Cold rain pelted my face, dragging me awake against the slick forest floor.

Pain tore through my ribs the moment I moved. My palms were raw, covered in deep scratches, and my clothes hung off me in shredded, mud-soaked rags.

"What happened?" I whispered, my voice cracked and hoarse. "Where was I?"

Nothing answered except the roar of thunder. My mind was a complete blank. The past days—or weeks—were gone, wiped clean like chalk under running water. Only one instinct remained, burning through the fog in my skull: *Go home.*

I hauled myself up by gripping a tree trunk, dragging my feet through the mud. Every step sent sharp needles through my ankles, but I pushed through the trees until the wrought-iron gates of my family’s estate finally rose through the storm.

"Hey! Back off!" a sharp voice barked from the guardhouse.

Tom, the head security guard, stepped out with an umbrella, shining a bright flashlight right into my eyes.

"Tom, it's me," I gasped, holding onto the iron bars for support. "Open the gate. Please."

Tom lowered the flashlight slightly, his jaw tightening. "Valerie?"

"Yes! I'm hurt, Tom. Let me in."

"You can't come in here," he said, not reaching for the controls.

"What do you mean I can't come in?" My voice cracked with disbelief. "This is my home!"

"Not anymore, it isn't," he muttered, looking anywhere but my face. "Orders from your father. The property is off-limits to you."

"Are you insane? My father lives here! I live here!"

"Turn around, Valerie," Tom snapped, his voice turning cold. "Leave before I call the patrol to haul you off the road."

"Tom, look at me! I'm bleeding!"

"Go away!"

The small window slammed shut, cutting off the warmth of his booth.

Shivering violently, I stumbled away from the front driveway and crept around the high brick perimeter toward the rear fence. The ivy along the back wall gave me enough purchase to drag myself over the ledge. I landed hard in the mud of the rose garden, crying out as pain flared in my bruised knee.

Ahead, the living room lights glowed through the massive French glass doors.

Music drifted out, muffled by the downpour. Inside, crystal chandeliers illuminated a three-tiered birthday cake covered in spun sugar. My father held a flute of champagne, laughing heartily, while my mother adjusted a diamond bracelet on the wrist of the girl sitting between them.

Serena.

My younger sister smiled like a queen holding court. Serena was everything our parents ever wanted—a fierce, talented Beta who excelled in pack training and carried our family's reputation without a single misstep.

Unlike me. The girl who never shifted. The defective Omega who brought silence to every pack gathering.

I gripped the cold brass handle of the patio door and pushed it open.

"Mom? Dad?"

The laughter stopped instantly.

A crystal glass slipped from someone's hand, shattering against the marble tiles. The dozen pack guests turned their heads at the noise, their eyes widening in shock. Mud dripped from my hem onto the pristine carpet, leaving dark puddles behind me.

"Valerie?" my mother hissed, dropping her glass. Her expression curdled into disgust. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Mom, I—" My knees shook beneath me. "Someone attacked me. I woke up in the woods. I don't remember how I got there—"

"Are you out of your mind?" my father boomed, stepping forward. He didn't look at my bleeding arms

or my pale face. His glare was fixated entirely on the dirty water pooling across the floor. "Look at what you've tracked into this house!"

"Dad, I was missing!" I took another trembling step toward him, holding out my hands. "Don't you see this? I almost died!"

"Lower your voice," he snapped, his tone sharp enough to draw blood. "You dare barge in here and ruin your sister's celebration?"

"Her celebration?" The words tasted like ash. "I haven't been home in weeks! Did anyone even look for me?"

"Why would we waste resources looking for garbage?" my mother spat, rounding the dining table. "You smell like a sewer dog. Look at yourself! You disgust me."

"Mom—"

"Shut your mouth!" my father barked, cutting me off. He turned toward the gathered guests, his chest puffing out with pride as he raised a hand toward Serena. "I apologize for this disturbance, everyone. This girl no longer belongs under our roof. We don't need a useless Omega like you in this family."

"No longer belongs?" I stared at him, my breath catching in my throat. "What did I do wrong? Tell me!"

