Keira's POV
I lowered my head as I followed Kai back to school, my dress covered in mud and dirt. He didn't look affected, just carried that familiar nonchalant grace he always did.
Everyone turned to look at me, and right on cue, the murmurs started.
"It's the omega!"
"I thought she was missing last night?" I heard someone snort.
"Why is she even back? She should've just died out there. I'm tired of her annoying pitiful look all the time," Another person chimed in.
"Right? Now the Dean would have his punching bag back. Does she think everyone falls for that victim thing she does? She's an omega. They're meant to step on her," her friend continued and they both laughed.
My breath caught in my lungs, suffocating and painful. Tears stung behind my eyes, but I didn't let them fall. They would only leverage on it. This was my life, I would have to go with it.
At some point, I forgot I was still following Kai. Nyra was happily letting me follow him.
Kai turned around when he got to the school steps, and glared at me. "Why are you still following me? Go back home and get yourself prepared!" He roared. A yelp escaped my lips, and I quickly covered my mouth to hide the sound. People around turned and looked at both of us, and the murmurs started again.
I looked up at him, my eyes misty. "Why do you hate me so much?" I whispered.
"Isn't it obvious? It's bad enough that you're an omega, but now I have to keep up with you because the moon goddess has decided to curse me. Stop asking stupid questions and go prepare for the trial," he growled.
I clenched my fists, willing myself not to cry. "Fine," I said sharply. "Since you'll have it that way, I'll stay away from you until the trials are over."
His expression shifted into something that looked like worry or shock, but he masked it and kept his expression of hatred. I didn't know if Riven or Dax were trying to talk to me then, but I didn't really care anymore. I just wanted to get it over with. Maybe when I failed the Luna trials, they'd finally let me go.
I turned around and walked away, ignoring the murmurs and Kai's unreadable expression. I had gotten used to everything.
When I got home, Beta Garrick stood in front of the doors, tapping his foot impatiently. Normally, my heart would skip a beat when he did that, but I had been through so much, and I was tired.
When I got to the front steps, I opened my mouth to apologize but he cut me off, landing a slap across my cheek. My head snapped side ways, and I held my cheeks, tasting blood in my mouth. He always slapped me hard enough to injure the inside of my cheeks.
"And where the hell have you been? You think you can just wander around and return whenever you wish? Are you insane?" He bellowed, his ears practically steaming with rage.
"I'm sorry," Was all I could mutter. I couldn't tell him that Alia was the one who gave me the idea, because he might kill me and say I was lying.
He landed another slap across my cheeks, reaching down to carry the cane he usually beat me with. "You're sorry? Do you know how Alia cried all night searching for you? How dare you cause her pain with your insensitivity and foolishness?" He yelled.
My head snapped up to his, disbelief very evident in my eyes.
Alia?
I almost chuckled bitterly. The same person who told me to run away? Faking that she actually cared about me? That was very ironic. Of course she used my situation to her advantage. She always did, and I always let her. But she was the only person who tolerated me, and now I didn't know if I could ever let her go.
"It won't happen again Beta, I'm sorry," I mumbled, falling to my knees. He liked it when I was pathetic, it usually made him reduce how many strokes he hit me with.
"Oh I'll make sure it doesn't. Turn the back of your palm," he growled.
The tears I fought so desperately to hold back were falling freely now, but my chest was empty. My heart couldn't feel any more pain, just my body.
Slowly, I stretched out my hands, facing my palms downwards. I prepared myself mentally for the torture. Beta Garrick lashed the cain on my skin with a crack, and I cried out in pain.
"That'll teach you," He said, his hands not relenting.
"Please Beta! I'm sorry!" I cried continuously, but he didn't stop. I couldn't even dare to remove my hands from his lashes, it would make him whip the rest of my body.
He whipped me until the skin on my hands bled out, and the floor was covered in my blood.
Only when the gates opened did he stop, breathing heavily before walking inside. My voice was raw from crying, and my vision blurred as I fell to the floor, sobbing quietly.
A familiar scent wafted into my nose, and instead of being happy, all I felt was cold anger. I sniffled, blinking back the tears that had clouded my eyes.
"Oh my God, Keira!" I heard Alia's voice.
I slowly turned my eyes to look at her. She placed her hands on my body, shaking me gently. "Keira are you okay? What happened?"
I was confused as to why she was asking me this. She clearly knew the Beta would hit me once I told him the truth. But for some reason I still covered up for her.
She helped me sit up, ignoring the blood that stained my hands. "Are you okay?" She asked.
I just stared at her, wondering how one person could be so fake.
"Yes, I'm fine," I said sharply, gently removing her hands from my shoulder. I dragged myself up, dusting off my gown.
Beta Garrick came outside again, his expression filled with disgust and contempt.
"Get inside now! You have the entire house to clean and my clothes to wash. Stop laying there like a dead ant!" He said, walking towards me, probably to hit me again.
