Chapter 1
Kira POV
The morning sun barely rose above the whole pack house, its golden light filtered through the thick forest surrounding Shadowridge Pack. But for me, mornings were anything but peaceful and enjoyable. I knelt on the cold, stone floor of the packhouse kitchen, scrubbing until my arms ached.
The smell of soap mixed with the metallic tang of blood from the blisters on my palms. I wanted to stop, to breathe, but I couldn’t just do what I wanted and wished for. Not if I wanted to avoid Helen’s wrath.
“Hurry up, Kira!” Helen barked, her voice sharp enough to cut through the clatter of dishes. She loomed over me like a bug, her hands on her hips and her ever-present scowl deepening. “You think Alpha Rylan’s going to wait for breakfast because you’re lazy? Get a move on immediately unless I show you your real position in this pack!”
“Yes, Helen,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.
I kept my head down, scrubbing harder to avoid the sting of her slap or the lash of her words on me. The other omegas moved around me, their steps hurried as they prepared food for the whole pack. None of them dared look at me or feel pity for me. I wasn’t just an omega, I was the omega slave leader. The one everyone used when they wanted to vent their frustrations.
***
By the time breakfast was ready, my stomach growled loudly. The scent of roasted meats, fresh bread, and sweet honey made my mouth water, but I knew better than to dream of eating any of it since am a mere slave who should not be eating with the real men. Omegas ate last in the pack, and if there was anything left.
As the alphas, betas, and warriors settled at the long wooden table, I stood in the shadows of the room, trying to make myself invisible before them. But my gaze betrayed me, flickering to Alpha Rylan.
Rylan. The pack’s leader, a man of striking features, dark hair that always looked so mouth dropping and silver eyes that seemed to pierce straight through you. Every she-wolf in the pack wanted his attention, but he barely noticed anyone unless they could be of use to him.
I wasn’t one of them. I wasn’t anything to him.
“Hey, omega!” Derek, one of the warriors, barked, calling me out. He grinned as he tossed a chunk of bread onto the floor near my feet.
“You missed a spot. Clean it up.”
My cheeks burned in pain, but I bent down, picking up the bread as my fingers trembled already. My heart pounded, not from fear but from the unbearable weight of humiliation.
“That’s enough, Derek,” Leo, the pack’s beta, drawled lazily from his seat. His sharp features softened with amusement, but there was no kindness in his tone but mockery.
“Even omegas deserve a break once in a while.”
Derek snorted.
“A break? She should be grateful we let her stay in this pack.”
I swallowed hard as I took in the harsh word's with any form of complain, keeping my head low. Grateful. That word always tasted bitter and untrue to myself. Grateful for being treated like dirt. Grateful for the injury and insult. Grateful for scraps. Grateful for a life that wasn’t a life at all.
****
When the meal was over, the packhouse emptied, leaving behind the chaos of half-eaten plates and spilled drinks around the table. As always, it was my job to clean up there own irritating mess. My arms ached so badly, and my stomach churned with hunger, but I pushed through the pain.
I glanced out the small, grimy window as I worked, my gaze lingering on the edge of the forest. The trees stood tall and free, their leaves swaying gently in the breeze.
I wish I were like them, I thought within myself still giving a glance to the outside world. I wish I could leave. Escape this place. This life. This sorrow. This torment.
But I just couldn’t do any of those. I was bound to this pack by rules and ranks I didn’t choose. And deep down, I knew that if I ever tried to run, they’d hunt me down like prey.
Still, a small voice inside me whispered, Not forever. One day, things will change.
The sound of footsteps startled me out of my thoughts. I turned just in time to see Eldra, Rylan’s cousin and one of the most ruthless women in the pack, standing in the doorway ahead.
Her green eyes sparkled with malice as she got closer.
“You’re awfully slow today, Kira,” she said, her voice dripping with mockery.
“I’m so sorry,” I said quickly, keeping my head bowed.
“You’re always sorry for every thing,” she hissed. “Maybe you need a lesson in how to be faster.”
Before I could react to her words, she grabbed the bucket of soapy water I’d been using and dumped it over my head. The cold water soaked through my clothes, and I gasped as laughter echoed around me.
Eldra leaned down, her lips close to my ear.
“Don’t forget your place in this pack, omega. You’ll never be anything more than a trash and waste of time.”
I sat there, shivering and drenched, as the packhouse erupted in full laughter.
As Eldra walked away from me, I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms with anger. I stared out the window again, this time with a new resolve burning in my chest.
You’re wrong, Eldra. One day, I’ll show you. I’ll show all of you that am not a weak omega or one that should be joked around with.
Those words came out of me in a little whisper, but I was really determined to show them who I am and what I am.
