The Omega Queen

Clarissa’s POV The hallway was buzzing with the usual chatter, the faint scent of perfume mixed with the lingering smell of lunch from the cafeteria. It should have felt like any other day, but everything about today was different. My heart pounded in my chest as I walked through the crowded corridor, every step heavier than the last. It was supposed to be a day like any other-until I saw him. Derek Piper, the son of the alpha of Crescent Moon pack, stood near the lockers, surrounded by his friends, their laughter echoing through the hallway. His presence was enough to silence the noise of the school, and all I could focus on was him. I should have known better than to believe in the impossible. I should have known better than to think that he, of all people, could actually feel something for me. But he had been kind before. A rare, fleeting kindness that made my heart flutter in a way I thought I’d never feel again. For a moment, I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, Dere

The cold wind whipped through the trees, tugging at my clothes as I stood by the edge of the pack’s borders. My heart pounded in my chest, a drumbeat of fear that echoed louder than the howls of wolves in the distance. The pack had ordered me to join the border patrol that morning, despite my blindness. I couldn’t make sense of it. Why would they send someone like me-a girl who couldn’t see a thing-out into the wild, where danger was lurking at every corner?But what could I do? I was just an omega. A servant. An unwanted burden. I couldn’t afford to defy them. If I did, the punishment would be worse than anything I could imagine.The sounds of the forest-the rustle of leaves, the snap of twigs-did nothing to reassure me. Every step I took felt like I was walking further into a nightmare, a world I couldn’t control. My instincts screamed at me to turn back, to run far from the patrol and the dangers it brought. But my packmates were already waiting for me, their eyes hard and cold as

Clarissa's POV I opened my eyes slowly, though it didn’t make much difference. Darkness greeted me, as always. But this darkness was somehow softer. It wasn’t the suffocating black of the cellar where they used to throw me, nor the ice-cold void of the woods where I nearly bled out. No, this darkness held warmth. It whispered silence instead of screaming pain. It smelled like fresh linen, faint cinnamon, and something green; herbal, earthy. I wasn’t home. But then again, that place had never truly been home. That house... that pack... they'd left marks on my soul that ran deeper than any scar on my skin. This place was too still. Too calm. Too kind. And that terrified me more than the howls of my tormentors. My body felt heavy. Not with pain though some of that lingered but with exhaustion. I was wrapped in soft blankets that didn’t scratch. A pillow cupped the back of my head like clouds had finally decided to carry me. My side throbbed when I turned slightly, a reminder that m

Clarissa’s POV I pressed my palms against the mattress and forced myself upright. Pain flared through my ribs, my back and my arms. My whole body ached like it had been forged from cracked glass but I didn’t cry. I never did. I’d learned a long time ago that tears didn’t solve anything. They just gave people permission to see you as weak. "Good morning," Tessy’s voice drifted in, light and warm, like sunlight through curtains. “Morning,” I responded, surprised by how jagged and raw my voice still sounded. “You feel like sitting outside for a while? The sun’s out today, and I swear, our backyard has the softest grass in the world.” I hesitated. The idea of sitting outside felt foreign. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt sunlight or grass under my feet. Days had blurred into each other, time stretched thin by pain and sleep. Still, something in her voice tugged at me. I nodded before I could talk myself out of it. “Okay.” Tessy helped me change into clean clothes; soft legg

Clarissa's POV I didn’t remember falling asleep, but I woke to the scent of sage and candle smoke. Not the usual lavender Tessy diffused in my room. This was heavier, older- like the forest after rain, like something ancient curling around my lungs. I stirred. The blanket slipped from my shoulder as I sat up. “You’re awake,” a voice said. Feminine. Calm. Weighted with something I couldn’t name. I turned toward the sound. “Yes,” I whispered. There was a pause. Then soft footsteps crossed the room, followed by the whisper of robes and the faint sound of wood creaking as someone sat. “I’m Camelia,” she said. “I’m the Elder Seer of the Riverside Pack.” I didn’t answer right away. I didn’t know what to say. She didn’t seem to need me to. “You had your first vision two days ago,” she said gently. “And it nearly broke you.” I looked down at my hands. They still trembled sometimes, when I remembered the flashes-images so bright and fast they left echoes behind my eye