Ashen
I didn't move for a long time after Dominic left.
My heart was still racing, my skin prickling with heat where his knuckles had brushed my jaw.
Damn him.
Damn the way he looked at me like he saw straight through the walls I had spent years building. Like he knew every thought I wasn't ready to admit.
I let out a sharp breath, pushing away from the wall. My whole body ached, the fight with Mark catching up to me now that the adrenaline had worn off.
But nothing hurt as much as the truth in Dominic's words.
Had I ever felt safe before him?
No.
And that terrified me more than anything.
Because safety meant lowering my guard.
Safety meant trust.
And trust? That was the one thing I couldn't afford.
I forced myself to move, to push aside the thoughts clawing at my mind. If I stayed here, alone with them, I'd drown.
I left Dominic's office and made my way back toward the pack house, keeping my head down, ignoring the looks thrown my way. The whispers had lessened, but they were still there muted now, cautious, but still sharp enough to sting.
The warrior who wasn't a warrior.
The weak Omega who tricked us all.
They wouldn't dare say it to my face. Not after Dominic's public declaration. But the judgment still clung to the air, thick and suffocating.
I clenched my fists.
I refused to be a damn victim.
If they thought I was weak, I'd prove them wrong. Again.
I turned sharply, heading toward the back of the pack house. There was an old storage room there one that had been converted into a private training space. Most of the pack didn't use it.
Which made it perfect.
I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me. The room smelled of dust and old wood, but the training mats were still in decent shape.
I exhaled slowly, shaking out my hands before dropping into a fighting stance.
Again.
I moved through the motions, striking at the air, forcing my body to react, to fall into the familiar rhythm of combat. It was the only thing that made sense anymore. The only thing that was mine.
Strike. Block. Step. Breathe.
Again.
And again.
Until my muscles screamed, until the ache in my ribs was drowned out by exhaustion, until the frustration, the anger, the heat curling in my gut had nowhere left to go.
I didn't know how long I was there, lost in it.
But when the door creaked open, I froze.
I turned sharply, expecting Dominic.
But it wasn't him.
It was Adam.
I went still, my heartbeat kicking up for a different reason now.
His face was neutral, but his eyes those cold, calculating eyes held something else. Something I didn't trust.
"Ash," he greeted, voice smooth. Too smooth.
I said nothing, wiping sweat from my forehead, my muscles still tense.
He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.
And that was when I knew—
This wasn't just a casual conversation.
Ashen
I didn't move.
Didn't react.
Even as Adam stepped closer, slow and measured, his eyes scanning me like he was waiting for something.
I forced my breathing to steady, rolling my shoulders back, refusing to show even a flicker of hesitation.
"What do you want, Adam?" My voice was flat. Controlled.
His lips curved into a smirk. "Relax. I just wanted to talk."
I huffed out a laugh. "You? Talking to me without an audience? Forgive me if I don't buy it."
He tilted his head, his expression still unreadable. "You were always sharp. I'll give you that."
I didn't like the way he was looking at me. Studying me.
I shifted my stance slightly, weight balanced, ready.
Adam caught it. His smirk widened. "You don't trust me."
"No," I said bluntly. "I don't."
His eyes flickered with something—amusement? Annoyance? It was hard to tell.
"I'm not here to fight, Ashen." He spread his hands, a false gesture of peace. "I just think you should know something."
I narrowed my eyes. "Know what?"
His smirk faded, replaced by something more serious. "You think Dominic's claim protects you."
A chill ran through me, but I didn't let it show.
He took another slow step forward. "You think just because the Alpha declared you his, that means the pack accepts you?"
I stayed silent.
Adam chuckled under his breath. "Let me tell you something about Dominic. He rules with fear. Not loyalty."
I clenched my jaw. "And you'd know all about fear, wouldn't you?"
His smirk twitched, but he didn't take the bait. "What happens, Ashen, when Dominic isn't around to enforce that fear?"
My stomach tightened.
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "What happens when the pack starts to wonder—why would an Alpha take an Omega as his mate? What happens when they start to think that maybe, just maybe, you're his weakness?"
I stiffened.
He saw it.
And he grinned.
"You've spent your whole life trying to prove you're not weak," Adam murmured. "But thanks to Dominic? That's all they'll ever see."
My pulse thundered in my ears. I hated how easily his words sank into the cracks of my mind, feeding my worst fears.
Adam took a step back, satisfaction gleaming in his gaze. "Just something to think about."
