Mine to Claim, Omega

Cecelia Quinn's POV

I was only here to deliver a project proposal.

But I saw it with my own eyes—Chase Goodman personally fastening that necklace, the one with the blood-red gemstone, around Claudia Saunder’s neck.

My steps faltered. I could barely catch the scent of the pheromones in the air.

That necklace... I knew it too well. It was the only thing I had ever asked him for. At the Shadowmoon Pack charity auction, I had begged him to buy it for me.

In our mate bond, I had never asked him for anything. Just that once—I begged.

Because it was my mother’s keepsake—the only thing left to me by the battlefield medic who once used her body and blood to rescue over a hundred orphans on the frontlines.

In that moment, my mental link nearly destabilized. I instinctively suppressed my scent, forcing myself to keep it together.

“Well, look at her. Frozen already? I told you, Omegas have no class. One necklace and she’s stunned stupid.” Jacob, the Beta beside Chase, sneered, his eyes brimming with superiority.

I ignored him. I stepped forward silently across the carpet, stopping right in front of Claudia. I reached out to take the necklace back.

The next moment, my wrist was caught in a firm grip.

Chase’s palm was solid, the strength of an Alpha behind it, his fingers like steel. “I gave that to Claudia. It’s hers now.”

I kept my voice steady, but the fury underneath was sharp. “You promised me. That necklace is mine.”

He frowned, his face tight with irritation. “Don’t be childish. It’s a gift—for her promotion to Vice Captain of Silverwing Team.”

Childish?

I felt a chill crawl across my chest, like something inside me was starting to freeze over. “What if I insist?”

Jacob let out a laugh. “Told you. She’s not worthy. An Omega like her standing next to you? You’re a once-in-a-century Alpha from Whitefang Pack, and she’s just some bottom-tier Omega from a backwater outpost.”

Hardly anyone knew about our formal mate bond.

But everyone knew Claudia was the one Chase had always held close to his heart.

Claudia’s gaze was flat. Her voice was flatter. “It’s just a necklace. I don’t care for it.” She pulled it off and tossed it to the floor like trash.

My mother’s keepsake landed cold and silent on the ground.

My eyes burned, and my pheromones slipped out of control. A faint scent of bitter camphor filled the air—the signature of my grief.

I crouched down slowly and picked up the necklace. The metal was ice-cold, stinging my palm.

Claudia looked down at me with pride in her voice. “A real Luna should chase power and wisdom, not cling to some rotting memory.”

Jacob snorted. “What power does she have? What wisdom? She’s just a rootless, homeless Omega. If Chase hadn’t given her food and an identity badge, she’d be a rogue wandering the borderlands by now.”

And my mate—Chase—stood there, silent.

He didn’t say a single word in my defense.

I stood up, my eyes sharp as they landed on Claudia. “If you truly didn’t care, then why accept a necklace worth millions from a married Alpha?”

Claudia huffed. “We’re just friends. It was a token of friendship.”

“Really?” I sneered. “Jacob’s your friend too. Has he ever given you a million-dollar ‘token of friendship’?”

That shut her up. Jacob’s face stiffened.

“Enough.” Chase’s voice was cold. “It’s just a necklace. Is this really worth such drama?”

I clenched the necklace tighter. It wasn’t just jewelry—

It was a miracle bought with blood and belief. My mother’s last gift to me.

I took a deep breath, calming the mental tremor still rippling through me.

Right before I came here, I’d gotten word from the envoy—the urns carrying my parents’ ashes had left Saint Empire. They would arrive in Whitefang territory tomorrow.

I looked at him, my voice hoarse, almost begging. “Forget the necklace. Tomorrow’s the day my parents come home. I want you to go with me to receive them.”

Their biggest wish had been for me to find a place where I belonged. If they could see me welcome them home with my mate by my side—even in death—they’d be at peace.

He hesitated. Yes, he knew my parents died in a foreign war, but he never truly understood what losing them meant to me.

Claudia’s expression dimmed. Jacob let out a mocking laugh. “Can’t you come up with a better excuse? You’re seriously dragging the dead into this just to get Chase to spend time with you?”

