I never belonged in this place. That much was obvious from the day I was born without a wolf, the one thing that set us all in Crescent Valley. An Omega without a wolf was a curse, a stain on the honor of the Crescent Moon Pack, and my presence was nothing more than a blight they could hardly stand. Like a shadow, the persistent whispers of "cursed" and "worthless" tormented me everywhere, following every sneer, every shove. Still, I stayed, bearing their scorn for one reason—my brother Aiden—and one alone. Only his weak physique and feverish evenings kept me anchored to this spot. Not when he most needed me, I could desert him.
Today should have been exactly like every other day. I would keep my head down, work in the infirmary, and avoid running across anyone who might remind me of my place. But something seemed strange as I moved across the main hall of the pack. Tension permeated the air, the kind that caused the hair on the rear of my neck to stand on edge. Wolves were whirling in close circles, eyes flickering frantically toward the door. Their remarks did not help me to understand their fears.
Kelt Blackthorn returned.
His name by itself made me shiver. Famously were his tales of exile, his vicious battles, and his relentless demand of retribution. He was the Alpha who had been betrayed by his closest friends; the wolf who had vanished into the wilds only to resurface more dangerous than ever. Now he was here, returning to recover his birthright, and he had no regard for who he had to destroy to get it. If at all, I never expected to see him until much later. In the big picture, I was simply a nobody—an unseen servant. Still, fate has a nasty sense of fun as always.
The doors opened as I was tending to Aiden in the infirmary, cool clothes were used to lower his fever from wrist injuries. My heart still stopped. In walked someone whose presence dominated the space like a stormcloud. Kael looked exactly like the merciless Alpha from the legends—tall, muscular, and radiating power and menace. His dark hair was wild, his eyes keen and relentless, a deep blue that appeared to cut right through you. Though I tried to keep my eyes down and concentrate on Aiden's shaking figure, the air was charged and I could feel Kael staring at me.
"Seraphina Riven?" Years of resentment and conflict had roughened his deep growl of voice. He bypassed waiting for me to respond. He didn't need to. The pack as a whole understood who I was—the cursed Omega without a wolf, the one everyone yearned would simply vanish. "You are traveling with me.
"What do you wish for??" My voice hardly steady, I managed to ask. Though I will not let it show, fear is at my core. not before Aiden.
He turned away the inquiry, his gaze flickering between irritation and something deeper. "The prophecy." It references you.
Confounded, I fixed my gaze on him. The prophecy is The half-whispered stories of a destined Luna who would save or ruin the Alpha had been told to me. Those were only stories, ancient wives' tales fashioned to make sense of the anarchy our planet experienced. They were not at all involved with me. I'm not Luna. I was only me.
Trying to keep my voice cool, I answered, "You’ve got the wrong person." "I'm not who you're looking for."
Kael's face became tougher. He moved forward, rapidly closing the distance between us. "There is no decision involved here. Whether you like it or not, you are here with me and will play your part.
Though I could not show it, panic shot through me. Not right now, not here. Aiden's eyes sprung open, dim with fever but full with anxiety. He tried to sit up, but I gently pushed him down.
I mumbled to him, then looked back to Kael, not sure. "I have to stay with him."
Kael's eyes flicked to Aiden, his expression revealing only cold calculating. He will be taken care of. But you are not hanging around here.
I understood that debating had no purpose. Alpha, Kael was; what he wanted he grabbed. But I couldn't just leave Aiden, the one guy who has kept me going over many years. My stomach turned over, stuck between my obligation to my brother and the unworkable weight of what Kael was asking for.
Following him from the infirmary, every step seemed to Aiden like a betrayal. Kael guided me across the complex of the pack; his presence alone divided the assembly. Their looks let me know a mix of dread, curiosity, and hardly hidden contempt. The female they had rejected now claimed by the Alpha horrified them all.
Kael's lodgings were far different from the dimly lit confines of the infirmary. Old treasures of the Crescent Moon Pack—ancient weaponry, maps, and trophies from earlier conquests—filled the large area. Designed to remind everyone of Kael's might, it was both a fortification and a refuge. He waved for me to sit, but I stayed on my feet with arms crossed defensively in front of me.
"You are afraid," he said, his eyes never straying from mine. "good." You survive only out of fear.
"I'm not afraid of you," I said, even as my heart surged.
He gave me shivers with his dark, knowing smile. " You ought to be." He slanted forward and his voice dropped to a whisper. "I have no interest in the prophecy. But I will exploit you to the last breath if it means recovering my pack and exacting those who wronged me.
Kael's comments hung in the air, weighty and ominous, and I understood that whatever he wanted from me was considerably more than merely satisfying some old myth. I was a pawn in his game; he was a guy motivated by revenge. Though his presence unsettled me, there was another flutter of defiance, a subtle rebellion deep inside me that would not be cowed. I would not allow Kels to utilize me without protest.
Then, though, arrived the twist I never would have seen.
Kael replied suddenly, his voice low and deliberate: "I know what Lucian did to your family." "Your brother is sick because of him."
The planet seemed to be leaning on its axis. My breath stopped, and as his words sank in my vision blurred. Aiden's illness was caused by Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack Lucian Thorn? The same guy who had been Kael's adversary since their days as allies, who had taken everything from him and now aimed to utterly destroy him. My thoughts flew, putting together bits of half-remembered talks, subdued warnings, and the sinister past between the groups.
Kael regarded me, his face blank. "I can help you save him," he replied, his voice now softer and nearly compassionate. But first I need your help.
Knowing what he was asking, it scared me. Working with Kels meant plunging blindly into a war that had been building for years, one that would shatter all I understood about loyalty, authority, and sacrifice. I couldn't walk away, though, if there was even a remote possibility to save Aiden.
"Fine," I answered, my voice more under control than I felt. I will be of assistance to you. But know this: Kael Blackthorn is not only some cursed Omega you may influence. I shall struggle for myself as well as for my brother.
Kael had eyes that shone with something quite like respect. Then let us start.
The die was thrown, the road decided. We would negotiate a risky alliance together, confronting shadows inside ourselves as well as adversaries on all sides. It was a game of survival, power, and dishonesty; neither of us could afford to lose.
One thing was certain as I fixed my gaze on the Alpha carrying my fate in his hands: this was only the beginning.
