Nova
The pack house was so much bigger than I remembered. Towering stone walls stretched toward the sky, their rough edges softened by the glow of golden sconces lining the perimeter. The cobblestone driveway, which I barely remembered from my childhood, seemed to go on forever, winding toward the grand entrance like a path meant to intimidate anyone who didn't belong.
Everything looked sharper, more pristine than the last time I was here. Or maybe it was just me—maybe I was looking at it differently now.
The last time I had been here, I was a kid. Long before my sixteenth birthday. Before my life went to shit.
I had come with my parents for a feast, a massive celebration for our victory over the creatures of the night that had plagued our pack for so long. I had been excited then, standing in this very spot, looking up at the towering mansion and feeling like I was stepping into something important.
Back then, I thought the pack house was magical—a place for community, friendship and solidarity in the pack
I couldn't have been any more wrong
I was too young to understand my place.
Too young to notice how omegas like us were treated.
The delayed entry. The way we were all somehow seated at the back despite being early. The way people mistook us for serves, snapping their fingers for drinks, assuming we belonged in the kitchens or the cleaning staff.
I hadn't realized, until that night, that the pack house wasn't for people like me.
It was for them. Betas, Gammas— anyone but us
The only time an omega like me ever stepped foot into this place was to serve, to blend into the background, to be invisible.
But that day the Alpha announced an annual festival that gave me something to look forward to, a day that your caste wouldn't matter, one day that all the new wolves in the pack would come together to be celebrated.
The New Wolf Festival.
Once a year, the newly-shifted wolves would gather at the pack house, dressed in their best clothes, celebrated like royalty irrespective of their social rank, for finally stepping into their power.
I had imagined myself there. Had spent years practicing my smile in the mirror, thinking about what I would wear, day dreaming about my mate and how I would feel standing in the crowd as an equal even for one day
I never got to go.
And I never tried coming back after that.
Yet here I was.Wrapped in his jacket.
Covered in his scent.
His mate.
"Are you gonna stand there and gawk all night, or are you actually coming inside, Purple?"
I snapped out of my thoughts, turning to glare at Marcus, who stood by the open car door, watching me with an exasperated sigh.
"I swear to the God, if you call me that again—"
He smirked. "What? You don't like being called Purple?"
"No, I don't."
Marcus shrugged, shutting the driver's side door.
I climbed out carefully, hating the way my heels wobbled against the uneven cobblestone.
"You might want to take those off" Marcus teased, watching my struggle.
"And walk barefoot?" I scoffed. "No thanks."
We made our way to the grand entrance, huge wooden doors carved with intricate designs, the insignia of the Blood Moon Pack engraved into the wood like a permanent reminder of its authority.
Marcus pushed open one of the heavy doors, holding it for me. "Welcome home," he muttered.
I stopped short, frowning. "Home?"
He walked in, glancing over his shoulder. "Yeah. Home. You're Kain's mate. That means you belong here now."
I hesitated. The words felt wrong, like an ill-fitting garment being forced onto me.
Kain's mate.
That was the only reason why I was welcome past those doors.
If not, I would never 'belong' here".
I scoffed. "Yeah, right."
Marcus gave me a mocking laugh, rolling his eyes. "What? You don't like it here? Or you don't like being the Alpha's mate?"
I crossed my arms. "I never said that. But we both know I don't 'belong' here." I said making air quotes for the word belong
His smirk widened. "Yeah, I know that."
I blinked. The hell?
"But you're his mate," Marcus continued, his voice annoyingly casual. "So that changes everything."
I clenched my jaw. "No, it doesn't."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "You act like you're not over the moon that you're here. That Kain is your mate. How many omegas are that lucky?" He said with a shrug
So carefree, he wasn't trying to be an ass. He wasn't saying it to hurt me.
But that almost made it worse.
Because he didn't realize what he was saying.
He didn't realize how he sounded like them.
Like the beta kids who used to corner me after work, laughing as they knocked me down.
Like everyone who had ever made me feel small.
I forced my voice to stay even. "Where am I staying?"
Marcus perked up, as if relieved to move on. "Oh, yeah. Come with me."
++++++++++++++++++
After climbing way too many stairs, we finally reached the bedroom.
It was huge— twice the size of Cami's entire apartment.
High ceilings, a massive bed, floor-to-ceiling windows with heavy velvet curtains. A grand chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm, golden glow over the dark wooden furniture.
It was beautiful, but something about it felt…empty.
Like it hadn't been used in a long time.
Like it had been cleaned up for me, but no one had really lived here in a while.
This wasn't Kain's room.
"This is gonna be your room for now," Marcus said, stepping inside.
I frowned. "Why can't I stay with Kain?"
Marcus shrugged. "I don't know, Purple. I'm just following orders." He shrugged, then paused. "That seems like a matter between the two of you."
I nodded slowly, uncertainty settling in my chest like a weight.
Marcus exhaled, stretching his arms behind his head. "Well, my job is done. Good night, Nova."
He said my name for the first time.
Then he was gone.
And I was alone.
The silence in the massive room was deafening. The space felt too big, too empty, too foreign.
I climbed onto the king-sized bed, my body exhausted, but my mind too restless to shut down.
I didn't feel safe, even though I knew this was probably the safest place in the entire pack.
I rolled onto my side, clutching Kain's jacket tighter around me, burying my face in the fabric.
I didn't want to sleep here.
I wanted to sleep in his bed.
In his arms.
In his warmth.
I closed my eyes, pretending.
Pretending the bed was smaller. Pretending his scent was closer. Pretending I wasn't in a place that still felt wrong.
And eventually… I fell asleep dreaming of a room that felt like home.