The night of the mating ceremony was supposed to be the happiest moment of Nora Hopkin's life. At least, that's what everyone in the Silver Moon Pack kept whispering to her as she was dressed in silken white, her hair braided with wildflowers. But every step she took toward the altar where Alpha Lucas waited felt like walking into her own execution.
Nora was the Omega of the pack—the lowest ranked, the weakest, the one born with no voice worth listening to. Omegas weren't supposed to be noticed, much less chosen as mates for an Alpha. And yet fate had dealt her the cruelest card: the glowing burn of the mate-bond that tied her to Lucas Hart, the man who had tormented her since childhood.
His gray eyes flickered with annoyance as she approached, not love. His lips curved into a smile that didn't reach those eyes. A shiver slid down her spine.
"Come forward," Lucas commanded, his voice deep and resonant. The pack hushed instantly.
Nora obeyed, head bowed, every muscle trembling. She felt the bond tugging at her heart like an invisible chain, binding her to him. She hated it. She hated that her wolf whimpered for him even when every part of her human soul recoiled.
The ceremony was quick—too quick. Words were spoken, vows exchanged. But when Lucas finally reached for her, pulling her against him, his breath hot at her ear, the truth came crashing down like a blade.
"You disgust me, Omega," he whispered so low only she could hear. "Did you really think I wanted this bond? Fate has cursed me, and I'll make sure you regret it."
Her heart clenched. The bond screamed for acceptance, but his words cut her deeper than claws ever could.
Later, when the moon rose high and the pack expected them to consummate the bond, Lucas shoved her into his chamber. His eyes burned with cruelty. He grabbed her wrists, forcing her down against the bed. Nora's wolf cried in pain as she struggled.
"Stop," she gasped. "Lucas, please—"
He pinned her harder. "I'll take what's mine, then reject you. After tonight, you'll never dare call yourself my mate."
Tears blurred her vision as fear choked her. She fought back with every ounce of strength her frail body had. The bond pulled, urged her to submit, but her soul screamed to resist.
For a moment, his fangs grazed her throat—wolves didn't always bite to claim, but Lucas wanted her fear. He wanted to scar her with it.
And then, as quickly as he'd pressed her down, he shoved her away in disgust.
"Pathetic," he spat. "You're not worthy of me. I, Alpha Lucas Hart, reject you, Nora Hopkin, as my mate."
The words rang with finality, searing into her soul like molten iron. The rejection cut deep—breaking something primal inside her. Pain unlike anything she'd ever known tore through her chest. She screamed, clutching her heart as her wolf wailed in anguish.
Lucas only sneered, buttoning his shirt as though she were nothing more than dirt beneath his boots. "You're free now, Omega. Free to crawl in the dirt where you belong."
The pack heard the rejection. The whispers began immediately—disgust, laughter, pity, hatred. She was cursed now, unwanted, unworthy. Some even snarled openly as she stumbled from the chamber, clutching her torn dress.
But inside her chest, alongside the agony, something else began to stir: defiance.
If Lucas didn't want her, if the pack despised her, then she would leave. She would rather die beyond the border than spend another day in chains of humiliation.
That night, under the cover of moonlight, Nora slipped out. Her heart still ached from the severed bond, but her steps grew steadier with each mile she put between herself and the Silver Moon Pack.
Her wolf urged her onward—run, run, run.
Behind her, the howls rose. The pack had noticed her escape. The hunt was on.
Branches tore at her skin. Her lungs burned. Her legs screamed with exhaustion. Still, she pushed forward.
She was no longer just running from them—she was running for her life, running toward something unknown.
Blood dripped from a gash on her thigh. Her vision blurred. But as she stumbled into a misty forest she had never dared cross before, a chill swept through her bones.
This was vampire territory.
She should have been terrified. She should have turned back. But exhaustion and desperation drove her forward.
Her knees buckled at the edge of a clearing. She collapsed, her body too broken to rise. The world dimmed, shadows swallowing her sight.
And then—boots. Heavy, deliberate, stopping just before her crumpled form.
A voice, smooth as silk yet edged with command, spoke above her.
"Well, what do we have here? A broken little wolf, bleeding in my domain."
Nora tried to lift her head, her lips parting to speak, but darkness claimed her before she saw his face.
The last thing she felt was the brush of cold fingers against her cheek, and a whisper that chilled her to the bone:
"Mine."