The hallway buzzed with noise, laughter, heels tapping, lockers slamming, voices raised in gossip and whispers. All of it swirled around Lyra Grey like a storm. She was used to being overlooked. They treat her as though she don't belong because she is an omega. Even the alpha of the pack just keeps her there because of her mom. Lyra's mother was a strong warrior who gave her life to defend the pack.
"A lowly servant." Some of them said to her hearing.
As an omega in the Crescent Fang Academy, she had learned how to take up as little space as possible. Her shoulders hunched, steps light, eyes down and mouth muted. She hides her scent with crushed mint and rose thistle, the herbs her grandfather brewed for her every morning.
The other wolves hated her scent anyway. They hated a lot of things about her.
Lyra kept her head low as she slipped past the lockers, arms wrapped tightly around her worn textbooks. Her hoodie was too big, her shoes scuffed and her hair was always tied in a messy bun. Omegas were easy targets. And she'd spent eighteen years learning how to become invisible.
And the worst part was that she hadn't shifted. Not even once. Eighteen years old, and not even a flicker of transformation.
"Freak," they called her. "Dead wolf walking." "Pity pup."
She clutched her books tighter against her chest, trying to block their voices out of her ears and also trying to make it to her locker fast but before she did, someone was already waiting for her.
Vanessa Thorne
She's the Beta's daughter. Alpha's favorite. Head of the cheerleaders circle and self-declared Queen of Crescent Fang. The air seemed to shift around her like she was royalty but to Lyra, she smelled like too much perfume and cruelty.
"Hey, flea-bag!"
Vanessa's voice rang sharp and high-pitched like a cracked bell. Lyra froze.
"Lost your collar again?" Her voice sounded like torture itself. Two girls snickered behind her. Tanya and Ria. Those were her minions who treats her ego, feeding it so well.
Lyra didn't respond, She just passed the girls without a word and turned the corner.
"Better run before she infects someone." Someone said, their voice dripping with malice and disgust.
"She still hasn't shifted," Ria whispered loudly enough for Lyra to hear. "It's embarrassing. What's the point of keeping someone like her in the pack?"
"She only gets to stay because of her dead mother's name," Tanya added.
Vanessa chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Barely. If I had my way, she'd be scrubbing rogue dens, not attending a mating ceremony."
"That's so right." Tanya said as they walked away.
Lyra's heart thudded louder than the hallway noise. This was the night she was going to find her mate.
She reached her locker and forced her trembling hands to turn the lock. She opened it and found a neatly folded envelope tucked inside her worn textbooks. It was clean and sleek and there was a familiar handwriting in thick black ink.
Her breath caught
Her fingers reached for the it and brushed the bottom of the note. Her heart skipped as she opened it.
📝Meet me tonight behind the garden. After
curfew. I miss you.
- C
XOXO 📝
Caleb Draven