The pain didn't stop.
Nyra lay on the cold ground long after the crowd had begun to disappear. Laughter, whispers, footsteps—they all faded into the distance, leaving behind a silence that felt heavier than the rejection itself.
Her chest burned.
Every breath felt wrong.
Like something inside her had been torn out… and left bleeding.
"Pathetic."
The word drifted through the night.
Nyra didn't look up.
She didn't have the strength to.
Footsteps circled her slowly, deliberately.
"She really thought the Alpha would accept her?" another voice sneered. "An omega with no wolf? That's embarrassing."
A sharp kick landed against her side.
Pain shot through her body, but she didn't cry out.
She couldn't.
"Get up," one of them mocked. "Or is the rejection too much for you?"
Laughter followed.
Cold. Cruel.
Nyra's fingers dug into the dirt beneath her, nails breaking as she tried to hold on to something—anything—to keep herself from falling apart completely.
Weak.
Kael's voice echoed in her head.
I do not accept weakness.
Something twisted deep inside her chest.
Not pain.
Not sadness.
Something else.
Something darker.
Her breathing slowed.
The pain didn't disappear…
It changed.
It became heat.
Burning.
Spreading.
Alive.
Nyra's eyes snapped open.
A strange energy surged through her veins, sharp and electric, like lightning trapped beneath her skin.
"What…?" she whispered.
Her vision blurred for a second—
Then sharpened.
Too sharp.
She could hear everything.
The rustling of leaves.
The uneven breathing of the wolves behind her.
Even their heartbeats.
Fast. Nervous.
"Did you see that?" one of them muttered.
"Her eyes—"
Nyra pushed herself up slowly.
Her body trembled, but not from weakness anymore.
From power.
Something was rising inside her… something that had been buried for years.
And now—
It was waking up.
"Stay back," one of them said suddenly.
Fear.
Nyra heard it clearly.
She lifted her head.
The world looked different.
Darker.
Sharper.
Clearer.
Her gaze locked onto them—and for the first time—
They stepped back.
"Her eyes…" one whispered.
"They're glowing…"
Nyra froze.
Glowing?
She raised a shaking hand to her face.
Something felt… wrong.
No.
Different.
The air around her pulsed faintly, reacting to her presence.
Her heartbeat slowed.
Calm.
Too calm.
A low sound echoed in her mind.
Not a voice.
Not exactly.
But something close.
Finally…
Nyra's breath hitched.
"Who's there?" she whispered, her eyes darting around.
No one answered.
But she felt it.
Deep inside her.
Watching.
Waiting.
Awake.
"W-what are you?" one of the wolves stammered, stepping back again.
Nyra didn't answer.
She didn't know.
But for the first time in her life—
She didn't feel weak.
She took a step forward.
They flinched.
Another step.
They retreated further.
Fear filled their eyes.
And something inside her…
Liked it.
Suddenly—
A sharp pain exploded in her chest.
Nyra gasped, dropping to her knees as the strange energy inside her surged wildly, out of control.
It was too much.
Too fast.
Her body couldn't handle it.
"Make it stop…" she choked, clutching her chest.
The glow in her eyes flickered violently.
The air trembled—
Then went still.
Everything stopped.
Silence.
Nyra collapsed forward, her body hitting the ground as darkness swallowed her whole.