Tomorrow is my bonding ceremony with my mate.

Luke is about to become Beta of his pack, and he promised he would publicly claim me in front of everyone. Tomorrow.

The thought of the pack watching me, of my father finally having to admit I was worthy of standing beside a man like Luke… for the first time in twenty years, the crushing weight and endless humiliation felt a little lighter.

I wanted to surprise him tonight. I finished work early, crossed half the town, and went straight to his apartment.

But the second I pushed open the half-closed bedroom door, my blood turned to ice.

There was Luke, completely naked, pinning a woman beneath him.

"Luke… why won't you just reject Lena? That disgusting omega," the woman moaned. "You only want me."

I froze. It was her—my stepsister. The person who hated me most in this world.

"Of course you're the only one I want," Luke panted, voice rough. "But to become Beta, I have to give the pack an heir first. It's tradition. I don't have a choice."

"That stupid girl insists on waiting until the bonding ceremony before she lets me touch her." He let out a mocking laugh. "I agreed, obviously. I've got you, Lily. A real, strong she-wolf."

That "stupid girl" was me. My nails dug into my palms until they bled. The pain told me this wasn't a nightmare.

"Ugh, you're really going to mark that filthy thing?" Lily said in disgust, climbing on top of him. "She'll ruin your reputation. Omegas are like cockroaches—you can never get rid of them."

"Mark her?" Luke laughed coldly. "I would never mark an omega. She's just a breeding tool. Once she gives me a pup, I'll throw her out."

"Oh my God." Lily laughed with satisfaction as she straddled him. "She's probably still dressing up right now, dreaming about the pack finally accepting her tomorrow. I can't wait to see her face."

I couldn't believe it. Luke had betrayed me.

My head spun like I'd been punched. The floor felt like it had dropped out from under me.

I bit my lip hard to keep the tears from falling. My mother was an omega—my father's fated mate. I was born with that stain. No matter how sincere or kind I was, in this pack I would always be treated like a criminal. I was supposed to bow my head and feel ashamed for simply existing as an omega. And even then, my father still found reasons to raise the whip.

When I was fourteen, Luke came to Blue Ridge Pack for warrior training. I showed him the way to the training ground. He said he wanted to thank me, and started bringing me food every time after that.

That was all I needed. After my stepmother arrived, my life was nothing but beatings and hunger.

But Luke bandaged my wounds and brought me hot meals. He told me that once he became Beta, he would never let anyone hurt me again.

Then the Moon Goddess finally remembered me. At eighteen, during the mating feast between our two packs, we discovered we were fated mates. I was overjoyed—I thought my suffering was finally over. I thought light had finally broken through.

For him, I stayed. I kept enduring my father, the pack, all of it.

Now the truth crashed over me like sewage, choking me. Every promise, every sliver of hope I had clung to—all of it had been a lie.

I pushed the door open.

Luke was on the couch, pants around his ankles, Lily straddling him.

"Lena?!" He jerked upright.

Lily looked over at me without a trace of panic. She calmly slid off him. "Oh, Lena. Did you really think someone could ever love an omega like you?" she mocked. "You should feel honored—sharing a man with me is more than you deserve."

"Get out," I snarled.

Lily laughed softly and moved toward the door, then paused to glance back. "Oh—that little room of yours in the manor? I'm turning it into my closet. Just so you know."

That tiny room with its single bed was the only space I had left. And now she wanted that too.

I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to cave that pretty face in. But there was only one thing I wanted right now—to sever the bond with Luke.

"Almost forgot." Lily paused at the door, flashing a sweet smile. "Can you even afford a dress for tomorrow? I'd lend you one, but—" she shrugged, "—skip it and the pack'll pass you around like a toy. Daddy'll make sure of that."

My hand flew up. Luke lunged forward and grabbed my wrist. "Lena, listen to me!"

She left.

I looked back at Luke—the face I once thought would be my safe haven. Now it only made me sick.

"I, Lena, reject Luke—"

"No! Lena, listen to me!" He lunged forward, grabbing my arm and slamming me against the wall.

"What is there to listen to?" My voice shook. "I heard everything. Every damn word. I was just your stepping stone to Beta."

"What's wrong with that?" He gripped my wrist tighter, his expression completely entitled. "You're just an omega, Lena. I'm giving you a chance—mother of a Beta's pup. Food, shelter, a clean place to live—"

"Clean?" I let out a sharp laugh. "This place reeks, Luke. You reek." I yanked free and slapped him hard across the face. "I reject you. I will always reject you."

The bond shattered inside my chest like something tearing loose. My vision blurred. I clenched my teeth, forced myself upright, and ran.

I refused to break down in front of him. Not ever.

The moment I hit the street, the tears came. I wiped them away and kept walking.

I headed toward the Alpha's manor. Tonight, I would leave Blue Ridge Pack for good. My best friend would take me in. My father had always seen me as a mistake—he should be glad I was finally gone.

As soon as I stepped inside, I saw my stepmother Celia on the living room sofa, composed and unhurried, like she'd been waiting for a show she already knew the ending to.

She knew. Of course she knew. Every bit of this had been planned.

"Well, well. I thought this little parasite would slink away in shame." She sneered. "Didn't expect you to come crawling back."

Little parasite. She'd never given me a cent in twenty years, and she'd never once called me by my name. None of that mattered anymore. I wouldn't have to endure it much longer.

"Celia, I need to see my father," I said, keeping my voice level. "Now. It's important."

"Oh? Going to tattle about what Lily did?" Her tone dripped with contempt. "Save it. The Moon Goddess made a small mistake pairing you with a Beta. The real mates corrected it. That's called fate."

"Celia." I held her gaze. "Don't dress up your own filth as a gift from fate. It's pathetic."

"You little—" She shot to her feet, hand already raised, but my father's voice cut through from the top of the stairs.

"Lena. You're back just in time."

I paused. He hated me. He should have wanted me gone. I didn't bother guessing what he was playing at.

"Dad," I said evenly, looking up at him. "I need your permission to sever my bond with Blue Ridge Pack."

He stopped on the stairs, staring down at me. "Leave the pack? Where exactly do you think you'd go?"

"I didn't think you'd care," I said coldly.

"Care?" He roared. "I would never waste a single thought on an omega who shames my bloodline!"

"Then sever the bond, Alpha Foster." I held his gaze and didn't flinch. "That's all I'm asking."

"Oh thank the Goddess, this house will finally be rid of that omega stench!" Celia crowed from behind me. "Alpha, just say yes. Our reputation has suffered enough because of her!"

"No." My father's voice was iron. "I won't have an omega wandering loose and disgracing this pack."

"Then where are you sending me?" I asked. I already felt the answer coming.

He looked at me the way you'd look at something you needed to get rid of.

"Blood Moon Pack. Alpha Dominic needs a breeder."

My blood ran cold.

Alpha Dominic. That name was used to frighten children in every pack across the region. They said no she-wolf had ever walked out of his tower alive.

My father was selling me to a monster.