Prologue - The Illegitimate Omega

Avaline Carter

“Ava!” The sharp voice of Luna Cassadra Vaughn echoed from the hallway, making me instinctively flinch. “Serve the champagne and hors d’oeuvres. They’re here.” Sharp heels clicked down the corridor towards the sprawling kitchen of Alpha Sebastián Vaughn’s mansion.

My heart fluttered at the news. They were here! Alpha Sebastián’s son, Maximus, was here with his friends. Was his best friend, Jaxon Whitfield, here as well? Why did my heart react every time I saw Jaxon?

“I’ll be right there, Luna.” My heart pounded in my chest as I hastily arranged the drinks on an intricately carved tray and turned to walk out.

Just then, the heavy door swung open, and Luna Cassandra stood there with her arms folded, her expensive silk dress trailing behind her. “My son and his friends have come home after years. Nothing should go wrong, girl. Am I clear?” Her disgusted gaze swept over my uniform.

I nodded, hanging my head to hide the flutter in my heart. “Yes, Luna.”

I couldn’t anger the Luna of the Ozark Mountain Pack. Without this job, my mother, Annabelle Carter, and I would perish. I was indebted to Alpha Sebastián and Luna Cassandra for allowing me to fill in for my mother.

“What are you standing here for? Hurry! We don’t have all day,” she gritted out. “And yes, know your place. Don’t embarrass me.” It was a quiet warning, and I nodded, still unable to look at her.

“Yes, Luna.” I walked out as a familiar ache settled in my chest. No matter how hard I worked. No matter how perfect everything was, I would never be enough. Not in this pack.

I would always be the illegitimate daughter of an unmated omega and a living reminder of shame for the Ozark Mountain Pack and our sleepy town of Waltonville, Arkansas.

I walked into the grand living room where Alpha Maximus Vaughn and his friends lounged, their teasing and laughter echoing all around the usually empty mansion. Tonight, with the heir to the Alpha crown here, it wasn’t empty anymore. I placed the tray of champagne on the table and scooted to the kitchen to get the hors d’oeuvres. Once I had served them the assorted delicacies, I walked to the far end to wait on them. With my eyes fixated on the floor, I stood against the wall in silence, waiting to refill their glasses or clear the empty plates.

I could sense Jaxon’s presence in the room. It was strange that I could pick up his scent this time. Did it have something to do with Lenn, my wolf? Three months ago, on my seventeenth birthday, I had shifted into my wolf for the first time. Ever since, I had been desperate to meet Jaxon. It was a strange obsession - one I couldn’t figure out.

Before I could discreetly search for him, a female seated next to Maximus called out to me. “Hey, you omega! Pour me another drink, will you?” It was Valerie, as always. I had no idea what grudge she harbored against me. She had a powerful uncle, the pack’s gamma, Theodore Windamere, who pampered her. Her cousin, Theodus, was a close friend of Maximus and Jaxon, and they trained together in the same elite academy in Alaska. She was the lucky one who always stayed by Jaxon’s side. What did I have?

I walked up to her, ignoring the insulting remarks thrown my way. I wasn’t used to this work. With my mother’s condition deteriorating every day for the past four months, I had no other way to make ends meet. Six months ago, I had to drop out of school to take care of her. This was our only livelihood.

“Stay away from me. Ew! I’ll pour mine.” Celine, Maximus’s chosen mate, gave me a disgusted look.

I kept my eyes down, focusing on the task at hand. Anger bubbled inside me, but I had no choice.

“How does your mom allow her inside your home, Maxim?” said Ezra, another friend.

“Ask Mom,” Maximus shrugged carelessly, picking up his drink.

“Don’t you dare spill it on my expensive shoes!” warned Celine’s friend Tiffany, watching me warily.

“Oh, we’ll make her lick your shoes clean!” Celine laughed, and the others joined in. Their loud jabs and laughter pierced my heart as I picked up a champagne bottle from the bar nearby to refill their glasses.

I had hardly taken two steps towards them when a muscular form barreled towards me, shoving me aside. “Watch where you’re going!” Jaxon’s voice penetrated ‌my dazed mind.

