Alpha Zain's Cursed Omega

"Psst! Wake up!" A sharp whisper rushes into my ears. "Psst! Aria, the guards...they're coming," Jerry's urgent voice registers in my head and I jump up from my nap on the cold floor of my cell.

My stomach growls in pain but I don't dare utter a word. No food for two days is generosity from my Alpha. I deserved more for accidentally looking in his eyes.

"Psst!"

I blink trying to adjust to the darkness within my cell, "I'm up," I whisper back at the bruised old man sitting opposite me. Jerry, a 75year old man who aided his grandchild in escaping judgement. In two days, he wouldn't be here anymore.

The sound of matching feet quickly gets louder and suddenly, my cell door creaks open, revealing a buff guard with the blue seal of the Bluemoon Pack on his headband.

"Out, cursed thing!" he growls, his voice harsh.

I hesitate, fear creeping up my spine. He gestures to the exit with great annoyance, and I immediately step out into the chill of the night.

I am led hurriedly, down the damp crampy corridor and in to a dimly lit courtyard. The air's bite is unforgiving.

Without warning, a bucket of icy water splashes over me, soaking me to the bone.

Cold seeps into my marrow pulling a shocked gasp from me. My teeth chatter as my body shivers uncontrollably.

The guard's expression remains impassive, his eyes devoid of pity. "Clean yourself, mutt. The Alpha's marking ceremony demands your presence."

I stand there, frozen while he turns around, taking a sit on a stone.

The Alpha's marking?

My eyes well up with tears. It's not like I didn't know the day would come when he'd find another. A mate who isn't me– a weak, cursed omega without a wolf, shamelessly bearing markings of a witch– Now he has a mate not abandoned by her parents, a mate worthy to be called Luna.

No one in the pack knows he is...was my mate. No one besides the two of us, present in the dark courtyard the night he brutally rejected me.

But I'd hoped. I'd dared to wish he'd turn around and ask to try again. To at least permit me a word before he thrusts those painful words of rejection at me and throws me behind bars.

"Hurry up!" The guard yells, his angry gaze fixed on me. I grab the ball of hay beside me and quickly remove my dirty torn gown before scrubbing my body. The hay tears my skin but I don't stop. When I'm through and have my gown back on, he grabs my hand and pulls me towards the sound of laughter and merry.

I'm pulled into the grand hall. I stick out like a sore thumb due to my damp, shivering self.

The brightly lit room buzzes with loud laughter and chatter. Everyone seems to be dressed in their finest attire.

My soaked washed clothes cling to my petite starved frame. My curly brown hair sits still on my back as a tangled mess. I hold the mop I'm given tightly, positioning myself as told– at the corner of the hall, trying so hard to blend in with the shadows.

But fate has other plans.

A man's gaze locks onto mine. His smile twists into a malevolent grin then he deliberately pours his drink onto the floor, slowly, eyes glinting with mischief.

"Omega!" he shouts with contempt.

The room falls silent as all eyes focus on me. My heart pounds while I rush to clean the spill, hoping he wouldn't harm me. Pack members erupt into laughter and jeers, their cruel amusement echoing through the hall.

"Look at her..."

"Disgusting Omega!"

"Filthy creature,"

I focus on the task, trying to ignore the stinging humiliation.

I look up from my work when Alpha Thanus's voice booms through the hall, "Pack, gather 'round! Gather round. I Alpha Thanus of Bluemoon Pack present to you, my fated mate, Sabine!"

A tall slender lady smiles as she steps forward– the future Luna. The room erupts in cheers and applause at her radiance in her elegant red gown. Her smile is so innocent like she's unaware she's hanging on to the hand of another's mate.

My eyes prick at the sharp sting in my chest. Is this why he ordered me out on here? To hurt me so bad that whatever thread of connection I'm still holding onto would snap? Well no need to try harder, I think as a tear slips down my face.

Thanus's eyes gleam with adoration as he takes Sabine's hand.

With a tender smile, he reveals to the pack the bite mark on his neck.

More tears fall from my eyes.

Claps fill the room when Sabine mirrors the gesture, exposing her own mark designed like a snake bite. The pack cheers louder, celebrating the symbol of their eternal bond.

I watch, feeling so much pain in my chest as they publicly recreate their bite marks. The hall resonates with joy and excitement.

"Den!" Alpha Thanus yells, everywhere silences immediately.

"Alpha," The same guard who earlier dragged me in answers, running towards the Alpha. He bows once in front of him.

Alpha Thanus says something that I don't hear and instantly Den starts heading my way.

A scream flies out my mouth as the guard forcefully yanks me forward, his pull on my arm causing a slight disjoint in my shoulder. Tears prick my eyes and I stumble. My feet struggles to keep up. The guard pulls out a coarse cloth from his pocket and ties it mercilessly around my mouth, gagging me. I try to protest as the cloth threatens to split the edges of my mouth, but my cries are muffled.

With my intact hand I slap his bicep repeatedly, tears falling out my red eyes as I feel a tear on the edges of my lips.

It's too tight! I scream internally.

He pulls at my hands, tying them with a long rope. The rough edges scrape against my skin as I struggle.

With a cruel grasp, he seizes my long brown hair, wrapping it around his fist. Then he drags me onward. My scalp burns as he pulls me through the crowd.

My weak legs buckle, but the guard's grip on my hair holds strong. Blood rushes to my face from the pain and my heart races with fear.

Den throws me forward, and I fall before Thanus' feet.

All eyes turn to me, on my hands and knees. My wet clothes are only halfway dry and still cling to my body. I'm extremely aware of how I'm shaking with terror, my eyes wide in fright.

Just as the pack's excitement falters, Alpha Thanus's voice booms, "We'll be having a special guest soon. Continue the celebration! Our Omega will not ruin our night!"

The music resumes, just like that, and everyone pretends to not notice me on the floor. I've always been humiliated since I failed to shift but never have I been this scared. Somehow I know something terrible is about to happen.

After a while the music stops and silence falls on the hall again. The guard's grip on my hair tightens, forcing me to look up. That is the moment someone enters, his dark presence commanding attention.

His bushy brows sit a step too high on his hardened face. His long jaw is rough with scars. He looks tall, with muscles larger than my head. His bald head shines under the bright lights as he glances around with raised shoulders. He's not an alpha that bit is obvious but he's just as terrifying.

Women scramble backward, sensing the danger emanating from his piercing gaze. Then his eyes lock on mine. His smile grows, a chilling, calculated curl of his lips.

"O...me...ga," he drawls, his voice dripping with malice. I shiver, electrocuting fear coursing through my veins.