One

Chapter One

Liora’s POV

“Arrgh!”

Pain shot through me as my back slammed against the cold metal of the lockers.

The tray of sodas I held clattered at my feet, fizzing into a spreading puddle.

“Pathetic.” Kael’s voice rang in my head, his lips curled in disgust. “I told you to have those drinks ready before the first bell.”

My shoulders trembled as he towered over me, his aura flaring with rage. I gulped my spit, my face hidden behind the curtain of my hair.

“I..I’m sorry…” my voice was barely audible, a sorry excuse, and it was only natural for them to scoff in response.

“Sorry?” His dark eyes flashed with amusement, a cold, sick thrill he always got whenever he had me cornered.

“Is that how you beg?” I winced as Ronan grabbed a fistful of my hair and forced me to my knees. My skin scraped against the floor, my dignity bruised, but I could only fight back my tears.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Elias. He casually leaned against the wall, a cigarette between his lips. His expression was unreadable, yet he remained silent as he watched his brothers toy with me.

It almost hurts worse than the laughter. But I had to bear it, myharsh reality.

The Alpha Triplets ruled the academy. And anyone unlucky enough to irritate them would pay a hefty price.

Right now. Every day. And for the past few months….That unlucky person was me.

It all started after I had gotten a scholarship to attend the Silver Fang Academy, an elite werewolf academy for future leaders of packs.

It was supposed to be a new beginning, but it became my undoing.

They hated my scent. The scent of an omega. The symbol of weakness. And ever since then, they never wasted an opportunity to trample over me. To them, I was an error. I didn’t belong here, and they never failed to remind me of that.

My breath caught in my throat as I felt the spilled soda soak my skirt. “I-I’m sorry. I’ll clean it up.”

“Let me help you with that.” A sickly sweet voice entered the scene. Sierra, the self-acclaimed queen of the academy, picked up my backpack and dumped my notes in the puddle of soda. She stepped on them, giggling as her heels scattered them across the mess.

“There. All done.”

The boys erupted into fits of mocking laughter, while I looked down at my notes.

I bite the inside of my cheek until I taste blood, my hands balled into fists on my lap.

“Hey,” Sierra called, nudging me with her foot. “Shouldn’t you thank me for my help?”

To avoid being hit, my lips parted, and I forced myself to speak. “Th-Thank…..you.” I hated how my voice trembled.

“What was that?” She pretended not to hear, “Come on, omega, weren’t you taught any manners?”

Ronan chuckled, combing his hands through his blonde hair. “Of what use would it be? It’s not like she’ll be any better than a slave.”

Another round of laughter followed. It felt like claws raking down my spine, but I just stared blankly at my notes, my head hung low.

I tried my best to drown them out, to pretend I’m somewhere else….anywhere else but here.

I snapped back to reality as Kael crouched to my eye level, his presence sharp and suffocating. I didn’t want to meet his gaze, but he grabbed my chin and forced me to look up, his fingers digging into my chin.  

“We’re only doing you a favor, omega. The real world is far harsher than this, but since you want to play with Alphas, then we’ll have some fun too.” His voice was dangerously low, his amber eyes flashing in warning. “Mess up again, and you’ll live to regret it.”

The tears I had been desperately trying to hold slipped down my cheeks.

Kael only rolled his eyes, then he let me go, standing to his feet. He wiped his hand against the sleeve of Ronan’s jacket as they turned to leave. Elias merely glanced at me before trailing behind his brothers.

Sierra lingers just long enough to aim her phone at me, the flash of her phone blinding me. “Smile for the pack feed,” She muses, capturing my shameful state. Then she skipped along with them, wedging herself between them.

Once their footsteps faded, I picked up my notes with shaky hands, wondering why they hated me so much.

It wasn’t like I chose to be born an omega.

I had considered forfeiting the scholarship, but then I remembered how happy my mom was when I got the spot.

I endured the ill treatment because of her. For the chance to see her smile brightly…..I would push through.

Only for her.

***

I headed to my part-time job after school, welcomed by the smell of grease and coffee as the bell over the door rang.