"Wait, Beta...there's something you need to know. It's about Keira," Alia said softly, placing her hands on his shoulder.
"What is it?" He asked impatiently, turning to look at her.
"The list for the Luna Trials came out today, and her name was on it. She had said something about being Alpha Kai's mate yesterday, but I didn't think she was serious," She said.
I clenched my hands, and winced, pulling them apart. She knew I wasn't joking. She knew Kai was my mate. If only she realized there were three of them.
Beta Garrick looked at me with his brows raised. Then, the familiar look of disgust returned.
"She's participating in it," Alia added, avoiding my eyes. I just stood there, my hands bleeding, my voice raw, and my body ragged and beaten.
Beta Garrick walked up to me and grabbed my chin, sizing me with the same look, one that said I wasn't worth it.
"Ridiculous. You dare try to strip Alia of her place?"
Keira's POVThe announcement of the first trial spread through the hall like wildfire, rippling with excited whispers and nervous shivers.“Each candidate shall present herself before the Alpha King,” the producer declared in her clipped, bored tone, flipping through her clipboard as though deciding who to crush next. “You will enter one by one, introduce yourself, and respond to any command given to you.”My stomach twisted painfully, bile rising up my throat as the words sank in. I could barely stand upright under normal circumstances, let alone walk into a throne room filled with royalty and high-ranking wolves staring down at me like I was filth under their boots.
Keira's POVI had never seen so many beautiful girls gathered in one place before.The hall smelled of expensive perfume, fresh roses, and something sweet like vanilla cream. Gold and silver drapes flowed down the walls, shimmering under the morning light that streamed in through the tall glass windows. Dozens of girls stood in line, their dresses sparkling with crystals and delicate embroidery, hair styled into elegant curls and buns, makeup glowing like the goddess Selene herself had kissed their skin.And then… there was me.I shifted awkwardly in my place near the end of the line, my cheap borrowed dress clinging to my damp skin in the worst way. The faded pale blue fabric was too tight around my chest an
Dax's POVFather had barely left the hall before Kai and Riven returned, their footsteps echoing on the polished marble floor. I sat where I was, staring at the trembling tips of my fingers as the ache in my chest pulsed heavier with each second.“Forgot something?” I asked softly, though my voice came out dry and hollow.Kai didn’t bother replying. He strode to where Riven stood, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him against the stone pillar with a force that sent a vase crashing to the floor.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Kai’s voice was a low snarl, tight with barely controlled rage. “You want to ruin everything for all
Kai’s POV“Stand straight.”My father’s voice boomed through the Alpha Hall, cold and unforgiving like the marble floors beneath our feet. I clenched my jaw tighter, keeping my gaze forward. The moon insignia etched above his throne glinted under the morning light, casting harsh shadows across the hall. Shadows that matched the way his eyes burned as he looked at us.“So, it’s true.” He leaned back in his throne, his heavy robes rustling as he shifted. “You three have found your fated mate.”Silence followed his words. My chest tightened painfully at the memory of her face earlier today, eyes wide with confusion and fear, lips trembling as I yelled at her to go away. I forced the
Keira's POV The hall was colder than usual that morning. The windows were open, and the damp breeze of dawn drifted in, carrying with it the faint scent of pinewood and morning fog. I stood with my arms wrapped tightly around my chest, trying to calm the wild beating of my heart. My fingers dug into the rough fabric of my dress, and I wondered if anyone else could hear the way my chest felt like it was rattling, like my ribs were trying to escape from under my skin.Girls shuffled into the hall in groups, whispering to each other, their voices low and tense with anticipation. Some of them had spent the entire night preparing, fixing their hair, practising their curtsies, and thinking of what they would say if they were chosen. I hadn’t done any of that. I hadn’t even slept. I had spent the entire night staring at the ceiling above my thin mattress, counting the cracks, wondering what freedom would taste like if I ever got to taste it.Beside me, Alia was silent. Her hair fell in s
Keira's POV I stood there, frozen in place, my mind echoing with the sound of her palm meeting my skin. The students around us had fallen silent, some staring in shock, others with smug smirks, glad to see the omega put back in her place. I blinked back tears as my eyes met hers. There was no guilt in her gaze, only frustration and something I couldn’t quite name. “What did you expect, Keira?” Her voice trembled, but not with regret. “Did you really think you could hide it forever? That I wouldn’t find out?”I swallowed hard, tasting blood from where my teeth had grazed the inside of my cheek. “I didn’t do anything,” I whispered, my voice sounding small even to my own ears. “I didn’t… I didn’t seduce anyone. I don’t even want this.”She scoffed and crossed her arms, her eyes darting to the students watching us with greedy curiosity. “Don’t lie to me,” she hissed, stepping closer until her face was inches from mine. “I’ve protected you for years, Keira. I let you stay with us. I ga