Chapter 1: Alexandra's POV

I stood beside my parents in the grand hall, not as their daughter, but as a slave.

Their eyes were glued to the large bronze doors at the far end of the room, awaiting the entrance of my brother, their pride and joy, and the only person in this family who could bother to be kind to me.

“Alexandra, get out of here. You’re embarrassing us in front of the guests.” My mother pressed her claws into the fabric of my faded green sundress, a stark contrast to the expensive clothes she and Father wore.

I’d spent hours with the other servants, cleaning and cooking to get everything ready for my brother’s coming-of-age celebration. Nothing was going to make me miss Nathan’s big moment.

Father glared at me, urging me to obey. Even now, he still had that look of pure disgust, even though it had been years since I was not only revealed to be an omega, but also the result of an affair my mother had.

My gaze dropped to the floor, staring at my feet as I walked away rather than at the crowd of nobles waiting for my brother to walk through the doors. I could watch the whole thing from a corner without being seen. It had been foolish to think they would let me stand by them, even today.

One of the guests, a large blonde man with a crooked smile, called me over. “Servant girl, get me some wine.”

The man gestured to the long golden table that sat right in front of the wall, closer to him than to me. My lips parted, ready to tell him to get it himself, when the doors flew open. I turned, lips curving up when my eyes landed on Nathan.

He wore a beautiful red suit with black dress pants that suited his frame perfectly. He had that boyish smile on his face. The guests clapped as he walked down the red carpet that stretched from the door to where my parents stood, waiting to welcome him.

It was an event that every child of noble blood got when they turned eighteen. Every child except me. My father had locked me in my room on my eighteenth birthday and made sure I wasn’t remembered. Even now, two years later, the pain clogged in my chest.

I winced when a large hand wrapped around my arm, gripping it hard enough to probably bruise. It was the blonde man, irritated and demanding.

“I told you to get me a goddamn drink.” His eyes shifted behind me, probably staring at Nathan. “I don’t see how that is more of your business than serving me.”

“I’ll get you your drink, sir. Please let me go.” The words felt like venom on my tongue, but anything was worth getting his hands off me.

I yanked my arm away, making my way to the table that held the wine in exotic bottles and glass cups for me to pour it in. My hand wrapped around a glass, lifting it to pour in the wine.

It slipped from my fingers when large hands wrapped around my waist, pushing me against the table forcefully.

“What’s an omega like yourself doing out in the open anyway? You don’t smell mated.” He sniffed my hair, sighing in satisfaction. “You’re Luna Kamila’s bastard, right?”

“Sir, please get away from me.” My hands released the glass, closing around the edge of the table as I tried to push him off.

“Do you know who I am, little omega? I’m an alpha and a constable. I’m sure you didn’t get your own coming-of-age party like your brother is getting today. You have no hope of finding a mate, but maybe if you’re good for me tonight, I might consider making you my mistress. You certainly have the body for it.”

He gripped my hips through my dress. My eyes widened, panic nearly clogging my voice. “Let me go or I’ll scream. I swear I will.”

His hands dug into my dress, holding my hips in a painful grasp. “Scream and ruin the day your brother comes of age to find his mate. Won’t that be a scene to remember?” he chuckled.

My heart raced, my eyes darting around for someone to help. From the center of the room, my father announced my brother’s entry, drawing the guests’ attention and also that of my captor. His hands loosened enough to allow me to slip through and rush away.

If I could just manage to blend in with the guests, I might be able to escape him. A blonde girl heard me scuffling forward on the gold tiles and turned, her eyes widening like she had never seen an omega running away from an alpha.

That single moment of distraction slowed me, and the man caught up, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me into him. His body pressed against mine, and vomit nearly crawled up my throat from disgust.

“Didn’t your parents teach you it’s rude to walk out of a conversation?”

I struggled against his grip, kicking, and barely managed to swallow back my scream. If it had escaped me, Nathan would have noticed and rushed to my aid, but that would only ruin tonight for him and give Father a reason to punish me.

He was already surrounded by nobles, crowding him and destroying whatever chance was left of him spotting me.

A few of the guests noticed and turned, but no one moved. All they saw was an omega too slow to learn her place.

The man pulled me toward a small door that the servants and I took as a shortcut to the kitchens. Just as hopelessness took over and I was ready to scream for someone to help me, the weight pulling me was suddenly shoved off.

My body collapsed in a heap on the floor, and I turned over immediately to see my savior.

It was a man, an alpha, wearing a black shirt with black dress pants. He was muscular. I could tell even with his back turned as he slammed the blonde alpha against the wall hard.

He glanced over his shoulder, staring at me with stormy sea-green eyes that flickered unnaturally and stirred an ancient bond within me. The feeling was foreign in a way that demanded I run to him and let him hold me, but also created a burning fear that urged me to escape.

The temperature seemed to drop, like the room itself was reacting to his presence. The noise in the hall faltered. Conversations stopped mid-sentence as people backed away. Even the guests who had been watching with mild interest stood straighter, eyes fixed on him like he carried death itself.

The murmurs died as his voice cut through the hall, low and deadly.

“Mate.”