The Masked Alpha's Healer Mate

Aveline’s POV

“Aveline! Aveline!”

I heard a voice calling from behind me, and my hands skipped as my heart jolted in surprise. I turned around, wondering who could be calling me with such urgency. I was startled to see my friend standing at the edge of the cliff, waving her hands wildly at me.

“Aria, what’s going on?” I hollered back, but before she could answer, a sharp, mocking voice sliced through the air.

“Oh, it’s the weak omega.”

I stiffened. Eliana, one of the girls from the pack, stood a few feet away, her lips curled in disdain. I already knew how this would go. They were going to bully me again, just like every other morning. But Aria was there this time, and she wouldn’t allow it.

“Stay away from my friend!” Aria growled, her voice low and threatening. With swift speed, she was suddenly at my side. I didn’t find it strange at all, Aria already had her wolf. Her wolf was strong, powerful enough that even someone like Eliana feared her.

“Oh, look. Your dog is here,” Eliana sneered. “We’ll take our leave now.” She snarled one last time before walking away with her group.

“Those brutes!” Aria snapped once they were gone. “Why do you always let them bully you?”

“What’s the point of fighting back?” I asked quietly. “It’s not like I could win.”

That has always been the truth. Everyone had high expectations for me because my parents were powerful wolves, my father had been a Beta of the pack before he died, and my mother had been the pack’s doctor. But all that hope had turned into disappointment a year ago when I didn’t shift. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t connect with my wolf.

As a werewolf, I was useless.

“I know you can’t win,” Aria said, then suddenly paused. “But fighting back doesn’t..wait! What’s that?”

She grabbed my hand, her eyes locking onto the burn wound on my palm.

“I got hurt while cooking this morning,” I said quickly.

Aria hissed, instantly knowing that was a lie.

It was my stepmother. She had gotten angry at the way I walked that morning and punished me for it. Even my breathing annoyed her. I still didn’t understand why she hated me so much.

“I’m leaving the pack soon,” Aria said softly.

My eyes stung at her words. Aria had found her mate months ago, and she was leaving the village to be with him since he wasn’t part of our pack.

“You know you can come with me, Aveline,” she continued. “No, I want you to come with me. How long are you going to live at your stepmother’s mercy?”

I sighed deeply.

It wasn’t that I loved staying with my stepmother. It was fear. What could a weak omega like me do in the cruel world outside?

“I’m sorry, Aria,” I said as I finished picking up the clams beside me. “But I have to say no.”

“Really?” she asked. “You’re going to be stubborn like this?”

I shook my head. “Do you think I don’t want to leave the village like you? But what would my fate be? I’m so weak I can’t even run properly. The last time I followed you out, I almost became breakfast for rogues. Do you really think I can risk that again?”

My voice trembled, and my eyes burned with unshed tears.

As a weak omega who couldn’t communicate with her wolf and had no talents, I couldn’t find decent work. Picking clams was the only way I could afford to eat, since my stepmother refused to feed me unless I contributed to the household bills.

I said goodbye to Aria and hurried home. I already knew my stepmother’s anger would be unbearable if I arrived late.

“Pah!”

The sound of shattering glass filled the air the moment I stepped into our small, aging house. I gasped as something narrowly missed my head.

“I’m sorry, Mother,” I said quickly. “I went to get clams.”

She strode toward me, her eyes blazing.

“How much is this supposed to feed us for?” she demanded, knocking the clams from my hands and onto the floor.

I rushed to pick them up, terrified she would explode into another rage.

“I’m sorry, Mother. I’ll find a way. I’ll go to the Caster estate and see if there’s any work..”

She cut me off sharply.

“Is that the only thing you’re good at?” she sneered. “But what can I say? You’re just a lowly omega birthed by a village whore. Of course no greatness could ever come from you.”

Tears stung my eyes as her words pierced into me, just like every other day. She never missed a chance to tear me down, and I never once fought back.

“Mother,” I whispered, “I’ll do better this time. I promise you and my sister won’t starve..”

“You don’t need to do that,” she interrupted coldly. “I already found a way for your useless self to be helpful.”

Hope flared in my chest. “Really?” I asked. “Did you find me a job at one of the estates?”

She hissed. “What nonsense. Do you think anyone would want you as a worker?”

“Oh,” I murmured. “Then what did you find for me?”

“A buyer,” she replied casually.

I frowned. “What? You mean you’re selling me? To slave traders?”

“I’m not going to sell you,” she said.

I exhaled in relief, until she smiled cruelly. “I already sold you. You’re just too dumb to notice the difference.”

“What?” My knees weakened. “You can’t do that. My father left me in your care..”

Her hand struck my face before I could finish.

“How dare you speak back to me!” she shouted. “I raised you, fed you, clothed you, and this is how you repay me?”

“That’s not what I meant,” I cried. “Mother, please..we can..”

The door burst open, and several men barged inside.

“Where’s the girl?” one of them demanded.

Fear gripped my chest.

“This is her,” my stepmother said, pointing at me. My palms turned slick with sweat.

“What did you mean?” I asked shakily, staring at the rough-looking men.

“You know exactly what I mean,” she said. “I need money to care for your sister and brother. Something has to be done. That’s why you have to go.”

She shoved me forward. “Please, Mother!” I begged as the men dragged me away.

She didn’t even blink. I stopped struggling when they threw me into a carriage filled with other slaves taken from nearby villages. We traveled far, and after a long night, we arrived at a slave market. I was placed on a stand with the others. Buyers came and went, bargaining for everyone, until they reached me.

“An omega?” they scoffed. “There’s no use for that in my household.” One by one, they turned away. Soon, I was the only one left.

“You’re such bad luck,” the slave trader muttered. “I should never have bought you.” I bit my lip in shame. Even a slave trader found me useless.

“I can’t lose money,” he grumbled. “If I can’t sell you, I’ll take you to..”

“How much is she worth?” a deep voice interrupted.

I lifted my head in surprise.

The trader’s eyes widened. “Goddess above! That much gold for this worthless omega?”

The man bought me without hesitation. I followed him silently as he mounted his horse. I wasn’t allowed to speak.

“Go on,” he said after a while. “Ask. I know you’re curious.”

I looked at him. His face was stern, though he tried to smile. His aura radiated power, not wealth so why would he spend so much on me?

“Which estate are we going to?” I asked quietly.

He shook his head. “No estate. A palace.”

My breath hitched. “I’m taking you to the Sylvaire Palace.”

“Sylvaire Palace?” I whispered. “The palace of the masked Alpha?”

Fear wrapped around my heart as the carriage rolled forward, carrying me toward an unknown fate.