Sold to the alpha

Being an orphan in the Silver Moon Pack had never been easy for me. "According to the pack's history, my parents died defending our territory from a brutal rogue attack when I was only five years old. Alpha Kane's father, the previous Alpha, had been kind enough to take me in and even allowed me to attend the basic omega school until I turned sixteen. But everything changed when he passed away and Kane took over as Alpha two years ago."

Kane immediately pulled me out of school and assigned me to work as Healer Nora's apprentice. While I loved learning about herbs and healing, I always suspected his decision had more to do with keeping me busy and out of sight than any real concern for my education. His dark eyes would sometimes linger on me in ways that made my skin crawl, but then he'd look away like I disgusted him.

The silver birthmark on my shoulder had always been my deepest secret. It was about the size of a chicken egg, depicting a crescent moon wrapped in thorny vines that seemed to move in certain light. The old pack shaman had warned me years ago that it was a mark of ancient magic and that I should keep it hidden at all costs. "Some marks bring power," she'd whispered, "but others bring danger."

The storage shed door creaked open wider, and I quickly wiped my tears, trying to compose myself. My heart nearly stopped when Sarah stepped inside, her beautiful face lit by the moonlight streaming through the small window.

"Well, well," she said, closing the door behind her with a soft click. "If it isn't our little reject, hiding away like a wounded animal."

I scrambled to my feet, pressing my back against the far wall. "What do you want, Sarah?"

Her lips curved into a cold smile. "I wanted to have a little chat with you about what happened today. You see, I know something that you don't."

My stomach twisted with dread. "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, but I think you do." Sarah stepped closer, her expensive perfume overwhelming in the small space. Kane told me a week ago that he suspected you might be his fated mate as your birthday approached."

The revelation hit me like a physical blow. "He knew?"

Of course he suspected. Alphas can sometimes sense potential mates a few days before their eighteenth birthday, when the scent starts developing.' Sarah's laugh was cruel and sharp. 'The signs were there for about a week, and Kane knew exactly what he was going to do about it.'"

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold the pieces of my heart together. "Then why didn't he just reject me privately?"

"Because public humiliation is so much more effective, don't you think?" Sarah examined her perfectly painted nails with fake casualness. "He wanted to make sure everyone in the pack understood that you're nobody special. Just another orphan who got ideas above her station."

Tears threatened to spill again, but I refused to give her the satisfaction. "Why are you telling me this?"

Sarah's mask of false friendliness dropped completely. "Because I want you to understand your place. Kane is mine now, and I won't tolerate any interference from his pathetic little fated mate. If you so much as look at him wrong, if you try to cause problems for us, I'll make sure your life becomes even more miserable than it already is."

Before I could respond, she stepped forward and grabbed my chin roughly. "Do we understand each other?"

I nodded quickly, too terrified to speak.

"Good girl." She released me with a shove that sent me stumbling backward. "Now clean yourself up. You look absolutely dreadful, and I don't want anyone asking questions about why you're crying. The last thing we need is pack members feeling sorry for you."

Sarah smoothed down her dress and walked toward the door. Just before leaving, she turned back with one final cruel smile.

"Oh, and Maya? Happy birthday."

The door slammed shut behind her, leaving me alone in the darkness once again.

I slumped against the wall and slid down to the floor, my body shaking with suppressed sobs. Not only had Kane rejected me, but he'd planned it. He'd known for weeks that I was his mate and had deliberately chosen to humiliate me in front of the entire pack.

The next few days passed in a blur of whispered conversations and pitying looks. Word of my public rejection had spread through the pack like wildfire. Some people seemed genuinely sorry for me, but most just saw it as confirmation that I didn't belong among them.

Healer Nora tried to keep me busy with extra work, but I could see the concern in her motherly eyes. She'd asked me several times if I was feeling alright, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth. How could I explain that my own mate had found me so unworthy that he'd chosen to destroy me publicly rather than simply reject me in private?

Things took a turn for the worse when Vera decided I needed additional punishment for "embarrassing the pack" with my "inappropriate behavior" toward the Alpha. She reassigned me from helping in the medical wing to scrubbing floors and cleaning bathrooms throughout the pack house.

