Katana's POV
Damien's car kicked up a dusty whirlwind, the exhaust shadowing behind, and a coolness ran down my backbone.
My mum, in a panic, pinched her eyes shut and opened them. We exchanged silent looks watching the Alpha's car drive down the road, and gradually disappeared into the distance.
"I'm not sure what to make of Damien's behavior," Mom trailed off, pulling on her scarf. "Do you think we're in trouble?"
I shrugged, picking a smooth rock. "I don't know, Mum, but I have a feeling he's blaming me for his aunt's death, which is shocking, right?"
My mum lowered her voice to a whisper. "What if it's true? Maybe your blood…"
I flinched, uncomfortable with her statement.
"She was sick when we came in, Mum. I can't believe you are agreeing with that foolish assumption," I grumbled, breathing out to calm my nerves. "You should be glad that I made it out alive and safe. Can we head to the tent?"
My mum shot me a nasty look, shaking her hand in displeasure. "Child, you stink of selfishness. Do you realize how powerful Damien is? He can wipe us out in an instant."
I sighed heavily, trying not to offend her after all the stress I'd put her through. "It's not my fault, Mum," I said with a calmer tone. "I didn't point a gun at his head while he helped me, did I? Can we just go?"
She raised her hands in mock resignation, and we headed to the camp while I tried to push the thoughts of Damien away from my mind.
A heaviness gripped my chest, troubled with guilt for Hera's death. She had been my savior, and now, she was dead.
All because of me.
Now she was going to pass into my dreams and appear in my visions because I had a destructive gift of seeing ghosts and unsettling creatures.
Everything happened in a flash, and till this moment, I still couldn't believe that Damien lifted me off the hospital bed and drove like a madman to her house.
Despite Damien's aunt dying, I felt no pity for him. He was my mate, and I'd have died because of his refusal to bite me.
What if his aunt's bite hadn't saved me? I'd have been the dead one. My mum thought I was ungrateful but didn't realize I was hurting.
My mate was ashamed of me. Was that supposed to cause me any joy?
The moment we got nearer to the omega tents, I forced myself to forget about Damien when I saw my loved ones running toward me.
For the first time in days, the darkness that had stayed for days broke and I felt a rush of true gladness. I was alive for the first time in what seemed like an eternity as I was surrounded by warm hugs.
"Katana!" Zayn's voice squeezed with excitement. He swept me up in a fierce embrace, kissing my face. "I'm so happy!"
My wolf was irritated because Zayn wasn't our mate, but I let my human side calm it down. I gave a nod, my voice trembling as I tried to speak. "I'm here," I chuckled, reassuring both myself and my troubled wolf. "I'm here."
"We missed you so much," Laura, Zayn's mum, hugged me tightly.
Amy, my energetic best friend, almost gave Laura a heart attack when she rushed towards me and pulled me fiercely into a bear hug.
"Oh my god, Kat! I almost died! I cried like a mourner yesterday. My friend…I'm so happy."
I laughed at her joyful gesticulation, feeling warmth and happiness wash over me.
"So, what's been going on while I was away? Any gossip?"
"I'll fill you in," she laughed. "You won't believe it, but Derek and Ryla were caught going at it like rabbits last night. Can you even imagine?" She shook her head at the insanity.
My hand flew to my mouth to suppress my laughter. "Ew! Aren't they too old to have sex?"
"See why you're my bestie. We think alike!"
"Well, I guess love knows no bounds," I joked. We chatted and gossiped, but when Zayn joined us, Amy walked away.
At night, the bonfire blazed brightly, casting a soft glow over the crowd of people dancing to the beat of the local drums, and the sound of laughter and chatter filled the air.
I made my way through the crowd. Zayn's breath fanned my ear as he gave me a lustful smile, beckoning me over with a nod of his head. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was a good idea to sneak away with him.
He laced his fingers with mine and stroked my arms sensuously, and I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the nagging voice in the back of my head.
Zayn pulled me away from the party, towards his room. Once we were alone, he turned to me, swung me into the circle of his arms, and buried his face against my throat, kissing me.
Something inside me froze up. My wolf growled with irritation, yelling inside my head to stop kissing him and walk away.
Before I met the alpha, I didn't have any problems with kissing Zayn, but something had shifted, and I could tell.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped back, shifting from foot to foot, and trying to find the words to explain myself.
"What's wrong, love?" Zayn stared at me.
"I don't know," I shook my head. "I… I can't do this," my voice wavered.
His face hardened. Biting my lips, I looked away.
"Why? I've been painfully patient with you. Why are you treating me like I'm a piece of shit?"