"You exist," my father answered plainly. "That is your failure. We gave you eighteen years to awaken a wolf, and you gave us nothing but shame. While Serena brought honor to our line, you dragged our name through the dirt. We already declared you dead to the council three days ago."

"You... what?"

"You heard your father," my mother said coldly. "Serena is the only daughter we recognize. She is the only child we are proud of."

Serena rose slowly from the velvet armchair. She tilted her head, watching me with cool satisfaction.

That was when my eyes dropped to what she was wearing.

It was my favorite emerald silk dress—the one tailored specifically for my eighteenth birthday, the one I kept tucked carefully in tissue paper inside my closet.

"Take that off," I whispered, the numbness giving way to a sudden surge of heat.

Serena smoothed the silk across her hips. "Why? It looks much better on me anyway. Don't you think, Valerie?"

"Take it off!" I lunged forward, reaching out to grasp the fabric. "That's mine! Everything you have was mine!"

Before my fingers could touch the sleeve, a hard palm slammed into my shoulder.

"Get your filthy hands off her!" my mother shrieked, shoving me with all her weight.

My weak ankles gave out. I stumbled backward, crashing through the open French doors and tumbling down the stone steps into the rain. The sharp edge of the bottom step scraped my elbow, sending a hot streak of pain up my arm.

"Don't come back," my father warned from the doorway, his silhouette dark against the warm chandelier light. "If I see you on our territory by morning, I'll have the pack enforcers hunt you down as a rogue."

"Dad! Please!" I begged, staring up from the muddy stones. "Where am I supposed to go?"

"Die in a ditch for all we care," my mother said.

The heavy glass doors slammed shut, followed by the definitive click of the deadbolt. Inside, someone drew the heavy velvet curtains, cutting off every trace of light.

I curled into myself on the cold flagstones, shaking uncontrollably as the rain beat down on my bruised back. My own family had erased me. They had thrown me out like rotten meat.

A high-beam flash of light cut through the storm, slicing across my face.

The heavy growl of an engine vibrated against the wet gravel of the driveway.

I lifted my head, squinting through the glare. Through the sheets of falling water, I saw the sleek silhouette of a black sedan rolling smoothly to a stop right outside the estate gates.

The front grille. The custom silver rims.

It was Kael's car.

A sudden, desperate warmth flared inside my chest.

Kael. My boyfriend. The only person who had ever looked past my wolfless status and promised he would stay by my side no matter what the pack thought.

My parents had abandoned me. My sister had taken my clothes and my life. But none of that mattered right now.

Kael had come for me.

The headlights clicked off, and the driver's door swung open into the rain.

"Kael!"

I scrambled off the wet flagstones, ignoring the fire blazing in my raw palms. The headlights cut through the sheets of downpour, framing his broad shoulders as he stepped out of the sedan.

He was here. He would make them listen. He would take me away from this nightmare.

"Kael, thank God," I sobbed, rushing forward to throw my arms around his neck.

A heavy hand struck my chest, shoving me back with brutal force.

My boots slid on the slick gravel. I barely caught my balance before falling, staring up at him through wet strands of hair.

Kael wiped his palm against his dark slacks, his nose wrinkling. "Dirty."

The single word hit me harder than my father’s blows.

"What?" I choked out, shivering. "Kael, it’s me. Look at me. I was taken. I almost died in the woods—"

He didn't bother answering. Turning back toward the open car door, he reached into the rear seat and pulled out a massive bouquet of deep crimson roses. Fresh, perfect, wrapped in silver foil.

Relief fluttered weakly in my chest. He had brought them for me. He had been looking for me after all.

"You... you brought those for me?" I reached out a trembling hand toward the stems. "Kael, please, take me away from here."

"Don't touch them," he commanded, pulling the bouquet out of my reach.

I froze. "What?"

"Starting today, we're done." His voice was flat, colder than the rain running down my neck.

"Done?" The word made no sense. "What are you talking about? We've been together for two years!"

"Things change, Valerie."

"Why?" I grabbed his sleeve, desperate for an answer, but he yanked his arm away instantly. "What did I do? Tell me!"

"Look at you," he sneered, looking down his nose at my torn clothes and bleeding skin. "I am the future Alpha of this pack. I need a woman who can stand beside me at the summit. Someone who commands authority. Someone with strength."

