Eliana POV:
A week later, I stood in front of the mirror. The bruise on my temple had faded to a sickly yellow, easily hidden by makeup. The ribs were still tender, wrapped tight in bandages beneath my dress.
Tonight was the graduation party. The Pack's Coming of Age ceremony.
"You don't have to go, sweetie," my mom said, leaning against my doorframe. Her eyes were sad. She and Dad had been furious when I came home bloody. They were already talking about transferring to the East Coast branch of the family business.
"I have to go," I said, applying a coat of red lipstick. "If I don't, they win. They'll think I'm hiding."
I wasn't hiding. I was saying goodbye.
The party was at the pack house. Bonfires roared in the backyard, sending sparks up into the night sky. The air smelled of roasted meat, beer, and shifting hormones.
When I walked in, the conversation died. Whispers followed me like smoke.
*That's her.*
*The reject.*
*Did she really push Catalina?*
I kept my head high. I grabbed a soda and stood by a tree, watching the wolves dance.
Jax was there, of course. He was sitting on a makeshift throne of hay bales, holding a beer. Catalina was in his lap. She was wearing a dress that looked suspiciously like the one I had pointed out to Jax in a magazine months ago.
He saw me. His eyes narrowed. He whispered something to Catalina, and she laughed.
Then, the games began.
"Truth or Dare!" someone shouted.
It was a pack tradition. But with an Alpha Heir involved, it was never just a game. It was a power play.
Catalina spun the bottle. It landed on her.
"Dare," she purred.
"I dare you..." a Gamma female giggled, "to kiss the strongest male here."
It was scripted. It was so obviously staged that it was pathetic.
Catalina stood up and sashayed over to Jax. But before she kissed him, she turned to look at me.
"Do you mind, Ellie?" she asked, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "I mean, technically, you guys were... something. Once."
The circle went silent. Everyone waited for me to cry, to scream, to run.
I took a sip of my soda. "Why would I mind?" I said, my voice steady. "As an Omega, I have no right to interfere with an Alpha's choices. If he wants a Beta, that's his business."
The insult landed. Wolves cared about bloodlines. Calling his choice a downgrade was a slap in the face.
Jax stood up abruptly. The playful atmosphere vanished.
He released his pheromones.
It wasn't a command this time. It was pure, raw dominance. The scent of ozone and burnt wood flooded the clearing. It was an oppressive weight, designed to force submission.
Around me, wolves lowered their heads. Some of the younger ones dropped to their knees, baring their necks instinctively.
Jax glared at me, his eyes glowing amber. He wanted me to bow. He wanted me to break.
"You think you're clever," Jax growled, stepping over the people kneeling on the grass. "You think you're better than her?"
He grabbed Catalina by the waist and pulled her flush against him.
"She is strong," Jax announced to the pack. "She is a warrior. She is worthy of being a Luna." He looked at me with pure disdain. "You are nothing, Eliana. You are a broken vessel. You can't even shift."
He smashed his lips onto Catalina's.
It was aggressive, possessive, and performative.
The pack cheered, relieved that the Alpha's anger was directed at me and not them.
I felt the bond inside me scream. It was agonizing, like a hook being ripped out of my chest. But I didn't kneel.
I stood straight. My spine was steel.
The pheromones washed over me, trying to crush me, but I felt... detached. It was as if I was watching a movie of someone else's life.
Jax pulled away, breathless, expecting to see me on the ground, weeping.
Instead, I was checking my watch.
"Are you done?" I asked.
His amber eyes widened. The shock on his face was almost satisfying.
"Because I have packing to do," I continued. "Enjoy your Beta, Jax. I hope she's worth it."
I turned my back on the Alpha Heir. I walked away from the fire, into the dark.
My heart didn't hurt anymore. It was dead. And you can't kill something that's already dead.
*
