Chapter 2 The Alpha's Cruel Rejection

The forest was colder than Elena had expected.

Barefoot and trembling, she hurried between the trees, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and Dark Moon Pack. Her white dress caught on branches, and tears blurred her vision, but she refused to turn back.

She had nowhere to go.

The thought made her chest ache even more than Kaden's rejection.

For eighteen years, she had endured Margaret's cruelty because the packhouse was the only home she knew. She had tolerated Vanessa's insults because she had nowhere else to live. And she had secretly loved Kaden because she believed the Moon Goddess might finally give her a reason to be happy.

Tonight, that last hope had been destroyed.

Elena stopped beside a large tree and leaned against its trunk.

"Why?" she whispered into the darkness. "What did I do to deserve this?"

The forest offered no answer.

She pressed her hands against her chest, where the pain of the severed mate bond still lingered. Every breath reminded her that Kaden had rejected her before the entire pack.

She had imagined meeting her mate countless times, but never like this.

She had imagined his arms around her, his voice comforting her, and his promise that she would never have to face the world alone again.

Instead, he had looked at her with disgust.

You're an Omega with no standing in this pack.

His words echoed inside her head.

Elena squeezed her eyes shut.

"Stop thinking about him," she told herself. "He doesn't want you. You have to accept that."

But accepting it didn't make the pain disappear.

Suddenly, a sharp cramp twisted through her stomach.

Elena gasped and dropped to her knees.

Heat spread through her body, much stronger than before. Her hands trembled as golden light flickered beneath her skin.

"What is happening to me?"

A strange sound rose from deep inside her.

It wasn't a wolf's growl.

It was deeper, older, and powerful enough to make the ground beneath her vibrate.

Elena stared at her hands in terror.

Then the mysterious voice returned.

Do not be afraid.

She spun around.

"Who's there?"

You are not alone, little princess.

Elena's heart raced.

"Show yourself!"

Silence followed.

Then a sudden gust of wind swept through the trees. Dry leaves spiraled into the air, and the branches above her shook violently.

For one brief moment, Elena saw a magnificent creature reflected in a puddle beside her.

Golden scales.

Enormous wings.

Eyes burning like the sun.

She blinked, and the reflection disappeared.

"No," she whispered. "I'm losing my mind."

She struggled to stand, determined to find somewhere safe before the night grew darker.

But she had barely taken three steps when a distant howl shattered the silence.

Elena froze.

Another howl answered it.

Then another.

Rogues.

Her blood turned cold.

Everyone in Dark Moon Pack knew the dangers of entering the Forbidden Forest after sunset. Rogue wolves wandered its depths, attacking anything that crossed their paths.

Elena had heard terrifying stories about them since childhood.

She had never believed she would encounter them herself.

A pair of glowing eyes appeared between the trees.

Then another.

Three enormous wolves emerged from the darkness, their dirty fur bristling and their mouths curled into threatening snarls.

Elena stumbled backward.

"Please," she whispered. "I don't want any trouble."

The largest rogue growled.

Her legs refused to move.

She was an ordinary Omega. She had never shifted into a wolf, never fought anyone, and never learned how to defend herself.

Against three rogues, she had no chance.

The first wolf lunged.

Elena screamed and threw up her hands.

A burst of golden fire exploded from her palms.

The rogue was thrown backward, crashing into a tree. The other two stopped immediately, their ears flattening against their heads.

Elena stared at her hands.

Golden flames danced around her fingers without burning her skin.

"What...?"

The fire vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

The rogues began circling her again.

This time, however, they looked frightened.

Elena backed away, her heart hammering.

"I don't understand," she whispered.

The largest rogue lowered its head and whined.

Then, unexpectedly, all three wolves dropped to the ground.

Their bodies trembled as though an invisible force was pressing them into the earth.

Elena felt a strange pressure building inside her chest.

She didn't know how to control it.

She didn't even know what she was.

But something within her demanded obedience.

The mysterious voice whispered again.

Remember your blood.

Before Elena could ask what it meant, a powerful growl echoed through the forest.

The three rogues immediately scrambled to their feet and fled between the trees.

Elena turned toward the sound.

A tall man emerged from the darkness.

He wore black trousers and a long black coat. His silver hair fell across his forehead, and his golden eyes seemed to glow beneath the moonlight.

He looked young, perhaps in his late twenties, but there was something ancient about his presence.

Something that made Elena instinctively lower her gaze.

The stranger studied her silently.

His eyes moved from her torn dress to her trembling hands.

Then he noticed the faint golden light beneath her skin.

His expression changed.

"Impossible," he murmured.

Elena swallowed.

"Who are you?"

The stranger ignored her question.

Instead, he stepped closer.

"Where did you get that power?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Golden fire doesn't appear without a reason."

Elena stared at him helplessly.

"I was attacked. I only wanted to protect myself."

He studied her face, searching for something.

"What is your name?"

"Elena Stone."

The moment she spoke her surname, the stranger's expression hardened.

"Stone?"

She nodded.

He looked toward the distant mountains, then back at her.

"Who are your parents?"

"My father is dead. I never knew my mother."

Something dark passed through his eyes.

For a moment, he seemed to be fighting an emotion he didn't want her to see.

Then he removed his coat and held it toward her.

"Put this on."

Elena hesitated.

"Why?"

"Because you're freezing, and something in this forest has already noticed you."

She glanced at the direction the rogues had fled.

"Are you going to hurt me?"

The stranger's golden eyes narrowed.

"If I wanted to hurt you, you would already be on the ground."

His answer should have frightened her, but strangely, it didn't.

There was a commanding quality about him that made it difficult to look away.

Elena accepted the coat and wrapped it around herself.

"Thank you."

He gave a slight nod.

"Come with me."

"Where?"

"Somewhere safe."

Elena looked toward the direction of Dark Moon Pack.

She could return to the packhouse and face Margaret's anger, Vanessa's mockery, and the memory of Kaden's rejection.

Or she could follow a mysterious stranger whose eyes seemed to hold secrets older than the forest itself.

For once, she chose herself.

"All right," she whispered.

The stranger turned and began walking.

Elena followed him through the trees, unaware that he was carefully watching every movement she made.

After several minutes, he finally spoke.

"My name is Lucien."

"Lucien," Elena repeated.

He glanced at her.

"Do you know what you are, Elena Stone?"

She shook her head.

"I'm an Omega."

Lucien stopped walking.

Then he turned fully toward her.

"No," he said quietly. "You have been told that you're an Omega. That doesn't mean it's the truth."

Elena frowned.

"What does that mean?"

His gaze dropped to her hands, where a faint golden glow had begun to return.

"It means someone has hidden your true identity from you."

Before Elena could respond, a distant roar shook the mountains.

Lucien's expression turned grim.

He looked toward the horizon, where an enormous shadow moved behind the clouds.

"Your awakening has alerted the wrong people," he said.

Elena's stomach tightened.

"Who?"

Lucien faced her again.

"The ones who would rather see the last dragon bloodline destroyed than allow its rightful heir to reclaim her throne."

Elena stared at him in disbelief.

"Dragon bloodline?"

Lucien's golden eyes burned brighter.

"Yes, Elena."

He paused.

"And if I'm right about who you are, your rejection tonight may be the least painful thing that happens to you."