"I loved you," I whispered, my voice breaking. "You said none of that mattered. You promised—"

"I was being polite," he snapped. "A future Alpha cannot be chained to a useless Omega who can't even awaken her wolf. You're a liability. You always have been."

"Kael..."

He didn't wait for another word. Turning on his heel, he carried the roses straight toward the house.

"Kael, stop!"

I chased after him, stumbling through the open French doors and back into the brightly lit living room.

My parents stood by the hearth alongside Kael’s parents, Alpha Marcus and his wife. Glasses of wine were raised in their hands. And right in the center of the room stood Serena, her lips painted red, wearing my birthday dress.

Kael walked straight past everyone and stopped right before my sister.

"Happy birthday, Serena," Kael said softly. He offered her the crimson roses with a gentle, attentive smile I had never seen on his face before.

Serena gasped softly, cradling the flowers to her chest. "They're gorgeous, Kael. You remembered."

"Of course I did," Kael replied, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek.

My breath trapped in my throat. The room spun.

"You two..." I stepped forward, water dripping from my ruined hem onto the hardwood. "How long?"

The room fell dead silent.

My mother rolled her eyes. "Are you still here? Get out before I have the guards drag you into the street."

I didn't look at her. My gaze remained locked on Kael. "How long have you been sleeping with my sister?"

Serena laughed, a light, mocking sound. "Does it matter, Valerie? You were gone. For weeks. Did you really expect an Alpha like Kael to sit around waiting for a ghost?"

"You stole him," I whispered.

"I didn't steal anything," Serena countered, linking her arm through Kael's. "He chose me. Because I have a wolf. Because I can actually give him strong heirs. What were you going to give him? Shame?"

I ignored her poison and looked directly into Kael's eyes. My vision blurred with burning tears, but I refused to let them fall.

"I was missing for three weeks," I said, my voice shaking with a quiet, terrible rage. "I was starving in the dark, bleeding, terrified. Did you look for me, Kael? Did you search for me even once?"

Kael held my stare for a fraction of a second. Then his eyes drifted toward the floor.

He didn't say a word.

The silence was the final knife through my heart.

He hadn't searched. He hadn't cared. The moment I vanished, he simply walked into my bedroom and took my sister instead.

A bitter, broken laugh escaped my throat.

"Valerie, stop making a fool of yourself," my father barked from across the room. "Leave now."

"I'm going," I said quietly.

I looked at Kael one last time. Every shred of love, every fragile memory of the past two years, crumbled into dust.

"Remember this, Kael," I said, my voice steadying, sharp enough to cut bone. "You're the one throwing me away today. Don't you ever forget it."

He flinched, just barely, but said nothing.

I turned my back on them all and stepped back out through the shattered patio doors into the pouring rain.

The cold hit me immediately, soaking straight to my bones. My knees trembled violently. The adrenaline was draining away, leaving only pure, crushing exhaustion. I stumbled across the lawn toward the driveway, my vision tunneling into black edges.

*Just keep moving,* I told myself. *Anywhere but here.*

The low rumble of a heavy engine vibrated through the mud under my boots.

Twin beams of brilliant white light sliced through the downpour, blinding me. A massive, matte-black off-road vehicle rumbled past the iron gates and braked hard at the curve of the drive.

The driver’s door swung open.

A man stepped out into the storm, unfurling a wide black umbrella.

He was enormous—tall, broad-shouldered, radiating an oppressive, suffocating aura of pure Alpha authority that made the air itself feel heavy.

Behind me, startled gasps echoed from the open patio doors.

"Damon?" Kael’s father, Marcus, stammered from the porch steps, his wine glass frozen mid-air. "What are you doing here?"

Damon.

The eldest son of the pack's ruling line. The rogue brother who had walked away from the family years ago after a bitter feud, the one they never spoke of.

Damon didn't spare Marcus a single glance.

His boots crunched over the gravel as he strode directly toward me. Through the rain, I caught the sharp line of his jaw and eyes that burned with lethal, silver intensity.

