Chapter 1

The fading light of the evening cast long shadows on the narrow streets as Zephyr trudged home. The weight of another gruelling day at the pack's hospital pressed down on his shoulders. He had taken the job out of necessity, not passion, but it paid enough to keep a roof over his and his mother’s heads. They had never had much, not since being cast out of the pack all those years ago.

As he approached the door of the modest apartment, a sense of unease prickled at the edge of his senses. The air was still, too still, and the faint scent of cologne, a scent that wasn’t his, hung in the air. Zephyr’s brow furrowed as he placed his hand on the doorknob.

Pushing the door open, he stepped inside, expecting to be greeted by the familiar quiet of his home. Instead, muffled voices drifted towards him, along with soft laughter. He froze, his heightened wolf senses caught up in the sound.

The voices were coming from the bathroom.

A knot formed in Zephyr’s chest as he recognised Lily’s voice. His mate. His girlfriend of two years, the lady who had promised him love and loyalty. But it wasn’t her laughter that twisted the knife in his heart. It was the deep, mocking tone of the man with her.

Ryker.

Zephyr’s jaw tightened, his stomach knotted, and his wolf growled inside of him. It wasn’t only about Lily cheating on him, but the fact she was with Ryker, his cousin, the one person he couldn't stand. Lily knew this and yet she went ahead to break him.

“You should’ve seen his face,” Ryker sneered. “So pathetic. He still thinks he has a place here in the Crescent Moon pack, like the pack will ever accept him.”

Lily’s laugh was light and cruel. “I feel bad for his mum, though. Can you imagine how desperate she must’ve been to keep him? She should’ve stood by your father. Take her place in the royal family and leave Zephyr to fend for himself.”

Tears pricked in Zephyr’s eyes at hearing Lily’s cold words. He groaned. His wolf was hurting. Its claws tried to break free from his fingertips. But Zephyr restrained himself.

Letting his wolf out could cost Lily her life, and that won't be of any good to either of them. There was nothing he could do. He still loves her and he thought Lily loved him too, but she turned out like the rest of the pack who see him as a nuisance.

Zephyr held back his tears. His heart fell silent knowing he had lost his mate to Ryker. He took a deep breath, his wolf hurting as he turned to leave, but then Ryker spoke up again.

“Don’t even get me started on his mother,” Ryker sneered, his voice dripping with malice. “The woman who threw away her legacy to shack up with some enemy rogue? Pathetic. She thought love was worth betraying her own pack, her own family. And for what? To end up in a filthy apartment, raising a bastard pup who can’t even shift properly?”

Lily giggled, cold and biting. “You have to admit, it’s kind of tragic. She could have been a queen.”

“A queen?” Ryker let out a scornful laugh. “Please. Queens have strength, loyalty, pride. She has none of that. She’s nothing but a w***e who couldn’t keep her legs closed. My father offered her everything. Power, status, family. But no, she threw it all away for some fleeting fling. Now she’s just a cautionary tale. A lesson to anyone who dared choose their heart over their duty.”

Zephyr’s nails dug into his palms, his wolf snarling inside him. But Ryker wasn’t finished. He jiggled, his tone turning cold and cutting. “Honestly, she’s lucky she wasn’t executed for treason. If it were up to me, she’d be rotting in the dirt where traitors belong.”

Zephyr’s chest heaved, his breath coming in ragged gasps as their words tore through him. He wanted to walk away, to avoid the confrontation that was sure to end in disaster. But the insult to his mother was too much. He couldn’t let it stand.

With a growl rising in his throat, Zephyr stormed down the hallway and kicked the bathroom door open. The wood splintered under his boot, swinging inward. It revealed Lily and Ryker, wrapped in towels. Their expressions shifted from surprise to annoyance.

“Zephyr!” Lily shrieked, clutching her towel to her chest. “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” Zephyr snarled, his voice low and shaking. “What are you doing? Insulting my mother in my home?”

Ryker stepped forward, a smirk playing on his lips. He didn’t even bother to hide his disdain. “Calm down, pup. This isn’t your home. It’s just a place you and your mother squat in until someone decides you’re not worth the trouble any more.”

Zephyr’s fists clenched at his sides. “Get out,” he growled, his voice trembling with barely restrained rage. “Both of you.”

Lily laughed, a sharp, bitter sound that cut through the tension like a blade. “You don’t get to give orders, Zephyr. You never did. You’re nothing, just a broken little wolf clinging to scraps.”

“That's right, Zephyr,” Ryker snarled, leaning close to Zephyr’s face. “I am the son of your Alpha. Unlike you, the bastard baby resulting from your mother's filth, so you better show me some respect.”

Something inside Zephyr snapped. With a roar, he swung at Ryker, his fist connecting with the other man’s jaw. The impact sent Ryker staggering back, but the smirk on his face never faltered.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Ryker said, straightening himself.

Before Zephyr could react, Ryker lunged at him, his movements swift and brutal. Zephyr fought back with all he had. But Ryker was stronger. His strikes were more precise. It wasn't long before Zephyr was on the floor. His hand bent at an unnatural angle. Pain radiating up his arm.

Ryker loomed over him, victorious and smug. “This is why you’ll never amount to anything,” he sneered. “You don’t have the strength, the bloodline, or the courage to survive in our world. You are an Omega filth.”

Zephyr tried to push himself up, but Ryker’s boot pressed down on his chest, pinning him in place.

“Stay down,” Ryker said, his tone dripping with contempt. “It’s where you belong.”

The pain in Zephyr’s chest was nothing compared to the fire raging inside him. He clenched his unbroken hand into a fist, his nails digging into his palm as he glared up at Ryker. He wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of begging.

Lily, now dressed, stood in the doorway, her arms crossed. “Let’s go, Ryker. He’s not worth it.”

Ryker smirked one last time, leaning down to meet Zephyr’s eyes. “You should thank me,” he said. “I’m doing you a favor, showing you what you really are, a loser.”

The two left, Ryker’s laughter echoing down the hallway as the door slammed shut behind them.

Zephyr lay there in silence, his body aching, his pride shattered. His breath hitched as the weight of their betrayal settled over him. For years, he had endured the scorn of the pack, the whispered slurs, the isolation. But this—this was worse.

His gaze drifted to the vine-wood bracelet on his wrist, the heirloom his mother had given him. It had always been a source of comfort, a reminder of the lineage he barely understood. But now, as his blood seeped into the carved grooves, the bracelet began to glow faintly.

A deep hum filled the air, resonating through Zephyr’s body. The pain in his hand and chest dulled, replaced by a strange warmth that spread through his veins. His vision blurred. The world around him faded. Images flashed before his eyes: a dense forest under a blood moon. A wolf's howl echoing in the night, and a towering figure with glowing amber eyes staring down at him.

The warmth turned to searing heat, and Zephyr cried out.