NIA
I didn’t know why I bothered to go to the future alpha’s party in the first place. I didn’t have any friends, and I was just an omega. I was better off spending the evening alone than stepping into a room full of werewolves who already hated me for what I was born as.
Just this once, Alana, my wolf, begged.
I didn’t understand why she was insistent on going to a party of people we didn’t like and who didn’t like us, but today was my eighteenth birthday. It was the only reason I pulled together what little courage I had and stepped into the pack house. The room thrummed with the pulsing base, and werewolves of all kinds danced and grinded against one another. I was surprised at how many omegas mixed with others. For a brief moment, I wondered if it was possible for omegas to live harmoniously with the pack.
An arm snaked around my waist, pulling me from the direction I had been heading. I found myself pinned against Roman, the future alpha of the pack. His hand pressed into my spine, making it impossible to pull away from him. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol, and he looked at me like the eyes of a predator.
I tried to wiggle out of his grip, but I was too weak to slip away. My mouth went dry, regret pulsing through my veins. I never should’ve come to the party.
“I don’t think we’ve met before,” Roman purred. His hand lowered down my back.
“We used to go to school together. We even had an art class where you sat next to me,” I said. My voice shook as my instincts told me I was in danger.
“I think I would’ve remembered someone as cute as you.” He brushed his nose against my neck, sending tingles down my spine—but they weren’t the good kind.
“I should get going. My mother is waiting for me.” A lie. My mother didn’t notice if I was home most days. She was too far down a bottle most days to remember she even had a daughter.
Roman dug his fingers into my back. “You’re not going anywhere, honey. Not until I’ve had a proper chance to taste you.” He nipped my neck, making me squeak and squirm, but nothing I did freed me. His hand moved even lower until he found the bottom of my dress. Then, he slid his hand under my clothes, feeling my thigh and then…
I jolted as he brushed his hand between my legs. I had never had anyone touch me there before, but I didn’t like it. My entire body shook as he rubbed me through my underwear.
“Stop,” I pleaded, tears streaming down my face. My feeble attempt at makeup was useless now, ruined by my own tears.
“I’m not stopping until I’m done with you,” Roman purred in my ear.
Mate, Alana suddenly whispered in my head, making my entire body freeze. It wasn’t Roman. I wouldn’t have hated his touch if he was my mate. No, someone else in the room, someone who smelled like a warm fire on a winter day, was my mate.
“Roman,” a voice boomed. The music was cut off, and Roman started peeling away from me, to my relief. He kept his arm around my waist, holding me pressed against his side like I was his possession.
“Kylian.” Roman grinned as his brother stood a few feet away.
The room tensed as unspoken words passed between the Haeil brothers. The tension between the brothers was palpable, making everyone pay attention.
“Take your hands off her,” Kylian growled.
Roman c****d his head to the side. “Why would I do that? She’s mine. Find your own omega w***e to play with.”
I didn’t understand what was happening. I was just an omega. There was no reason that one of the sons of the alpha would protect me.
“She’s my mate,” Kylian snarled. I thought the room was quiet before, but no one even breathed after Kylian’s declaration.
My heart fluttered as I looked at Kylian’s caramel eyes. For the first time in my life, I saw a glimpse of a future that wasn’t dark. Kylian was part of the alpha’s family. If he claimed me as his mate in front of all of these people, I had a chance at a life where I wasn’t constantly looking over my shoulder.
Roman pulled me tighter against him. My side ached from where he held me. A deep bruise would paint my skin later, but that wasn’t anything new. My own father left bruises on my body whenever I didn’t avoid him successfully.
“She’s an omega. Father will never let you accept her as your mate anyway. She’s mine tonight, and then you can do whatever you want to her later.” Roman grabbed my hair and yanked me towards him. He slammed his lips onto mine, ignoring every protest I gave. He tasted foul, and Alana cried as someone other than our mate forced himself onto us.
I bit down on Roman’s lip so hard that I tasted blood. He yelped and shoved me to the ground. I felt my wrist crack when I landed, but that wasn’t the worst pain. The worst pain came from the way Kylian stood there, doing nothing to defend me from his brother.
“I’m going to kill you,” Roman snarled. Claws extended from his fingers. He slashed, ready to go for my throat.
