After the Alpha gave his speech, an unnatural silence fell over the crowd. The rest of the group, who were about to shift for the first time, moved away from one another to give each other space. All the while, I kept my eyes on the ground, not wanting to gauge anyone's facial expressions. I couldn't stop shaking, swallowing continuously. We had to wait for the full moon to peek out from behind the scattered clouds. Once its rays washed over us, we had to stare up at it for the shift to begin.
"Stop fidgeting! You're going to have a heart attack before we even shift," Orion said in a condescending tone, completely ignoring the excruciating pain we were about to endure in the next couple of minutes.
I huffed. "I can't help it. You're not the one who has to deal with the pain that comes with the transformation, so shut it!"
"Pussy…"
"Bitch."
"OK, everyone! The time has come!" the Luna shouted, making me flinch.
A few seconds later, the grass beneath my feet lit up in the moon's glow. I hadn't looked up at the moon like I was supposed to. A sickening crack, followed by a scream, pierced the night. Alisha fell to the ground a few feet away from me. She began ripping off her robe as claws tore through her fingernails, coating the white fabric in blood. My heart sank into my ass. How could it not? I watched, transfixed, as she transformed before me—followed by the other three.
"Caleb!" my father's steely voice cut through the haze. "Get a move on. You're wasting time!"
He scowled at me, but my mom placed a hand on his shoulder and drew his attention away.
I had no choice. If I hesitated any longer, my father would've jumped off the platform and forced me to look at the moon. Gathering what little courage I had, I lifted my head and stared up at it. Before I could admire its beauty, a searing bolt of pain flashed through my skull and down my spine. My eyes watered as I staggered backward. Another jolt stabbed into the base of my spine. I crumpled onto the damp grass, claws digging into the earth.
Nothing could've prepared me. The pain was agonizing.
I bit my lip, tasting the iron of my blood. Thankfully, before the pain became unbearable, I blacked out.
The moment I regained consciousness, the world exploded into color—more saturated and vivid than I had ever seen. I scanned the surrounding forest, surprised to find it wasn't nearly as dark as before. Sniffing the air, a tidal wave of scents hit me. My body still ached, but the pain was manageable.
Slowly, I lifted my head and looked around. The first thing that caught my eye was Alisha, prancing around her parents. They laughed at her antics. She hadn't turned into an omega, which shocked me—but a delta wolf. Her coat was golden, fading into a gray undercoat. As for the other three, one had a gray coat, and the other two were reddish.
But the attention I was receiving from everyone around me quickly pulled me out of my thoughts.
"What are they staring at?" I asked Orion.
The lousy mutt snickered. "Let's just say they're suffering from shock."
I growled and forced myself up, swaying as I tried to find my footing. "Stop with the fortune cookie answers and just tell me!"
"Bitchy, are we?"
I shook my head. "Forget I asked. You're an ass."
"Oh, honey! You're gorgeous!" my mom cried as she rushed forward and wrapped me in a spine-crushing hug.
I backpedaled, but it was pointless. I tried to complain, but no words came out. A couple of low-pitched whines escaped my maw instead. Soon enough, nearly all my family had gathered around me. Most of them looked at me with wide-eyed awe.
Except for my father. His face had gone cold, his expression unreadable as he muttered under his breath:
"An omega… What a disappointment."
🌕🩸🌲🌙🐾 Deputy Omega 🐾🌙 🌲🩸🌕
After my dearest father's—note the sarcasm, please—remark, I wanted nothing to do with anyone. Yet again, for some reason known only to him, I was a disappointment. Another one to add to his collection.
Luckily for me, he paid for his stupid comment by getting his nuts scrambled by my mom. His cries of pain and the sight of him clutching his jewels? Best birthday present ever.
For two days, I locked myself in my room, ignoring the world. The pack was in an uproar, not because I turned into an omega, but because Alisha didn't. They had all expected her to be the one stuck with that fate. But nope. Surprise, surprise, it was me.
Not like I asked the Moon Goddess for the honor.
Male omegas were rare, sure, but not unheard of. Still, I had no clue why our dear goddess thought I was the right choice for the role.
After I shifted back into my human form, despite Orion's protests; the mutt wanted to go for a run—I bolted from the field, not daring to look anyone in the eyes. Once I got to my room, I wanted to call Justin. But he ignored me.
Nice.
I sighed and rolled over, pulling the duvet over my head when a knock on my door woke me from a restless sleep. I'd been sleeping way too much lately...
"Caleb!" my mom shouted from behind the locked door. "Open this door, young man, before I break it down! You cannot keep hiding from the world."
And why not? I was an omega now. That meant the Alpha would keep me locked in the pack. My dream of going to college? Gone.
I groaned, rubbing my eyes as my mom continued hammering on the door.
"Stop whining and open the door before she kills us," Orion grumbled.
I slowly emerged from my duvet cocoon. "Would that be so bad? I don't want to end up as a breeding tool for some idiot Alpha to seal an alliance. The Elders are already cooking up schemes—I can feel it."
"If it comes to that... we'll think of something. We have an ace up our sleeve, don't we?"
My hand instinctively shot to the leather bracelet around my right wrist. I dragged my nails across its smooth surface. "Yeah... we do."
I slowly stumbled out of bed, still getting used to my new body. After the transformation, I'd shot up to a whopping six feet tall and bulked up a bit. Not Beta-tier muscular like my brothers, but definitely not as scrawny as before.
The most shocking changes? My hair and eyes. I'd gone from blond to stark white, and my once-blue eyes had faded to a pale, almost silver gray.
My feet shuffled across the plush gray carpet as I made my way to the door. If I could've avoided this whole mess, I would've, but my mom had other plans. If I didn't open the door soon, she would break it down and drag my sorry ass downstairs.
I unlocked the door with a soft click and quickly retreated to the safety of my bed, diving back under my Star Wars duvet. Not that the Force could help me survive the tongue-lashing coming my way.
The door slammed open seconds later. I curled tighter under the blankets as my mom's footsteps thundered across the room. Pathetically, I gripped the covers tighter, as if that would stop her.
"Come on, honey," she said, grabbing onto the duvet and giving it a solid yank. I whined and clung to it tighter. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be. Hiding won't solve anything."
"Don't care," I groaned, refusing to let go. But she didn't give up either.
With one final, vicious tug, the duvet was ripped from my grasp. Cold air rushed over my legs, and I shuddered. I glared at her, only to catch sight of Justin leaning against the wall, arms crossed, smirking.
"Morning, snowflake," he said with a chuckle.
I grabbed the nearest pillow and launched it at him. He caught it with ease.
"Aww, don't be mad. That pretty face of yours will wrinkle if you frown too much."
I groaned and sat up. "What do you want, Justin?"
He tossed the pillow back onto the bed. "My father told me to collect you. The Elders want to talk."
A spike of rage lit through me. I growled, startling my mom. Justin frowned as I pushed off the bed and squared up to him.
"You can tell the Elders to fuck off."
"Caleb!" my mom snapped, slapping my chest. It didn't hurt—not even a little.
"Have some respect!"
"Why?" I snapped. "All they do is sit around ruining lives for their own gain. No doubt they want to whore me out to some sleazeball of an—"
"Enough!" my father's voice boomed from the hallway.
He stalked into the room, glaring at me. Two days ago, that look would've sent me cowering. Not anymore.
"Hold your tongue," he growled.
I stared him down, a low growl rumbling in my chest.
"Fuck off."