Outcast Alpha

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NINE YEARS AGO.

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As the storm unleashed its fury, a young boy with tousled brunette locks and cerulean eyes akin to dark crystals found himself swept into the chaos. His cheeks, rosy and round, lent him an air of innocence amidst the turmoil, casting him as the embodiment of purity in a world fraught with hostility.

With his heart pounding and breaths coming in ragged gasps, the boy was driven by an instinctual urge to flee, spurred on by the harshness of the stormy weather. His trembling legs and perspiring brow betrayed the depth of his fear, each step a desperate bid for survival amidst the storm's fury.

Yet, just as he neared his distant goal, still a considerable distance away, fate intervened with a sudden, merciless grip seizing the hood of his pristine white hoodie. Before he could comprehend, he found himself violently propelled towards a colossal tree, the impact jolting him with such force that he doubted he'd even managed to traverse its full breadth.

Gasping at the sudden impact, he gathered his wits and raised his gaze to meet the icy stare of the blond jock who had tormented him since his freshman year. "Do you truly believe you can defy me?" the jock sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "Or should I address you as the pitiful Omega you truly are, Alex?"

With scarlet irises ablaze with fury, the blond youth unleashed a thunderous roar, causing Alex to quake with an even deeper sense of dread. After all, in the intricate dynamics of their world, every omega instinctively yielded to the dominance of an alpha, particularly when faced with one consumed by rage.

"I refuse! I'd never betray myself like that! I won’t do it!" Alex's frustrated cry emerged in a strained whisper, the weight of defying an Alpha evident in every tremor of his voice. The blond Alpha's rage intensified, his fist poised to strike, prompting Alex to shut his eyes tightly in anticipation of the blow. Yet, to his astonishment, the anticipated punch never materialized.

The blond Alpha felt his fist ensnared by another's hand, the grip firmer and more bruising than he had anticipated. His breath caught as his scarlet gaze locked with familiar, narrowed grey eyes, which took on a dirty green hue when touched by sunlight.

Alex's eyes snapped open, startled to find the Alpha female positioned protectively before him. She stood clad in her typical attire; a black leather jacket draped over a black blouse, the hem reaching just above her thighs, paired with black high-ankle shoes. It was a familiar sight, as she always favored the color black in her attire.

Another detail that seized the young omega's attention was the sight of two or three snow-white highlights nestled at the tips of her long, straight raven hair, cascading down to her slender waist. Her hair was a marvel of beauty, unmatched by any other, and what perplexed him most was the sudden appearance of those pristine highlights, which had not been there a mere day ago.

Whether labeled as obsession or genuine admiration, Alex found himself compelled to uncover every facet of the enigmatic raven-haired Alpha female who had captured his heart for what seemed like an eternity.

She was a vision of ethereal beauty, yet her presence also evoked a sense of intimidation. She was Alex's one and only massive crush, and as he laid eyes on her, his cheeks, already flushed with a hint of rose, grew even warmer. His chest heaved in an erratic rhythm, the intensity of his emotions escalating, for as much as he adored her, a deep-seated fear also gripped his heart which always activated whenever she was around him.

There was an unsettling aura surrounding her presence.

“Celeste?” The blond Alpha's voice carried a tone of surprise, his astonishment evident as he beheld an Alpha standing in defense of an Omega. He knew Celeste had no motive for such interference, nor did she harbor any interest in matters of intimacy. This marked her as somewhat of an outcast among the other Alphas, her divergence from the norm-setting her apart from her peers.

However, she remained impervious to provocation, further solidifying the reasons why everyone steered clear of her like the plague.

She defied categorization, unlike any other Alpha, whether female or male. The Alpha's mind raced with confusion as he pondered her protective stance towards Alex. As he locked eyes with her dark, narrowed grey eyes, a shiver ran down his spine, leaving him questioning her motives even more.

Among the Alphas, Celeste stood alone in her refusal to prey on the vulnerable, her focus unwaveringly fixed on her pack. She spared no attention for anyone beyond her team, reserving her notice only for moments demanding her leadership as the pack's ‘second-in-command’ warrior of the ‘Mystic Moon’ pack.

Despite her youth and gender, she possessed such innate strength that she seldom needed to relinquish control to her wolf in confrontations, whether against males or females. Yet, when she did unleash her Alpha wolf, she became a force to be reckoned with, her power surpassing even that of males, without relying on her wolf for added strength.

She held the title of the most formidable Alpha within their pack, although this truth was often denied, as the leadership hierarchy prioritized the Head Alpha above all.

Celeste, known for her short temper, struck fear into the blond Alpha's heart when he found her intervening in the bullying of an omega. "How dare you lay a finger on an omega," she proclaimed in her deep, velvety voice, seizing the blond Alpha's fist with a firm grip before twisting his wrist, eliciting a pained cry from the once-mighty Alpha.

As Alex observed Celeste's gaze fix on the slight laceration adorning his right cheek, a realization dawned on him. "Celeste must have noticed the injury," he mused, recalling how it occurred when his cheek collided forcefully with the tree's rugged bark.

He pondered Celeste's intervention, acknowledging the truth in her accusation of the Alpha intending harm. What would have become of him if she hadn't intervened?

"What?" The blond Alpha's snarl dripped with spite. "Why are you protecting him? He's just an omega!" His words lashed out as soon as he managed to wrench his hand free from Celeste's vice-like grip—an action permitted by Celeste herself. Unbeknownst to both Alex and the other Alpha, this subtlety went unnoticed.

Alpha Celeste shot a glare in return as she positioned herself squarely in front of Alex, exuding an aura of intense intimidating dominance that sent shivers down the spines of both the Alpha and Alex. The palpable weight of her authority hung in the air, causing them to quiver with fear.

