Rise of the Omega

Selene's POV

A gale swooped down against Shaun Pack's territory, holding within it the far-off echoes of laughter and jeers that seemed to follow everywhere I went. I pushed through the undergrowth. My breath jetted out, white and misty against the crisp blackness of night air. The bruises from the last pack meeting throbbed on my arms, a reminder of my standing in the world: an outcast.

"Selene!" Marcus's voice raised up high and freezing. I began pacing faster with the crunch of leaves under my feet, which mixed with the rhythm of the pounding heartbeats in my ears. I dodged behind a large oak, trying to get my ragged breaths to even out; I was gasping for breath.

"I thought you'd be hiding here." Marcus's voice was closer now, and I shivered at the imagined intensity of his anger.

I hated running, but it was always the only choice. After he and the others were finished with me, it wasn't possible to go anywhere else-to do anything else but to come here. The only comfort I'd ever been able to find was the peace of the forest-an empty sanctuary that felt almost like a betrayal of its beauty.

My heart raced as the footsteps died in the distance. Only then did I try to come out of the bushes and slowly exhaled. He stared right back with a challenging glare, making my heart clench in my ribcage. The lush territory of the pack looked like a joke; it was a vicious contrast to my life. As if on the verge of going back, I eyed him. Lucas.

He moved with a grace that bespoke strength, his black fur shining under the moonlight. I had never seen another way of him moving but his usual confident stride; however, there was a softness in his eyes tonight that softened his otherwise very intimidating presence.

"Selene!" He called softly, the sound of his voice a balm after Marcus's rough tones. I froze, my heart racing as he came toward me. He was a new enforcer for the pack-great, that's just what we had needed-but unlike all the others which looked at me with anything other than kindness.

"What do you want, Lucas?" I mewed, voice barely above a whisper. "I'm fine."

He studied me for a beat, eyes checking out the bruises and cuts that marked my skin. "You don't look fine, Selene. You look like you could use a friend."

"I don't need friends," I snapped, my usual defensive barrier going up. "I just need to be left alone."

Lucas shook his head. "No one should be alone, especially not someone as special as you."

"Special?" I spat. "I'm the one who can't shift, remember? The one who's been beaten down and treated like trash."

"You're more than that," Lucas replied without pause. "You've been given a rough life, but that doesn't define who you are."

Again, I turned my gaze. "Why do you care?"

"Because I see who you are beneath the bruises," he said, stepping closer to me. "You are spanning a strength that others don't notice, and I see it."

I wanted to believe him. It was difficult to accept such kindness after all these years of getting nothing but cruelty. "But why the concern for me, then?"

Lucas's eyes were now even gentler. "When I came, I saw what was being done to you. It isn't right. Further, I couldn't just keep looking on, doing nothing."

"Why?" I asked once again, my anger mixing with my growing relief. "Why do you think I'm worth this trouble?"

"Because everyone deserves respect," he said. "And because I care about you."

I swallowed, fighting back the emotions that flooded through me. "It's dangerous, to care about me. What if they find out?"

"They won't," Lucas said. "And even if they did, I wouldn't let them hurt you."

Comforting and terrifying words. I wanted to believe him, to trust that someone could genuinely care for me without hidden motives or cruel outcomes.

Lucas took a deep breath, using the frown to show seriousness on his face. "There's something I need to tell you."

"What?" I asked in curiosity, surpassing the fear.

He hesitated and then took my hands in his. "Before I came here, I had a mate. She meant everything to me, and she died three years ago."

Sorrow pierced through me on his behalf, despite my own predicament. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," he murmured, squeezing my hands between his own. "Ever since, I've been waiting for a sign, for someone who could fill that void."

I gazed at him with a mix of confusion and hope in my heart. "And you think that person is me?"

"I do. Even though you haven't shifted, I believe we could be mates. You're everything I have been looking for," Lucas answered, never averting his gaze.

The knowledge that, if nothing else, somebody like Lucas could care for me-respect me for seeing something in me despite everything-was overwhelming. "But what if it's wrong? What if you're settling for me because of what happened?"

Lucas shook his head. "I'm not settling. I'm choosing you because you're special to me. You don't need to have a wolf to be worthy of love."

His words cut through my doubts, and for the first time in years, I felt hope. "What if I agree? What does that mean for us?"

"It means we're mates," Lucas said, his voice sincere. "We'll face whatever comes our way together, and I promise that no one will hurt you again.

My eyes welled with tears as I heard myself nod in agreement, feeling the weight of years of pain and isolation beginning to lift off me. "Okay," I whispered. "I accept."

Lucas smiled, his warm eyes melting my fears. "Then we're mates."

As I was embraced into his arms, I felt peace that I had never known before.

What all were the torments of the pack, the biting pain of the past, compared to the promise of a future where finally I might find happiness?

It was the first time in my life that I felt this way: truly like I belonged, right then and there beside Lucas. I felt better and wanted at that moment.

The cold, harsh world of the pack started to fade away, leaving behind only the warmth of our bond. For the first time ever, I was able to see a future where I wasn't alone-where I could finally be happy.