CHAPTER 2: The First Night of Hell

ARIA’S POV

I ran through the pack grounds, past the training fields where warriors stopped mid-drill to stare. Past the gardens where I used to play as a child when my parents were alive and the world made sense.

I ran until I reached the edge of pack territory, where the forest grew dark and thick, and collapsed against a tree.

Finally, I let the tears fall.

Great, ugly sobs tore from my throat as I pressed my hands against my chest, trying to hold together the pieces of my shattered heart. My wolf howled inside me, mourning the mate we’d lost before we ever really had him.

“I hate you,” I whispered to the Moon Goddess, tilting my face toward the sky. “I hate you for making me like this.”

The moon stared back, silent and uncaring.

I don’t know how long I sat there—minutes, hours—but eventually, the tears dried up. Eventually, I had nothing left to cry.

My body ached from the broken mate bond. It felt like someone had taken a hot iron and pressed it against my ribs, burning from the inside out.

I pushed myself to my feet and started the long walk back.

To my new life as a kitchen servant.

The pack house loomed ahead, three stories of stone and glass that had been my home my entire life. Now it felt like a prison.

I slipped in through the side entrance, hoping to avoid anyone, but luck wasn’t on my side.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the rejected Luna.”

I froze.

Three girls blocked the hallway—pack members I’d grown up with. Sierra, Madison, and Bree. We’d never been close but we’d never been enemies either.

Until now, apparently.

“That was quite a show tonight,” Sierra said, examining her nails. “I almost felt bad for you. Almost.”

“Move,” I said quietly. “Please.”

Madison laughed. “Oh, she says please. How pathetic.”

“I mean, we all knew you were desperate,” Bree added, “but the Moon Goddess pairing you with Alpha Derek? Girl, even she makes mistakes.”

My hands clenched into fists. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“No, but you got it anyway.” Sierra’s eyes narrowed. “And we just wanted to make something clear. You’re not Beta’s daughter anymore. You’re nothing. And if you think anyone in this pack is going to treat you with respect after tonight…” She smiled cruelly. “You’re even dumber than you look.”

They pushed past me, shoulders slamming into mine hard enough to make me stumble.

Their laughter echoed down the hallway long after they disappeared.

I leaned against the wall, fighting fresh tears.

This was just the beginning.

I made my way to the servants’ wing—a part of the pack house I’d never been to before. The hallways were narrower here. Darker. The paint was peeling.

An older woman with gray hair and kind eyes intercepted me.

“You must be Aria,” she said gently. “I’m Helen. I manage the servants’ quarters.”

“Hi,” I whispered.

“I heard what happened.” Her expression softened. “I’m sorry, dear. Your room is at the end of the hall. It’s small but clean. Servant uniforms are on the bed. You start kitchen duty at dawn.”

“Thank you.”

She patted my arm. “You seem strong. You’ll survive.”

I wanted to tell her I didn’t feel strong. That I felt like I was falling apart.

But I just nodded.

The room was tiny. A cot, a dresser, a closet, and a single window overlooking the garbage area.

Gray uniforms lay folded on the bed. Simple dresses that marked me as a servant.

I changed out of my ceremony dress and pulled on the rough fabric.

In the small cracked mirror, I looked the same—chestnut hair, amber eyes, curvy body—but something in my expression had changed.

Something had broken tonight.

A knock on the door made me jump.

“Aria? It’s me.”

Elena.

I opened the door to find my only friend standing there with tears in her eyes.

“I heard,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

Elena was small—barely five feet—with red hair and freckles. An Omega. We’d been friends since childhood, bonding over being the “weird” ones.

She was too small. I was too big.

“I’m okay,” I lied.

“No, you’re not.” She pulled me into a hug. “What Derek did was cruel.”

I hugged her back, grateful. “I have to survive this. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“Then we’ll survive it together.” Elena’s hazel eyes were fierce. “You’re not alone, Aria.”

We talked until she had to leave before anyone noticed she was fraternizing with the “rejected one.”

After she left, I lay on the cot and stared at the ceiling.

Tomorrow, my new life would begin.

But tonight, I let myself remember that one perfect moment when the bond snapped into place. When I thought someone might actually want me.

The memory hurt worse than the rejection.

“I will survive this,” I whispered into the darkness.

My wolf stirred weakly in agreement.

Sleep came eventually, restless and full of nightmares. Derek’s disgusted face kept appearing.

Too fat to be my Luna.

Over and over.

***

I woke with tears on my face and the sun barely peeking through my window.

Loud banging on my door jolted me fully awake.

“Kitchen duty starts in ten minutes! Don’t be late, Omega!”

Omega.

Not Aria.

Just Omega.

I dragged myself up, splashed cold water on my face, and looked at my reflection.

Red, swollen eyes. Messy hair. Dark circles.

I looked exactly how I felt—broken.

But I couldn’t afford to be broken.

I tied my hair back, straightened my shoulders, and headed to the kitchens.

The kitchen was chaos—servants rushing, pots clanging, orders being shouted.

A stern woman with sharp features and gray hair pulled tight looked me up and down.

“You’re the new one. I’m Marge. Head cook. You do exactly what I say, when I say it, or you’re out. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Start with those pots.” She pointed to a mountain of dirty dishes.

I moved to the sink and started scrubbing.

The water was cold. The soap barely lathered. My hands ached within minutes.

But I kept going.

Around me, servants whispered and shot me pitying glances.

The rejected mate, reduced to washing dishes.

I scrubbed harder, my hands turning red and raw.

Three hours. I worked for three hours without break, without water, without rest.

My back screamed. My fingers bled from a cut on a broken plate.

But I didn’t complain.

This was my life now.

Then I heard footsteps. Expensive heels clicking on tile.

“Aria,” Celeste’s voice purred behind me. “How wonderful to see you in your proper place.”

I kept my eyes on the pot. “Luna.”

“Oh, don’t be so formal. We’re sisters, remember?” She laughed. “Well… stepsisters. And now, Luna and servant.”

I said nothing.

She moved closer. I could smell her expensive perfume.

“Derek and I have decided something,” she said conversationally. “We’re trying for a baby. Isn’t that wonderful?”

The pot slipped from my hands and clattered into the sink.

“Careful,” Celeste said sweetly. “You break it, you buy it. Oh wait… you can’t afford anything anymore, can you?”

I turned to face her.

She looked perfect. Flawless makeup, designer dress, diamond earrings.

Everything I’d never be.

“Was there something you needed, Luna?” I asked carefully.

Her smile sharpened. “Just wanted to see how you were settling in. After all, you’ll be serving our meals, cleaning our quarters, washing our clothes…” She leaned in close. “And when my baby is born, you’ll probably change their diapers too. Won’t that be fun? Raising the child of the man who rejected you?”

The words were designed to destroy me.

And they worked.

“That’s all, Omega,” Celeste said brightly. “Run along now.”

She swept out, leaving me shaking with rage and humiliation.

Marge appeared beside me.

“Get back to work,” she said, not unkindly. “And Aria? In this pack, the only way to survive is to make yourself invisible. The more they notice you, the more they’ll hurt you.”

Make myself invisible.

I could do that.

I’d been invisible my whole life anyway.

What was a little more?