Serena POV:
Caleb did not say another word. He picked up Lily, who was now coughing weakly against his chest, and hurried out of the courtyard to find the pack healers.
My father's Beta, a scarred and loyal warrior named Marcus, spat on the ground where Caleb had stood.
"Ungrateful dog," Marcus growled. "The Alpha raised him like a son, and he spits on our Luna's memory by rejecting her daughter."
The news of my rejection spread through the territory like wildfire. By nightfall, the entire fortress knew that the Gamma had abandoned the Alpha's daughter for a wild border Omega.
I sat in my father's study, watching the fire crackle in the hearth. My father sat across from me, his head in his hands.
"I should never have taken him in," my father whispered, his voice heavy with guilt. "I brought this shame upon you, Serena."
I stood up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his broad shoulder.
"You brought me a lesson, Father," I said softly.
As I spoke, I let a fraction of my true nature surface. *A faint, opalescent mist seemed to seep from my pores, carrying the pure, ancient scent of first winter snow. It was the aura of the White Wolf.*
The White Wolf bloodline was a legend, a direct gift from the Moon Goddess herself, granting unmatched strength and a terrifying presence. I had kept it hidden all my life to protect the balance of our pack.
*My father looked up, his eyes widening as the calming, powerful aura washed over him, and a delicate lacework of frost bloomed across the windowpanes.*
"I am not broken by a foolish male," I told him. "I will leave for the Royal City in seven days. I will bring true glory to the Ironblood Pack."
The next morning, the winter sun barely pierced through the grey clouds. I was in the training yard, inspecting the winter supplies, when Caleb approached.
He carried a bundle of rare snow fox fur, a large cut of roasted meat, and a bone hairpin he had carved himself. He set them on a wooden barrel near me, his posture awkward.
"Serena," he started, his voice lacking the confidence he usually had on the battlefield. "I came to apologize for the suddenness of yesterday."
I did not look at the gifts. I continued checking the inventory list on my clipboard.
"Your apology is noted, Gamma Caleb," I replied formally.
He flinched at the title.
"You have to understand," Caleb pleaded, stepping closer. "Lily is just a fragile Omega. In our society, Omegas are at the bottom. Without me, she would not survive the winter. It is my duty as a warrior."
I finally looked at him, my expression blank.
"If she needs protection, you hand her over to the pack Elders," I stated simply. "The Elders provide food and shelter for the weak. You do not need to sever a mate bond to save a life."
Caleb ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated.
"You don't know the border, Serena," he argued. "It's cruel. She has no one but me. She trusts only me."
Before I could answer, a soft crunch of boots on snow caught my attention.
Lily walked into the training yard. She was wearing a heavy, dark blue winter cloak.
*My eyes narrowed. It was the cloak I had sewn for Caleb before he left, woven with dire-wolf fur to keep the freezing winds out. The garment swallowed her small frame entirely.*
"Caleb?" Lily called out, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "The healers said I shouldn't be out in the cold, but I couldn't find you."
She walked up to him and leaned against his arm, then looked at me. *Her eyelashes fluttered rapidly as she tried to feign a look of apology.*
"Oh, Serena," Lily said softly. "I hope you are not still mad at Caleb. We are going to have our mating bonfire in seven days. I would love it if you came."
She paused, biting her lip, *and for a fleeting moment, a glint of cold calculation appeared in her eyes.*
"Actually, I was hoping you could help me pick out a mating dress. You have such lovely clothes, and I have nothing."
*A cold, precise fury settled in my bones. This Omega had no respect for the pack system. In our hierarchy, an Omega does not speak to a high-ranking female, let alone the Alpha's daughter, with such casual arrogance.*
I did not raise my voice. I simply released a single, sharp wave of my high-tier aura. *It struck Lily not as a blow, but as a sudden, crushing weight, as if the very air around her had solidified. She gasped, a choked, wet sound, and her legs gave way, folding beneath her as she crumpled into the snow, trembling uncontrollably.*
Caleb stumbled back a step, *his expression slack with shock at the immense pressure that had descended upon the yard.*
"Gamma Caleb," I said, my voice cold and echoing with authority. "I suggest you take your Omega to the pack's discipline matron. She clearly needs to be taught the basic rules of hierarchy before she insults the wrong wolf and loses her tongue."
