REJECTED BY THE ALPHA, CROWNED BY THE MOON

SAFFRON.

“Saffron!” A shrill yell echoed from the door.

I flinched, closing my eyes in a futile attempt to push out the noise. Oh Goddess, what the hell did she want now?

Three… Two… One… The countdown played out in my mind.

Right on cue, “You lousy Omega, what the fuck is this?” A sandwich slammed onto the counter in front of me, smearing across the flour-dusted surface. Bits of lettuce slid off the bread and hit the floor with a wet sound.

I didn’t look up right away. Just stared at it like it might explode. Then slowly, I dragged my eyes to the stunning blonde across from me.

Born of power and prestige, and blessed with an insanely pretty face—one I wouldn’t mind ripping off—she stood in front of me; the living incarnation of evil itself, Lilith Jones.

My tone was calm and flat, the type a person used when they were helplessly bored. “Your order.”

That did it.

Her expression twisted into something feral. Without warning, her hand shot out and clamped around my wrist, nails digging in.

"You call this food?" Lilith hissed. “Looks like it was made by a blind rat.”

Despite the pain, I didn't wince, merely staring at her with a blank expression. “Then maybe ask one to cook for you next time.”

The room went still and for a second, just one, there was silence. Then, the slap came. Sharp, open-palmed and ringing, it resounded through the entire room, triggering a few gasps.

Meanwhile, my head snapped to the side. The sting bloomed across my cheek, hot and immediate. I could taste blood on the insides of my cheek.

Someone chuckled behind Lilith. Probably Mara, one of her usual shadows. Laughter always followed violence here.

Lilith leaned in, her breath hot and sour with rage. “Keep talking, bitch. One day, Callahan will give me permission to rip that smart little mouth off your ugly face.”

Reaching out, she gripped my chin, whispering with a smile, “And maybe I'll finally put you out of your misery. I promise, no one will miss you. Not even the Goddess.”

My heart thudded once. Not from fear. Not anymore. Rather, it was from something worse. Something alive and restless inside me.

My wolf stirred uneasily beneath my skin, teeth bared behind my ribs, but I forced her down. Reacting would only make it worse.

Lilith didn’t notice. She never did. Either she was that oblivious or her senses were as useless as the space between her ears.

Pushing me back, she tossed the ruined sandwich onto the floor and turned on her heel. “Clean it up, filth. That's all you're good for anyway—scraping crumbs off our floor and stinking up our kitchen. Tch!”

The door slammed shut behind her. Crouching down, I picked the sandwich up, muttering under my breath, “Well, happy birthday to me.”

My life has always been pathetic. Heck, I doubted anyone had it worse than me.

I couldn’t tell what had been going through my parents’ heads when they named me after the Moon Goddess, Saffron.

What did they think? That throwing in a divine deity's name would change my destiny?

Well tough luck! In this world, wolves like me were lower than dirt, the stain on everyone's boots, always scrambling for the crumbs thrown at us.

I felt a stab of envy as I dumped the sandwich into the bin.

Vixens like Lilith got everything handed to them on a platter of gold. Status, beauty, protection… Literally an endless list of luxury and power.

Me? My parents were rogues, slaughtered when I was barely old enough to remember their faces.

The only reason I was still alive was because Alpha Roderick Woods, the former Alpha of the Bloodfang Pack, found me during one of his hunting sessions and brought me back.

Although the Pack never fully accepted me as one of their own, my life had been more tolerable during his reign and I didn't encounter a lot of problems.

Until his son, Callahan Woods, took over and my life became hell. Except, with a prettier face.

I wouldn’t say he despised me. That word was too soft. Too human. What Callahan felt for me was raw, pulsing and deep-seated hate.

Unlike his sadistic girlfriend, who made it her mission to remind me at every opportunity that I was nothing but trash they hadn’t crushed yet, he barely spoke to me.

Then again, he didn’t need to.

His silence was louder than any insult.

Every glare, every deliberate avoidance, every clipped command reeked of the same cold, calculated loathing and primal disgust.

Lately, though… He smelled different. Like cedar and cinnamon, a scent I couldn’t get out of my head, no matter how hard I tried.

But it didn’t matter. Now wasn’t the time to think about that. Today was my eighteenth birthday, the most important milestone in any wolf’s life.

Not only was I of age, but tonight, under the silver rays of the full moon, I’d finally learn who my mate was.

Sure, the odds were stacked against me and the idea of some prince charming dragging me out of this nightmare was laughable. Borderline delusional too. But hope still lived in me. Small, stubborn, and burning in defiance.

Which was why, ten hours later, I took my time getting ready for the moon rising. Every year, the Pack threw a bonfire to celebrate it.

The little black dress I had preserved for the occasion hugged every curve, barely there but impossible to ignore. After perfecting every other detail, I made my way towards the forest.

Wild flames crackled in the center of the clearing. The scent of burning pine and wolf musk thickened the air.

The bonfire roared as wolves laughed, drank, and paired off, hoping the Goddess would speak through the bond tonight.

Spotting Lilith in the distance, flanked by her usual crowd and draped in a burgundy gown that reeked of wealth and sin, I scowled.

My fingers twitched. Tonight was my turn. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless—too restless. She hadn’t been quiet all day, but now she practically howled.

Then the air shifted.

A presence entered the clearing, commanding and cold. The crowd quieted, parting like prey sensing a predator.

“Alpha Callahan!” Someone called out.

Tall and broad, power clung to him like a second skin. His golden eyes scanned the crowd like nothing here was worth his time.

Just then, he looked in my direction and that was when everything snapped. My knees buckled as a searing jolt ripped through my chest, raw and blinding.

“Mate!” My wolf screamed in my head.

But instead of sharing in her elation, I staggered backwards, feeling a whoosh of air leave my lungs at once. What sort of cruel joke was this?

Callahan’s stare turned murderous, the sheer hatred in his eyes making my blood freeze.

He stalked toward me, each step slow and deliberate. Meanwhile, the Pack watched, murmurs rising like smoke.

My breath hitched when he stopped in front of me, just inches away. Under the double assault of his overpowering aura and intoxicating scent, I couldn't even think.

Slowly, he leaned in, his voice low but every word hitting like a blade dipped in venom. “I reject you, Omega. I will never claim someone like you.”