There was an unsettling quality to her commanding presence, one that exacted a heavy toll on the Alpha's resolve, resisting the urge to cower before her. Her dominating demeanor sent bone-chilling shivers down the Alpha's spine, while Alex's legs threatened to give way beneath him, trembling with the instinct to submit. Desperate to maintain his composure, Alex lowered his gaze to the ground, clinging tightly to the tree bark to steady himself and prevent the humiliating act of collapsing in submission.

"He's just an omega, Ethan! I told you to keep your hands off any omega. Pick on someone of your size, bastard." Celeste snarled with a low growl, her grip on Alex's wrist tightening harshly, eliciting a pained yelp from him.

However, before Celeste could depart from the school garden, where a crowd of students had gathered to witness the spectacle, crossing Celeste and provoking her anger was a rare occurrence. Fear of her held sway over everyone, ensuring that no one dared to challenge her to a fight.

"Oh yeah? You're only looking out for Alex because you two are probably fooling around behind everyone's backs. Maybe… he really does warm up your bed, doesn’t he?" Ethan spat out defiantly. "And there's no rule saying we can't have a little fun with the omegas! Stop being such a prude and get your mind out of the culvert!"

Before he could even finish his sentence, within the blink of an eye, Celeste lunged forward, grabbing Ethan by the throat and hurling him against a nearby tree with alarming speed. The impact knocked the breath out of him, leaving him gasping for air as Celeste continued to press him against the rough bark, her grip tightening around his neck and choking him.

“Perhaps, I’m being too easy on you.” Celeste growled out loudly before her voice deepened and her dainty lips twisted into a dangerous smirk before she lowly growled out; “Pay attention as I won’t repeat it out again for your imbecile ass. Alex is my best friend's brother, and there's nothing romantic between us. Furthermore, I've learned that your sister has been harassing him. If I catch wind of either of you so much as breathing in his direction again, I won't hesitate to take action. Whether the pack kicks you out or not, your lives won't remain so sweet." With each word, Celeste's dominance surged, a fiery warning that echoed not just to Ethan, but to everyone present, a reminder of her authority not to be trifled with.

Ethan's complexion verged on a sickly shade of blue under the relentless pressure of Celeste's grip, yet despite his status as the popular jock, no one dared to intervene. Try as he might, Ethan found himself unable to break free from the iron grasp of the furious Alpha.

Desperately, he clawed at Celeste's wrist, hoping to inflict enough pain to force her to release him. However, his attempts proved futile; his feeble attempts at causing harm to the Alpha were nothing compared to her strength.

At that moment, Celeste teetered on the brink of losing control of her wolf. Had she succumbed entirely, Ethan might have met a grisly fate then and there. Yet, just before she relinquished her hold, Alex's trembling, sweat-slicked fingers reached out to softly grasp her arm. The gentle touch served as an anchor, allowing the Alpha to reclaim the control she had nearly lost, her senses assuaged by the soothing aroma of the Omega.

The scent wafting from the omega alerted the Alphas to the omega's vulnerability and distress, indicating some specific situation troubling them deeply.

With the release of Ethan, he plummeted to the ground, clutching at his throat in a desperate bid to regain his breath. As Celeste's eyes, tinged with scarlet, reverted to their usual cold, mismatched grey, the tension in the air began to ease.

Celeste's narrowed grey eyes surveyed the silent onlookers, their passive observation failing to appease her. With a snarl of anger and frustration, she barked out, "What are you all watching?! Get the hell out of here!"

Too terrified to defy the enraged Alpha, the students swiftly cleared out of the area. This spot, once bustling with students during lunch breaks and equipped with seating arrangements, now lay deserted, the usual outdoor gatherings disrupted by the stormy weather and Celeste's wrath.

As the crowd dispersed, Celeste drew in a deep breath, willing her anger to subside. With a gentler grip this time, she took hold of Alex's wrist and guided him back inside the high school. As they walked through the halls, students parted before them, sensing the formidable aura of Celeste's dominance that permeated the air. It was a silent warning to everyone they encountered that she was not in the mood for any nonsense or someone’s bullshit at that moment.

Trembling with fear, Alex was led somewhere unknown, his mind too clouded with dread to comprehend their destination. He knew he was in for a severe scolding, and the prospect left him feeling uneasy. He desperately hoped for a way to escape the impending lecture, dreading the thought of being reprimanded by his crush. The idea of enduring such embarrassment weighed heavily on him.

Despite his intense fear of her, Alex found solace, security, and affection in Celeste's presence. Even though she may not have outwardly shown it, he was certain that she cared for him deeply, evident in the depths of her soulless eyes.

Aware of his own submissive tendencies around Celeste, Alex felt his breathing become erratic once more, overwhelmed by a mix of panic and infatuation. The memory of being scolded by her not long ago resurfaced, coinciding with the moment he fell deeply in love with her.

Celeste's scolding stemmed from Alex inadvertently putting himself in harm's way, prompting her to reprimand him and enlist his sister to impose a week-long grounding. This act of discipline served as a clear demonstration of her concern for his well-being. While Celeste exhibited care for all omegas, what drew Alex most to her was her genuine concern for their welfare, a quality he found lacking in other Alphas.

Celeste held a special place in Alex's heart among all the Alphas. Though the pack leader's daughter, also an Alpha, possessed undeniable beauty, it paled in comparison to Celeste's allure. Her beauty transcended mere physical appearance; it radiated from within, a rare quality among female Alphas who often abused their power over the powerless omegas.

Another reason Alex found himself falling deeper and deeper in love with Celeste was her irresistible charm. He couldn't resist her allure, and with each passing moment, he found himself more ensnared in the depths of his affection for her, unable to break free from her spell.

For a full year now, his omega had been yearning for Celeste's Alpha.