Chapter 1
Rue
Present
Nope. Absolutely fucking not.
After a hurried bath in the stream, I douse my sleeping clothes in the cold water. A few shifters are bathing upstream from me, but luckily, they don’t pay me any attention. I scrub my undergarment with a chunk of my mother’s strongest soap until my fingers blister. But it does nothing to mask the sweetness that seeped into the fabric while I slept.
It won’t be enough. Nothing can hide the scent of a newly presented Omega.
I was certain I was a Beta. There’s no way this is right. Omegas usually have an Omega parent. I don’t. I’m also not tiny. The ones I’ve seen barely reach my chin. They look like younglings beside the Alphas.
I’m no youngling. I’m definitely not as whiny or submissive, either. I used to stare down the Omegas in our pack and count how many seconds it took for them to whimper.
Not me. Whimpering isn’t in my vocabulary.
This cannot be my life. Omegas are weak and pathetic. I’m neither of those things. And losing my mind when an Alpha walks by is something I will never do.
Fuck that, and fuck Alphas, too.
I’m nineteen, the age when shifters come into their designations. But I’m mere weeks from turning twenty, and nothing had changed. I just knew I’d already presented as a Beta. What kind of sick twist of fate is this? To dump this trash on me when I had already accepted my future?
If fate wanted to be unreasonable, why couldn’t it have just made me an Alpha instead? I’ve never met a female Alpha, but if fate has gone mad, why not? I’d gladly take Alpha designation over this. They’re bigger and stronger than the rest of us, with extremely heightened senses. They can even shift into wolves. Betas can’t do shit, but I was totally fine with that.
A fucking Omega . At least I’m still not tiny and weak. But the sickeningly sweet slick coming out of me now is bad enough to make up for that. It’s meant to enhance mating by helping the small Omega take on the giant Alpha cocks. They definitely need it. I’ve seen what the Alphas sling around after shifting.
But I won’t be needing it.
And I’ve got to get rid of it. The scent drives Alphas mad… and it’s all over my clothing.
Omegas are assigned to Alphas once they present without any say in the matter. I refuse to be an Alpha’s mate. I’ll never be under his control, forced to submit to his will like some meek little puppet .
It’s the way of shifters , they say. But I say it’s bullshit.
My life will not be dictated by others, especially not some arrogant Alpha. I want to choose a mate for myself or at least have the freedom to be alone. The thought of becoming anyone’s possession makes me want to set the whole camp on fire. I’m worth more than that, even if every other shifter in Faerie disagrees with me.
Frustrated, I dig a hole in the soft dirt near the stream and shove my sleeping clothes and undergarment inside. A growl slips out as I stare at the proof of my unwanted designation. After dropping in what’s left of the soap, I cover everything up with soil and pack it down tightly.
I’ll need a better fix than this.
I turn and tiptoe back through camp, planning to hide under my blanket for the rest of the day. I’m careful to avoid eye contact with any of the shifters milling about along the way. Thankfully, the Alphas begin their hunt in the early morning, so the guards are the only ones around. And they’re all on the perimeter. None of the Betas sipping their coffee are going to pick up any traces of Omega on me.
Shifters don’t live in huts like the fae. Most of us use large tents that can be quickly packed up and moved. The fae hate us and any other species who isn’t like them. They usually won’t attack an entire pack with many Alphas protecting it, but we have to be prepared to move suddenly, just in case.
Our pack hasn’t been attacked in my lifetime, but I’ve heard stories of fae raids. I don’t know if every fae is bad, but the raids are awful enough to make our kind fear them all.
They storm into camps, led by the queen’s soldiers, who possess magic we could never defend ourselves against. They kill and take what little we have. Their hate makes no sense. We have nothing of value, and we keep to ourselves, not hurting anyone. I’ve never heard of a shifter who dared to challenge the queen. Yet, they treat us like enemies, so we have to flee if we find too many lingering nearby.