I stumbled, and the expensive bottle flew out of my hands, crashing to the floor and shattering into pieces. The expensive liquid spilled onto the marble floor, and the laughter stopped. Every gaze turned towards me.

I slipped on the spill and crashed to the floor on the shards of broken glass. Pain stabbed me hard as they pierced my skin, making me wince. Blood oozed from the deep gashes while I trembled with fear, waiting for Luna Cassandra’s punishment. “I’m…I’m sorry,” I whispered, picking up the broken glass with trembling fingers.

A pair of shining black boots stopped inches from my hands. I didn’t need to look up. I knew those boots, having memorized them long ago.

They belonged to the one who had collided into me - the future beta of the Ozark Mountain Pack: Jaxon Whitfield.

‘Mate,’ whispered Lenn, making me gasp.

Jaxon Whitfield was my fated mate! No wonder I had always felt a connection with him. It was only after the first shift that I understood it. The Moon Goddess had played a cruel joke on me. How could the wolf who hated me the most be my mate?

I looked up at his handsome features helplessly. His dark, chocolate-brown hair and ocean-blue eyes with thick lashes could melt any woman’s heart. The chiseled face would put a Greek god to shame, and he knew it. I had expected acceptance, love from my fated mate. But sadly, his eyes held nothing but icy hatred for me. Did he know we were fated mates?

Then why did he hate me so much? Why did he collide with me on purpose?

“You’ve become even more pathetic.” His cold voice cut even deeper than the broken glass.

Everyone watched him trample on me. I looked straight into his eyes for the first time. “I didn’t mean to. You pushed me…”

He didn’t let me complete. “Enough! Are you blaming me for your sins? Accept it. You always have a way of ruining our fun,” he lowered his face to my level. “Stop dreaming. Someone like you can never be my mate.”

It shattered every dream I harbored of my fated mate. He couldn’t be my mate.

In an instant, Valerie was at his side. “Be thankful that Jaxon speaks to a lowlife like you.” She stepped on my hand, crushing it against the shards of glass.

I closed my eyes as acute pain exploded through my hand. But I refused to shed tears in front of everyone. Jaxon shoved her away and leaned close enough for only me to hear. “You should thank the Moon Goddess every day. Without the mate bond, I wouldn’t even have known your name.”

A commotion hit, rippling through the room as Luna Cassandra stormed in. “I knew she would bring bad luck.” She stopped before me, and the others stepped backward. Her eyes went wide with horror as she saw the shattered bottle and the spill.

“Do you have any idea how expensive that bottle was? I’ll deduct your pay this month. Now, clean up this mess and get out of my sight.”

Someone brought me the cleaning supplies, but Luna Cassandra grunted with annoyance. “No one helps her. She has ruined my son’s homecoming party.”

Tears sprang into my eyes as I cleaned the mess with my wounded hands. Without the pay, how would I continue my mother’s treatment?

The others went back to their corner, leaving me alone. Just then, Aunt Sera, my only well-wisher in the pack and a cook in the Alpha household, came up to me. “Ava, Annabelle’s condition has worsened. She needs you now. Go home. I’ll handle this.”

I staggered, clutching my heart with fear. I walked towards the door when Luna Cassandra’s voice stopped me in my tracks. “Avaline, you can’t leave without cleaning the mess.”

I turned and looked at the mess. I had picked up the broken glass and mopped the spill. What else did she want me to do? “I have cleaned, Luna. My mother is serious. Please…”

She growled, taking two strides toward me. “The stain is still there. Scrub it hard. You can’t leave unless it’s spotless as before. There should be no broken glass lying around. Clean it all night if you have to.”

Aunt Sera tried to intervene, but Luna Cassandra dismissed her.

Tears spilled and streamed down my cheeks. My mom needed me. “I’ll do anything you want, Luna. But right now, I must take her to the hospital.”

“Stop lying, girl! Do you have money to pay the hospital bills? Get cleaning.” She turned towards the guards at the main entrance. “Lock the door. She can’t step out without completing her task.”

I knew no amount of pleading would convince her. I wiped the tears away, refusing to waste them on undeserving pack members. If anything untoward happened to my mother, this would be my last night here. I hated every member of the Ozark Mountain Pack, especially my so-called mate.