I didn’t respond. I kept my eyes on Chase.

He stayed quiet for a few seconds, then finally nodded. “Fine. I’ll go.”

I said nothing more and turned to leave the main hall.

But before I reached the doors, Jacob’s voice rang out behind me. “You’re really going with her?”

“She’s my legal mate,” Chase replied softly. “It’s my duty.”

“She’s just an Omega orphan. What’s there to be so sentimental about?”

“Orphan.” The word stabbed straight into my chest.

I looked down at the necklace in my hand. It still seemed to carry my mother’s warmth.

“Dad… Mom… I’ll bring you home myself tomorrow.”

The next morning, the sun rose over Whitefang. The wind howled like blades.

I waited at the agreed time for what felt like forever. But Chase never showed.

Anxiousness crept up in my chest. I called his Communication Tablet. His voice came through—low and annoyed.

“Claudia’s mom caught a cold. I’m taking her to Saint Hospital.”

“Chase, come quick! Mom’s coughing again!” Claudia’s soft voice pierced through the comms.

“I’m coming,” he replied, his voice so gentle it barely sounded like him.

The line cut.

I stood frozen, like I’d fallen into an icy lake. I could barely stay in wolf form.

I was willing to die for you, to bleed for your pack. But I wasn’t worth one morning to help welcome my war-dead parents home?

I didn’t wait any longer. I turned and headed straight for the Shadowfang Force base.

That was the place I had fought for six years—the place I’d vowed to protect with my life.

As I stood before the towering iron gates of the battalion, the soldiers guarding them stiffened to attention.

I stepped out of the vehicle, standing tall. Even after two years of retirement, my presence still felt like battle.

Even if I were alone, I would bring my parents home with honor.

“Former Shadowfang Force Special Ops Unit Member—Cecelia, here to receive the ashes of warriors Sam Quinn and Gloria Moore!”

My voice rang through the air, sharp as a blade.

The massive gates creaked open.

Cecelia's POV

The wind howled like blades. Iron hooves pounded the ground like thunder.

I stood before the gates of Shadowfang Force, my gaze cold and unwavering.

A sudden whoosh broke the silence.

Two rows of warriors emerged from the main gate, dressed in black-and-red ceremonial gear. They marched in perfect unison, silent and solemn. Each raised a fist high in salute—the battalion's highest ritual of honor, the Warrior’s Homecoming Rite.

Heavy footsteps echoed from deep within the hall.

It was John Paul, former commander of Shadowfang Force, the man I once called "Mr. Paul" as a child. He came forward personally, carrying a sandalwood box draped in blood-red silk, embroidered with the Shadowfang crest.

That color—burning like blood—pierced straight through my chest.

It was the color I knew too well. The color of my parents’ battle robes, their legacy, the faith they left etched into my bones.

John's voice was low and steady. “Their remains were indistinguishable in the ruins. With the envoy’s consent, they were buried together here.”

I clenched my jaw. My eyes burned, but I didn’t cry. “Good. They fought side by side in life. Let them rest together in death.”

John nodded, then raised the urn high and bellowed like a war drum.

“Warriors of Shadowfang—Sam and Gloria—return now to your bloodline. Your souls live on. Your legacy will not perish!”

The two rows of soldiers shouted in unison. The force of their voices shook the air.

I stepped forward and received the urn. It was so heavy I nearly couldn’t hold it.

But for the first time in years, I felt truly at peace.

They were finally home.

After the ceremony, John lowered his voice. “Where’s your husband? Chase is your mate, isn’t he?”

I lowered my eyes and masked my scent. My voice was calm. “He couldn’t make it.”

John’s brow furrowed. A flicker of anger flashed in his eyes. He’d watched me grow up—he knew my pride, my backbone. He gave my shoulder a firm pat. “If Whitefang can’t hold you anymore, Shadowfang will always be open to you.”

I nodded and murmured, “Thank you, Mr. Paul.”

I placed the urn on the passenger seat, gently brushed the lid, and whispered, “Dad… Mom… I’m bringing you home.”

Moon Peaks, Western Whitefang Territory

The moment I stepped into the villa, my pheromones instinctively pulled back.

