My Best Friend Sold Me to the Rogue King

Something felt different when I woke up.

The morning of my twenty-first birthday dawned with a strange burning sensation coursing through my veins. I pressed my palm against my forehead, checking for fever, but my skin felt cool to the touch. Maybe it was just nerves about finally being of legal age in the pack. Or maybe it was something else entirely.

"It's probably just the flu," I whispered to myself, rubbing the goosebumps on my arms. "That's all."

But as I swung my legs over the side of my narrow bed in the Omega quarters, I caught a whiff of something unusual—my own scent had changed overnight. It was stronger, more potent, with undertones of something wild and unfamiliar.

I sniffed my wrist, confused. "What is that?"

The scent was nothing like the typical Omega scent that had marked me for years. This was richer, more complex—almost... powerful.

"Stop being ridiculous," I muttered, grabbing my worn robe. "Omegas don't have powerful scents."

Still, something primal stirred within me, a restlessness I couldn't explain. I pushed the feeling aside and headed to the pack house kitchen. As the lowest-ranking wolf in the Silvermoon Pack, my duties started before sunrise.

The kitchen was already bustling with activity when I arrived. The pack house smelled of fresh bread and roasting meats—preparations for tonight's Alpha ceremony. Cason Duncan, our future Alpha, would officially take his place as pack leader today.

"Happy birthday, Nola!" called Mara, one of the few wolves who was kind to me. She was a Delta, higher than my Omega status but not by much.

"Thanks," I smiled, tying my apron. "Not that it matters much."

"Every birthday matters," she insisted, but her attention quickly shifted to the group of high-ranking females gathered by the walk-in refrigerator.

I recognized Kiana Burns immediately. My best friend since childhood, she was a Beta—seventh in command after the Alpha and his officers. Her copper hair gleamed under the kitchen lights as she leaned in conspiratorially with the other females.

"The Alpha ceremony is tonight," Kiana was saying, her voice carrying just enough for me to hear. "Cason needs a strong Luna by his side. Someone who can bear strong pups and command respect."

I turned away, pretending not to listen while scrubbing pots with extra vigor.

"Someone like you, Kiana," suggested another female. "You've been training for leadership since we were pups."

Kiana laughed, but there was no denying the calculation in her eyes. "I'm just doing my duty for the pack."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to find Kiana behind me, her smile bright but her eyes searching.

"Happy birthday, little Omega," she cooed, pulling me into a hug. Her nose twitched against my neck. "You smell... different today."

My heart skipped a beat. "Different how?"

"Never mind," she waved dismissively, but her eyes narrowed slightly. "Just the kitchen smells, probably."

---

Hours later, I was carrying a tray of ceremonial goblets through the main hall when it happened. Rounding a corner too quickly, I collided with a solid chest.

"Goddess!" I gasped, stumbling backward.

Strong hands caught my arms, steadying me. "Watch where you're going, Omega."

The voice was deep, commanding—undeniably Alpha. I looked up into Cason Duncan's steel-gray eyes.

Something electric passed between us at the contact. A jolt so powerful it made my knees weak.

"You're..." he started, his eyes flashing gold. "Mate."

The word hung in the air between us, heavy with implication. My heart thundered in my chest as his nostrils flared, taking in my scent.

"But you're an Omega," he said, confusion clouding his features. He stepped back, releasing me as if burned.

From the shadows of the hallway, Kiana emerged. "Cason! There you are!"

She slid between us, placing a possessive hand on his arm. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," he muttered, but his eyes kept darting to me. "I thought..."

"You thought what?" Kiana's voice hardened slightly. Then she leaned closer to him, whispering loudly enough for me to hear: "Don't tell me you think she's your mate? She's wolfless, Cason. Everyone knows it. The Moon Goddess must be playing some cruel joke."

---

That evening, I burst into our shared dorm room, still trembling with excitement despite Kiana's earlier words.

"Kiana, you'll never guess what happened!" I exclaimed. "Cason is my mate! I felt it when we touched!"

Kiana looked up from her mirror, her reflection multiplied in the cracked glass. Something dark flashed across her face before she composed herself.

"Oh, Nola," she sighed, turning to face me with mock sympathy. "You poor thing."

"What do you mean?"

"You're delusional," she said flatly. "Cason has been sleeping with me for months. We're practically mates already."

My world tilted sideways. "But he said..."

"He said what? That you're his mate?" She laughed, the sound sharp as broken glass. "You're imagining things because you're so desperate for someone to want you."

"That's not true," I whispered, but doubt had already taken root.

Kiana moved closer, her eyes gleaming with malice barely disguised as concern. "Nola, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but what you're experiencing isn't real. Your 'wolf'—it's just a mental illness. You need help."

As she spoke, she reached out to brush a strand of hair from my face, her touch gentle but her words devastating.

"No one will ever want an Omega like you," she whispered. "Especially not an Alpha."