The forest swallowed me the moment I crossed the pack border. Cold night air wrapped around me like a warning. Every step felt unreal, as if I'd left my old life behind forever.
No mate. No home. No pack. Just me… and the mark burning at my neck.
Rejection should have broken me. Others lost their strength, their will to live. But I felt stronger. Something ancient had awakened, and it refused to be ignored.
A sharp crack behind me made me freeze. Shadows shifted. Three massive wolves stepped out, eyes glowing with cruel amusement. Rogues. Killers.
"Well… look what we found," the largest growled. "A lost Omega. Easy prey."
I stumbled backward. "I don't want trouble."
"Too late," another snarled.
Instinct overrode fear. My hands shot to my neck. The mark flared. White light erupted around me, a shockwave throwing the rogues into trees. Leaves ripped from branches. The forest itself seemed to shiver.
Silence. My heart pounded. My hands glowed faintly before the light faded.
"What… was that?" I whispered.
A slow, deliberate clap came from the shadows. A figure stepped forward, tall, broad-shouldered, power radiating off him. Calm. Controlled. Dangerous.
He didn't move like a rogue, didn't move like a pack member. He just… was.
"That was unexpected," he said, eyes sharp and calculating. Not curious. Not fearful. Only interested.
"Who… are you?" I asked, voice trembling.
He ignored me. His gaze dropped to my neck. The mark pulsed beneath my fingers. His expression cracked—shock, disbelief, something darker.
"That's impossible," he murmured.
"What?"
"Do you know what you are?"
"I'm just an Omega," I whispered, almost laughing.
He chuckled. Low. Dark. "No. You're definitely not."
Before I could ask more, distant howls pierced the forest. Closer. Organized. My former pack.
"They're coming," he said, calm but alert.
"Why?"
"Because now they know you're… valuable."
Valuable? I'd never been anything but tolerated, ignored, mocked.
"You're wrong," I whispered.
"Am I?" He stepped closer. "Your power forced an entire Alpha pack to kneel. That makes you dangerous. If you're smart… you follow me."
I glanced at the approaching howls. Then at him. My choice was clear.
I reached out.
He took my hand.
And we ran.