The air was thick with tension, practically smoking.

“Claudia’s back now. She’s Vice Captain of the Silverwing Team and might be the next Luna of the Silverwing! You need to end your bond with Cecelia and marry her!” Mary’s voice was sharp, frantic.

“Claudia and I are just friends,” Chase replied quietly.

“Friends? Please. Everyone knows she’s the one you’ve always liked,” Jane Goodman snapped.

I stood at the threshold, holding my parents’ ashes, listening. The chill in my chest spread deeper.

I’d given everything to this family—helped him build his unit, protected his mother, endured his family’s rules…

But now all they cared about was who deserved to be Luna.

Jane turned and saw me, her voice instantly shrill. “You were eavesdropping?!”

I walked into the hall, my voice as cold as frost. “I didn’t hide. I didn’t sneak. How is that eavesdropping?”

“Then you heard it loud and clear—end your bond with my brother and stop standing in Claudia’s way!” she snapped.

“Enough,” Chase barked, frowning.

But I didn’t look at them. I only looked at him.

And at last, his eyes dropped to the urn in my arms.

“You… you brought them home?” he asked, his voice softer now.

“Yes,” I answered calmly. “My parents are home.”

He paused for a few seconds before mumbling, “I was going to go with you, like I promised. It’s just… Claudia’s mom caught a cold, and I…”

“What?!” Mary shrieked, cutting him off.

She stormed over, glaring at the urn in my arms like it was poisonous. “How dare you bring that disgusting thing into my house?!”

Disgusting?

My fingers tightened slightly. My eyes went cold.

“They died for the pack. They’re my parents.” My voice was flat, but the wolf in me had begun to snarl.

“I don’t care who they are! You can’t bring the dead into my house! Take it out now!” she shrieked.

“This is my house too,” I replied coolly. “Chase and I signed for it together as mates. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Together? Did you even pay a cent? This place is all my brother’s property!” Jane shouted. “Are you trying to use a pile of ashes to curse my mother?!”

Chase’s face twisted awkwardly. He looked at me, voice strained. “Just… place the urn somewhere else for now. When the time’s right—”

I cut him off.

“So you think my parents are bad luck, too?” I stared at him. My voice was ice.

He didn’t answer.

Silence… was the answer.

I drew a slow breath and said calmly.

“For two years, I’ve stood beside you while you conquered and expanded. When your mother was going blind, I pulled strings from my old alliances to summon a seer from the Saint Pack to save her eyes. But now that my parents died in a foreign land, and all I ask is a moment’s peace to bring them home, you call them unlucky?”

Each word was hammered like iron.

“You once said I was your family. When, exactly, did my parents stop being ‘next of kin’?”

The room froze in place.

Suddenly, Mary lunged at me, eyes blazing. She slapped me hard. “You think you can bring foreign remains into the Whitefang household? Dream on!”

My face burned red.

She reached for the urn.

“Don’t you touch them—!”

A roar tore from my throat, primal and deafening.

In that instant, the wolf inside me—silent for years—awoke.

And then—The sound exploded through the air, a soul-deep growl of ancient bloodline. Not just a voice, but a pureblood wolf’s howl—one that made Alphas freeze and Betas drop to their knees.

The entire room fell silent.

And I knew— The dormant power in my blood… Had finally awakened.

Chase’s POV

I was supposed to be at Shadowfang Force for the homecoming ritual.

But instead, I was sitting in the waiting area of Saint Hospital, breathing in the scent of antiseptic, holding the cup of warm tea Claudia had just handed me.

“My mom starts coughing and can’t stop. I just feel better with you here,” she said softly, her fingers brushing lightly against mine.

I nodded but didn’t reply.

On the other end of the bond I had suppressed for two years, something tore.

Cecelia’s emotions surged, sharp enough to drag my own nerves into the storm of her pheromones.

I instinctively rubbed my brow and muttered a curse.

I knew today was the day she’d be bringing her parents’ ashes back to Whitefang.

I had promised to go with her.

But when Claudia looked at me, teary-eyed, telling me her mother had a fever and couldn’t keep down her medicine, I had—almost automatically—chosen to stay.

