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JAMIE

I zipped up my backpack, annoyed that the fabric was straining so hard. “Come on, baby. Don’t burst on me now.” Maybe there were a few too many articles of clothing shoved in there. But I didn’t have time to pack efficiently. My heart was hammering at the mere thought of leaving, but the rhythm it beat out spelled freedom—not fear.

The moon was shining bright, announcing my window of opportunity. If I didn’t go for it now, I might not ever get the chance again. I'd always felt more alive when I was outside and running in the moonlight, but tonight, it meant even more. It was urging me to save myself.

Turning twenty-one was a milestone I had been looking forward to since I was a pup. There were obvious perks that came with maturity, but in our pack, it was officially the age for mating. We were expected to find a mate, settle down, and start contributing new pups to the community. In theory, it was exciting. But as the pack numbers started to dwindle, the elders got nervous.

And fear encouraged people to make bad decisions.

When my dad or the elders told me to “find a mate by twenty-one or we'll find one for you,” I brushed it off as dramatic nonsense. It was laughable. At least, I always thought it was. But as my birthday approached, I realized my family wasn’t as progressive as I thought they were. They kept talking about traditional values and putting “pack over person.”

The mating law had never actually been enforced, that I knew of.

Unfortunately, I was the omega the pack was making an example out of. Unbeknownst to me, my dad pimped me out to an eligible alpha. Of course, it wasn’t just any alpha. They aimed high and chose to hitch my wagon to Roderick Northpaw, our Alpha's eldest son.

Fucking, Roderick. Just thinking his name made me shudder. There was no way I’d allow myself to be alone in a room with him, much less marry the douche.

That dude had all the charm of a buzzing gnat in your ear that you wanted to squish. He had been mated in the past and had several pups, but all of his previous omegas had vanished without a trace. Whispers flitted through the pack about what had happened to them but no one knew for sure. Some said the omegas probably couldn't stand him and ran away, but there were also much darker rumors.

Either way, I wasn't gonna stick around and find out. I didn’t have a lot of life goals but ending up as a cautionary tale for generations to come wasn’t gonna be my legacy. Not if I could help it, anyway.

Holding my breath, I slipped my bag over my arm and opened my bedroom door. It creaked softly as I pulled on it, but no one in the house stirred. Everyone was still asleep as I crept down the hallway. It was easy to avoid the floorboards that always squeaked because I knew this place like the back of my hand.

The image of Roderick's smug smile as he talked down to everyone kept me moving forward. He was someone who expected the world to kneel at his feet because his daddy was the big bad Alpha. If only Daddy could buy him a better personality.

Roderick was one of the few pack mates who made a chill race down my spine any time we crossed paths.

Despite having broad shoulders and a face that some would swoon over, any flicker of attraction I might have previously had was doused by the reality of who he was. Power tripping with no actual power was a huge turn-off. And his sense of entitlement was disgusting to anyone who met him.

As I reached the back door of the home where I grew up, I had a moment of hesitation. Leaving now would mean never coming back. Never seeing my family again. But they were the ones who betrothed me to a man who didn’t have a decent track record for keeping his mates around…so I couldn’t trust them anymore.

I had to make the right decision for myself.

I eased the door open and froze at the faint groaning sound it made. Oops. Forgot about that. Then again, I was rarely the only person awake in my house. After pausing to listen for any indication that someone was awake, I slipped out the door. Carrying just my backpack filled with whatever I could grab that felt necessary for survival, I started walking toward the treeline.

The forest beckoned me with promises of sanctuary, but I couldn’t shift yet. I needed to put some distance between myself and my pack so they didn’t sense where I was heading. I didn't have a solid plan of where that was, but as long as I stayed under the protection of the forest, I’d get far enough away to start fresh.

I’d truly believed my entire future was over when my dad announced I was scheduled to marry Roderick the following week. But that would never happen. I’d attempt to swim across the ocean before I let that asshole anywhere near me. I would not end up like those omegas before me who had fallen for his fake charm and chiseled jaw. I wouldn’t become one more missing omega people just quietly forgot about.

When I was finally far enough that my old pack wouldn’t be able to track me down, I shifted into my fur and really started to run. The freedom that came with rearranging bones and sinew and…power was something I would never tire of.

With my bag still strapped around my torso, I sprinted over branches and roots until I decided to hop in the river for a drink and to cool off. My senses were amplified as I stayed alert for any incoming threat. It was possible no one had noticed I was missing yet, so I wasn’t too concerned. Then again, I had no idea what lengths Roderick would go to in order to reclaim what he believed was his.

The underlying fear chased me through the waters and then the underbrush again, nipping at my heels as I tried to get farther away. Yet with each leap and bound, I felt like I was shedding the weight of unwanted expectations and a pack that never truly cared about me.

I didn't know where I was going, but it didn’t matter. Any place Roderick wasn’t was good enough for me. I would never settle for a partner I didn't trust, especially not as part of a tradition I didn’t believe in. My heartbeat synced up with the rhythm of my paws pounding over the earth.

I was born an omega, but I refused to let anyone control me. My story wouldn't be a tragedy. I didn’t expect it to have a happy ending, but I did expect to survive. Maybe I’d even thrive on my own.

Lone wolves had a hard life, but I wasn’t afraid of living hard.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, my limbs grew heavy and I needed to rest. I shifted back into my skin and climbed a tree. The forest had always been my safe place and that hadn’t changed. I just needed some rest and then I’d continue my journey to my new life.