Chapter 1

Selene POV

My twenty-sixth birthday. No cake, no blessings. Only the suffocating atmosphere of Storm Pack, and my mate who has always despised me.

When the car stopped, I could already smell the chaotic scents in the air. Strong alcohol, Alpha's oppressive presence, and sickeningly sweet Omega scent all mixed together, pouring in through the half-open window and pressing heavily on my breathing.

I instinctively frowned, feeling a bit sick to my stomach.

"Today is your birthday." Emma pulled me out of the car. "Don't always stay in the lab, you're practically becoming a nun."

I didn't say anything.

My gaze fell on the Storm Pack house in the distance. The entire building was brightly lit, its large dark walls looking like the nest of some dangerous creature crouching in the night.

I actually don't like Storm Pack. To be precise, I don't like any place where high-ranking Alphas gather. Those places always make me instinctively uneasy, especially tonight.

As soon as I pushed open the door, a wave of scorching, intense scent hit me. The Alpha pheromones in the air even brought a subtle stinging sensation when they brushed against my skin. The hall was dimly lit with low, ambiguous music, and in the corners there were already wolves embracing and moving together, their low gasps half-covered by the music but still clear.

My steps paused, fingers slightly curling.

Just then, a round of cheering suddenly came from around me. I looked in the direction of the sound. My whole body froze in place.

My fated mate, Michael. Storm Pack's next Alpha.

He sat in the central position of the hall, his black shirt collar messily open, revealing his pale collarbones. Around him were mixed scents of numerous unfamiliar Omegas, those sweet, ambiguous smells that made me nauseous were almost entirely clinging to him, completely covering his originally cold, clean scent.

Wolves kept approaching him, some offering drinks, some joking around, and Omegas deliberately getting close. He didn't refuse, just lazily leaning there, gulping down glass after glass of alcohol, letting those sweet pheromones wrap around him.

Michael suddenly looked up at me.

My wolf Nyx instantly became agitated, whimpering lowly, "Mate."

Those deep blue eyes that once made my heart race uncontrollably fell directly on me through the chaotic crowd.

The bond that had been silent for so long felt like it was being yanked tight, making my fingertips numb with pain.

And Evelyn, that beta who always hovered around Michael, whom the entire pack acknowledged as more suitable to be Michael's luna. She was sitting on his lap, wearing Michael's jacket, her fingertips naturally resting on his arm, their intimate posture painfully obvious.

Evelyn was covered in Michael's scent.

"He's ours," Nyx snarled, her voice carrying barely suppressed possessiveness. "Tear her away from him."

Michael looked at me coldly, but his hand slowly tightened around Evelyn's waist, like some silent acknowledgment.

I'm your mate. Why do I feel like an outsider?

My chest felt like something had pierced right through it, making even breathing painful.

Nyx whimpered in the depths of my consciousness, "Why won't he hold us?"

With the bond already painful enough to tear me apart, I gritted my teeth and said, "Shut up, Nyx. I don't need him to hold me."

Actually, I've always known. Evelyn and Michael always appear together. They belong here. High-ranking Alpha, territory, power, predatory instincts... that's Michael's real world.

And I'm not part of it. Never have been. It's just that today is my birthday. So I foolishly thought maybe I'd be a little different. But seeing all this with my own eyes. It still hurts so much I can barely breathe.

Emma stood next to me and suddenly pushed me lightly, "Why aren't you going in?"

I finally realized something was wrong. She was too deliberate tonight. From insisting on celebrating my birthday, to forcing me to come to Storm Pack, to Michael just happening to be here. Everything seemed pre-arranged.

I slowly turned to look at her. Emma's eyes flickered. In that instant, I suddenly felt very tired.

"Selene." Evelyn finally spoke. She walked up to me, smiling gently and naturally, like the real hostess of this place. "Don't misunderstand. Everyone's just hanging out together."

Evelyn's scent mixed with Michael's was so strong it made my stomach churn. But she acted as if she didn't notice at all, still smiling gently.

"Michael grew up in Storm Pack," she said softly. "This kind of occasion is normal for him."

She paused, her gaze lightly sweeping over the chaotic, ambiguous wolves around us. "You might... not be used to it yet."

Someone laughed lowly nearby.

Evelyn was implying that I was an outsider who didn't fit in.

She understood Michael better than I did. She was more suitable to stand by his side than I was. And she was more like Storm Pack's future luna than I was.

Nyx growled lowly, "We belong here!"

"I know." I gently soothed Nyx.

"So?" I looked up at Evelyn and smiled lightly. "Are you teaching me how to be Michael's mate now?"

Evelyn's smile finally froze. Her lips moved slightly, but she suddenly turned to look at Michael. Her voice was soft but carried an overly natural dependence, calling out somewhat aggrievedly, "Michael..."

Michael finally spoke. His voice was low and hoarse, carrying strong oppressive force. "Evelyn is Storm Pack's person. Do you have to embarrass her here?"

My chest trembled violently. Nyx whimpered in disbelief, "Why is he protecting this woman?"

My voice was more hoarse than I expected, like something was pressing on my throat, yet calm enough that even I felt it was foreign. "So the person who doesn't belong here is me."

"Selene, stop making a scene." Michael's expression finally changed, those deep blue eyes sinking terrifyingly. "You are the future Luna."

Clearly he was the one who did wrong. But now, I had become the one being judged.

I won't beg him to look at me like a pathetic creature, and I absolutely won't let Michael see me break down.

"Be careful." I said with a light laugh. I heard my own voice sound unnaturally calm, but the ending still trembled uncontrollably. "Don't bring other people's scents home."

The air suddenly fell dead silent for a moment. Michael's expression finally completely darkened. Alpha pheromones pressed down almost instantly. Scorching, dangerous, carrying some nearly out-of-control fury.

He was forcing me to submit.

My shoulders couldn't help but tremble slightly, but I didn't look away, forcing myself to stand in place. My fingertips dug hard into my palms, the stinging pain when my skin broke helping me stay barely conscious.

"Why aren't you angry?" Michael stared at me deadly, his expression so dark it made my back cold. His voice was low and hoarse, suppressing some emotion that was dangerous for both of us, heavy enough to make me almost unable to breathe.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth and turned toward the door. Behind me suddenly came the sound of a glass shattering, sharp and jarring. My steps still couldn't help but stiffen for a moment.

No, Selene. Don't look back.

I forced myself to keep walking forward.

Because I was afraid that once I looked back, I couldn't help but expect something I shouldn't expect.

But just at the corner, a hand suddenly grabbed my wrist. My back suddenly crashed into a scorching, hard chest. When warm breath brushed past my neck, my whole body froze. Michael's scent overwhelmed and completely swallowed me.

My breathing stopped abruptly.