“Chase, my mom’s really not doing well. Can you get us priority access? I don’t want her to wait in line…”

I nodded, issued the command to the medical guards, and headed for the physician’s office.

But that pressure in the bond only intensified.

When an Omega reaches an emotional peak, their psychic waves spike, especially when the mate bond hasn’t been fully severed. Those waves feed back directly into the Alpha’s neural system.

I knew exactly what this meant.

Had something happened to her?

Or…

I shook the thought out of my head.

By the time I returned home, night had fallen.

Moon Peaks Manor was quiet, as usual. But just as I stepped through the front door, I heard Mom and Jane arguing in the living room.

“Claudia is the next Luna of the Silverwing! She’s the only one worthy of standing beside my brother! Cecelia is nothing—just a placeholder Omega!”

My head throbbed.

“What are you two talking about?” I said sharply, stepping into the room.

Cecelia was standing there.

Back straight. Still. Silent.

She held a dark sandalwood urn wrapped in red silk.

My heart sank.

“You… already brought them back?” I asked.

She nodded. “They’re home.”

My throat tightened.

“I’m sorry, Cecelia. I really meant to go with you. It’s just… Claudia’s mom suddenly got a high fever, and I…”

“You brought dead people into this house?!” my mother suddenly shrieked.

She stormed over, eyes fixed on the urn like it was cursed.

“Are you trying to kill me with stress? Bringing something like that into our home?!”

“Mom, that’s enough—” I started, frowning.

But she wouldn’t hear it.

Cecelia didn’t move. Her grip on that urn didn’t loosen an inch. I knew what it was.

Her only blood relatives. Her pride. Her sacrifice.

“This is her home too,” I said quietly.

“Her?!” my mother shrieked again. “She doesn’t belong here! You bought this house. What right does she have?”

Cecelia looked at me.

That one look chilled me to the bone.

She asked, “You think my parents are bad luck, too?”

I couldn’t answer.

The words wouldn’t come. Not because I actually thought they were bad luck, but because I was trying to keep things “calm” for everyone.

I wanted to soothe her without upsetting my mother.

But I forgot—Omegas are hypersensitive to an Alpha’s hesitation, especially when the bond isn’t broken.

She started listing everything she had done for me.

And I felt guilty. But I couldn’t deny any of it.

Her gaze was like a blade, slicing into my ribs.

“You said I was your family. So when did my parents ever stop being worthy of being called ‘next of kin’?”

I tried to speak.

But before I could say a word, my mother slapped her hard across the face, then reached for the urn.

“Don’t touch her!” I shouted, rushing forward.

But it was too late.

Cecelia let out a low growl—no, not a human sound.

It was the voice of a wolf.

Deep, thunderous, pulsing with raw bloodline dominance. A true wolf’s roar.

Silence dropped like a guillotine.

Jane froze. My mother stepped back, pale as a sheet.

And I stood there, stunned.

I caught her scent in that instant—not the gentle aura of an Omega, but…

The commanding scent of pure blood.

She… was awakening?

My knuckles trembled. Not with fear, but with something else.

Mate instinct.

My wolf recognized the shift in her. That awakening.

Her blood was reawakening something buried deep inside me—something I had sealed, suppressed, tried to erase.

And now…

It was all flooding back.

Cecelia's POV

I slapped Mary’s hand away, shielding the urn as I ducked and spun, letting it fall safely into my arms.

Not even a tremor.

“That’s the remains of my parents,” I growled, my voice cracking from the force in my chest, laced with the primal edge of an awakening wolf’s howl. “How dare you lay a hand on it?!”

But Mary lunged like a madwoman. “You’re still protecting that cursed thing? This is my son’s house—this is Whitefang Pack territory! You’re nothing but a low-born Omega from some backwater tribe. Who gave you the right to house foreign remains in our land?!”

Her shrieking was like claws raking down my ears.

“I’ll destroy it right now!” she screamed. “Let those ‘glorious dead’ of yours watch their uncivilized daughter curse her mate’s home!”

My fingertips trembled slightly.

It wasn’t fear.

It was the calm detonation of a fury pushed to its breaking point.

