The laughter and chatter of the gathering still echoed in Abigail's ears long after she slipped out of the hall. Her dress clung damply to her skin, the cold water soaking her all the way through, but the sting of humiliation was far worse than the chill. Every word Selene had spat at her replayed mercilessly in her mind scraps, worthless, unlovable.
She pushed through the wooden doors that led outside into the night air. The courtyard was quiet, the moon a pale sliver overhead, casting shadows across the cobblestone path. Abigail's breaths came shallow and uneven, her chest tight as though invisible hands were squeezing her ribs. She walked quickly, her head down, until she reached the back of the pack house where the torches didn't shine.
There, in the forgotten corner near the storage sheds, she sank down against the wall. The rough stone scraped her back as she drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them tightly. For a long moment, she just sat there, her body trembling, her teeth chattering more from despair than cold.
She had become so used to the whispers, the mocking, the cruel pranks but tonight had been different. Tonight, they had humiliated her before the entire pack. Even the Alpha had seen. Abigail closed her eyes, her heart aching. For one fleeting moment, when Steve's voice had thundered across the hall to silence Selene, she had felt a sliver of hope. But then his gaze had turned cold again, as though she were nothing more than another servant.
Her wolf stirred weakly within her, a presence she often clung to for comfort. Why are we so weak? Abigail thought bitterly. Why are we always the one at the bottom?
Her wolf whimpered softly, offering no answer, only companionship in her misery.
Tears finally broke free, sliding hot down her cheeks. She buried her face against her knees to muffle the sound. She had cried in secret so many nights, but this pain was sharper, heavier. She wasn't just lonely she was invisible, an outcast in her own pack.
From her hiding place, she could hear the distant sounds of music and laughter drifting from the hall. Families sat together at the tables, siblings teasing one another, parents ruffling their children's hair, mates leaning close to share whispered words. The warmth of belonging filled the night air but none of it reached her.
She longed for that warmth more than anything in the world. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine her mother's arms around her, a memory too faint to be real. She had lost her parents so young that she wasn't sure if the images in her head were memories or dreams she had stitched together over the years. Still, she held on to them, because they were all she had.
Her chest heaved with quiet sobs. "I just want… someone," she whispered into the darkness. "Someone to see me. To love me."
The words fell into the night, unheard by anyone but the shadows.
Abigail tilted her head back against the wall, staring up at the sky. The stars blinked faintly, cold and distant, so unlike the warmth she craved. Yet there was something about their quiet persistence that soothed her. They were small, like her easily overlooked. And still, they burned.
The thought gave her a flicker of strength, fragile but real. She wiped her face with the back of her sleeve, taking in a shaky breath. She couldn't crumble completely. If she gave up, then Selene and the others would truly win.
But strength didn't erase the ache in her heart. She was still an omega, still alone, still without anyone who cared. The longing clawed at her chest until it hurt to breathe.
"Why was I even born?" she whispered bitterly. Her voice cracked. "Why would the Moon Goddess put me here just to suffer?"
She received no answer, only the rustle of leaves in the cool night breeze.
Abigail stayed there for what felt like hours, letting the night air dry her dress and her tears. She listened to the muffled echoes of the gathering, every laugh another reminder of what she didn't have. Her heart ached with jealousy, with longing, with the unbearable weight of loneliness.
When the noises of the feast began to fade, and wolves trickled back to their homes, she finally pushed herself to her feet. Her body felt heavy, but she stood anyway. She had learned long ago that no one would pick her up she had to do it herself.
Before turning toward her small room in the servant's quarters, she cast one last look at the glowing windows of the hall. Behind those walls, life went on without her. Families embraced, mates celebrated, friends laughed. She would return to her empty bed.
And yet… in her heart, she clung to a fragile dream. That someday, someone would see her. Someone would choose her.
But for now, all she had was the lonely corner of the night, and the promise to herself that she wouldn't let their cruelty destroy her completely.