Warriors parted to give their new Luna space. Beta Kirk moved forward first, bowing his head respectfully.
Jason stepped down from the platform and offered the woman his arm. “Luna Willow of the Nightfang Pack.”
The words echoed. Like a blade slicing through Julia’s chest. Gasps filled the hall.
The Nightfang Pack.
One of the strongest packs in the region. Known for their warriors. Their alliances. Their power.
A political union.
An alliance.
Jason raised Willow’s hand slightly. “Through this union, Silver Fang and Nightfang will strengthen our territories, our defenses, and our bloodlines. This is a new era for our pack.”
Cheers began—hesitant at first, then louder. Warriors pounded their fists against their chests in approval. Elders nodded with satisfaction. The pack saw strategy. Strength. Power.
They did not see the omega standing at the back of the hall as her world shattered.
Pain unlike anything she had ever felt radiated through her entire body, tearing through her chest and sinking deep into her bones. Every breath became unbearable, as if invisible claws were ripping her apart from the inside. The agony spread through her veins like fire, leaving her trembling and weak beneath its overwhelming force.
Julia couldn’t breathe.
Her wolf whimpered inside her mind. 'Mate…'
Jason did not look at her again. Not once.
Willow smiled gracefully at the crowd, already radiating authority.
“I am honored to stand beside Alpha Jason,” she said smoothly, her voice calm and confident. “I look forward to serving the Silver Fang Pack as your Luna. Together, Jason and I, as your Alpha and Luna, will lead Silver Fang toward a more prosperous, stronger, and stable future. But to achieve that future, we will need the support, obedience, loyalty, and respect of every pack member. Only by standing together as one pack can we continue to grow stronger and protect what belongs to us.”
More cheers.
Julia’s vision blurred. Three years. Three years of whispered promises. Three years of stolen kisses.Three years of believing she was enough. Her fingers instinctively went to her neck where the necklace he gave her lay. It burned now—not with pride—but with humiliation. She believed him. More than that, she believed in their mate bond. She believed that the connection the Moon Goddess created between them was strong enough to overcome rank, expectations, and the judgment of others.
But in the end, Jason looked at her the same way everyone else did.
An Omega.
Just an Omega.
Nothing more.
She is someone lesser. Someone weak. Someone unworthy of standing beside an Alpha. No matter how much he cared for her in private, when it came to the pack and their future, he chose status over their bond. To him, she was never someone who could stand proudly at his side as his Luna. She was simply someone meant to remain in the shadows—hidden, forgotten, and never truly accepted.
Around her, the omegas whispered excitedly about the beautiful new Luna.
“Nightfang blood…”
“Strong alliance…”
“Our pack will be unstoppable…”
Julia took a small step backward. No one noticed. Why would they? She was only an omega. The lowest rank. The one no one would ever expect an alpha to choose.
Her wolf let out a soft, broken sound in her mind.
Her wolf was howling in pain, crying out from the unbearable betrayal she was witnessing.
The sound echoed deep inside her mind, filled with heartbreak, confusion, and grief. She could not understand how their mate could do this to them. He was the one chosen by the Moon Goddess. Their fated mate. The person who was supposed to protect them, love them, and stand beside them against the world.
She had always known it would be difficult for the pack to accept an Omega as their Alpha’s mate. She understood the whispers, the judgment, and the disapproval that would follow them everywhere.
But despite all of that, she believed that their mate would still choose them in the end. She believed that, at the very least, he accepted them. Loved them. Now, that belief was shattering right in front of her eyes.
Jason finally looked toward the back of the hall, but not at her. He looked over the omegas. Through them. Past them. As if she had never existed. The bond between them pulsed faintly. Distant. Cold.
Political alliances.
Prepared pack.
History.
Had that been the truth all along?
Had she been nothing more than a secret convenience to him? A temporary comfort he could turn to whenever he wanted, until someone stronger, prettier, and more acceptable came along? Was she simply someone a bored Alpha could play with and toy with in the shadows while presenting someone else proudly to the pack?
The thought made her chest ache painfully.
Was she not a person with feelings? Did her heart mean so little that he could break it this way without hesitation?
She had loved him with everything she had, trusted him completely, and believed every promise he whispered to her in private.
Yet now, standing there and watching him choose another so easily, she could not stop the cruel questions from filling her mind.
Was she truly worth so little? Was she really less than everyone else just because she was an Omega?
Her heart cracked quietly inside her chest.
The hall was roaring with celebration now. Julia swallowed hard. She would not cry here. Not in front of them. Not in front of him.
She straightened her spine.
If this was the choice her alpha had made… then she would survive it.
But something inside her shifted. Not weakness. Not despair. Something sharper. The beginning of understanding. The realization that she had built her future on promises made in darkness. And darkness, she now understood, was exactly where he intended her to remain.
Without another glance at the stage, Julia turned. And quietly slipped out of the pack hall.
No one stopped her. No one noticed the omega walking into the cold night air.
Behind her, Silver Fang celebrated their new luna.
And inside her chest, something sacred quietly broke.
Aksara