Chapter 1

　　Kaira's Pov

　　"Reis… I told you, I'm not ready."

　　My voice sounded small, swallowed by the vast emptiness of the abandoned train station.

　　Reis peeled off his body against mine and sat beside me on the rusted bench, his irritation evident on his face.

　　"You always say this," he said, his voice laced with disappointment as he threw me a look. "Why do you always have to bring this up when I'm in a good mood?"

　　I bit my lip, staring down at my lap. I undoubtedly loved him, but I never want to rush it. Also, I need the safety of a real bond before I could fully give myself to him.

　　Four years ago, my twin sister and I arrived in this pack land-stripped of our royal status and forced to hide our true identities. In the Blue River Pack, omegas were at the absolute bottom of the food chain, treated worse than slaves. Everyone had been monstrous to us.

　　Everyone except Reis. He had been the one to step between us against the clawing hands of the full-blooded pack members. He had been good to me, accepted me even as an ordinary, wolfless omega.

　　But amidst all that, he always insisted on keeping our relationship a secret. Maybe that's also the main reason why I'm hesitating on giving myself to him fully. I'm wondering if he was ashamed of my broken nature as I didn't possess the enhanced strength or sharp senses of a transitioned wolf.

　　Today is my eighteenth birthday- it's also the day I was supposed to finally find a mate. But I don't think I'm ready for it.

　　"When are you going to let me touch you," he asked, leaning over me again.

　　I bit the insides of my cheek. This question had been hanging heavily between us for months. Until this time, I still couldn't give him a definite answer.

　　Slowly, his hand slid over my thigh, tugging at the hem of my skirt upward. A silent gasp escaped from my mouth, feeling his hit fingertips against my skin.

　　"Reis…" I rasped, trying to stop him with a generic excuse. "I'll be able to sense my fated mate soon. This could be the chance we both dreamed of."

　　It felt wrong being touched like that in public. Especially in this abandoned train station.

　　That's why Reis had brought me here. So nobody could see us.

　　"Mmm. We'll figure something out later. But for now—" He nuzzled his face into my neck, his fingers toying with my pendant. Every time someone got too close to it, fear gripped me.

　　This pendant was my lifeline. A shield, protecting me from harm.

　　"…It's our anniversary, Kaira. And also your eighteenth birthday. You promised tonight would finally happen. Don't you want me? Don't you want to be mine?"

　　I did. Goddess, I did. You're the only one who has ever respected me in this pack, treated me like I wasn't a broken empty girl.

　　"I love you, Reis, but… I don't think we should be doing this here," I murmured, growing increasingly uneasy with his advances. It hadn't always been like this. It wasn't so sexual before. But now that I was eighteen, he was acting differently—more possessive, more physical.

　　When he had asked me to lie to Kim and sneak out, pretending I was doing chores at the pack house, he had promised to celebrate my birthday with a cake.

　　That was a lie. There was no cake.

　　Just his lust-filled gaze.

　　"No one comes here, Kaira!" he grumbled, lifting his head from my neck and cupping my face in his hands. "I want all of you tonight. I need to see how far you're willing to go—to prove to me that you're ready to be my mate, to be the Luna of the pack." His words felt heavy, suffocating.

　　I had wanted his acceptance for so long. And despite not being able to find my fated mate, I wasn't entirely upset that Reis had promised to make me his chosen mate.

　　"I am—" I began to respond, but before I could explain how uncomfortable I felt about giving myself to him before any commitment, he grabbed my pendant.

　　It felt like he had snatched my heart from my chest.

　　"Take this off," he whispered close to my ear, making me shudder. I quickly shook my head.

　　"Reis, I'm not supposed to," I pleaded, but he shook his head in return. Then, in one swift motion, he yanked the pendant from my neck.

　　Seeing my pendant in his hand felt like staring at my own vulnerability reflected in a mirror.

　　Swallowing hard, I whispered, "I should put it back on."

　　But it was too late. My body had already started releasing pheromones almost instantly.

　　He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, his body visibly trembling.

　　"You called it a curse, but I call it a blessing," Reis murmured before pressing his lips against mine with a passion that made me shudder. His words echoed in my mind as I remembered how others had described me.

　　Growing up, I was kept isolated for this exact reason, until Mom gave me a pendant to control my condition.

　　Being born a wolfshifter, I was supposed to be like my sister—powerful. But when I turned thirteen and couldn't transition, I discovered that my body produced potent pheromones, attracting males around me uncontrollably. But they weren't that bad until I began to grow. It had never happened to anyone else. And sadly, I was deemed the first "cursed" she-wolf.

　　My body could go into heat quickly, and it was dangerous. The pendant has suppressed my pheromones, including my scent.

　　Now, without the pendant, I was left vulnerable, and in public no less.

　　"Relax, Kaira. No one's going to pick up your pheromones here," Reis reassured me as he pulled away, his eyes gleaming with desire.

　　He quickly discarded his jacket, ready to fulfill what he had always wanted. He had often expressed his desire to take my virginity when my body was in heat, the pheromones making him insatiable.

　　No!

　　I didn't see it as a blessing. It was most definitely a curse.

　　The realization hit me hard as he grabbed my wrists, pinning me against the wall. He wasn't going to stop tonight.

　　"You're mine now," he whispered in my ear, his hand slipping under my skirt, lifting it higher with each movement.

　　"After a long silence, I nodded, finally agreeing."

　　Reis's eyes darkened with hunger, I felt so naked in his lustful gaze. I didn't push him away; I couldn't. I was terrified he would leave if I said no again.

　　"There's no going back now, baby girl," he murmured, lips against my neck.

　　When it was over, I lay half-dressed on the cold ground, feeling raw and hollow. This wasn't how I imagined my first time, but at least I was having it with the man I loved.

　　Reis stood up quickly, putting on his clothes and checking his phone like nothing had happened. This was our special moment.

　　"I love you," I whispered, but he didn't give me a glance.

　　"Now it's our turn."

　　A sudden, familiar voice startled me, forcing Reis to finally look from his phone.