Chapter 1 1
Tiara’s POV
The weight of exhaustion dragged at my bones as I wiped the sweat from my brow. My arms still trembled from hauling sack after sack of grain, each one heavier than my own body. Today’s task had left me drained, my muscles screaming, my spirit begging for reprieve. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in the shadows of the pack’s servant quarters and forget the world existed.
But as I stepped out of the pack hall, relief almost brushing against my skin, a voice cut through the air like a whip.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”
I froze. My breath hitched. Slowly, I turned, meeting the piercing eyes of the taskmaster. His gaze held no warmth, it was just cold authority sharpened with cruelty.
“I’ve completed today’s task,” I replied, keeping my tone polite though fatigue bled through my words. “I’d like to rest now.”
A low growl rumbled from his chest as he closed the distance between us. His shadow swallowed mine, and my wolf bristled inside me, restless.
“And who told you you’re done?” His voice was venom wrapped in authority.
I forced myself not to flinch. Instead, I pointed to the massive heap of grain stacked higher than a seven-foot soldier. “I did everything you ordered. Every sack filled and carried. That was the task.”
The sharp crack of his rod lashed against my outstretched finger. I bit my lip to stop a cry from slipping out.
“You’re not finished until I say you’re finished.”
Anger boiled in my veins, my wolf clawing at the walls of my restraint. Let me out, she snarled. Let me show him we’re not weak.
But I knew better. The taskmaster ruled with brutality, and one wrong move would bring the pack soldiers crashing down on me. I swallowed my pride, tasting bitter ash as my silence became my shield.
“I’ve done enough,” I whispered, voice trembling despite my defiance.
The taskmaster’s lips curled into a cruel smile. With a swift kick, he knocked down the support beam holding the pile. Grain cascaded everywhere, scattering across the floor in a mocking avalanche.
“Now, you’re not done.” His tone was final, a death sentence. “Do it again.”
My stomach hollowed. My hard work, hours of sweat and aching muscles now undone in a heartbeat.
I wanted to curse him, to scream until my throat tore, but the words lodged in my mouth like thorns. I could not afford rebellion. Not again.
My wolf prowled inside me, furious, urging me to fight. But the watchful eyes of the pack soldiers pressed down on me like chains. I forced her down, burying her rage deep. She whimpered in protest, and I hated myself for silencing her, for being too weak to stand up for either of us.
I stared at the grain now scattered across the hall floor. Every sack I had arranged now lay in ruins, mocking me. My shoulders sagged, my earlier hope of rest crumbling to dust.
That was my life. The life of a commoner. A lowly Omega. A slave in all but name.
And yet, as I stood there among the ruins of my labor, my thoughts drifted to what tomorrow would bring. My eighteenth birthday. For most wolves, it was a day of celebration, when fate revealed their mate, when hope of becoming Luna glimmered on the horizon. For me, it would be another day of labor. Another day of survival. Another reminder that I was nothing.
Ever since my parents’ death, the world had offered me no kindness, no home, no hand to hold. Just brutality. Just hunger. Just silence.
In the kitchens, I forced myself to swallow my bitterness as I accepted the meager rice cake that was to be my meal. My hands trembled around the plate. This was survival. This was all I had to eat after the whole rigorous work
But before I could even lift the food to my lips, my world tilted. My body slammed into the hard, dusty floor, the plate shattering, the only food I had earned scattering across the ground.
Laughter exploded around me, cruel and mocking.
“Commoner.”
The word dripped with disdain.
I pushed myself up, my vision blurring until I saw him, the soldier who had deliberately stretched his leg out to trip me. His boot pressed down near the broken rice cake as if to remind me how powerless I was.
“That… was my only meal,” I managed to whisper, humiliation tightening my throat.
His smirk widened. “An orphan like you doesn’t deserve to eat. You don’t even deserve to live.” His voice roared with cruelty, echoing through the kitchen.
Something inside me cracked at his words. My wolf snarled, rattling the cage I had built for her. My hands shook as I clenched them into fists.
He leaned closer, until we were eye to eye. “What will you do now, commoner?”
I opened my mouth, but no sound came. My voice betrayed me, leaving me drowning in silence. He laughed, straightening before walking away, his soldiers trailing after him, their jeers cutting me deeper than any blade.
I looked down at the food scattered across the ground. My stomach clenched with hunger, my chest with despair. But worse than either was the helpless rage clawing at my soul.
That was only a glimpse of my suffering as an Omega. Yet I knew darker days were coming.
Because Alpha Gregory had already decided my fate. And when hi
s proclamation reached me, it would shatter what little strength I had left.
