Chapter 1 1.

Alyna’s POV

"If we could see the future, we would have the power to rule the world. That kind of power is superior to everything, and I never thought I would have it," I thought bitterly, when I came out of my vision that just left me shaken. I must’ve screamed which caught my father.

He slammed the door open. My father, reeking of alcohol, stood with bloodshot eyes and a grimace.

“Up,” he barked.

“Tonight’s the assembly. Every wolf has to be there, and you too. Better get ready,” he said.

The assembly. A gathering of alphas, warriors, and dignitaries. It should have been exciting. Instead, it filled me with dread. Because I had seen my mate. The man who came in my vision stood over me as I was dying slowly, with blood oozing all over me. It’s none other than my Alpha.

My wolf Vivi stirred, “You’re afraid again.”

“How can’t I be? I’ve seen him hurt me. Kill me.”

“Visions aren’t entirely true Alyna. They can shift. Maybe you’re wrong.”

“But I’ve seen it many times,” she said “And it’s always him and I’m afraid of him,”

“He is our mate. That bond can’t be ignored.”

“I don’t want him.” My voice cracked. “Not when I know what’s coming. Not when I know he’s the end of me.”

Silence for a heartbeat, then Vivi said, “He knows too. On some level he must know that his mate is living closer to him. But he hasn’t claimed us,”

“Because I’m nothing. An omega. The lowest of the low. The great Alpha Asher Patterson wouldn’t lower himself to acknowledge me.”

“That doesn’t change fate.”

“It changes everything,” I hissed. “If he won’t come for me, then I’ll stay as far away from him as I can. Maybe then… maybe I can survive this.”

Vivi didn’t argue because she knew the visions too.

They always come suddenly, sharp, too vivid to ignore. A vision of tomorrow's events if that’s going to have a great impact, or the next week, or perhaps months ahead. At first, I thought it was nothing more than strange coincidences. But then I dreamed of our Alpha, Asher Patterson, leading warriors against rogues, and hours later, the news of his victory reached the pack exactly as I’d seen it.

What I saw was real. What I’m carrying inside is a gift but not for me.

I told my father. He got angry, spat, and called me a lunatic. And he often says that he hates to look at my eyes.

And my eyes, they had changed the night I had my first vision. One turned blue, the other green, like my wolf’s mismatched gaze. My big eyes were an attraction to people who wanted to bully me and to single me out. They called me Freak. Cursed child. Their whispers followed me everywhere. Their hands pushed me down, their eyes looked away as though I was a disease. Asher would look at me in the same way.

The night fell, and the pack house blazed with light and noise. Wolves from every corner of the region gathered in the great hall, the scent of unfamiliar packs clashing in the air. I stayed away from everyone, and my father is drinking heavily again. It’s embarrassing.

I felt his presence before I saw him. This is my first being close to my mate after I had shifted for the first time and had that terrible vision.

“He’s here.”

My legs trembled, refusing to move as his scent was too overwhelming to ignore.

“Breathe, Alyna,” Vivi whispered urgently. “Don’t panic,”

My eyes darted around until they found him.

Alpha Asher.

He stood with other alphas, tall and commanding, his golden-brown eyes sharp as he spoke. The crowd obeyed him like he’s their master, the aura he carried is nothing like I have ever seen.

And even from across the hall, I felt it, the bond.

“He’s strong. Ours. Can’t you feel it?”

I pressed my back to the cold stone wall, heart racing. “I don’t want to feel it,”

“But what if he isn’t? What if your visions are wrong?”

I don’t want to answer her and I thought I should leave.

Asher’s gaze scanning the room. My stomach dropped.

“He smells us,”

“Hide,” Vivi urged. “Now,”

My back pressed flat against the stone pillar, breath ragged. From the darkness, I dared a glance.

“He’s coming,” Vivi whispered, her voice trembling. “Alyna—he’s coming,”

“No… no, he can’t find me,”

But every instinct screamed otherwise. Each step he took toward me vibrated through the floor, through my body.

My breath hitched as his head lifted, his gaze piercing through the crowd, straight toward me.

“If he reaches us tonight, nothing will ever be the same again,” Vivi said.

And deep down, I knew she was right.