Chapter 1
The scent of the bonfire always reminded Mara of the old times when her parents were still alive and always used to bring her for the ceremony.
The flames towered at the center of the pack grounds, licking high into the night sky, crackling loud enough to drown out the hums of conversation. Lanterns hung from wooden poles, their warm glow spilling over the pack faces, moving shadows, and bright eyes gleaming with excitement.
Tonight was extremely important, it was the day that newly coming of age werewolves would finally find their fated mate.
Mara stopped at the edge of the clearing, she wasn't wearing anything special just a cheap pale blue dress with a frayed hem she'd tried to hide with a clumsy running stitch. After all it was the only good thing she could afford.
Even though she had just turned eighteen years, The age where everything changed and when the mate bond finally answered.
Her heart thudded hard in her chest as she stepped forward, weaving through various familiar faces. People nodded at her. Some smiled. Others looked away too quickly. That was normal, It had always been like that. After all Mara was an omega.
A lowly omega, Just forgettable, most days. The kind of people that were mostly ignored and treated like servants. But tonight wasn't about ranks or stuff like that, Tonight was about finally finding her fated mate, the one she was going to spend the rest of her life with.
She found a place near the back close enough to see but far enough not to be seen. Just the perfect position. Her fingers brushed against the thin silver bracelet around her wrist—a birthday gift, she bought for herself from the pack store
Suddenly, the air shifted.
The Alpha stepped forward.
Alpha Roderick's the alpha of the red moon pack. Whose presence pressed down on the crowd like a physical force. Tall with Broad shoulders and a chiseled face. His power rolled off him in waves, calm but absolute. He raised one hand, and every wolf stilled.
"Tonight," he said, his voice booming, "we celebrate the coming of age of those who have reached eighteen."
Cheers broke out. Laughter. Whistles.
Mara swallowed.
"This night marks the beginning of a new chapter," the Alpha continued. "The mate bond will awaken, Futures will be decided."
But it was the man behind him who made her breath hitch.
Lucien Vale, The Alpha's son, The next in line. He stood beside his father, his posture practically relaxed, his expression unreadable. Black curly hair brushed his collar. His eyes steel-gray swept across the crowd with practiced indifference.
He didn't look nervous or hopefully he just looked bored.
Mara forced herself to look away. Don't be stupid, Don't even think about it.
She had grown up watching him from a distance, especially during training or formal events. It was like he was carved from something more important than everyone else. He was the kind of person the Moon Goddess paired with princesses, warriors, prodigies not a lowly omega who was practically invisible to the pack.
But fate didn't seem to care about what she wanted.
The bond hit her without any warning.It didn't strike like pain at first. It felt like warmth unfurled through her chest, soft and bright, wrapping around her heart like sunlight after winter. Her wolf a creature that usually spent it's time sleeping lazily in the back of her mind suddenly stood up and howled so loud that she was sure everyone heard it.
MATE!.
Mara's breath caught.
A laugh almost escaped her.
Of course, Of course fate wouldn't forget her. Of course she was chosen too. Her eyes lifted, heart racing full of terrified hope and met his.
Lucien's body stiffened barely noticeable. For one impossible heartbeat, the world held its breath. She saw it clearly as if it already existed, his arms wrapped around her, his voice saying her name whispering sweet nothings, the pack finally looking at her and seeing her not as an omega but as a member. How their future kids were going to look like.
For once, she wasn't invisible. she mattered.
The crowd went silent only the sound of flames cackling remained. Her wolf pressed toward him, trembling with relief urging her to be with her mate. He's mine He's really—
Lucien's expression changed.
The warmth inside her cracked.
His eyes hardened, going cold, like a door slamming shut in her face. The light in her eyes dimmed, confused.
He looked at her the way people looked at something they wished wasn't there.
Mara's smile died before it ever fully formed. The bond tugged toward him, soft and wanting, like a hand reaching out.
Lucien cut it.
"No! "
"Absolutely not, in no freaking way am I taking a useless omega as my mate"
His voice wasn't loud, but it hit hard. He didn't even look at his father just kept his gaze on Mara, watching the way her fingers clutched at the cheap silver bracelet on her wrist until the metal bit into her skin.
That single word shattered everything she had just begun to believe. The warmth that had just risen collapsed into heart wrenching pain, tearing through her ribs and dragging her wolf down screaming, Her knees almost buckled. The Alpha followed his son's line of sight. His brows furrowed slightly
Silence fell again.
"Mara," Alpha Roderick said slowly.Her name echoed through the clearing, Every head turned around.
Eyes stabbed into her from every direction—curiosity, pity, disgust, relief that it wasn't them.
Her legs felt numb as she stepped forward. The ground felt too far away, like she might fall through it if she stopped moving. She stopped a few feet from them. Lucien stared at her not with longing but with absolute, unquestioning rejection.
