The hunting party had been tracking the deer for hours when the first howl split the evening air. Not the controlled call of our pack, but something wild and vicious that made Luna stir uneasily in my weakened mind.
'Rogues,' she whispered, her voice still threadbare from the rejection's aftermath.
I crouched behind a fallen log, my assigned position at the rear of the hunting formation. The wolfsbane still coursed through my system, making every movement sluggish, every breath labored. Three days since the ceremony, and I could barely manage a half-shift, let alone defend myself properly.
Azaria's scream pierced the forest like a blade.
"Help me! Please, someone help me!"
My blood turned to ice. Through the trees, I could see her stumbling backward, her face a mask of terror as shadows emerged from the undergrowth. Four massive rogues, their eyes glowing amber in the dying light, their lips pulled back to reveal yellowed fangs.
Cade's roar of fury shook the very leaves. "Azaria!"
I watched in sick fascination as he burst from the tree line, his partially shifted form radiating Alpha power. The other pack members followed—Marcus, the Gamma warriors, all of them converging on Azaria's position with single-minded determination.
Not one of them looked toward me.
That's when I realized the trap.
The rustling behind me came too late for warning. I spun around just as another group of rogues melted out of the shadows, their movements coordinated, deliberate. These weren't random attackers—this was planned.
"Well, well," the largest one growled, his voice like gravel scraping stone. "Look what we found. The rejected little omega, all alone."
My throat closed up. Four of them, just like with Azaria. But no one was coming to save me.
Luna tried to push forward, to give me the strength to shift, but the wolfsbane fought her every attempt. My bones ached with the effort, my muscles trembling as I managed only a partial transformation—claws extending, canines lengthening, but nothing more.
"Pathetic," another rogue sneered. "This is the Alpha's former mate? No wonder he threw her away."
Rage flared in my chest, burning through the weakness. "Stay back," I snarled, surprised by the venom in my own voice.
They laughed.
The first one lunged.
I rolled sideways, grabbing a fallen branch thick as my forearm. The rogue's claws raked across my shoulder instead of my throat, tearing through fabric and flesh like paper. Pain exploded down my arm, warm blood soaking my hunting clothes.
But I was still alive.
I swung the branch with everything I had, catching the second rogue across the muzzle. He howled, stumbling back, and I scrambled toward a cluster of rocks, looking for anything I could use as a weapon.
"Feisty little thing," the leader growled, circling me like a predator. "Too bad you won't live to see tomorrow."
From Azaria's direction came the sounds of battle—snarls, the clash of bodies, Cade's commanding voice directing the fight. He was saving her. Again. Just like he always did.
A rogue came at me from the left. I hurled a rock at his face, then dove behind a boulder as claws whistled through the air where my head had been. My shoulder screamed in protest, blood loss making me dizzy.
Luna was fading fast. I could feel her consciousness slipping away, the wolfsbane and trauma too much for her weakened state.
'Don't leave me,' I begged her silently. 'Please, Luna. I need you.'
'Fighting,' she whispered back, but her voice was growing distant. 'Always... fighting for you...'
Two rogues rushed me at once. I managed to rake my claws across one's flank, but the other's massive paw caught me across the abdomen, sending me flying into a tree trunk. The impact drove the air from my lungs, and I tasted copper as blood filled my mouth.
I slumped to the ground, my vision swimming. The rogues approached slowly now, savoring their victory. In the distance, I could hear the battle winding down, victorious howls echoing through the forest.
Cade had won. Azaria was safe.
And I was about to die.
"Any last words, omega?" The leader's claws gleamed in the moonlight.
I tried to speak, tried to call for help, but only blood came out. My strength was gone, Luna's presence barely a whisper now. The world tilted sideways as I collapsed fully, my cheek pressing against the cold forest floor.
The rogues leaned over me, their stench filling my nostrils. One of them prodded my ribs with his foot.
"She's done. Let's go."
"What about the body?"
"Leave it. The scavengers will take care of the evidence."
Their footsteps faded into the distance, but I was already drifting away. The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was the moon through the canopy, its silver light growing dimmer and dimmer until there was nothing left but the void.
