Crown Of Moonfire

SERA'S POINT OF VIEW

I stood in the back of the hall. It was a room with a lot of people. I tried to hide in the corner. I pressed my back against the wall. I did not want anyone to see me.

The other omegas were already there. They stood together near the back wall. They did not look at me. They did not talk to me. I felt like I was not there.

The room was full of warriors. They wore armor. The high-rank wolves sat on benches. They looked important. They knew they were important.

I knew my place too. I was nothing. I had always been nothing. I did not think this night would change that.

Lira was near the front. She looked nice in her leathers. Her hair was braided with silver threads. She smiled like she was happy.. It was a mean smile.

She turned around. She saw me in the corner. Her smile got bigger.

"Sera, " she said. She said my name like it was bad. "Come here."

My legs would not move. My heart was beating fast.

"I said come, " she said again. Her voice was sharp.

I made myself walk to her. My hands were shaking. I hid them in my dress.

She looked at me. She was even prettier up close.. She was mean. She looked at my dress. My skinny body. My dirty hands. She did not like what she saw.

"You look like you are dead, " she said. She said it loud so everyone could hear. "Why do you even show your face?"

I did not say anything. I looked at the floor.

"Look at me, " she said.

I looked up. I tried to show no feelings. I had learned to do that a while ago.

She laughed. It was a sound. "The Alpha will not even look at you, " she said. "You are nothing. You are dirt. You are the wolf in the pack."

I swallowed. My throat was dry. "I know, " I said.

She leaned close to me. Her breath smelled bad. "Remember that, " she said. "Remember your place.. Stay out of my way."

She walked away. Her boots made noise on the floor. I stood there. The other wolves looked at me. Some laughed. Some whispered. Some looked away.

I went back to my corner. I pressed my back against the wall. I put my arms around myself. I tried to stop shaking.

Wren came beside me. She appeared out of nowhere. She always did that.

"Do not listen to Lira, " she said. Her voice was low. "She is bad. She does not matter."

"She is right, " I said. "I am nothing."

Wren grabbed my arm. "You are not nothing, " she said. "You are my friend.. I will not let her hurt you."

I looked at her. She was the wolf who had ever defended me. The only wolf who had ever called me a friend.

The doors opened. The room got quiet. Every wolf turned.

Kael walked in. He was big and strong. His face was hard. His eyes were cold. He wore a fur cloak. He walked like he was the boss.

He sat in the Alpha chair. He looked at the crowd. His face did not show any feelings.

The ceremony started. The Beta talked loud. "Wolves of Ashborne we honor the moon tonight. We find our mates tonight. The moon will show us the way."

The wolves stepped forward one by one. The Beta called their names. They walked to the center of the hall. Kael looked at them. His wolf sniffed the air. Some wolves felt the pull. Some did not.

I watched. My legs hurt. My heart beat fast. I wanted to run. I wanted to hide.

A warrior stepped forward. He was strong. The Alphas wolf stirred. The Beta said they were a match. They walked away together. They touched hands. Their eyes glowed.

Lira stepped forward. The Beta called her name. She walked to the center of the hall. She looked at Kael with eyes.

Kael looked at her. His face did not change. His wolf did not stir. Nothing.

Lira's smile went away. She waited. Kael said nothing.

The Beta said, "Step. Next."

Lira's face got red. She walked away. She was angry. She was humiliated.

The ceremony continued. Wolves stepped forward. Some were matched. Some were not. The night was long.

Then the Beta called my name.

"Sera Wolfe steps forward."

The room got quiet. Every eye turned to me.

I could not move. My feet were frozen. My heart stopped. My throat closed. The wolves stared at me. They looked confused. They looked disgusted. They looked amused.

Wren squeezed my arm. "Go, " she said. "You have to go."

I made myself walk to the center of the hall. My hands shook. My heart beat fast. I looked at the floor.

Kael looked at me. I felt his eyes on me. Heavy. Strong. His wolf sniffed the air.

Then his body went still.

His eyes got wide. His jaw opened. His face showed something. Something hungry. Something that looked like mine.

His wolf had found me.

The pack saw it. They saw Kael lean toward me. They saw his chest move fast. They saw his hands grip the chair.

The wolves whispered. They said, "The Alpha? The omega? No it cannot be."

My heart beat fast. My hands sweated. Something stirred in my chest. A warm feeling. A pull. A voice that said, "He is the one."

Kael stood up. He walked to me. He stopped in front of me. He looked at my dress. My skinny body. My dirty hands. My shaking shoulders.

His face changed. The hunger went away. His eyes got cold. Colder than I had ever seen them.

He looked at me. He looked at the pack. He looked at Lira. He looked at the warriors. He looked at the Beta.

I saw him make a choice. I saw his pride win. I saw him decide that I was not worth it.

He said, "I would rather be alone than be tied to someone like you."

His words hurt me. My chest felt empty. My knees buckled. My vision got dark. Something inside me broke.

He had rejected me. In front of everyone. He had called me bad. He had thrown me away like I was nothing.

The pack laughed. They laughed at me. They laughed at my pain.

Lira laughed the loudest.

I. Ran. I ran out of the hall. I ran through the keep. I ran into the forest.

I ran until my legs gave out. I fell to my knees. I screamed into my hands. I cried until my throat was sore. I cried until I had no tears left.

He had looked at me. He had felt the pull.. He had chosen pride over me.

I was nothing. Now I was less than nothing.

Under the hurt something stirred. Something warm. Something that kept me breathing.

Somewhere far away in the big hall Kael was sitting in his chair. He felt empty inside. His wolf was not making a sound. Kael did not get what was happening to him, this sickness that was already going through his blood.

He had said no to the woman who was meant to be with him.

Now the bad thing that was supposed to happen was already starting to happen to Kael. The curse had already begun to affect Kael.