"Maybe some hard physical labor will teach you to know your place," she sneered while handing me a bucket and brush.

I wanted to protest that I'd done nothing wrong, but I knew it would only make things worse. Instead, I took the cleaning supplies and got to work.

On the third day after my birthday, I was scrubbing the floors in the main hallway when I overheard a conversation that made my blood run cold.

"The Bloodmoon Alpha has agreed to the meeting," Beta Thomas was saying to Kane as they walked past. "Alpha Damon will arrive tomorrow to discuss the alliance."

"Excellent," Kane replied. "And he's agreed to our terms?"

"He's very interested in strengthening ties with our pack. Especially after you mentioned we might have something valuable to offer him."

My hands stilled on the scrub brush. Something valuable to offer? What could our pack possibly have that the notorious Alpha Damon would want?

Alpha Damon ruled the Bloodmoon Pack in the northern mountains. Even I had heard the terrifying stories about him. They said he was cursed, that every woman he'd ever taken as a mate had died within a year of their bonding. Some whispered that he killed them himself when he grew bored. Others claimed his very touch was poisonous to women.

"She'll do perfectly for what he needs," Kane continued, his voice growing fainter as they moved down the hall. "A virgin omega with no family to complain when she disappears. It's a win for everyone involved."

My heart stopped beating.

They were talking about me.

I sat back on my heels, the scrub brush falling from my numb fingers. Kane wasn't just content with rejecting me, he was planning to trade me away like a piece of property to the most dangerous Alpha in the northern territories.

Panic clawed at my throat as the full reality of my situation sank in. I had no family to protect me, no friends with any real power, and nowhere to run. If Kane decided to hand me over to Alpha Damon, there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop him.

That night, I barely slept. Every sound in the pack house made me jump, convinced that Kane's warriors were coming to drag me away. By morning, I was exhausted and terrified, jumping at shadows and flinching every time someone spoke to me.

I was carrying fresh linens to the guest quarters when I heard vehicles approaching outside. My hands trembled as I recognized the sound of multiple SUVs with powerful engines, the kind that visiting Alphas traveled in.

Through the hallway window, I caught a glimpse of the arriving convoy. The vehicles were sleek and black, with tinted windows that revealed nothing of their occupants. But I didn't need to see inside to know who had arrived.

Alpha Damon was here.

And Kane was planning to give me to him.

As the convoy pulled to a stop in front of the pack house, I ducked away from the window and pressed my back against the wall. My entire body shook with terror as I heard car doors slamming and the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the front entrance.

I had to find somewhere to hide. Maybe if I could stay out of sight until Alpha Damon left, Kane would reconsider his plan. Maybe he'd find someone else to sacrifice to the cursed Alpha.

But even as I thought it, I knew it was hopeless. Kane had made his decision, and nothing I could do would change his mind.

The front doors of the pack house opened with a bang, and I heard Kane's voice welcoming his guest.

"Alpha Damon, welcome to Silver Moon Pack."

A deep, gravelly voice responded, though I couldn't make out the words from my hiding spot.

Footsteps echoed through the main hall, growing closer to where I crouched behind a decorative pillar. My heart hammered so loudly I was sure everyone in the building could hear it.

"I believe we have much to discuss," Kane was saying as the footsteps passed by my hiding place.

"Indeed," came that terrifying voice again, closer now. "I'm very interested in seeing what you have to offer."

As they moved toward Kane's office, I caught the faintest whiff of an unfamiliar scent. It was dark and complex, like leather and smoke and something wild that made my wolf Kira whimper in my mind.

I waited until their footsteps faded completely before emerging from my hiding spot. My legs felt like water, barely able to support my weight as I stumbled toward the servants' quarters.

I had to find a way out of this. I had to.

But as I reached my small room and locked the door behind me, I realized the horrible truth.

There was nowhere to run, and no one to save me.

Alpha Damon had come to collect his prize, and that prize was me.

I didn't get the chance to come up with any escape plan.

Within minutes, Vera's harsh voice was calling my name throughout the pack house.