When my family’s tent comes into view, I find my mother heading toward the entrance, clutching a bundle of herbs. Her long, black braid matches my own, though mine is a tangled mess at the moment from all my panicking.
I quickly slip inside before she can enter, startling her. After a moment, she pulls the flap back and joins me.
“What’s got you so lively today?” she asks with a warm smile.
I burst into tears, unable to hold my anger above my worry now that I’m with her. I’ll need to find a way to shut down all these pathetic Omega emotions, but for now, I just need my mother to hold me.
With a soft gasp at my outburst, she sets the herbs down on our small table and wraps me in her arms. “What’s troubling you, my little pup?”
“I’m not a pup anymore, Mother,” I sniff, clinging to her as if she can fix this.
She waits patiently for me to calm down while gently wiping away each tear as it falls. Once I finally feel steady enough to speak, I whisper, “I’m an Omega.”
My stomach roils with the admission, but hiding in my delusion won’t help. I need a solution.
My mother stiffens and turns to look at my face. Her chest rises in little jumps as she scents me. “Well, I don’t smell Omega, Rue. Why do you think this?”
It should ease my mind that she can’t scent it on me, but she’s just a Beta. This close, an Alpha would have no trouble picking up on any lingering traces I may have missed.
“I woke with slick in my undergarment, Mother. That’s why.”
Dread replaces the doubt on her face. The same dread I was tackled by when I realized what I’d become. She swallows hard but quickly tries to sound encouraging. Her words are shaky because she knows they aren’t entirely true.
“The Prime is a respectable Alpha, dear.”
Our Prime, Bock, recently lost his Luna–his Omega mate. He’s been waiting for one of our pack’s juveniles to present as an Omega and become his new Luna. So, lucky me… I’m to be the replacement.
The idea of being forced to mate any Alpha is repulsive enough, but the Prime is the last Alpha I would want to be bound to. He may be a powerful leader and generous provider, but he tries to distribute everything evenly. Even things that should never be shared.
“It will be an honor to be our pack’s Luna, dear,” my mother says quietly, still trying to reassure me.
“An honor?” I hiss, pulling away from her. “Like it was for our last Luna? The one who abandoned her young and fled, finding a fae to put her out of her misery? Is that the kind of honor you’re referring to?”
My mother doesn’t argue. She can’t. Our Luna looked haggard most of the time as she handled her duties for the pack. She’d smile, but it never quite reached her eyes. She was beautiful but in a sad, far-off kind of way.
There were three Omegas in our pack before the Luna was killed. How she got away unaccompanied is a mystery, but I have no doubt in my mind she was looking for death. I don’t think Bock ever physically hurt her, but he proudly offered her up during her heats and whenever his Alphas had an itch their Beta mates couldn’t scratch.
He sees it as an honorable thing, providing a scarce resource for his most esteemed Alpha soldiers. He offered up his own Omega so the other two Omegas in the pack could honor their mates in peace.
Ideally, a shifter would find their scent match–their fated mate. But that’s so rare that no one waits around for it. And Omegas are so scarce, an Alpha is lucky to have a chance with one at all. So, the Alphas think Bock sharing his Omega is fantastic. But how horrible and degrading for the poor Luna herself.
I doubt she ever protested, though. That’s not something good Omegas do.
The Prime acted as though he was benefitting his pack, but what he did was far beyond wrong. Instead of learning from her death, Bock sought vengeance and eventually found and killed the fae he believed was responsible for ending her life. The pack hailed him as a hero, and he swore to his Alphas that he’d soon find another Omega to replace her.
It’s not just the Luna who’s suffered, though. So many Betas have been hurt by his actions. If my mate ever strayed to another shifter because they were better at mating than me, I’d feel so betrayed. I’d never be able to trust or love my mate after something like that. That’s why I’ve always hated Alpha’s so much. I’m sure not all of the mated Alphas took part, but I know many did.
And I’m going to find out exactly which ones if I don’t do something about my new designation.
