Omega who believ

ce I passed had some mix of pity, disgust, or morbid curiosity etched on it. My public refusal of the bond in the Council Hall had be

s for my mandatory check-up. The bond was a constant, low-level buzz in my soul, a conf

shadows loo

they stood, lining the hallway. Ash, Zane, Kai, and Blaz

he possessiveness I'd felt through the bond was a palpable presence in the air,

He moved a step closer, his body rigid with an anger that was only just kept in contro

g but my head held high, "was to not be o

n of war. You made fools of us. Do you have any idea what that does to an Alpha's reputation? To our honor?" He shook his head, d

his teasing simmering again. "I was trying to live. Your Elder, Th

appalling. "Let us not be dramatic. The Elder's recommendation was in the pack's best interest. This... bonding... is an aberratio

him. He treated everything like a problem to be solved on a chalkboard, never a matter of heart or injury. "You we

ond flared with a searing intensity. "Let's cut to the chase, Omega. You have a choice. You can repudiate the bond privately,

d, meeting his furious gaze. "More public humil

ession. Ownership. You made your choice, Rhea.". You've bound yourself to us. Now you're ours. All four of us." The possessiveness in his tone was a brand, a deep-seated threat that sent a shudd

and his friends cornering me in the academy cafeteria, spilling my food onto the ground, laughing as I d

erty," I said, the

e lunged, his hand slamming into my chest. The force of the blow was unexpected, sending me crashing backward into the col

in the middle of a school hallway. But for me, it was an old pain, a physical echo of every cruel word and every humiliating prank they ha

airy tale. It was a prison, and my wardens were the same ones who had imprisoned me long before the lunar spirit

rled. "I hate what you hav

items. My history book. A tattered notebook. A photo of my mother, Lira, and her fierce, untamed smile. A tiny vial of s

on to it. "You can push me into a locker. You can threaten me. You can even hate me. But you cannot break what I did n

enacing. "We're not the same boys you knew. We're Alph

of power, a tiny seed of control that had been planted within me.