The Rejected Omega is mine

“Follow my lead.” Lucas ordered.

I inhaled deeply before falling behind his steps. My wolf jumped gleefully at the sight and near proximity of our mate, but unease sat pretty in the pit of my stomach. Something just doesn't feel right.

Walking into the ballroom, I was greeted by the sight of the pack members deeply engrossed in light talks and clink of champagne glasses. Not a single gaze was directed towards me. I was invisible. Even at my mating ceremony?

“Follow me, and don't say a word.” Lucas' voice interrupted my train of thoughts again.

I swallowed hard and nodded, increasing my pace to match his long strides. Slowly maneuvering the crowd, we got to the stage where the Alpha and Luna sat on their royal chairs.

“Is she the one?” Alpha Kilian asked Lucas.

“Yes dad,” Lucas replied. “I didn't want to do anything behind-the-scenes, so I brought her to the mating ceremony.”

What's going on here? I thought to myself as my eyes darted between father and son.

“Sit here,” Alpha Kilian's voice dripped with every bit of disdain as he pointed at a wooden footstool by the corner.

Confused, I nodded obediently and began heading towards my ‘royal seat’, but Lucas' voice over the microphone made me freeze in my tracks.

“Good evening everyone, without wasting much of your time, I'm glad to announce that I've found my mate…”

My heart skittered into overdrive as a feeling of pride washed over my body. I was finally getting a dose of goodness and my life is about to change for the better.

“Dear members of the Lorentz pack, it is with pride that I announce my mate, who is none other than…”

Lucas' voice blended into my ear drums like a melodic symphony and involuntarily, I found my legs moving towards the spotlight where Lucas stood in his full glory.

“...Also, I hereby reject April Gortham as my mate as she is unfit for the status of a Luna of this prestigious pack. Hence, I choose Natasha Dunches as my mate!”

Icicles flooded my veins as I froze at the spot with my eyes wide open. Lucas didn't announce me as his mate. He'd intentionally invited me here to publicly reject and embarrass me!

A high-pitched alarm set off in my head, and my breath hitched in my throat as I watched Natasha's slender figure make her way to the spotlight. Lucas smiled broadly and placed a loving kiss on Natasha’s lips, while his left hand snaked around her lower back.

With a clapping and standing ovation, the pack members cheered on Lucas and Natasha, completely ignoring my presence on the stage. When the ovation died down, Lucas turned to my direction, a dangerous smile playing at the corner of his lips.

“I know you feel bad, April, but can't you see that you don't fit into my status quo?”

A scornful smile tugged at Natasha’s lips as she tightened her grip on Lucas' arm. She'd known from the start that Lucas would reject me.

“Well, I have an offer for you,” Lucas smirked. “Since you're unfit for the role of a Luna, I'll give you a befitting role.”

“Don't do this please!” my wolf cried.

No, no, no, no….I begged internally, but Lucas' next words shattered my essence of existence.

“You, omega April Gortham, will become a palace maiden eunuch, and tend to my Luna,” Lucas spat out. “...and that's final!”

•••••

I let out a tired sigh as I slouched onto my bare spring bed, sniffling as I wiped my puffy eyes. I've endured all the humiliation meted out to me by the pack members, but being publicly rejected by my mate was the apex of it all. Pain jabbed relentlessly in my heart and fresh tears began to pour down my face.

Rejecting me wasn't enough for Lucas, he went as far as labelling me as a maiden eunuch, smashing all my hopes of finding happiness in another mate.

“You're being loud with those sobs,” a redhead who lay crumpled by the corner snorted. “There's nothing special about people like us. Deal with it and move on fast.”

“I am different!” I fired back, a surge of anger coursing my veins.

“If that makes you sleep at night,” the redhead sighed and turned her face to the wall. “Being an omega is already hell, but being a cursed omega?”

Her words drove a thousand pins into my already broken heart and a fresh burst of emotions flamed through my chest—it wasn't self-loathing, nor pity.

A wave of righteous anger crashed over me, pushing me up to my feet. Boldly, I moved towards the door, grabbing the door knob and throwing the door open. Stepping outside the maidservant quarters, I slammed the door with a new found strength.

“Bitch!” I heard the redhead curse loudly.

The biting cold night wind did little to douse the volcano of anger bubbling inside me. I am done!

“I can't continue living like this,” I muttered under my breath.

Without sparing a glance at the palace doors behind me, I let my feet pound hard against the damp, cold soil. Henceforth, I'm going to survive and live on my own terms, and with that unbridled determination, I ran…