The darkness of the forest was absolute. I stumbled over roots and rocks, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Every time a twig snapped, I flinched, expecting Kayden's guards.
I stopped by a stream to wash the gravel from my palms, my reflection in the water looking like a ghost. I was a broken Omega with no wolf and no home.
"Why?" I whispered to the moon. "Why give me a mate just to let him destroy me?"
The moon didn't answer. But the shadows did.
Crunch.
I spun around, my heart leaping into my throat. Three men stepped out from behind the pines. They weren't wearing palace uniforms. They wore ragged leather and smelled of stale blood and sweat. Their eyes glowed with a muddy, predatory red.
Rogues.
"Well, well," the leader sneered. He had a scar across his throat. "Look what we have here".
Terror seized me. I took a step back, my knees shaking so hard I could barely stand. "Stay away from me! I have nothing!"
The two men on his sides laughed, a low, guttural sound. "You have a pulse, don't you? The Rogue King loves fresh meat. He'll pay a fortune for a high-bred Omega like you."
Before I could scream, the leader lunged. He was fast, faster than any human. His hand clamped over my mouth, the smell of grease and dirt making me gag. I thrashed, kicking and clawing at his chest, but he was like a wall of stone.
He hoisted me over his shoulder like a sack of grain.
"Let's move," he barked. "Before the border patrol smells us."
I was terrified. My mind was screaming for help, please, someone! Goddess, help me! I begged in my head.
As the rogue ran, his shoulder digging into my stomach, the fear reached a breaking point. I couldn't go to their King. I couldn't be a slave. I would rather die.
Then, it started.
It began as a tiny spark in the center of my chest, right where the mate bond had snapped. But it wasn't cold anymore. It was hot. White-hot.
What is happening to me? I thought, my eyes widening.
The heat raced through my limbs like liquid fire. My skin began to hum, a vibration so intense it made my teeth ache. It felt like a thousand volts of electricity were surging through my veins.
"Hey," the rogue carrying me grunted, his pace slowing. "Why is she shaking? What's wrong with her?"
"Maybe she's having a fit," the other one said, reaching out to touch my arm.
The moment his finger brushed my skin, a spark flew. He jerked back with a yelp. "She's burning up! She's glowing!"
The leader growled and dropped me onto the grass. I hit the ground, but I didn't feel the impact. I was too busy trying not to scream as the power inside me clawed to get out. My vision turned gold. Every nerve in my body was screaming.
Stop it! Make it stop! I cried out in my mind, clutching my head.
"What the hell is she?" the scarred rogue hissed, backing away. "She's not shifting! Look at her eyes!"
I looked up, and for a second, the world was gone. There was only the power.
I didn't think about fighting. I just wanted the pain to end. I let out a scream that shook the very trees, and the power exploded.
A wave of golden light blasted outward from my body. The force was like a physical wall. The two rogues on the sides were thrown fifty feet, their bodies slamming into trees with a sickening thud.
The leader tried to shift, his bones cracking as he turned into a massive grey wolf, but he wasn't fast enough. I threw my hand out, and a bolt of pure energy struck him in the chest. He let out a pained yelp and was hurled backward, skidding across the dirt.
I stood up, my feet barely touching the ground. My hair was whipping around my face in a wind that didn't exist. My hands were shimmering, dripping with golden light.
"Get... out..." I whispered. My voice didn't sound like mine. It sounded like the roar of an ocean.
The leader scrambled to his feet; his tail tucked between his legs. He looked at me with pure, unadulterated terror. He had never seen anything like this. He didn't even try to fight. He turned and sprinted into the darkness, his paws thundering against the forest floor as he fled for his life.
The silence returned, heavier than before.
The golden light began to recede, pulling back into my skin. As the power left me, so did my strength. My muscles turned to jelly. The heat vanished, leaving me shivering in the biting cold.
I fell to my knees, gasping for air, my heart racing a mile a minute.
"What... what was that?" I whispered to my trembling hands.
I had no wolf, but I had just destroyed three rogues with nothing but a thought.
I looked toward the horizon, where the dark peaks of another pack territory sat. I couldn't stay here. More would come.
With the last bit of my energy, I began to crawl. I didn't know what I was, but I knew I couldn't go back.