I looked her straight in the eye and spoke, every word clear and deliberate. “You don’t have to acknowledge me. But you have no right to desecrate the remains of warriors. They’re not bones. They’re soldiers.”

That’s when Chase finally opened his mouth. His Alpha aura pressed faintly against me, but it carried no warmth. No emotion at all.

“Cecelia, take the remains out for now,” he said. “My mother just got back from Saint Hospital. She’s not stable. I don’t want her any more agitated. If something happens to her, I won’t forgive you.”

For a second, I didn’t even understand the words coming out of his mouth.

I thought I was hearing reason, composure, and responsibility. But deep in my bones, my Omega instincts picked up the truth, contempt. Disregard.

That was the moment our bond began to unravel.

I stood there, holding the urn, stripped from his world.

“You’re still not leaving?” His brow furrowed with cold steel. “Do you want me to force you out?”

That was when my heart truly turned to ash.

I looked down at the urn that held my parents’ remains. My eyes burned, but no tears came.

Mom. Dad. I really did marry the wrong man.

Two years ago, he stood on the Clanstone and swore to me. “By blood, I vow. In this life, you are my only mate. No other woman will ever cross this threshold.”

Back then, his eyes were clear—his bones radiated idealism. He went with me to offer rites, stayed up all night in vigil, used his own clawprint to bless your shrine. I believed he would protect me—and the flame that kept our family’s spirit alive.

But today, I learned something else, promises from an Alpha, are as light as dust.

Did you know? He couldn’t even get citizenship in Whitefang. I used the death benefits from your sacrifice to make the donation required for his ID badge.

Now he holds power in the Engineering Division, finally tasting achievement—and yet he wouldn’t even let your ashes rest for a single night in peace.

If your spirits can see me now—see what I gave up to stand by him, what I endured—would you still forgive me?

I held my breath, gathered the urn, and turned away.

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll go.”

In that moment, something stirred. A breath of wolfish instinct in the air. I knew it—my bloodline was waking again, stirred by sorrow and rage.

My spine straightened. My steps were silent.

I wasn’t fleeing. I was retreating.

Shadowmoon Valley lay beneath a sky of rain and mist. The mourning bell tolled three times.

With the guidance of the elders, I placed the urn on the altar and gently laid my fingers across the red-lined clan banner.

It was the highest burial sigil our people offered. Crimson runes to guide the soul home, to shelter it beneath the moon.

I bowed low, my forehead pressed to the cold stone floor. One thought filled my heart.

I will find you a grave that truly belongs to you.

Even if I stand alone.

When I stepped outside, rain falling on my umbrella, I overheard a few guards murmuring at the valley gate.

“Who’s the funeral for today? Never seen so many armored escorts at once.”

“You don’t know? It’s the old Alpha of Shadowmoon Pack—Blanc. He passed.”

“Isn’t his son that psycho Alpha? James or something?”

My heart skipped.

No wonder the gate was so heavily guarded.

As I stepped out, I saw a convoy of black-gold escort vehicles lined up along the ridge. One of the car doors opened, and a tall figure stepped out.

He held a black umbrella. His face was hidden beneath it, just a sharp, chiseled jaw and tight, unsmiling lips visible.

The wind stopped.

He looked up.

Those eyes—pure Alpha eyes—were utterly still. Like a dead lake buried beneath northern permafrost. Lifeless. Terrifying.

The gland at the back of my neck tightened under his gaze.

Every instinct in me screamed, danger.

I stepped back, almost involuntarily.

As we passed each other, my palms were already slick with cold sweat.

So this was James… the Mad Dog of the North… the Blade of the Wastelands.

But before I could gather my thoughts, my Communication Tablet vibrated.

Chase: "My mother and Jane have gone upstairs. Once the remains are taken care of, come back. We need to talk."

I stared at the message.

Said nothing.

That night, back at the Whitefang villa—

When I returned, he was sitting in the living room. Waiting.

“Did you get everything settled?” he asked as he stood.

“Yes.”

“About earlier… my mother’s old, and superstitious. Don’t take it to heart. I’ll make it up to you.”

He stepped forward, trying to hold me.

