SERA'S POV
The ceremony clearing was packed with wolves celebrating under the rising moon, and I was completely alone.
I stood at the very back, hidden behind a massive oak tree where no one would notice me. Riley was supposed to be here, but her mom got sick last minute. So it was just me, watching everyone else belong to something I never would.
The full moon climbed higher, huge and silver. Young wolves who'd shifted this year stood in the center circle, showing off their forms while families cheered. Lyanna's golden wolf from years ago still had people talking about how beautiful she'd been.
No one expected me to shift. Including me.
I should've stayed home. But Mom's note had been clear—show up or else. So here I was, counting down minutes until I could leave this pack forever.
"Look, the wolfless girl actually came," someone whispered nearby.
Laughter followed. I kept my eyes down, invisible like always.
Alpha Dominic stood on the ceremonial platform, his voice booming across the clearing. "Tonight, we celebrate our young wolves and announce a blessed union! My son Kaden and Lyanna Nightshade will unite our families!"
Cheers exploded. I watched Kaden step forward, all confident and handsome in his formal clothes. Lyanna practically glowed beside him, her smile enormous.
Perfect couple. Perfect life. Everything I'd never have.
My chest ached weirdly, but I ignored it. Twelve more hours and I'd never have to see either of them again.
"Before we make the formal announcement," Alpha Dominic continued, his eyes scanning the crowd, "we honor the old traditions. Any wolf shifting for the first time tonight under this full moon is blessed by the Moon Goddess herself."
His gaze landed directly on me, hidden in the shadows.
Why was he looking at me?
The moon reached its peak, directly overhead. Silver light flooded the clearing, brighter than normal. So bright it almost hurt.
Then the pain started.
It felt like my bones were breaking. Like fire was pouring through my veins. I gasped, grabbing the tree for support, trying not to scream.
*No. Not now. Not here.*
But my body wasn't listening. Something inside me was waking up—something massive and ancient and powerful.
"Riley," I tried to whisper for my friend, forgetting she wasn't here. The pain got worse, spreading from my chest to my arms, my legs, everywhere.
I fell to my knees behind the tree, biting my lip so hard I tasted blood. I couldn't shift here. Not in front of everyone. Not when I was supposed to be leaving tomorrow.
But the Moon Goddess apparently had other plans.
My wolf exploded to the surface.
Silver light burst from my body like an explosion, flooding the entire clearing. I heard gasps, screams, the sound of hundreds of wolves dropping to their knees.
When I opened my eyes, everything looked different. Sharper. Clearer. I could smell everything—the fear, the shock, the awe rolling off the pack in waves.
I looked down at my paws.
They were huge. Covered in silver fur that glowed under the moonlight like I was made of starlight itself.
*Hello, Sera,* a voice purred in my mind. My wolf. She sounded ancient and powerful and absolutely nothing like the weak girl I'd always been. *I've been waiting so long to meet you.*
*What—what's happening?*
*We're finally whole. And we're magnificent.*
She was right. I could feel power thrumming through every part of me—power that made the ground shake slightly under my paws. This wasn't normal. This wasn't just a regular wolf.
I stepped out from behind the tree, and the entire pack stared.
Alpha Dominic's face showed pure shock. My parents looked frozen. Lyanna's mouth hung open.
And Kaden... Kaden was staring at me like he'd seen a ghost.
"Impossible," someone whispered. "A silver wolf? Those haven't existed in a hundred years!"
"She's an Omega," another voice gasped. "A true Omega! Look at the power radiating from her!"
My wolf lifted her head proudly. For the first time in my life, people were seeing me. Really seeing me.
Then everything changed.
A feeling slammed into my chest so hard I stumbled. It felt like a rope made of pure lightning wrapped around my heart and pulled tight, connecting me to...
No.
*No, no, no.*
My wolf's head snapped toward Kaden, and I felt it—the mate bond, ancient and absolute, tying me to the one person I hated most in the world.
*MATE,* my wolf howled triumphantly. *Our mate!*
*He can't be. He's the worst person—*
But the bond didn't care about our history. It pulsed between us, gold and silver light wrapping around both our bodies for everyone to see.
Kaden made a choking sound. His wolf must've told him the same thing mine did.
The pack went completely silent.
Lyanna's scream broke the quiet. "WHAT? No! That's impossible! Kaden's mine! We're getting engaged RIGHT NOW!"
But Alpha Dominic was smiling. Actually smiling, like this was exactly what he wanted.
"The Moon Goddess has spoken!" he announced loudly. "An Alpha and a true Omega—a blessed pairing! Kaden, claim your mate according to ancient law!"
Wait, what?
Kaden started walking toward me, his face pale but determined. He looked trapped, like someone was forcing him forward.
My wolf wanted to go to him. Every instinct screamed to accept the bond, to let him mark me and complete the connection.
But I remembered everything. Every cruel word. Every time he made me feel worthless. Every day of being invisible because he decided I wasn't worth seeing.
The mate bond could go straight to hell.
I shifted back to human form—thank the goddess someone had left ceremonial robes nearby for new shifters. I grabbed one and wrapped it around myself fast, facing Kaden as he got closer.
"Sera," he said, and his voice sounded strange. Desperate. "The bond—you feel it, right? We're mates. We're supposed to—"
"We're supposed to NOTHING!" I shouted, and my voice came out stronger than it ever had before. Louder. The Omega power made everyone listen whether they wanted to or not.
Kaden flinched. The whole pack watched, shocked.
"You made my life torture," I continued, my whole body shaking. "You taught everyone to treat me like garbage. You called me broken and weak and worthless. And now because some cosmic force says we match, I'm supposed to forget all of that?"
"Sera, please—" He reached for me.
I stepped back. "I reject this bond."
The pack gasped louder. Even the trees seemed to go quiet.
"I reject you, Kaden Blackwood." My voice didn't shake. My newly awakened wolf howled in protest, but I ignored her. "Publicly. Officially. Permanently. You don't get to want me now that it's convenient. You don't get to claim me because your father commanded it. I'm not yours. I'm not anyone's. I'm DONE."
Pain exploded through the bond—rejection hurt both wolves badly. Kaden collapsed to his knees, gasping. I felt my chest ripping apart too, but I stayed standing.
Alpha Dominic's face turned murderous. "You cannot reject—"
"I just did." I looked at my parents, at Lyanna, at every person who'd made me invisible. "I'm leaving this pack. Tonight. And none of you can stop me."
I turned to walk away, my head held high for the first time ever.
Then Kaden's broken voice called out: "Sera, wait. You don't understand. My father—he planned this. He knew you'd shift. He's been planning to force this bond for weeks. If you run now, he'll hunt you. He'll use the ancient laws to drag you back and—"
Alpha Dominic's Alpha command cut through the air like a knife. "SILENCE, Kaden!"
But the damage was done. Everyone heard it.
This wasn't fate bringing mates together.
This was a trap.
And I'd walked right into it.