power in me has billowed. It has been sparking of its own accord lately.
“Like fuck you are,” he snaps, snatching his shirt off the floor and rubbing his fingers on the fabric. “I don’t want no freak as my mate. You’re a filthy witch! A Cursed, aren’t you?”
I hurry to his side, well aware that if Lovis finds out, he’ll kill me and my sisters. Nothing with magic is accepted. “It’s just me, a wolf,” I insist, fear closing in around my throat. “There’s nothing unusual about me. Please, I want to make this work. I’ll behave, I promise.” My voice cracks with desperation.
I reach for his hand, but he flinches from my touch, his lips twisting with disgust. “Don’t fucking touch me. You are not my mate. I reject you.” He turns and marches to the front door.
He’s rejecting me? Is that possible?
Coldness sinks right through me, tearing me to shreds, my wolf whimpering at his words. An ache gouges my chest, like my heart is splitting in two, while my shoulders slump and my knees hit the ground.
“No, no, this can’t be.” I rock back and forth.
My soulmate rejected me. My wolf will never bond. I will be an outcast forever. And I can no longer stay in this pack.
There is nothing outside our pack fence but wilderness, rogue Alphas who will rut me to death, and zombies if I escape the wolves.
His thumping steps are like a drumbeat to my demise. I can’t think of anything but what’s coming for me.
Death.
My sisters! Fuck!
I’m on my feet, my heart colliding into my ribcage, then I dart over to the rear window and shove it open. Glancing back, I see Martell swing open the front door. Dread of what I’ve done cuts me deep, at how horrible tonight has gone.
I hop up and throw myself out of the window in a rush.
I land on my back in a shrub, which stings badly, but there’s no time to waste or wipe my tears.
Why the fuck should I care if he rejected me? He’s an asshole who’ll beat and rape me. But that’s not what I mourn. It’s my wolf who pines for the soulmate connection. Her agony splinters through me, and my legs feel ready to collapse out from under me at the pain. Soulmates meet only once, and I’ve just been pushed aside by mine. Banished.
Fear collides into me. I stumble into a shrub, but I can’t lose myself. Not now...
Sticking to the shadows, I sprint around the rear of the houses, in and out of yards until I reach my small, dark hut. I burst in through the rear door, startling both Jae and Kaira, who are on the blanket playing cards.
“Narah?” Kaira’s panicked voice adds to my fear. She’s on her feet, as is Jae, both of them eyeing my torn dress. “What happened?”
“We need to leave the pack right now,” I say quickly. “He saw my magic and rejected me as his mate.” The words taste sour on my tongue, and a wave of unbreakable sorrow crashes into me. The pain wears me down, slamming into me over and over.
“He what?” Kaira’s eyes bulge, drawing my attention, and I hurry toward them.
“Are we going to be in trouble?” Jae squeaks. Her hand, still holding a card, is quivering.
“Baby, we need to leave the pack immediately,” I persist, taking her by the hand. “Quickly, get your coat and your boots. I will tell you everything later, but we are no longer safe here.”
“But this is Father’s pack!” Tears roll down Jae’s face, and I drag her into my arms. I wish I didn’t have to expose her to this, that I could keep her protected from how ugly our world is, how dangerous it is for Omegas like us. My breaths hiccup, but I need to be strong for her sake so we can get away.
I pull back and cup her wet cheeks. “Listen to me, Jae. You are so much stronger than you know. And now you need to be a fast runner for me. Don’t stop, no matter what, okay? Can you do that for me?” My skin itches with urgency, and I keep glancing at the front door.
“We should go,” Kaira says, her voice frantic, quickly sprinting around the house to collect clothes and food and shoving them into her bag.
Jae’s face pales. “W-where are we running to?”
I lick my lips, my mind whirring. “Remember when we once went fishing with the other women