River woke up before the alarm could even think about ringing. In truth, she hadn't slept—maybe thirty minutes of restless drifting, at most—but she didn't care. She sat up, a grin stretching across her face that made her cheeks ache.
Today was the day everything changed.
She was the mate of Alpha Caden. Not just any Alpha, but the soon-to-be Alpha of the North. He was the hierarchy's peak, the leader destined to oversee over three hundred packs and three hundred Alphas.
And she? She was River. A lowly Omega, an orphan whose ribs showed through her skin from years of malnutrition. But soon, she would be his Luna.
It had happened so fast. The approach, the invitation to the private jacuzzi in the Pack house, the electricity of his touch. It felt like a fever dream, but the marks on her neck proved it was real.
As she danced with him by the water the previous night, Caden had whispered the promise into her ear: Tomorrow. I'll make it official to the school tomorrow. Dress pretty for me.
River scrambled out of bed and dug through her duffel bag. She pulled out the only thing she owned that could pass for "pretty." It was a black, faux-leather bodycon dress with bell sleeves and a large bow at the chest. She had borrowed it from a Beta's daughter once; when she tried to return it, the girl had wrinkled her nose and told River to keep it because she didn't want it back after an Omega had worn it.
River didn't care about the insult today. She smoothed the dress over her frame.
Tessa, her friend and fellow Omega, watched her from her bunk. She eyed the dress and River's manic smile with deep suspicion. But River stayed silent. She wanted the gasps of shock to be genuine. She was going to be the Luna of the North.
She walked to school with her head held high—a stark contrast to the way she usually scurried in the shadows to avoid eye contact.
Olivia, a girl who made sport of tripping River in the corridors, stopped dead in her tracks. Her brow furrowed as River swept past her without so much as a flinch. For the first time in her life, River wasn't the prey.
However, the confidence began to fracture as the morning lectures dragged on. Caden wasn't in first period. Or second.
By lunch, River was searching. Maybe he wants to make a scene, she told herself, her heart fluttering. A proposal. Flowers, decorations, the whole works. The thought made her giddy.
She checked the cafeteria. Empty.
She moved to the main hallway, scanning the clusters of students. Desperation was starting to creep into her walk. She turned a corner too fast, her boot catching on a slick patch of spilled cleaning paste.
She went airborne, landing flat on her back against the hard tiles.
Laughter erupted instantly. River bit her lip, scrambling to sit up, but she froze when she saw the shoes in front of her.
Cecilia.
Cecilia had hated River ever since Damien—the Beta's son and River's only protector—had rejected Cecilia. But Damien was gone now, and River was exposed.
Cecilia's group loomed over her.
"Your savior is nowhere in sight today," Cecilia smirked, extending a hand as if to help.
River ignored the hand and pushed herself up. She knew that trick; take the hand, and Cecilia would just yank her forward and drop her harder.
"Oh, look. Little River can finally do things herself," Cecilia mocked, pulling her hand back.
"I heard she was seen with Alpha Caden yesterday," Hannah, one of Cecilia's lackeys, chipped in, her voice shrill with annoyance.
The group went quiet, exchanging glances.
River dusted off her leather dress, a smirk of her own touching her lips. "Yes. Alpha Caden."
She looked around the hallway. The students had stopped laughing. They were listening now.
"That's impossible," Cecilia scoffed, though her voice wavered. "Alpha Caden was at the main packhouse all day. Right?" She turned to Tracy, Damien's cousin.
Tracy shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "Actually... a waiter from the Bloodhound Lounge said she saw them. She said Caden was flirting with her. That he asked her out."
Gasps rippled through the hallway. River's smirk widened. The truth was out.
"Shut up, Hannah," Cecilia snapped, her face flushing. "You spread baseless rumors without checking facts." She glared at River with renewed hatred. "Let's hear it from the Alpha himself."
Cecilia's gaze snapped to something over River's shoulder.
The hallway fell deathly silent.
River turned.
Alpha Caden walked in. He moved with that predatory grace that demanded attention, a bag slung carelessly over one shoulder. He wore a black t-shirt and jeans, his blond hair damp as if he'd just showered. He looked like a god walking among mortals.
Cecilia shoved past River, rushing up to him as he opened his locker. He didn't even look at River.
He's just playing it cool, River thought, though a cold knot formed in her stomach. He's waiting for the right moment.
"Alpha," Cecilia simpered, "is the rumor true?"
The silence stretched. Everyone held their breath.
Caden paused, looking bored. "Yes."
River let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Relief washed over her. He claimed her.
"I had a great time," Caden continued, his voice echoing off the lockers. "It was a great dare."
The word hung in the air.
Dare?
River froze.
"What dare?" Cecilia asked, voicing the confusion of the entire hall.
Caden leaned against his locker, looking amused. "Finn dared me to sleep with an Omega."
The collective gasp was louder this time.
"It was challenging," Caden said, shoving a textbook into his bag. "Difficult to stomach, actually. I didn't think I could go through with it."
"How did you manage?" Cecilia laughed, the cruelty returning to her eyes. "Weren't you disgusted?"
"Like I said... it was difficult."
"Caden!"
River's voice tore out of her throat. She pushed through the crowd, stopping inches from him. She had to look up to meet his eyes.
He looked down at her. His gaze was flat. Dead.
"Is this a joke?" she whispered, her hands trembling.
"What joke?" Caden deadpanned.
His eyes were cold. These weren't the eyes that had looked at her with passion by the pool. These weren't the eyes of her mate.
"What do you mean, dare?" River demanded, bile rising in her throat. "Explain it to me."
"I don't owe you an explanation."
He turned to leave. River grabbed his forearm—the same arm she had traced with her fingertips hours ago.
"Oh hell, you do!" she screamed. "You can't just use me and tell me it was a silly dare!"
Caden stopped. He chuckled, a dark, low sound that made the hair on her arms stand up.
"Use you? Last thing I remember, you deliberately got yourself drunk to get into my bed."
"Caden, I—"
"Are you aware of the punishment for addressing an Alpha by his first name?" His voice dropped, radiating power. "Do you really want to live the rest of your miserable life exiled from the Pack?"
"But... you stole my innocence!" River cried, tears spilling over. "You told me I was your mate!"
Phones were out now. Cameras were flashing. River didn't care.
"Right. About that," Caden sneered. "I, Caden Caldwell reject you as my mate."
The air left the room.
"The heavens must think I need to pay for my ancestors' sins to saddle me with you," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Their mistake. I can't afford to share breathing space with a creature like you. Being with you was torture. I'd rather tear my skin off with my claws than touch you again."
A single tear slid down River's cheek.
He started to walk away, then stopped and swirled around one last time.
"You tasted good, though. I hate to admit it." He shrugged. "That was the only good thing about yesterday. Thanks for the good time, even if it was brief. Have a terrible life, River."
He walked away.
River's knees gave out. She hit the floor, the cold tiles biting into her skin as uncontrollable sobs racked her body.
Since that day, life had followed Caden's command. It was as if the universe had heard him say, "Have a terrible life," and decided to oblige.
Damien, her best friend, was gone. The pack had turned on her. She was alone, humiliated, and broken.
There was never a day of peace for River again.