The bond burned between them, undeniable, screaming its truth into her blood. Lucien exhaled sharply "No."
The word was cold and flat
A murmur surged through the crowd. Some people looked thrilled. Some looked horrified. A few smiled—actually smiled—like the humiliation tasted sweet. "She's his mate—" "An omega?" "That can't be right—" "The Goddess must be joking—"
The alpha tried reasoning
"Lucien, the Moon goddess doesn't make—"
"Then the Moon goddess must have lost her freakin goddamn mind," Lucien cut him off, his lips curling in a sneer that felt like a slap. "Look at her. She can barely dress well, let alone lead a pack. I'm not going to stay with some low level omega bitch. I reject this bond"
Her wolf screamed in pain as it tore through her chest, raw and sudden, like claws ripping her heart out of her. She gasped, her hand clutching her chest as if she could physically hold the pieces of her soul together.
"I simply refuse to accept this shitty bond," Lucien said.
"I will not take an omega as my mate — not today, not ever. The Moon goddess may make bonds, but I make my own decisions."
His lips curved, in relief. "Consider this mercy."
Someone laughed — and this time, Lucien didn't stop them. He didn't even say her name. He brushed invisible dust off his shoulder, like she had touched him by existing. The words landed like blows.
Someone laughed. Someone else whispered, "I knew it."
The Alpha's face hardened. "Lucien—"
"I know my responsibility," Lucien cut in. His gaze flicked to Mara briefly, "And she is clearly not it."
She had never felt so small, So breakable, breathing felt difficult.Rejected omegas weren't rare. But rejected by an Alpha heir? That was a death sentence wearing a smile.
A girl near the front whispered loudly on purpose, "Maybe the goddess made a mistake."
Another voice answered, "Or maybe she did something to him." Laughter followed.
Heat crawled up her neck, her vision blurred as her fingers trembled, clenching her fist close to her side. She refused to cry even tho tears blurred her vision.
"Three days," Lucien added, already turning his back on her as if she were a piece of trash he'd decided to throw away. "I want her scent off my borders by then"
Just like that. She didn't matter anymore. The bond shattered completely. Something inside her tore open.
Mara didn't remember walking away. She didn't remember the stares, the whispers, the sudden distance people gave her like she was contagious.
All she knew was the ache in her chest and the numbness creeping through her limbs. She reached the edge of the grounds before her legs gave out, catching herself against a tree, breathing hard.
Three days, Rejected, Unprotected. The words kept circling in her head like flies should couldn't swat away. Her wolf curled in on itself, wounded and silent.
Past pack houses that were no longer hers, Past familiar paths that no longer belonged to her. Every step hurt, By the time she reached the boundary markers, the night had grown colder. The forest loomed ahead, dark and alive, shadows shifting between ancient trees.
The Dark Forest. No one went there unless they were desperate Or doomed.
She laughed quietly under her breath. "Figures".
The boundary line felt like an electric hum under her foot, one step, two. The forest was damp, smelling of rot and ancient earth, a place wolves went to die when they were too broken to hunt.
She slumped against the rough bark of a cedar tree, her lungs burning. She waited for the tears, but all she felt was a strange hollow in her chest.
Then a flicker of translucent blue light pulsed in the air, casting a sickly glow over the ground
[ INITIALIZING SURVIVAL PROTOCOL…]
Mara froze, Her heart jumped.
"What's happening?"
[OMEGA SURVIVAL SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
The voice wasn't loud. It wasn't soft either. It echoed directly inside her mind, clear and emotionless.
She pressed a hand to her temple.
"I'm losing it, guess I finally lost my mind" she muttered.
[HOST: REJECTED OMEGA (LEVEL 0)]
[PACK PROTECTION: REMOVED]
[CURRENT SURVIVAL ODDS: 3%]
[STATUS: PATHETIC]
[NOTE: EMOTIONAL DISTRESS DETECTED]
[SUGGESTION: SURVIVE]
Her breath hitched.
"Pathetic?" she rasped, her fingers digging into the dirt.
"I've been an omega for eighteen long years, I'm pretty sure I know how to survive on nothing."
[MISSION: SURVIVE 7 DAYS IN THE DARK FOREST]
[TIME LIMIT: 7 DAYS]
[FAILURE CONSEQUENCE: LIGHTNING STRIKE]
Her blood ran cold. Seven days?
"That's impossible," she whispered.
[MISSION ACCEPTANCE IS MANDATORY]
[REWARD: UNKNOWN]
[PENALTY FOR REFUSAL: IMMEDIATE TERMINATION]
Mara looked back toward the light of the pack house, then forward to the dark maws of the woods. Her fingers curled into fists.
"Seven days," she whispered, a jagged smile touching her lips. "If I make it through this shit, Lucien I'll make you regret it"