THE SILENT REBELLION

Chapter 3

The Collaring Ceremony

The kitchen was cleared, and I glanced at the clock. 8:27. Three minutes to spare. A wave of adrenaline surged through me, making my stomach churn. I'd managed to keep my mind from thinking about the next stage until now—until the weight of the collaring ceremony hit me.

But now, anxiety slammed into me like a tidal wave. What was going to happen? What was I supposed to do?

My body began trembling as I followed Grandmother out the door. We headed toward the large bricked-up area at the side of the house, a sea of men gathered in front of us. Hundreds of them. It was obvious I hadn’t met everyone at breakfast.

My mouth watered as nausea crept up on me, threatening to overwhelm me. My wolf, sensing my distress, tried to send calming waves, but they were easy to ignore with all the tension and fear inside me.

The men fell silent. Every single eye turned towards us, but it was only me they were watching.

Suddenly, the pressure was too much. My stomach twisted, and despite my best efforts to hold it back, I threw up in the bushes by the path.

Being sick is bad enough, but being sick in front of a crowd of people? That was another level of humiliation.

I wiped my mouth and stood, keeping my head low. The tears I’d been fighting off finally spilled over. I didn’t want to look up, didn’t want to see their judgment. Unfortunately, my wolf hearing betrayed me, and I could hear every word, every disgusted murmur.

Weak.

Ridiculous.

Pathetic.

No sympathy, no kindness.

A cup was pressed into my hand, and I looked up to see an omega retreating to her spot in the line. Grateful, I lifted the cup to my lips, taking a small sip before spitting the rest into the bushes. I couldn’t risk drinking too much. But the cool water helped calm the churning in my stomach, even if just a little.

"Come on, Greta. Stop embarrassing me," Grandmother snarled under her breath.

“Perhaps I wouldn’t be as nervous if you’d let me ask some questions,” I muttered, but not quietly enough.

“Worthless girl. Who would ever believe you had alpha blood? I blame your pathetic omega father.” Her words hit like a physical blow, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

I closed my eyes, grief flooding through me. “My father was not pathetic,” I managed to reply, my voice shaking. “At the moment, that title belongs to you.”

The crowd gasped, and I realized my little outburst had gotten louder than I intended. Every eye was now on me. Grandfather’s narrowed gaze burned into me. He would not be happy that I’d disrespected his wife in front of everyone.

“You dare disrespect your Luna?” he shouted, his voice booming across the clearing.

The noise died down immediately. The tension in the air was thick, and everyone was waiting for the Alpha’s next move.

His next words came in a low, deadly tone. “You will serve a punishment for that... and for your little rebellion at breakfast. You will learn to be obedient. I will decide your punishment after the ceremony.”

My heart sank. Already punished. I should’ve held my tongue, but I didn’t care. My father had been amazing. He’d been weak, yes, but I still loved him. He had tried, even though he wasn’t strong enough to survive after Mom died. He had fought, but it hadn’t been enough.

I knew Ori would forgive him. I’d forgiven him too... most of the time, anyway.

“Come here, Greta,” Grandfather said coldly.

When I approached him, he leaned in, speaking so quietly that only I could hear. “You have ruined this beautiful moment. This ceremony was meant to be an honor, and you’ve sullied it with your impulsive, rude tongue.”

“But Grandfather—”

“Silence,” he snapped. “Hold your tongue.”

I wanted to defend myself, wanted to explain, but the Alpha Order had silenced me. I wasn’t allowed to speak.

He turned to face the crowd, and I stood next to him, keeping my head bowed, focusing on not breaking down. *Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.*

“Stone Mountain Pack, it is good to see you all here. We have gathered today for what was meant to be a joyous occasion that, unfortunately, has now been sullied by the recipient.”

I bowed my head even lower. The humiliation felt unbearable.

“My daughter’s daughter has returned to us,” he continued.

The crowd stirred, whispers rippling through the air, a low growl of discontent bubbling up. It only stopped when Grandfather cleared his throat.

“Although her paternal heritage is a disgrace to our good name, we welcome her back and look forward to setting her upon the right path again.”

I felt the heat rush to my face. The anger inside me burned as my father’s name was dragged through the mud. Omega families like ours were always treated as inferior, but hearing it spoken so casually, so dismissively, made my stomach turn.

I couldn’t speak, couldn’t defend him, because of the curse of the Alpha Order.

I tried to calm my breathing, my wolf pacing angrily inside me. She, too, loved my father. She was as upset as I was.

“I, Alpha Amos Anderson, claim this female Greta Anderson as mine. I take responsibility for her until her mate comes to claim her.”

*My name is not Anderson. My name is Greta Thorne.*

The words formed in my mind, but I couldn’t speak them. I almost missed the collar my grandfather held up for the crowd to see.

“With this collar, I put my ownership upon her.”

*What?*

There was no way in hell I was going to let him collar me. This was barbaric. It was humiliating.

“I will be her master, and she will follow me and my ways.”

My heart hammered in my chest. He would be my *master*? I would follow *his* ways? What about my own? What about my own life, my own decisions?

If I could speak, I would shout at him, but the cursed Alpha Order silenced me, leaving me trapped in this nightmare of a ceremony.

“My rules for her are these,” Grandfather continued. “She will be allowed no further than Area One unsupervised, she will have no unsupervised male contact, she will not be allowed to shift without the supervision of myself, Luna Elgatha, or Beta’s Wife Eldra. She will follow the Luna for lessons in how to run a pack, she is above all females except the Luna. This is because she has my blood, and my blood is above all. She will obey all pack laws, she will follow The Origins, she will not attend any activities without permission, she will wear only clothes we approve, all marked with AAA. She will not wear perfume or makeup. She is not allowed any contact with the outside world—pack only. No phones, no internet.”

I felt like I might throw up again. This wasn’t a ceremony. This was a nightmare.

I’d lived my life with freedom, and now it was being ripped away from me. I could not be this person. I could not live this way.

Panic began to rise, tight and suffocating in my chest. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. I had to stay calm, but every fiber of my being screamed at me to run.

Grandfather stepped toward me with the collar, and I instinctively stepped back, shaking my head. No. I refused.

“Greta Anderson, you are now my property. You do not need to consent. Or agree,” his voice boomed. “It will not make it any less so.”

The collar was coming closer, and I ran.

I only made it a few steps before Beta caught me, his arms locking around me, dragging me back. I struggled, kicking out, but it didn’t matter. I had no chance to escape.

They held me still, and Grandfather lifted the collar to my neck. I kicked and struggled, but it only made him pause for a second. Another male arrived, pinning my legs together.

I shook my head frantically, my heart racing. No way was I agreeing to this humiliation. I wanted to scream, to shout, to let the panic out. But it was trapped inside me.

Suddenly, I wanted to vomit again, just to get rid of all the anxiety and rage. But nothing came.

Typical.