Liora
"You're my mate."
The words hung in the air between us.
For a moment I just stared at him, sure I had heard him wrong.
"Your… what?"
Jaelyn looked just as shocked as I felt. His eyes were still fixed on me like he had just realized something terrible.
Or something unbelievable.
"My mate," he repeated quietly.
I blinked again.
Mate.
The word made my chest tighten.
Every wolf grew up hearing stories about mates. Two wolves chosen for each other by the moon goddess. Two souls tied together for life.
But those stories were for real wolves.
Not someone like me.
I shook my head slowly.
"That's not possible."
Jaelyn frowned.
"Why?"
"Because," I said, letting out a small laugh that sounded more painful than funny, "I don't even have a wolf."
The words tasted bitter in my mouth.
Wolfless omega.
That was what everyone called me.
That was what I had always been.
Jaelyn didn't say anything right away.
Instead he looked at me carefully, like he was studying every part of my face.
"That doesn't change anything," he said after a moment.
"It changes everything," I replied quickly.
"You don't understand."
He crossed his arms slightly.
"Then explain."
I hesitated.
No one had ever really asked me about it before.
Most wolves simply assumed something was wrong with me and left it at that.
"I was born without a wolf," I said quietly. "Or at least that's what everyone says."
I looked down at my hands.
"Every child in the pack shifts for the first time when they're young. Some at ten, some at twelve. But it never happened to me."
I could still remember those days clearly.
The other children had been excited when their wolves first appeared.
Families celebrated.
Packs gathered.
But when it was my turn…
Nothing happened.
"At first my father said it was just late," I continued softly. "He kept saying my wolf would come when the time was right."
A small smile touched my lips as I remembered him.
He had always believed in me.
Even when the rest of the pack didn't.
"But years passed," I said.
"And it never came."
The room was quiet again.
Jaelyn listened without interrupting.
"After my father died," I added, "people stopped pretending it was normal."
I looked up at him.
"That's when the whispers started."
I didn't have to repeat the words.
Everyone knew them.
Broken.
Useless.
Wolfless omega.
Jaelyn's jaw tightened slightly.
"That doesn't mean you don't have a wolf," he said.
I shrugged.
"Maybe. But it doesn't matter. No wolf means no mate bond."
He was quiet for a few seconds.
Then he shook his head.
"No," he said firmly. "You're wrong."
I blinked.
"What?"
"My wolf knows his mate," he said.
There was something serious in his voice now.
Certain.
"And my wolf is very sure about you."
I felt my heart skip.
That made no sense.
None of this made sense.
"Jaelyn," I said slowly, "you barely met me."
"That doesn't matter."
"It should."
"It doesn't."
His answer came too quickly.
The confidence in his voice made me nervous.
"You don't know anything about me," I said.
"I know enough."
"And what exactly do you think you know?"
He took a step closer to the bed.
"That when I touched you earlier, my wolf woke up like never before."
My breath caught.
"That when I smelled your scent, something inside me refused to let you go."
Another step closer.
"And that every woman I've ever tried to be with died the moment I got close to marking them."
The words hit me like cold water.
"What?"
His expression darkened slightly.
"I didn't tell you everything earlier."
My stomach tightened.
"What do you mean?"
Jaelyn ran a hand through his hair before speaking again.
"For years, my pack believed I was cursed."
The word hung heavily between us.
"Cursed?" I repeated.
He nodded once.
"The elders took me to the temple. The pack gods said there was only one woman meant for me."
A strange chill ran down my spine.
"Only one?"
"Yes."
"And until I find her," he continued quietly, "every other woman would die."
My heart started racing.
"That's impossible."
"I thought so too."
"But now…"
His eyes locked onto mine.
"You're still alive."
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too quiet.
"You're saying…" I began slowly.
"Yes."
"You think I'm the only woman who won't die if you mark me?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
My mind struggled to process it.
It sounded insane.
Completely insane.
But the way he looked at me made it hard to dismiss.
I stood up slowly from the bed.
The floor felt cold under my feet.
"This is crazy," I said, pacing a little.
"I just met you tonight."
"And yet my wolf already recognizes you."
"That doesn't make sense!"
"It doesn't have to."
I stopped walking and looked at him.
"You expect me to believe I'm your fated mate even though I don't even have a wolf?"
"Yes."
His answer came without hesitation.
That frustrated me more than anything.
"You're unbelievable."
"And you're stubborn."
"I'm realistic."
"You're scared."
His words made me freeze.
"I am not scared."
"Yes you are."
His voice softened slightly.
"You've spent your whole life being told you're worthless. So now the moment someone tells you you're special, you don't know how to believe it."
The truth in his words hit harder than any insult.
I opened my mouth to argue.
But nothing came out.
Because part of me knew he was right.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
Jaelyn's head turned sharply toward it.
"Beta Jaelyn?"
A guard's voice came from the other side.
"Yes?" Jaelyn answered.
"There's a problem at the gate."
His expression changed instantly.
"What kind of problem?"
The guard hesitated before answering.
"You might want to see it yourself."
Jaelyn glanced at me once before moving toward the door.
"Stay here," he said.
"What's happening?"
"I'll find out."
He opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
I followed a few seconds later despite his instruction.
Something about the guard's voice made my stomach twist with unease.
We walked quickly through the mansion hallway until we reached the large entrance doors.
Several guards were gathered outside.
And beyond them…
A group of wolves stood at the gate.
My heart stopped.
I recognized them immediately.
Ummu.
Her friends.
And my stepmother.
They stood there like they owned the place.
Ummu's eyes locked onto mine the moment she saw me.
A slow smile spread across her face.
"Oh good," she said loudly.
"There she is."
My stomach dropped.
"What are you doing here?" I whispered.
But she didn't answer me.
Instead she looked straight at Jaelyn.
Her smile widened.
"We're here to take her back," she said.
Jaelyn's voice turned cold.
"On what grounds?"
My stepmother stepped forward.
Her eyes filled with fake tears.
"Because she's a criminal," she said dramatically.
The guards around us shifted.
"What crime?" Jaelyn asked.
My stepmother's voice grew louder so everyone could hear.
"She murdered the Beta of our pack."