he enjoys the way I tremble beneath him.

"Let me go," I whisper, but my voice is weak.

He doesn’t.

Instead, he leans in, his breath hot against my ear.

"You will be mine whenever I call,” he breathes, his voice dangerously low. “Or you will be banished."

My blood turns to ice.

Banishment.

Alone. Starving. Hunted.

I try to shove him away again, but he pins me effortlessly, a predator playing with his prey.

Then…

Footsteps. Getting closer.

“Father!”