The day passes in a blur, and as I refill a coffee cup, my phone vibrates on the counter. I almost ignored it, but the name on the screen made me freeze.

Saint’s Hospital.

I quickly set the coffee cup aside and answered the call, my heart in my throat.

“Hello?”

Next, I heard the familiar voice of the doctor, low yet steady, and with a simple sentence, I felt the world crumble beneath my feet.

“Your mother is in critical condition, she might not make it….”

Without a second thought, I ran out of the restaurant. I didn’t even untie my apron, didn’t stop to look back, I just ran, desperately hoping I wasn’t too late.

By the time I arrived at the hospital, I was disheveled and out of breath. I couldn’t hear anything, not the distant chatter of patients, or the nurse who tried to talk to me.

I pushed past the nurse and sprinted down the hall, my shoes squeaking on the polished floor.

When I reach her room, the doctor steps through the door right on cue, his expression grim.

The middle-aged man couldn’t meet my eyes. Instead, he fixed his gaze on his clipboard, and as he opened his mouth to speak, I dreaded what he was about to say next.

“I’m sorry, we tried everything we could. But she’s not responding to any treatment. You should say goodbye while you still can…”

I staggered back as if I had been hit in the gut. A cruel realization dawned on me, like being doused with a bucket of ice-cold water.

My mother was at death’s door, and I was forced to be a bystander.

The doctor walked away, and I stood there, my hand hovering over the doorknob. I wanted to be strong, to greet her with a smile and not tears, but the moment I twisted the knob and saw her, I broke into a sob.

My mother looked small against the white sheets. Her bright red hair had been reduced to an ashy brown, and her rosy skin had turned pale, yet it still glowed as it always had. Noticing my presence, her eyes fluttered open, green pupils finding mine.

We had the same features, and if it weren’t for our age difference, we would be mistaken for twins.

“Liora…” her voice barely audible, but I knew she was calling out to me.

“Mom…” I rushed to her side, falling to my knees as I took her hand. “Please don’t leave me….please survive this mom..”

She smiles faintly, but it doesn’t meet her eyes. “I’ll always be with you, my little moon, you carry my blood…”

I squeezed her hand. It felt cold, like she was slowly slipping away:

“Don’t talk like that.” My voice cracks. “I don’t care about what the doctor says. I’ll find a way…we’ll find a cure, okay? ”

Mom shakes her head, “There’s no cure…”

My heart skipped a beat. “W-What?”

Suddenly, her expression hardened, her eyes sharpening. “Listen now, my dear. You are special, don’t underestimate yourself, and I promise that, when the time comes, you’ll understand.”

I didn’t understand what she meant, but I hugged her close, crying into her shoulder. “Please, Mom.”

Her hands gently wrapped around me, her bony fingers threading through my hair soothingly.

“I’m sorry for leaving you like this, my little moon. I love you….”

That was the last thing I heard before I felt her hold on me slacken. The monitor slowed to a stop, the beeps stretching farther apart until there was only silence.

“I love you more,” I whispered, hoping she heard, even when I knew she didn’t.

A nurse entered a few minutes later, but I didn’t move, so she left quietly, sparing me some time alone with her.

I didn’t know how long I stayed there, hugging her cold body and wishing I could trade all my breath for hers.

Then a deep voice cuts through the quiet.

“Liora Dan?”

I flinched, looking up to see an unfamiliar man at the doorway. He was tall, with dark hair and silver highlights tinted from age. His features were complex yet calm, and he carried a presence that made the air heavier.

Goosebumps littered my skin as he met my gaze.

No doubt. He was an Alpha.

“I’m sorry,” I manage. “Who are you?”

He keeps his distance, cautious of my reaction, but I saw the flicker of emotion in his eyes when he glanced at my mother. His gaze lingered on her for a beat before returning to me.

“I’m Alpha Alaric,” he paused, like he was choosing his words carefully. It made me wonder why an Alpha would be wary around someone like me, but I never expected what he would say next.

“I’m your mother’s mate.”