I inhaled a deep breath. "Zayn, please, let's not fight."
"Are you rejecting me because of the alpha? Do you think that shitty bastard will accept you?"
He broke into a mocking laughter. "He couldn't even bite you. Get your head out of the clouds and be realistic."
Grunting, he walked away, and my breathing calmed. Zayn's temper was scary, and his words were like a slap on my face. He was bitterly right.
The rest of the night passed in a blur of music and laughter. I sat on the mat, surrounded by the glow of the bonfire and the chatter from my fellow omegas.
Our mothers were dishing out food for us, a combined feast that revealed our close bond and supportive community. Despite our poverty, we were happy.
Amy sat beside me, her frown deepening as she noticed my sad mood.
"What's wrong, Kat?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. "Are you still feeling sick?"
I shook my head, forcing a small smile. "No, I'm fine."
Amy wasn't convinced. "You look sad. What's bothering you?"
I paused, wondering how to answer her question. I couldn't tell her about Damien and the source of my conflicting emotions. I shouldn't even be thinking about him, let alone entertaining feelings for him.
"It's nothing," I lied, trying to brush off her concerns.
But Amy wasn't one to let things go easily. She narrowed her eyes and fixed me with a serious gaze. "You can talk to me, you know that, right?"
I let out a deep sigh, feeling the burden of my secret crushing down on me. But I knew I couldn't share it with her, not yet at least. I needed to figure out these feelings on my own
So I smiled and focused on the food, trying to push Damien to the back of my mind.
Hours later, I was lying on our mattress, side by side with my mum, staring up at the ceiling. The room was quiet except for the occasional hoot of an owl outside the window. My mum and I were lost in our thoughts.
"I don't know what I would've done if I lost you," my mum broke the silence. "Although I feel scared that Damien would punish us eventually."
I could feel my heart racing, fear threatening to take over. I tried to suppress it, taking a deep breath. "I don't think so. If he were so cruel, he wouldn't have bothered helping me."
"I pray you're right," my mum said.
We were silent again. After a few moments, my mum spoke up again. "It doesn't look like he'll accept you as his mate. What are you going to do?"
I shrugged, trying to hide the pain I felt deep down. "I don't mind," I tried to sound uninterested. "I'm alive and well. We're never going to be together, and I don't have to see him again."
I didn't want to think about Damien, but the truth was, it hurt that I would never be with my mate.
I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind, not wanting my heart to occupy the pain. Meeting Damien was an awakening exp
erience. Despite my sickness, something connected in my mind. A raging beast of need was in my body that excited and scared me.
Katana The midnight fever descended on me, transporting me to another world full of scary ghosts, shadows, and a darkness that was just waiting to pounce upon me. This time around, I found myself in a forest haunted by ghosts of all ages, sizes, and types, kidnapping my mind and taking control of my body. I could hear their footsteps crunching over the ground behind me like a herd of hungry predators. My lungs constricted so tightly it felt as though they were going to explode A worrying dizziness almost knocked me to the ground and I realized with a shiver of panic that they were closer than I thought. Trembling at the haunting and fearful images of the moonlight casting shadows of skeletons that came to life, I screamed. The smell of death, chilled mist, and another strange smell my nose had no idea about rammed inside my nose, stinging and drowning my lungs. "Somebody help me!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. My voice echoed back and tall trees rose out of the earth, bru
Damien We gathered around Aunt Hera's final resting place, with a dark cloud of sorrow hanging above us. The cemetery was so quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind and occasional mournful sniffles. I stood at the front of the grave, feeling lost and alone. It was upsetting to see Aunt Hera inside the casket, lifeless. We each held bunches of flowers as we stood in silence, paying our final respects. Penelope, Aunt Hera's adopted daughter, wept uncontrollably. I wrapped an arm around her, trying to comfort her as best I could. The mourners were gloomy. Leo, Isadora, and Anysia stood beside me. Xena and her husband held each other, with Xena sniffing into her handkerchief. My heart ached with grief. I remembered all the good times I had with Aunt Hera – her warm smile and infectious laugh, her meals that filled me, and her words of encouragement. "Being an Alpha is a giant responsibility," she'd always say. "Always remember to keep your friends close and your enemies
Katana I stood there, silent with my mouth opening and closing like a fish, not having an answer to his question. Zayn shook his head and scoffed. "You like him, don't you?" "Come on, Zayn, what is wrong with you? Can you stop making this more difficult than it is," I said, exasperated and tired of his accusations because my stupid wolf was mocking me. "Rules are rules, Zayn. Damien doesn't like me, and you shouldn't beat yourself up over him. Let's try to make the best of this situation." "Yeah right," he scoffed, angry and hurt, staring at me with disgust. I stared back at him without knowing what to say. Later that evening, a sea of omegas surged forward as we trudged along the dusty path, carrying our possessions on their backs or in hand-woven baskets on their heads. Little children held tightly onto their parents' hands and the elderly males and females who were bent and wrinkled shuffled along. A long line of people stretched into the distance as we went past the pack
