The sting of humiliation hurt worse than the pain itself. He bit his lip until he tasted blood, desperate not to cry again, but his tears betrayed him, hot and unrelenting.
He heard Marcus laugh. "Crying already? Pathetic. You'll never be anything but the pack's mistake."
Then came the bucket of water, ice-cold, dumped over his head as the final act. His clothes clung to his trembling body, and mud mixed with blood at his feet.
They left him there, a broken figure beneath the sneer of the morning sun. No one offered help. No one ever did.
Devon sat there in silence, dripping and breathless, the metallic tang of blood still fresh on his tongue. He lifted a shaking hand to wipe his tears, forcing himself to breathe. He told himself he wouldn't give up, not yet. Not until he saw his eighteenth birthday through. Maybe his mate would come. Maybe things would change.
But as laughter faded down the corridor and his reflection shimmered faintly in a puddle of dirty water, even he could no longer tell if hope was something he still believed in, or just another lie he kept telling himself to survive.
Devon stayed where he was long after everyone left, his body trembling, his mind drifting somewhere between pain and numbness. The world blurred at the edges, colors dulling, sounds distant. Until something changed.
A scent.
Faint at first, carried by the morning wind that swept through the open corridors, sweet yet intoxicating, deep and warm like amber and rain-soaked pine. It wrapped around him, seeping into his lungs and stirring something primal inside.
His heart stuttered.
No one had to tell him what it meant. Every werewolf knew. It was the sign every young wolf dreamed of, the scent of a destined mate. The one chosen by the Moon Goddess herself.
Devon's heart pounded as tears welled again, this time not from pain but disbelief. Could it be? Now? After everything, after years of torment and loneliness… had fate finally given him a reason to live?
His knees scraped against the ground as he crawled forward, following the fragrance like a moth drawn to a flame. Each breath grew heavier, more desperate. The scent led him past the lockers, down the hall, until his gaze lifted, and froze.
There, surrounded by a group of students, stood Adrian Lorne, the Beta's son. Tall, handsome, confident, everything Devon was not.
For a moment, Devon forgot how to breathe. The scent grew stronger, overwhelming, confirming the truth he already feared. His mate… was Adrian.
His heart lifted, then fell all at once. He wanted to run, to hide, to pretend he hadn't felt the bond snap into place like a chain around his soul. But before he could move, a cruel laugh sliced through the air.
"Well, look who's crawling now."
A sharp heel pressed down on the back of his head, forcing his face into the dirt. Devon flinched, gasping, the rough floor scraping his skin. He didn't need to look to know who it was, Serena, Adrian's girlfriend. Beautiful, proud, and as vicious as she was adored.
"Did you really think you could show your face here, mutt?" she hissed, grinding her heel harder until he whimpered. "Pathetic omega. You should know your place."
Devon's body shook beneath her, the humiliation cutting deeper than the pain. But what shattered him most was Adrian's silence.
When Devon dared to lift his gaze, their eyes met. For a fleeting heartbeat, he thought he saw something, confusion, maybe even fear, in Adrian's golden eyes. The scent between them intensified, undeniable.
He feels it too.
But the Beta's jaw tightened, his expression hardening into disgust.
Serena looked back at him. "Why aren't you saying anything, Adrian?"
Adrian hesitated. His hands clenched at his sides.
"Because he's nothing," he finally said, his voice cold. "Just the pack's useless omega. Don't waste your time."
The words sliced deeper than any blade. Devon's heart cracked, a silent scream echoing in his chest.
Serena smirked and gave one final shove before walking away, laughter trailing behind her. Adrian didn't stop her. He just stood there, staring down at the trembling figure of his fated mate, before turning his back.
Devon stayed there long after they left, the scent of his mate still clinging to his skin like a curse.
That night, he thought it was over. That the worst had already come.
But fate was crueler than that.
When the moon rose high and silence fell over the sleeping dorms, a knock echoed at his door. Before he could answer, the door burst open, and there stood Adrian.
No words. No warmth. Just rage.
He grabbed Devon by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"You will never speak of this," Adrian snarled, his breath hot with fury. "You will never tell anyone what you think you felt today. You understand me?"
Devon's eyes widened, fear mixing with heartbreak. "Adrian, I..."
A fist cut him off. Pain exploded across his face.
"You disgust me," Adrian spat, his voice shaking. "Do you think I'd ever accept someone like you? A weak, filthy omega?"
The blows came again and again until Devon slid to the floor, limp and broken. Adrian's chest heaved, his eyes glinting with conflict, hate, guilt, and denial, before he finally turned and left without another word.
Devon lay there in silence, the bond burning painfully within him. He wanted to scream, to rip it out, to forget the scent that now haunted him.
But the Moon Goddess was merciless.
And Devon realized, as blood dripped from his lips and tears soaked the floor beneath him, that love, for him, was nothing but another form of cruelty.
Days turned into weeks, but the beating never truly ended.
Since that night, Adrian avoided him in public, but the pack didn't. Word spread like wildfire that Devon had done something to the Beta's son, that the filthy omega had tried to seduce him, maybe even claim him. Lies whispered through hallways and around bonfires, twisting the truth until it became poison.