|chapter 1|

|Talitha|

The living room is quiet, save for the crackling of fire from the hearth and the creaking floorboards underfoot. I keep my head down, breaths shallow and heart hammering as I scrub the wooden floor, trying to avoid being noticed. The shadows are my allies—until they aren't.

“Would you look at that? Our little omega hard at work,” Daezahn snickers, her voice sugary sweet. I hear the smirk in it before I even glance up. “You missed a spot.”

I clench the rag in my hand tighter and focus hard on the floor. Maybe if I don’t react, she'd leave—

A sharp kick slams into my left side, knocking me sideways into the centre table. My head grazes the edge, dangerously close to my eye, and a burst of searing pain tears through my skull and ribs as the breath is forced from my lungs in a strangled gasp.

“Daezahn.” Luna Cleo’s voice drifts in from the doorway, light but laced with approval. “Don’t break her too quickly.”

Daezahn giggles, crouching beside me as I push myself upright, trembling. “I barely touched her, Mother. She’s just fragile. Like always.” Her nails dig into my arm as she hauls me up, fingers biting down like claws. “Aren’t you, Talitha?”

I debate on whether to nod or to shake my head— anything that'll get her off my back but my foster mother, Luna Cleo, steps forward then, brushing a lone lock of hair from my face. Her touch is cold and uncomfortable, lingering just long enough to send a chill down my spine.

“Fragile things are easy to replace,” Cleo whispers, eyes narrowing. “You remember that, don’t you?”

Before I can answer, a low and commanding voice cuts through the chaos. “Enough.” Every muscle in my body tenses as my foster father, Alpha Rick, steps into view, his frame tall and menacing.

“Can’t I have a moment of peace in this house?” He growls, his eyes narrowing at his daughter and mate. Daezahn lets go of me reluctantly, stepping back with a pout while Luna Cleo holds his gaze for a long, tense moment before retreating too.

“Our apologies, Alpha.”

A different kind of fear settles deeply in my bones when Alpha Rick's eyes shift towards me, making me realize that I've just escaped the lesser evil only to be caught by the greater one. “Come with me,” he says, his tone deceptively calm. His expression darkens when I hesitate. “Now.”

Trembling, I bow my head and follow after him as he leads the way upstairs to his office. I'm not sure what's worse—Cleo and Daezahn's cruelty or the Alpha's predatory gaze that always leers at me.

“Thank you for helping me, Alpha.” I murmur, forcing a smile on my face even though every fibre of my being screams at me to run because we're all alone.

Alpha Rick settles into his usual armchair, turned halfway toward the crackling fireplace in his office. His hair and beard are streaked with silver, his eyes dark and menacing as they trail languidly over my body. He beckons me forward and I swallow with unease as nerves twist my stomach.

“Yes, Alpha?” I reply, stepping forward tentatively as my heart beats a staccato rhythm in my chest.

He hums, stroking his beard as his lips spread into a crafty smile. “I know many a ways in which you could properly thank me—ways I'd take immense pleasure in. Alas, my Beta will be arriving shortly. Though that doesn't mean I can't take a moment to, at least, appreciate your… comely form.”

My heart sinks to my stomach then further down to the ground with his next words. “Come closer to me, Talitha.” His tone is smooth, almost syrupy but the sweetness is tainted, laced with something dark and unspoken.

Reluctantly, I obey, each step weighing heavily as I'm forced to stand between his spread legs. Alpha Rick's gaze rove over me in anything but a fatherly way. His gaze trails over my body, lingering on my breasts and the curve of my waist; I force myself to swallow back the bile I can feel rising in my throat. “You’ve grown into such a temptress,” he mutters. “So beautiful.”

The tension in the room begins to thicken while a chill creeps down my spine, but I manage to keep my expression neutral with my fists clenched at my sides. He’d made comments on my appearance before, this wasn't the first but there's something in his tone tonight that feels different… feels even dangerous.

“I–I'm grateful for everything you and Luna Cleo have done for me, Alpha,” I say carefully, though the words taste bitter on my tongue. “You’ve both tended to me as any competent parents might and I shall only ever hold gratitude in my heart toward you.” I say, praying silently to the Moon Goddess that my flattery might appease him.

His smile drops, a flash of something vile crossing his face. “Parents?” He leans forward, his dark eyes narrowing. “No, Talitha. I am not your father. Yes I took you in when all others turned their backs. I gave you shelter, food, and protection… but make no mistake, I am no kindly elder.”