Damien I stepped out of the omega house after a handful of them had gathered to express gratitude for my kindness. Responding with a nod, I walked away, heading back to the main pack house with a burden in my chest. My heart nursed my confusion and longing for Katana. At first, I lied to myself that I wasn't helping the omegas for Katana and assured myself I was going to put as much space between us as possible but I couldn't control myself and ended up in the omega kitchen in search of my mate. My body had become a slave to my need and the flaming desire for her burned bright but I couldn't have her. The distance between us was too wide to bridge.I couldn't belittle myself to mark an omega and end up losing the respect of my pack mates. But Katana's presence brought an animalistic hunger, filling me with raw need. I wanted her so badly that it manifested as physical pain. Unfortunately, our society's standards were like a stone wall separating us forever. A flashback of how
Katana's POV I woke up to the sound of loud bells that pierced through the peaceful silence of the room. Groaning loudly, I rubbed my eyes, shaking off the sleepy fog that clouded my mind. The softness of the bed cushioned my body, and I realized with a start that I hadn't slept so soundly in a long time. But the joy of a good night's rest was short-lived when I figured that the bells signaled the start of the compulsory pack run that my mother had told me about the night before. My heart beat hard against my chest, and I thought of escaping or hiding, but my mum was up, giving me a knowing smile. "Mum, do I have to go? You know I hate running." "It's compulsory, sweetie. You of all people should know that. It's still too early for us to have problems with our leaders." I collapsed on the bed, knowing I'd have to face Alpha Damien during the run and the thought alone caused an ache in the back of my throat. The other pack members buzzed with excitement, rushing to get ready fo
Katana Shocked, I couldn't believe what I was hearing and I tried to process the news that my mate already had a pregnant girlfriend. The reality of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks, and my heart ached. Why would the moon goddess pair me with someone who was already taken? Zayn, sensing my discomfort immediately stood up and shouted at the elder. "This is bullshit!" he yelled, his fists clenched at his sides. "There's no way I'm letting Katana clean the Alpha's quarters and serve his girlfriend!" Elder Logan laughed and Elder Quinton shook his head, a look of amusement on his face. "Zayn, your stubbornness would land you in deep trouble one day. The distribution of morning duty can't be changed. We all have to do our part and serve the pack so we don't get into trouble. Besides, the Alpha won't look at your girlfriend a second time. She's not his type." "Yeah right! " Zayn scoffed and walked away, cursing loudly. The thought of being close to the Alpha, serving him a
Damien Seeing Katana locked in an embrace with another male under the oak tree filled me with a burst of jealousy that threatened to rip me apart I stood off to the side, my eyes fixated on the couple as they kissed passionately. My wolf was pissed. So pissed that I had to control it, but my heart ached with longing as I watched them, wishing it was me in her arms instead. I’d returned from work earlier, itching to see my mate, and at the same time, filled with conflicting emotions. My friends had warned me about getting too close to her, but I couldn't help the way I felt no matter how hard I tried. Sometimes I wondered if it was a mistake letting the omegas in. Before coming downstairs, I headed to my unborn baby's almost completed nursery. I stood in the doorway, taking in all the details of the room. The blue walls with white accents, the white wooden crib, and the matching changing table all blended to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Anysia didn't want the gender of
Katana I rushed inside the house, the rain, cold, and unshed tears following close behind me, and sighed at the warm atmosphere of the living room. My eyes searched around for Zayn, hoping he wouldn't probe me with questions. The room was lit by the soft glow of the fireplace, casting shadows on the walls. Some omegas were huddled together in the room, chatting animatedly and enjoying the warmth of the fire. I approached the fireplace, feeling its heat on my skin and breathing in the smoky and earthy scent of the burning logs. My mum caught sight of me standing beside the hearth and she eyed me from head to foot with a frown. "What were you doing out there in the rain?" Without saying anything, I shrugged my shoulders. Her frown disappeared, replaced with concern. "Katana, are you okay?" Another nod. "Come on now, you can tell me," she prodded, not believing my silence. The sound of the rain tapped against the windows. I blinked back tears, trying to keep my emotions in