"He can't mate with this. Not my only pup!" Olivia, the mother of my mate, Darius, sneers, her brown eyes flickering with disgust as she yanks his arm from my grasp.

We're in the clearing not so far from the pack house where mating ceremonies are held, with the moon hanging over us like a dull bulb, casting long shadows over her face and making her look more menacing than she usually is.

"Heck, she can't mate anybody," someone else says from somewhere behind me.

Darius begins moving away from me, and I instinctively reach out to try to stop him, but he's too far from my grasp.

Around us, the pack stands in the clearing, their eyes glinting with satisfaction in the harsh silver light of the full moon.

"Darius..." I whisper, reaching out to him still, but his face hardens.

"You're nothing but the pack's shame," he says, his voice cold and cutting. "The daughter of a woman who threw away her destiny for a human."

"Do you have to remind me? She loved him and that's all that–"

"Look where that got her!" he snaps, cutting me off. His voice rises, echoing through the clearing. "The great Victoria, who should have been Alpha, reduced to nothing because she couldn't control her urges around a human. And now?" His gaze rakes over me, sharp and cruel. "You're her left over. An abomination who can't even shift.

Laughter ripples through the gathered pack, low and mocking. Smirks curl on their faces, while others stare openly, their disdain unmasked.

"I might not have a wolf," I whisper, struggling to steady my voice as the world spins around me, "but I'm still pack. I'm still—"

"You're still what?" Olivia cuts in, her laugh cruel and biting. "You think you belong here? You think Darius would mate with a human? You're a joke, Delilah. You're not one of us. You'll never be one of us. Being the alpha's niece doesn't give you special glory."

Her words rip through me like claws, sharp and relentless. My breath comes in shallow gasps, my vision blurring as the pain of the rejection settles deep in my chest.

I glance toward my uncle, Alpha Rowan, standing off to the side with his arms crossed. He doesn't intervene. He doesn't defend me.

His golden eyes—so much like my mother's—remain cold, distant, as though I'm nothing more than a stranger to him.

"Theo," I croak, my voice trembling as I turn to my cousin. He's always been the one to save me, to shield me from the pack's cruelty.

"Don't let them see you cry Lilah," he'd say. "You're already weak enough as it is, you don't have to be so pathetic all the time."

His methods weren't as friendly in public eyes, he'd always say that he didn't want the pack to see us getting along as he's going to be Alpha someday.

But behind close doors, he was different. He made me feel seen. He'd hear everything I had to say, even though it only lasted for few minutes every other day.

But now, even he doesn't move. His eyes meet mine, detached and distant. He tilts his head, watching me like I'm some pitiful creature he doesn't recognize.

Then, I feel a wave of anger. I'm fed up of this...I have been fed up for years, but now?

"I have swept your floors. I have mowed your lawns. I have scrubbed your bathrooms, year in, year out since my mother died," my voice is shaky, but it doesn't deter me. "Don't I deserve something in return?"

"Deserve what?" Darius chuckles. "Deserve me for being a good maid?"

The clearing thunders with laughs and snide remarks, and a fat glob of saliva lands a few inches away from my feet.

I ignore him, turning to my uncle again, letting the hot tears fall down my cheeks in torrents. "Don't I deserve to be happy at least? I'll still sweep the floors, I swear. But please, don't let him do this to me!"

He doesn't move.

"Theo, please," he cocks his head to the side, spreading his arms out slightly. It's a gesture he makes when he means to say, "we're in public. There's nothing I can do to help you now."

The ground beneath my feet feels like it's giving way, and I fight to stay standing, fight to hold onto the last scraps of my dignity.

But in this moment, with their mocking laughter echoing around me, all the anger suddenly deflates and I feel weaker than I've never felt.

I take a step back, and then another...and another, until I'm sprinting away from them, their laughter growing quieter as I move.

My feet carry me on instinct, away from the clearing, away from the humiliation, away from Darius.

Branches snag at my dress as I plunge into the forest, the rough fabric tearing in places. The cool night air bites at my exposed skin, but I welcome the sting.

Anything is better than the suffocating shame.

A low growl stops me in my tracks.

I freeze, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it might burst. The sound comes again, this time from my left.

Slowly, I turn my head, my eyes scanning the darkness. Shadows shift and coalesce, and then I see them.

Rogues.

Their eyes glow in the moonlight, feral and wild. There are four of them, each one larger and more menacing than the last. My stomach drops, and a wave of cold terror washes over me.

"Well, well," one of them purrs, his voice a low rasp. "What's a little human doing out here all alone?"

I take a step back, my hands trembling. My throat is too tight to speak.

Another steps forward, his grin revealing sharp teeth. "Maybe she got lost. Poor thing."

"She smells like a pack wolf," a third one growls. "But no wolf in her. She's weak."

Their laughter is cruel, and I know what's coming. They don't see me as a person. To them, I'm nothing but prey.

I've never been able to defend myself from the constant bullying in my pack, even when it gets physical. Who says I can help myself now?

I turn and run.

Branches whip against my face as I sprint through the trees.

But it's no use.

The rogues are faster.

I trip, falling hard against the ground.

The first rogue reaches me, his hand lashing out to grab my arm. I cry out as his claws dig into my skin, but before he can pull me closer, a blur of motion slams into him.

The rogue yelps, his grip on me breaking as he's thrown to the ground. I stare, wide-eyed, as a man...no, a wolf...no...he doesn't look like the others back at moonhaven.

What is he?

He steps between me and the remaining rogues. He meets my eye for a split second and he's moving to attack again.

He moves with lethal precision, his hands and claws a blur as he takes them down, one by one.

It's over in seconds.

The last rogue collapses, blood pooling beneath him. The man straightens, his chest heaving as he turns to face me. He's human now, I can see that much in the dark.

His eyes glow silver, and I feel their weight as they lock onto mine.

I open my mouth to thank him, but the words die in my throat.

He's on me in an instant, his movements so fast I barely have time to react. His hands grip my arms, firm but not painful, and he pulls me to my feet

"Let me—"

He doesn't let me finish. He scoops me up as if I weigh nothing, his arms cradling me against his chest.

"Hey! Put me down!" I struggle, but it's no use. His grip is unyielding, and his expression is unreadable.

He carries me to a black car parked just off the dirt path. The door is already open, and he shoves me inside unceremoniously.

"Wait—"

He slams the door shut, cutting off my protest. A moment later, he's in the driver's seat, the engine roaring to life.

The car lurches forward, speeding through the forest as if the trees themselves are chasing us.

I press myself against the door, my heart hammering in my chest. "Who the hell are you?"

He turns far enough so I can see only his right eye. "You'll find out soon enough," he says, then he turns like the conversation never happened.