"Hey," his voice was deep, scraping like gravel over steel. "Can you stand?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but the ground tilted violently beneath me.

My legs gave out completely.

Darkness rushed in, and I plunged forward.

Before I hit the mud, a massive, warm arm locked around my waist, pulling me securely against a solid chest. The scent of cedarwood, rain, and fresh earth enveloped me, instantly driving back the cold.

"Brother, leave her alone!" Kael’s voice shouted from the porch steps. He was jogging down the path, his face tight with irritation.

Damon halted, his arm securely supporting my limp weight under the shelter of the umbrella. He cut his silver gaze toward Kael.

"She has nothing to do with you," Kael said coldly, stopping a few paces away. "She’s just a useless Omega who got kicked out by her own family. Let the guards handle the trash."

Damon looked down at my face, taking in the scratches along my cheeks and the torn, soaked rags clinging to my shivering frame.

Without a word of hesitation, he shifted the umbrella to one hand, shrugged out of his heavy woolen coat, and wrapped it securely around my body. The thick fabric trapped an immediate wave of heat against my freezing skin.

Then, he looked up at his younger brother.

"Works out then," Damon said, his tone entirely devoid of warmth. "I'm someone this family didn't want either."

He bent down, hooked his arm under my knees, and effortlessly lifted me against his chest.

Kael's expression instantly froze. His jaw tightened so hard a muscle twitched in his cheek, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. For the first time all night, an unsettling, bitter tightness flickered across Kael’s eyes as he stared at me in his brother's arms.

Damon turned his back on him and carried me straight toward the black vehicle.

The ceiling above me was dark wood, crossed by heavy timber beams.

A wool blanket covered me to my chin, completely dry and smelling faintly of pine.

"Awake?"

A low baritone broke the quiet.

I sat up fast, wincing as the pulled muscles in my ribs flared with sharp heat. Damon sat in a leather armchair near the unlit hearth, an open book resting flat on his knee. He wore a simple charcoal sweater, the sleeves pushed up over thick forearms lined with faint, silver scars.

My mind scrambled through the blank fog in my head. I knew his face from old pack portraits, but nothing more.

"You're Kael's brother," I rasped.

"Half-brother," he corrected quietly, shutting the book. "Drink."

He pointed to a steaming mug of tea on the bedside table.

"Why brought me here?" I pulled the blanket closer. "Where are we?"

"My estate. North boundary." Damon leaned back, watching me with steady gray eyes. "You collapsed in the mud. I don't leave people to freeze."

"I don't remember you," I admitted, my voice dropping. "I don't remember the last few weeks at all. I don't know who took me, or why."

"Then don't strain yourself trying to piece it together today." He stood up, towering over the furniture without making a sound. "No one enters this house without my permission. You stay until your head clears."

"Just like that?" I searched his expression for a trap. "You don't want anything from me?"

"What could you possibly give me?" Damon countered, walking toward the heavy oak door. "Rest, Valerie."

The nights, however, offered no peace.

Every time I shut my eyes, the black trees closed in around me. Mud coated my mouth. Heavy paws thudded against wet leaves, chasing me through the dark while claws raked across my shoulder blades.

I bolted upright, gasping for air, drenched in sweat.

"Valerie."

Damon stood in the doorway, framed by the amber hall sconces. He didn't cross the threshold. He stayed three paces back, leaning against the doorframe with folded arms.

"Another nightmare?" he asked calmly.

"They won't stop," I whispered, pressing shaking palms against my temples. "I keep hearing them behind me."

"Nothing is behind you," he said. "The perimeter wards are solid. Take three slow breaths."

I did, watching him through the shadows. He stayed right there until my chest stopped heaving, never stepping closer, never prying into the dark details I couldn't explain.

"Damon?"

"Hm?"

"Why aren't you disgusted by me?"

He tilted his head slightly. "Explain."

"Everyone knows," I said bitterly. "My parents threw me out because I'm an Omega who never awakened a wolf. Kael left me for Serena because I'm useless to a future Alpha. Yet you brought me to your home."

Damon looked at me for a long beat.

"Whether you have a wolf or not," he said, his voice flat and unbothered, "what does that have to do with me?"

I blinked, stunned into silence.