“No!” Saya stepped in front of Roman. She was only an omega. We weren’t friends, not really. We had simply worked together for a few school projects, but we didn’t talk outside of that.
Roman’s claws slashed her throat. She grasped her neck as blood began pouring from it. She fell to her knees, choking on her own blood. Roman looked at her with pure disgust. There wasn’t an ounce of regret in his face.
No one tried to help her, so I crawled over to her. Her blood coated my dress as I watched the life slip out of her eyes. There was nothing I could do to help her.
“You killed her,” I whispered.
“Who cares?” Roman laughed. “She was just a stupid omega. No one will miss her.”
My canines extended, and for the first time in my life, my fear was replaced by pure anger. “You don’t deserve to be alpha. You deserve to die.”
“Excuse me?” Roman’s eyes darkened as he looked down at me.
I forced myself to my feet. My legs were wobbly, but I didn’t care. Watching him kill an innocent girl and not care just because she was an omega broke something in me. “I said you are the one who deserves to die.”
Roman laughed. He wasn’t threatened. “And who’s going to kill me? You? You’re pathetic. You couldn’t kill me even if you had the guts to try.”
I spit on his face, and gasps echoed around the room. Disrespecting the future alpha was one of the worst things someone could do.
Roman snarled. “I should kill you, but instead, I think I’ll just keep you as my little pet. Use you until I break you, and you realize just how little you matter.”
Kylian grabbed my arm, yanking me back. “She’s my mate,” he said quickly. “Let me be the one to punish her before I reject her.”
Reject her. The words pounded in my head, the future I had seen slipping away just as quickly as it had come.
Roman stared at his brother, debating if he was going to fight against him. “You should f**k another woman in front of her before you break the bond. That will really crush her soul. Then, when you’re done, I want a turn.”
“That will break her. It’ll be fun to see her cry,” Kylian said. He pulled me even closer to him. My heart shattered as I listened to Kylian agree with his brother. Being mated to one of the alpha’s sons was one of the worst fates I could have been given. Anger and despair burned my heart, tearing me to little pieces. Kylian made me look at him. “Let’s go, and the more you struggle, the worse it will be for you.”
He started pulling me away, but I ignored his warning. I yanked my arm, desperate to break free. Kylian tightened his grip, refusing to let me get away from him. “Bastard!”
He pulled me out of the pack house, probably to take me into some back alley. The music started flowing through the pack house again, as if that little altercation never happened. As if Saya hadn’t just been killed in front of everyone. I felt sick with fury.
“Enough!” he shouted, grabbing my other arm and forcing me to stop. “Unless you want my brother to come back.”
I stopped fighting, but I bared my teeth at him. I hated Kylian and the entire Haeil family, and I hated the Moon Goddess for making him my fated mate.
Kylian sighed. “Thank the Goddess you finally stopped. I need you to listen to me closely about what’s going to happen. I’m going to reject our mate bond, and you will accept it without a fight. Then you will leave this pack and disappear forever. If Roman ever sees you again—” He cut himself off, shaking his head. “Never come back here, understand?”
I nodded, unsure if I understood anything about what was happening. It almost felt like he was trying to help me. The reality of it was that he didn’t care. He was trying to get rid of me. He couldn’t have his rejected omega mate who had the audacity to stand up to him and his brother stick around to ruin their reputation, especially not after promising to make my life miserable in front of everyone.
Kylian held onto me as his eyes burned into mine. For the briefest moment, he hesitated as he looked at me. “I, Kylian Haeil, reject you, Nia James, as my mate.”
I thought it would hurt more when my mate rejected me, but I wasn’t sad or broken, not after what had just happened. I was furious. His rejection was just another reminder of everything that was wrong with this pack. I was an omega, but that didn’t mean I was worthless. I held my chin up as I responded. “I accept your rejection.”
Kylian dropped his hold on me, and his entire body deflated.
I took a step back, holding onto the rage that had taken over my heart. This was not the end for me. This was just the beginning. “I will leave this pack as you requested, but I want you to know that this will not be the last time you ever see me. I swear on my life that I will get revenge on you and your family. I will make sure they suffer as much as me and every other omega has.”
Kylian’s body tensed at my words, but he was too shocked to say anything. Before he got his senses back, I turned on my heels and ran away from the life I knew, determined to find a way to get my revenge.