AFTER REJECTION: THE OMEGA RISES

Looking at myself one last time in the mirror, I turned to my friend Anita with a smile on my face, but my happiness didn’t mirror hers, as she had a frown on her face.

“Please, don’t tell me it's bad news. Today is my mating ceremony.” Anita slowly nodded at my words.I watched as she clenched her phone, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“You might want to see this.” She said, handing me her phone.

The bold headline striking me like a lightning bolt:

“Alpha Darius Announces His Wedding to Selene Darkmoor.”

The phone nearly slipped from my grasp. My hands trembled, fury and disbelief bubbling beneath the surface. “This… this must be a joke,” I whispered, but Anita’s silence told me otherwise.

Without another word, I rushed from the room, heart pounding, claws threatening to burst from my fingertips. The mating ceremony, the one meant for me and Darius, was already underway. I didn’t stop running until I reached the grand hall, pushing through the crowd. The scent of pine and frost filled the air—a scent I used to love because it reminded me of him.

And there he was. On stage. Kissing her.

Applause echoed through the room, but I barely heard it over the roaring in my ears. My knees locked, my vision blurred with tears, yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the betrayal unfolding before me. My mate. My Darius. With her.

I didn’t cry or cause a scene. Instead, I quietly sought him out, desperate for an explanation. But I was told that he had just left.

My heart broke under the weight of betrayal, but I pushed the pain aside. I needed answers. Desperation made me search the crowd, but whispers told me Darius was already gone.

Outside the hall, I saw him by his car, helping Selene into the passenger seat. His arm around her felt like a dagger to my chest. Anger and heartbreak surged as I called his name, but the roar of his engine drowned my voice. The car sped off before I could reach them.

A cab idled nearby, and without thinking, I jumped in, ordering the driver to follow. Though hesitant, he must have heard the desperation in my voice. We raced after them, but Darius's car sped ahead, weaving through traffic. My pulse matched the rhythm of the engine as I begged the driver to go faster.

Then everything changed. Blinding light filled my vision, and a deafening crash jolted me forward. The cab spun wildly, tumbling over a guardrail before plunging into freezing water. The impact knocked the air from my lungs as icy water rushed in. Pain flared in my chest, and blood trickled down my forehead.

I turned to the driver, but he wasn’t moving. Panic clawed at me, but I forced myself to focus. I tried mindlinking Darius, but silence met my calls for help. Tears blurred my vision as the water rose, leaving me gasping for air.

Spotting the shattered window, I fought against the crushing pressure of the water, clawing my way through the jagged opening. Pain barely registered as I focused on escaping. The car sank deeper, the light above fading. My body screamed for air, but I pushed on, breaking free into the icy void.

I grabbed the driver’s door, hoping to pull him out, but my strength was gone. With no choice, I kicked toward the surface, lungs burning as I swam upward. The night sky greeted me at last as I gasped for air. Waves battered me, but I stayed afloat, clinging to life.

Just as exhaustion took over, I saw someone swimming toward me. “Save the driver,” I muttered before darkness claimed me.