No one had ever said that to me. Not my father. Not my mother. Not the boy who swore he loved me. To everyone else, my worth was measured purely by the beast sleeping inside my veins.

"Drink your water and sleep," Damon added, turning away into the hallway. "Morning comes early."

Two days later, the rain finally broke into crisp autumn wind.

Damon took me down to the lower gate to collect fresh medical supplies from a courier. The mountain air bit at my skin, so Damon had tossed his heavy black wool coat over my shoulders before we walked out. The hem brushed my ankles, swaddling me in his scent of cedar and clean frost.

We turned up the cobblestone path toward the front courtyard—and stopped.

A sleek gray sports car blocked the turnaround circle. Leaning against the hood was Kael.

His leather jacket was unzipped, his hair wind-blown, and his face twisted into an ugly, impatient scowl. The moment his gaze found me, his jaw hardened until the muscle jumped.

"What the hell is this?" Kael snapped, marching straight toward us.

Damon didn't flinch. He stayed half a step ahead of me, his hands buried casually in his pockets.

Kael ignored his brother completely and grabbed my wrist, his grip digging into my bruised skin. "What are you doing here, Valerie?"

I ripped my arm out of his grasp with all my strength. "Don't touch me."

Kael looked startled by the venom in my voice, but his anger flared right back up. His eyes dragged down the oversized black coat wrapped around my frame.

"You've been staying with him?" Kael demanded, his teeth grinding audibly. "In his house? Wearing his clothes?"

"Why do you care?" I asked, staring at him like he was an absolute stranger. "Didn't you tell me to get lost three nights ago?"

Kael flinched, his throat working as if choked on his own words.

"That was—" He cut himself off, his cheeks flushing with dark color. "That was family business! You don't run straight to my exiled brother to play house!"

"You handed my sister roses and told me I was garbage," I said coldly. "We're done. You said those exact words. Remember?"

"Valerie, shut your mouth," Kael hissed, stepping closer.

Damon shifted his frame, planting himself like a granite wall directly between us.

"Back off, Kael," Damon murmured. The words were quiet, but the air turned freezing cold with raw dominance.

Kael's chest heaved. He glared up at his older brother, his fists trembling at his sides. "Stay out of this, Damon. Don't touch my woman."

Damon looked down at him with pure disdain.

"Your woman?" Damon tilted his chin, his silver eyes flashing with mockery. "Didn't you already throw her away?"

The courtyard went dead silent.

Kael’s face drained of color, then flushed a furious, humiliated crimson. "You think you can just take whatever I leave behind?"

"You left trash on the curb," Damon replied coolly. "I brought a guest inside. The only person making a scene here is you."

"You bastard—" Kael lunged forward, his claws threatening to erupt through his knuckles.

"Stop it! Both of you!" I snapped, my patience snapping entirely.

I didn't want to hear Kael's pathetic excuses, and I didn't want to be an excuse for their ancient sibling war.

"I'm going inside," I said, turning my back on both of them to head up the stone steps.

Then, the world seemed to slow down.

A faint sound—barely louder than the flutter of an insect wing—hissed through the cold wind from the dense tree line fifty yards away.

*Ssshk.*

It was high, sharp, and cutting straight toward the back of my neck.

My mind didn't process what it was. But my muscles moved on their own.

Without turning, I dropped my shoulder, twisting my torso to the left with fluid, effortless precision.

*THWACK.*

A jagged iron throwing dart whistled past my ear, shearing through a strand of my hair before burying itself three inches deep into the heavy oak pillar beside the porch.

The wood splintered with a violent crack.

I froze, staring at the quivering metal tail. My heart hammered against my ribs, but my body felt completely balanced, braced on the balls of my feet like a coiled spring.

Silence blanketed the courtyard.

Kael stood frozen near the drive, his mouth slightly open, completely baffled by what had just occurred.

Behind me, Damon hadn't moved to check the treeline.

His eyes were locked squarely on me. The calm, detached indifference on his face had shattered into sharp, calculating shock.

A normal, wolfless Omega couldn't hear an iron projectile slicing through the wind fifty yards out.

And she certainly couldn't dodge it without looking.