Chapter 4

A flicker of rage flashed past Lucas’ face. “Get up. Who do you think you are?”

His voice was laced with the authority of an Alpha, a raw dominance that would force werewolves into submission.

I flinched instinctively, but three years of mental conditioning enabled me to hold my ground.

With time, I rose to my feet.

“Do you know what your biggest mistake is?” Lucas approached me step by step. “You don’t know your place.

“You’re just a pathetic Omega with low-born blood and nothing to show for. Yet, you think you are worthy of an Alpha.”

Samantha added, “Talk about reaching way out of your league. No, actually… it’s even more ridiculous than that.”

She turned to the crowd and said animatedly, “You have no idea how absurd she was. She would get up at five in the morning just to make breakfast for Alpha Lucas.

“Oh, it gets better.” The excitement was apparent in her high-pitched voice. “She would stand outside Alpha Lucas’ office all day just for the chance to catch a glimpse of him.”

“She sounds like a stalker,” someone commented.

“Her wolf form is as scrawny as an unweaned pup,” Marcus jumped in on the insults.

“Do you recall the recruit training?” Another member of the Silver Moon Pack asked. “She didn’t even last five minutes.”

“Her poor stamina, slow speed, and weak strength make her a disgrace to our kind.”

“A classic example of inferior genes.”

Samantha pulled more stories out of the bag. “I remember the first time she shifted. She nearly tripped over herself. Hahaha!”

“Her wolf form is hideous. Her coat is dull. She just looks gaunt. How appealing can that be?” Laura chimed in, though she had never witnessed me shift before.

Lucas snapped an indifferent look at me. “It’s been three years. Do you think new clothes and a pair of glasses can change who you are?

“Dressing trash up doesn’t make it anything but trash.”

“Speaking of which, where has she been and up to in the last three years?” Laura pretended to ponder.

“Just look at her. Her skin is well-kept, and she has the body...” Samantha examined me.

Samantha clapped her hands as if she had figured out the answer. “I got it! She must be doing that kind of work.”

“What kind?” Someone asked deliberately.

“The type of work… that only happens after dark,” Samantha spoke in hushed tones, but her voice carried through the room.

“Are you talking about…”

“That’s right. It’s that line of work. Her makeup is a dead giveaway. It’s a total nightlife look,” Samantha uttered with a thrill.

“Check out her figure. She’s got the whole thing going for her.” Laura joined the discussion.

“Maybe she has a client to meet tonight.”

“What kind of client would even pay for her services?”

“A desperate old wolf, maybe?”

“Or anyone who is out for a cheap lay.” A werewolf snickered lewdly.

When Samantha started to associate me with companionship services, Lucas scowled hard.

“Laura, Samantha, mind your words.”

“We were just being honest—”

“That’s enough,” Lucas growled, his dominance as an Alpha forcing Laura and Samantha to back down.

He then narrowed his eyes dangerously at me. “She’s not wrong, though. What sort of respectable work can an Omega conduct outside the pack?”

Luca took a step forward. “The biggest mistake I’ve ever made was to mark you.

“I can’t believe you’d run away.”

An emotion fleeted past his eyes. It was hard to determine whether it was pain, anger, or regret.

“You disappeared without a word. I heard nothing from you.”

Laura pinched her nose dramatically and recoiled. “Oh, Moon Goddess. Come to think of it, I think I smell something.”

“What did you smell?”

“It’s the smell of poverty, defeat, and…” She paused for dramatic effect. “Promiscuity.”

“She’s disgusting.”

“Call security now.”

“Kick her out.”

Laura raised her hand. “Hang on. Don’t throw her out just yet.”

She stepped closer, her gaze condescending as she looked down at me

“Kneel.”

The air was thick with silence.

“I said, kneel,” Laura repeated her words while extending her foot in a crystal-studded heel. “Wipe my shoe clean.

“If you do it, I might let you go without calling security.”

Laura scoffed. “Otherwise, stealing a pass should be enough to put you behind bars for a few years.”

Lucas fell silent for seconds.

“Laura…”

“What? Are you feeling sorry for her?” Laura looked at Lucas defiantly.

Lucas clenched his jaw. “I don’t see a need to take this far.”

Laura sneered, “Don’t see a need? Do you still have feelings for this Omega?”

“Don’t be silly.” Lucas’ voice was callous, but he shied away from my gaze.

“Make her kneel unless… you care about her.” Laura was insistent.

Lucas clenched and released his fists.

In the end, he took a step back and said aloofly, “Do whatever you want.”

He looked away, refusing to meet my gaze.