But I just looked at him.

Was his embrace ever warm? I didn’t know.

But I remembered—

When my parents’ remains came home from foreign soil, you weren’t there.

I pushed him away.

My voice came out cold—so cold, even I barely recognized it.

“Chase. Let’s terminate the mate bond.”

Chase’s POV

Terminate the bond?

My brow furrowed, and my voice came out low and cold, as if this was nothing more than a trivial matter. “You want to terminate the bond just because you were stopped from bringing your parents’ remains into our home?”

To me, it was just a compromise under the pack rules. But to her, it had become the final straw.

Her eyes were as cold as ice, like she had already given up.

“It’s not just that. There’s also the matter of Silverwing Team’s vice captain, Claudia. If we end the mate bond, you can form a new one with her.”

I almost laughed.

“I told you, Claudia is just a friend,” I cut her off, annoyed, my voice firm and absolute.

But I knew—she didn’t believe me.

I could feel the blade in her gaze, stabbing through my skin like ice picks.

Over the past two years, our bond had become nothing more than a hollow connection.

She was tired. Her voice was calm, but it made my heart ache. “I don’t want to live like this anymore.”

A wave of panic and helplessness surged up inside me.

Was she really going to vanish from my life?

I lowered my voice, almost pleading. “If it’s the future you’re worried about… we can have a child.”

Even I was stunned by what I had just said.

In two years, I had never truly gotten close to her.

We shared a bed but lived as strangers—like two wolves walking side by side, distant and cold.

“It’s been two years. We should have a child of our own.” I gently leaned in, my voice low and deep against her cheek.

But all I could feel was her bitterness… and mockery.

She had once longed for a child. And I had always answered with silence.

She shoved me away, eyes like frost. “You’re disgusting, Chase.”

I tried to stay calm. “I promised I’d never mistreat you. What you said just now—I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it. If you’re not ready for a child, we can wait.”

“I will never have a child with you!” she snapped.

My Communication Tablet vibrated. Claudia’s calm, composed voice came through.

“…I’m coming over now.”

I hung up and turned to her. “I have to go out. Cool off.”

My black combat bike rolled slowly into the distance.

Off again—to see that Silverwing Beta.

Every time I left, it was another betrayal.

Back then, she signed the bond without hesitation, just because I said, “I won’t mistreat you.”

Now, her heart had turned to ash.

This bond… was destined to break.

Cecelia’s POV

I had just started drafting the termination agreement when my mother-in-law called.

“I’ll give you a hundred million silver coins—just get out of my son’s life!”

Her voice was sharp as blades.

I didn’t hesitate. “Deal.”

She froze, suspicious. “You really agree to it?”

“One hundred million. I’ll end it right now.”

My heart had turned to stone.

That money could save so many wounded soldiers’ lives.

She quickly handed over the scroll. Chase’s sigil was already stamped on it. I pressed my spirit mark without hesitation.

“The elder council will witness the termination ceremony in a month. No backing out,” she warned.

I sneered. Why would I back out?

That afternoon, I went shopping with Veron.

When she heard the news, Veron clapped with delight. “Finally! You should’ve done this ages ago. The whole pack’s been talking—Chase and Claudia are obviously involved. Everyone knows he’s cheating, just too much of a coward to admit it.”

I replied coolly, “I don’t care what happens between them after the termination.”

She asked, “When will you take your parents’ remains back to Shadowfang for proper burial?”

“After the termination is official. In a month.”

That evening, we chose a street-side restaurant for dinner. As soon as we sat down, I heard whispers from the next table, snide laughter, and familiar names.

“When are Chase and Claudia going to seal the bond? We should throw a party when it happens.”

“Claudia graduated from Yale. She’s the first female pilot in Silverwing Team. Total legend.”

They even brought up my name, mocking me with every word.

Veron clenched her silver knife and fork, rage in her eyes.

I grabbed her hand and calmly walked over to their table.

My voice was low, steady, and powerful. “Since you’re all so curious about me, why not come ask me directly?”

Silence dropped over the room. The stares that followed were sharp as knives.

And out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chase frowning nearby.

I knew then—the storm was just beginning.