Then, without another word, he turned and walked out, leaving me standing there—
Trapped in a war I hadn't even realized had already begun.
I stood there long after Adam left, his words digging into my mind like claws I couldn't shake.
What happens when the pack starts to think you're his weakness?
I exhaled sharply, pressing my palms against my thighs, forcing myself to steady my breathing.
Adam was trying to get under my skin. That much was obvious.
But the worst part?
Somewhere, deep down, a part of me wondered if he was right.
I had spent years fighting for respect. Fighting to prove that I was more than an Omega, more than some fragile, submissive thing meant to be protected.
And now?
Now, after one heat, after one declaration from Dominic, everything I had built was crumbling.
I straightened, pushing away from the training mat, forcing my body to move even as my thoughts tangled.
I needed fresh air.
I left the storage room, walking fast, ignoring the pack members who cast lingering glances my way. No one said anything to me—not after Dominic's warning—but I could feel it. The shift. The way they looked at me differently now.
Before, I had been the Beta who held his own. A fighter. A soldier.
Now?
I was something else entirely.
I stepped outside, the cold evening air biting against my heated skin. The moon hung low, casting long shadows across the clearing.
I hated this feeling. The uncertainty.
The not knowing where I stood anymore.
A rustling sound caught my attention. I turned, instincts sharpening.
Someone was watching me.
I scanned the treeline, muscles coiling, but whoever it was had already disappeared into the darkness.
I exhaled through my nose.
If they thought I was weak, if they thought I would roll over and accept this new role without a fight
They were wrong.
Very wrong.
Because if Dominic thought he could just claim me and expect me to fall in line, if the pack thought I would be satisfied with being protected—
Then they had forgotten one thing.
I wasn't meant to be saved.
I was meant to survive.
The next morning, I didn't wait for Dominic to summon me.
If he thought I'd stay locked away, nursing my wounded pride, he was wrong.
I pushed open the doors to the main hall, my boots echoing against the wooden floors. The pack had gathered, warriors discussing patrol schedules, others murmuring about the rogue sightings near the northern border.
Conversations quieted as I entered.
Eyes flicked toward me. Measuring. Calculating.
I ignored them, heading straight for the one person I wanted to see.
Dominic stood near the large fireplace, speaking with Ryker. His golden gaze snapped to mine the second I approached.
I saw the flicker of surprise before it vanished behind his usual unreadable mask.
"Morning," Ryker drawled, arching a brow. "Didn't expect to see you up this early."
I folded my arms. "Why? Because I should be curled up somewhere, licking my wounds?"
Ryker let out a low whistle. "Well, someone's got their fire back."
Dominic didn't smile. He just watched me, waiting.
Good.
Because I had no interest in small tal
I stepped closer, tilting my chin up. "I want my role reinstated."
Ryker's brows shot up. A few pack members turned, openly listening now.
Dominic's expression didn't change. "Your role?"
"I was a warrior," I said evenly. "I trained with the pack. I took shifts guarding our borders. And I expect to continue doing exactly that."
A muscle in Dominic's jaw ticked.
I knew what he was thinking. That this was a challenge. That I was pushing, testing the limits of what I could get away with now that the pack knew the truth.
He wasn't wrong.
Because if Dominic truly meant what he said if he wasn't just claiming me to keep me under his control then I refused to be treated like something fragile.
I refused to be his weakness.
He exhaled slowly, his gaze sweeping over me. "You just came out of heat. You need time to recover."
I let out a sharp laugh. "That's not your decision to make."
Tension crackled between us.
Somewhere to my left, I heard someone mutter, "An Omega fighting? That's not—"
A growl ripped from Dominic's chest, cutting them off instantly.
The room went silent.
Dominic turned his attention back to me. His golden eyes burned into mine, unreadable, heavy
I refused to look away.
The silence stretched.
Then, finally—
"You want your role reinstated?" His voice was calm. Too calm.
I nodded. "Yes."
A slow smirk curled his lips.
"Fine," he said. "Then prove it."
A murmur spread through the gathered pack.
Ryker sighed. "Here we go…"
Dominic took a step forward, closing the space between us. "Training grounds. Now.
I blinked. "What?"
His smirk widened. "You want to fight? Then fight."
I clenched my jaw. "You're joking."
"Do I look like I'm joking?" His voice was pure challenge now.
I swallowed hard.
I had expected resistance. Maybe a flat-out refusal.
I hadn't expected this.
But Dominic had just thrown down the gauntlet.
And I'd be damned if I backed down now.