“I won’t do it, Mother,” I tell her, wishing she’d say something. “I’ll join our late Luna if I have to. And I won’t have to find a fae for that. I’ll gladly do it myself.”
Despite my strong will, I turn my head. I can’t bear to look into her eyes as I threaten to put her through the pain of losing a daughter.
She finally breaks her silence, but it’s not what I expect. “We will hide it until another Omega presents,” she says. “Jevive is small and docile. I’m willing to bet that she’s an Omega. She’s about your age. It shouldn’t be long.”
I was prepared to face this battle alone. But learning that my mother will help me fills the cracks in my armor. I can hold my own, but with her, I’ll never be defeated.
I smile at my mother with gratitude, but I feel it twist into a grimace. She’s really willing to help me hide my designation until another Omega presents? To so easily let someone else endure the suffering in my place?
She huffs at my reaction. “Don’t you remember Jevive always following the Luna around, despite knowing what’s expected of her? She’s so desperate to be Luna, it’s shameful.”
I throw myself into her arms and pepper her cheeks and nose with kisses. “Thank you, Mother!” I say, beaming at her now.
She grins back at me briefly before her expression turns serious. “You’ll still be paired with an Alpha when you reveal your designation. But Wister is next in line, and he’s an honorable shifter. A much better alternative. The best you’ll find in this pack.”
I don’t want to be mated to any Alpha, but she’s right. Wister is a respectable Alpha. He won’t share me, and he’ll be a decent mate. I can’t expect a perfect life now that fate has decided to pick on me. But at least I can fight back and have a tolerable one.
“We need to find you better clothing,” Mother says. “Thicker materials,” she adds, pacing back and forth in front of me as she plans. “Some scraps should work in your undergarment to absorb any slick. We’ll have to dispose of them afterward. Burn or bury them. I’ll make a cream from fallen dryad’s bark to mask the scent on your neck.”
Her gaze drops to my chest as she speaks, making her frown. “We’ll also need to bind your breasts tighter. They’ve filled out. But don’t worry. Just stay inside while I gather everything we need. We’ll make sure to conceal your scent and your new figure. You can do your sewing from here.”
Luckily, my current contribution to our pack is fashioning garments and helping Mother mend the tents. We have plenty of fabric and scraps to work with. It will take a lot of effort, but I think we can keep this hidden for a while. I’ll just keep to myself and stay inside as much as possible. No one should find out. But one last issue remains unsettled.
“Will you tell Father?” I ask.
My mother freezes.
Bringing this up makes me feel sick. We’ve never discussed my father’s betrayal. My mother has buried her pain to keep our family together. Still, my father’s indulgence with the past Luna has been a festering wound, seeping into our home as long as I’ve been old enough to understand.
It’s clear that my role as Luna would affect him quite differently than my mother. He could no longer turn his back on her when he wanted an Omega’s company.
“Of course not,” my mother says, still facing away from me. “We mustn’t tell your father. He’d send you straight to the Prime. He’s…”
She pauses, then turns around to meet my gaze with bitter eyes. “He takes his position seriously. He would relish the chance to show off his daughter’s elevated status.”
I can’t decide which would be worse–my father betraying me to impress the pack or keeping our secret so he can continue his disgusting behavior with the next Luna. I stare blindly past my mother, wondering which he’d choose if he found out.
But I decide it doesn’t matter if my mother is right. She has chosen me, even though my becoming Luna would ensure her mate could no longer stray. I slip my arms around her, and she begins to rock me like a youngling. Being held protectively unlocks something inside me, and my pathetic Omega weakness pours out, drowning me in fear again.
“Madda,” I whisper, the nickname from my younger years slipping off my tongue. “Father will find out. He’ll scent me no matter what we do.”
My mother pulls away to look sternly at me. “Do you think we Betas have no brains in our skulls? I can handle your father. Just handle yourself, and you’ll be fine.”
I’m not sure she’s right, but I have no choice but to believe her.