The room seems to grow smaller, the air heavier as he straightens up in his seat. “In fact…” His hands lift, fingers brushing against my waist through the meager fabric of my tunic then trailing lower with a confidence that turns my blood to ice. “I think it's time you show your gratitude more…explicitly, don't you think?”

His fingers graze my sides, lingering for too long and making my skin crawl. “You’re no youngling anymore, Talitha. Surely you've noticed how every male in the pack eyes you, how they covet you.”

I bite back a shudder, the need to pull away more overwhelming. “I–I am but an omega, Alpha,” I whisper, fear lacing every word. “Nothing worthy of such regard.”

Alpha Rick chuckles, his hand finally retracting as he leans back, watching me with a dark expression that gives away similarly dark intentions. “Oh you sell yourself short, sweetling. You may lack in title and stature, but the Moon Goddess was generous when shaping your form, was she not?” He asks in a low, sultry mutter as his gaze drags over me, slow and deliberate before returning to meet mine with a glint that promises ruin.

“Remember well who it was that plucked you out of the gutter and gifted you the life you now have, Talitha. One of these days, I’ll return for my due, and I intend to enjoy every moment of it.” Terror roots me to the spot while the meaning behind his words strikes like a blade to my guts. “Do I make myself clear?”

I force a nod, bowing my head in false humility as disgust rakes through me. “Yes, Alpha.”

“Such a good girl.” He mutters, his eyes softening but not in the way I'm comfortable with. It’s a look that’s akin to shackles binding me here, in his control, in a world where he could manipulate me as he wanted.

Bowing once more, I mumble an excuse about my awaiting chores before turning around and hastily leaving his presence, my heart racing and muscles tense. Outside, the night air envelopes me, a cool and welcome relief against my sweat-beaded skin. I gasp, sucking in the much needed air, where the scents of pine and freshly cut grass soothes me as I stumble out of the house, letting my feet carry me to the one place I always find comfort in—the lake at the very back of the pack.

I reach the lake sooner than expected and I find it empty at this time of the night, just how I like it. This place serves as my sanctuary when things get overwhelming, which is more often than not, but the peace and quiet the lake offers always gives me some moment of reprieve. The moon reflects on the surface of the still water, its incandescent silver light giving the lake an ethereal glow.

It’s my favorite place in all of the pack territory. I fall to my knees beside the lake and stare down at my reflection. Long, curly gold hair cascades over my shoulders, framing my heart-shaped face. My eyes, turquoise and piercing, stare back at me. I’ve always considered it cruel of the Moon goddess to give me such beautiful hair and features, only to make me a lowly and wolf-less Omega. Because of this, I'm popular for my beauty yet shamed for my weakness. They are a reminder of who I am; an outcast.

I sit by the lake for the next few minutes, enjoying the sensation of the cool water against my calves when the sound of leaves rustling jerks me out of my thoughts. I stiffen instinctively, scrambling to my feet. But before I can turn around to check the cause of it, I'm suddenly tackled to the ground, a scream escaping me from the force of the impact.

My back slams into the damp earth, knocking the wind from my lungs. Clawed hands—human, but barely—pin my wrists to the ground as a snarling face hovers over mine. His eyes glow faintly in the dark, wild and unfocused, the foul scent of blood and sweat rolling off him in waves.

I thrash beneath him, panic surging through me like fire, but his grip tightens, nails biting into my skin. His lips peel back, revealing jagged teeth that seem too sharp, too wrong, for his human form.

“Well, well, well, if it isn't my lucky night.”

“Y–You’re a rogue. Rogues aren't supposed to set foot on pack territory.” I choke out, struggling to break free.

“And weak little she-wolves such as yourself aren't supposed to wander off alone at night. Though it just makes you an easier prey for me.” His laugh is low and humorless as he lowers his face toward my neck, inhaling deeply. “But he didn't say you were this beautiful.”

He?

Before I can comprehend who he's referring to, he suddenly sinks his teeth into my shoulder, making me scream. The pain intensifies, hot and sharp, as his claws rake down my side. I kick wildly against him, managing to raise my legs high between us to knee him in the groin.

He howls in pain, falling to the side, but I know I don't have time to waste, especially when the look in his eyes turns deadlier. Scrambling to my feet, I bolt for the trees, ignoring the burning in my ribs and the blood seeping down my arm. Then all too soon, I hear a loud growl before his footsteps start to thud behind me, gaining ground fast.

I won't make it.