Chapter 1: The Omega's Hope

The coarse brush scraped against the grime-slicked flagstones, each stroke echoing the hollowness in my chest. Another stain, another mess left by someone higher up the chain, another task deemed suitable only for Elara, the pack Omega. My knuckles were raw, the harsh lye soap stinging the already broken skin. Around me, the back corridors of the Silver Moon pack house were damp and cold, smelling perpetually of stale cooking grease and wet fur – a stark contrast to the warm, wood-scented air I sometimes caught whiffs of from the main halls. Halls I was only permitted to clean, never to linger in.

Being an Omega wasn't just a rank; it was a brand. Stitched onto the rough spun tunic I wore – the same drab grey as every other Omega, meant to blend in, to be unseen – was the crescent moon facing downwards, the symbol of the lowest status. An Omega without parents, without any connection strong enough to offer even a sliver of protection, was less than dust. We were the pack's scapegoats, its labourers, its punching bags.

"Oi, Shadow-Walker! Dreaming again?"

I flinched, instinctively hunching my shoulders as Valerie, the Beta's daughter, rounded the corner, flanked by her usual sneering companions, Mara and Lisette. Valerie, with her glossy brown pelt in shifted form and sharp features in human guise, embodied the casual cruelty of our pack's hierarchy. She kicked the bucket beside me, sending dirty water sloshing over the stones I’d just scrubbed.

"Look at her," Valerie sneered, flicking her perfect blonde braid over her shoulder. "Still thinks she's worth something. Counting down the hours, are we, Omega?"

I didn't answer, focusing on wiping up the spill with my rag. Engaging was always a mistake. It only invited more torment.

"Tomorrow's your eighteenth, isn't it?" Mara chimed in, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "The big day you finally find out which poor sod gets stuck with the pack runt for a Mate."

Lisette giggled. "Probably one of the old guards down by the kennels. Or maybe no one at all. Some Omegas never find a Mate, you know. Too weak. The Moon Goddess doesn't waste blessings on the useless."

Their words were sharp pebbles thrown against already bruised skin. Weak. Useless. Runt. I’d heard them all my life. But tomorrow… tomorrow held the slimmest, most fragile sliver of hope I possessed. My eighteenth birthday. The age when most werewolves felt the Mate bond click into place, a connection forged by the Goddess herself.

For others, like Valerie, it was about alliances, power consolidation. For me, it was escape. A Mate, any Mate recognised by the Goddess, would offer protection. A different life. A chance to be seen as something other than dirt beneath someone’s boot. It was a desperate, foolish dream, maybe, but it was the only one I had.

"She actually thinks someone will claim her," Valerie scoffed, nudging my shoulder hard with her foot, making me stumble. "Especially with the Alpha King arriving. He'll take one look at our pathetic Omega and order her sent to the border patrols as bait for rogues."

The Alpha King. Rhys. Just the name sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the corridor's chill. He ruled the Northern Alliance, a coalition of packs forged through strength and, some whispered, ruthlessness. Our own Alpha, a man content with his small territory, practically grovelled before him. King Rhys was visiting for the annual Alliance council meeting, which coincided with the Mating Ceremony for this year's eighteen-year-olds. His presence turned the usual pack gathering into a high-stakes event. Power, dominance, and danger radiated from him even in rumour. The thought of his eyes – said to be as cold and sharp as winter ice – falling on me was terrifying.

What if Lisette was right? What if no bond formed? Or worse, what if a bond did form, but my Mate rejected me on sight? It happened sometimes, especially with Omegas. We were seen as drains on pack resources, incapable of producing strong heirs or defending territory.

Valerie leaned down, her voice dropping to a malicious whisper. "Don't get any ideas, Omega. Someone like him," she tilted her head towards the main hall, indicating the expected guest of honour, "needs a strong Luna. Someone powerful. Someone like me. Not a trembling little mouse like you."

She shoved me again, harder this time, sending me sprawling onto the wet floor. The lye soap instantly bit into a fresh scrape on my elbow. Laughter echoed down the corridor as they walked away, leaving me in the spreading puddle of dirty water.

Tears pricked my eyes, hot and shameful. I choked them back. Crying never helped. Pushing myself up, ignoring the stinging pain, I dipped my rag back into the bucket. As I scrubbed, my fingers traced a pattern in the grime – an upward-facing crescent, the symbol of hope, of the Luna, of the Goddess herself. A silent, desperate plea formed in my mind. Moon Goddess, hear me. Please. Don't leave me here. Give me a chance. Just one chance.

Later, dismissed after hours of thankless labour, I retreated to the cramped, drafty room I shared with two other Omegas near the kitchens. Exhaustion settled deep in my bones, but sleep felt miles away. Through the small, grimy windowpane, I watched the last sliver of daylight fade, the first stars beginning to prick the darkening sky. The moon, nearly full, cast an ethereal glow.

Tomorrow.

The word pulsed in my veins, a frantic drumbeat of fear and impossible hope. The Alpha King would be here. The Mating Ceremony would take place. My life, one way or another, was about to change forever.

It had to.