Fated to My Sister's Alpha

They called me defective, an Omega too dull-witted to be of any value to my own pack. So my family shipped me off to the mighty Shadowmaw Pack, to complete my coming-of-age ceremony under the stern gaze of their Alpha, Adrian—my sister Anastasia’s betrothed. The moment our hands touched in greeting, a seismic shock tore through me. My wolf, dormant for so long, howled a single, undeniable truth into my soul: Mate.

The fierce, answering fire in Adrian’s eyes confirmed it. But my sister, the perfect, future Luna, stood beside him, her smile a beautiful, brittle mask. The Moon Goddess had crafted a cruel joke, and our personal hell was just beginning.

*****

The tires of the black SUV crunched to a halt on the gravel driveway, pulling me from a fitful sleep. Through the tinted window, the imposing silhouette of Shadowmaw Keep cut against the twilight sky. It was a fortress of dark stone and ancient power, a world away from the modest lands I’d called home.

"Remember why you are here, Elara," my father's voice, recorded in my memory from hours earlier, echoed with stern disappointment. "Do not embarrass us further. Learn what you can from Alpha Adrian. Stay out of trouble. And for the Moon Goddess's sake, do nothing to disrupt Anastasia's happiness."

Happiness. The word tasted like ash. My perfect older sister, Anastasia, had secured the alliance of a generation. Her mating ceremony to Alpha Adrian was the talk of every pack for miles. And I, the family's defective Omega, was the problematic loose end they'd tucked away here under the guise of an "honorable coming-of-age apprenticeship."

I took a shaky breath, the air crisp and foreign. My wolf, a faint presence I usually had to strain to feel, was unnaturally still, curled deep within me as if in dread.

It's only for a year,I told myself, pushing open the car door. I can survive a year.

I was ushered into the Great Hall by a silent, stern-faced Beta. The room was immense, lit by roaring fireplaces and flickering torches. The air thrummed with the power and confidence of dozens of powerful werewolves, their collective presence a physical weight on my skin. My dull Omega senses were immediately overwhelmed; it was like trying to hear a whisper in a hurricane.

And then, I saw them.

At the far end of the hall, standing before a massive stone throne, was Alpha Adrian. He was… more than the stories described. Taller, broader, with jet-black hair and eyes the color of a winter storm. An aura of absolute authority radiated from him, both terrifying and mesmerizing. Beside him, her arm linked possessively through his, was Anastasia. She was radiant, dressed in a gown of silver and white, her smile as flawless and polished as a diamond. She looked every inch the future Luna.

My heart clenched. I felt smaller, shabbier, more insignificant than ever.

"Ah, the apprentice arrives," a deep voice boomed, cutting through the murmur of the crowd. An older man, who shared Adrian's strong jaw and imposing presence—undoubtedly the former Alpha, Bryson—stepped forward. "Welcome to Shadowmaw, child. Come, greet your Alpha and your future Luna."

Every eye in the hall was on me as I walked forward, my boots sounding too loud on the stone floor. I kept my gaze downcast, the submissive posture expected of an Omega.

"Sister," Anastasia's voice was a sweet, melodic chime that grated on my nerves. "We are so pleased to have you. Alpha Adrian has agreed to oversee your training personally. It is a great honor."

I dared a glance up. Adrian's stormy eyes were fixed on me, intense and unreadable. He extended a hand, a formality, a gesture of welcome from an Alpha to a new pack member.

"Elara of the Silvermane Pack," he said, his voice a low rumble that vibrated in my bones. "Welcome to Shadowmaw. May your time here be… enlightening."

I placed my hand in his.

The world exploded.

It wasn't an explosion of sound or light, but of sensation. A current of pure, white-hot energy shot from his palm up my arm, searing through every nerve ending. My breath hitched. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. A dizzying wave of warmth, of rightness, of a missing piece slamming into place, washed over me so powerfully my knees buckled.

A low, thunderous growl echoed in the hall, and it took me a terrified second to realize it had come from Adrian. His grip on my hand had tightened to the point of pain, his knuckles white. The storm in his eyes had broken into a chaos of shock, recognition, and something feral, something possessive.

Mate!

The word wasn't a thought; it was a primal scream from the very core of my being. My wolf, always so quiet, so weak, was suddenly awake and howling with a joy and a desperation I had never known. It strained toward him, wanting, needing, recognizing.

The connection between our clasped hands was a live wire, humming with a power that felt ancient. I could feel the shock reverberating through him, a mirror of my own. For a timeless moment, there was nothing in the universe but his hand in mine and the soul-deep certainty that we were two halves of a whole.

Then, reality crashed back in.

I snatched my hand back as if burned, stumbling backward. The loss of contact was a physical ache. The hall was dead silent. Every wolf was staring, their faces a mixture of astonishment and dawning understanding. They had felt it too—the unmistakable, earth-shattering activation of a fated mate bond.

My eyes darted to Anastasia.

Her beautiful smile was frozen in place, but it didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes were like chips of ice, staring at me with a hatred so pure it stole the air from my lungs. The perfect mask had slipped, and for one terrifying second, I saw the abyss beneath.

Adrian was still staring at his own hand, then back at me, a war raging in his gaze. The bond between us, now awake, was a tangible thing, a thread of fire pulling me toward him. My body screamed to step forward, to close the distance, to answer the call of my destined other half.

But my mind screamed louder.

My sister's fiancé. My Alpha. A man bound by duty and promise to another.

The silence stretched, thick and heavy with scandal. I stood there, the defective Omega, who had just shattered the carefully constructed future of the most powerful Alpha in the region.

Adrian finally cleared his throat, the sound rough. He straightened his shoulders, the mask of the implacable Alpha slamming back into place, though I could still see the turmoil beneath the surface.

"The ceremony is concluded," he announced, his voice forced into a semblance of calm. "Elara is tired from her journey. Someone show her to her quarters."

It was a dismissal, a desperate attempt to regain control. But the damage was done. The truth hung in the air, electric and inescapable.

As I was quickly led away, my legs trembling beneath me, I risked one last look back. Adrian's gaze followed me, burning with an intensity that promised both heaven and hell. And Anastasia was still smiling that frozen, horrifying smile.

My coming-of-age year was going to be about survival, after all. But not in the way my father had intended.