Mia’s POV
My heart sank as I walked through the school gates. They were waiting for me – Aria and her pack of wolves, lounging against the brick wall like they owned it. After yesterday’s humiliation, I’d hoped Rolex’s warning might keep them away. I should have known better.
Being an Omega without a wolf was like wearing a target on my back. I could feel their strength from here, their wolves prowling just beneath the surface. Mine was still silent, probably as weak and useless as I was.
“Well, if it isn’t the Atwood charity case,” Aria called out, pushing off the wall. Her lip curled in disgust. “Did you really think having those stepbrothers would save you?”
I tried to walk past, keeping my head down, but two of her friends blocked my path. Their wolves’ power pressed against me, making my knees weak. This was what I hated most about being an Omega – the way stronger wolves could make me submit without even touching me.
“I asked you a question,” Aria growled, grabbing my arm. Her nails dug into my skin, drawing blood. “Or are you too good to answer now that you’re living with alphas?”
“Please,” I whispered, hating how weak I sounded. “I just want to get to class.”
She laughed, the sound sharp and cruel. “Oh, you’ll get to class. After you run some errands for us.”
They made me carry their bags, fetch their lunch, clean up their messes in the cafeteria. Each task designed to show everyone exactly where I belonged in the pack hierarchy – at the very bottom.
“Look at her,” someone whispered as I wiped up spilled milk on my hands and knees. “An Atwood on the floor where she belongs.”
“Probably why her mother left her,” another voice added. “Who’d want a wolfless omega for a daughter?”
The words cut deeper than any physical pain. Mom. Why did you leave me? Did you know I’d be this weak? This worthless?
By the time lunch ended, my uniform was stained and torn. But I still went to class, sliding into my seat at the back while pretending I couldn’t hear the snickers.
My hands shook as I tried to take notes, tears blurring the words on my page. I thought about my new family – four alpha brothers who probably saw me as just another burden. Another weak link to protect because they had to, not because they wanted to.
A note landed on my desk: “Wolfless freak. Go back to where you came from.”
I crumpled it in my fist, but the words were already burned into my mind. Where was I supposed to go? My mother abandoned me. My father never wanted me. And my new family… they made it clear I wasn’t welcome either.
The bruises from yesterday still ached, fresh ones already forming underneath. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the hollow ache in my chest. The desperate wish to be stronger, to have a wolf powerful enough to fight back.
“One day,” I whispered to myself, wiping away tears before anyone could see them fall. “One day I’ll be strong enough.”
But even as I said the words, I knew they were a lie. I was an Omega, born weak, destined to stay weak. No amount of wishing would change that.
The bell rang, signaling the end of another torturous day. As I gathered my things, trying to move quickly before Aria could find me again, I caught my reflection in the classroom window. Torn clothes, messy hair, eyes red from crying.
Is this what you wanted, Mom? When you left me for your new life, did you know this is what would happen? Or did you just not care?
I thought about Xavier’s words from this morning, how he and Rolex had claimed me as family in front of everyone. But where were they now? Probably relieved to be rid of me for a few hours, their weak little stepsister who couldn’t even defend herself.
My fingers traced the moon pendant around my neck – the only thing I had left from before my mother left. “Please,” I whispered to the Moon Goddess. “Please just make me stronger. Or at least show me why I have to be so weak.”
But as always, there was no answer. Just silence, broken only by the sound of approaching footsteps that made my heart race with fear.
Maybe this was my destiny – to be forever weak, forever alone. An Omega without a wolf, a daughter without a mother, a sister without a family.
The final bell rang like a death knell through the empty hallways. I hurried out, praying Aria and her friends had already left. My uniform was torn and dirty, my hair a mess from being shoved into lockers. All I wanted was to get home without anyone seeing me like this.
But Rolex was already waiting by his bike, his dark eyes finding mine instantly. I watched his expression change from impatience to anger as he took in my appearance.
“What the hell happened to you?” he demanded, crossing the distance between us in three long strides. His hands grabbed my shoulders, turning me to examine the damage. “Did they touch you again?”
I couldn’t meet his eyes. “It’s nothing.”
“Nothing?” His voice was deadly quiet. “Look at yourself, Mia. Your clothes are destroyed. You’re covered in dirt. What kind of werewolf are you, letting them treat you like this?”
His words stung more than any of today’s bruises. “What am I supposed to do?” I whispered, tears threatening to fall. “Fight back? Against alphas and betas when I’m just a weak omega?”
“You’re supposed to show some pride!” His fingers tightened on my shoulders. “You’re part of our family now. You can’t just-”
“I don’t have my wolf yet!” The words burst out before I could stop them. “I can’t feel her. I can’t hear her. I’m not like you or your brothers. I’m nothing but a weak, wolfless omega who-”
“Bullshit.” His eyes flashed gold with anger. “Even Omegas have wolves. Even they can fight.”
I shook my head, tears threatening to fall. “Not me. I… I don’t have my wolf yet. And even when I do, I’ll still be weak. That’s just how it is.”
His hand dropped from my chin like I’d burned him. “What do you mean you don’t have your wolf?”
“I haven’t shifted yet.” The admission made my cheeks burn with shame. “Mom says… said… I was a late bloomer. But I know the truth. I’m just defective.”
“You are my Mate.”
The word hung between us like a physical thing. My heart stopped.
“What?” I breathed, sure I’d heard him wrong.
Rolex’s eyes were intense, searching mine. “You’re my mate,” he said softly. “Don’t you feel it?”
The world tilted on its axis. Mate? How could I be his mate? He was my stepbrother. He hated me. He-