Bullied Forced Omega (Rose Falls Wolves #1)

Chapter 1 - Mira

We’re in the pack house, sitting in the living room with our attention turned towards the three elders standing in front of the white wall on which a colorful projection is displayed.

Omegas always sit in the back of pack meetings. We’re here to be seen, not heard. That is especially true of someone like me. I’m not the prettiest or the fastest, and according to most of the wolf shifters here, I’m a nobody.

The sad thing is that most of them don’t even know what I’ve contributed to this pack, and they probably never will.

Ever since I was young, I never felt welcome here. It was only two years ago, when Kelsey and I became friends, that I finally found my little place where I fit in. Now I have a handful of close friends. A small, but tight group that makes the days easier.

It wasn’t always like that.

All through my school years and during my adolescence, I was teased and spent most of my time alone, hiding away from the rest of the pack and their harsh, often cruel ways. I was too scared to talk to anyone.

I grew up pushed away, outcast, ostracized. I wasn’t fast enough or pretty enough. I was too chubby and teased relentlessly about my dull brown hair, my boring brown eyes, and how I couldn’t keep up.

And of course, I was teased because I didn’t have any parents.

They died shortly after I was born when the compound was attacked by a rival pack.

My Aunt Rayanna raised me. She is a quiet, kind-hearted woman who runs the school on our compound.

She has endless patience and taught me that the world will push those who are strong enough to handle it.

She told me that the Moon Goddess would not give me a challenge she didn’t think would benefit me in some way.

To help me grow. To make me stronger.

I was too young to understand what she meant, and honestly, at the time, I struggled to believe the Moon Goddess would be so cruel as to put me through all that just to make me strong.

But now that I’m older, I can see the benefits.

I am stronger, calmer, and able to handle difficult situations with ease.

The meeting is longer than usual. The elders are boasting about the new tech we’ve introduced to our security system. This is all technology that I designed and created, but they haven’t mentioned my name once.

Kelsey throws me a side eye from her seat next to me. She pulls her mouth to the side and rolls her eyes dramatically. She knows I deserve the credit for this, but I’ll never get it.

I stifle a giggle by clasping my hand over my mouth. She has a way of making everything better.

She’s my best friend in this place. When I’m not hanging around with Kelsey, I’m usually alone in my little workshop.

Not that I mind at all. I prefer to be alone.

It’s not common for a wolf to value solitude, but my childhood was wrought with struggles.

Bullying left me with deep emotional scars and taught me that staying away from people was far easier than dealing with them.

“This new technology will enable us to deep-scan every creature, human or shifter, who steps into our territory. You’ll see that it looks like a mix between an X-ray and a CT scan.

Very detailed. We’ll be alerted the moment they arrive, and from our observation and security rooms, we’ll know if they have weapons, silver especially, which shows up as a purple haze over their figure.

With this technology, we’ll be able to react before they’ve even arrived at our door,” the elder talking is Jeremy Greenwood.

He’s one of three elders currently leading this pack while our Alpha-to-be is away at Black Ops training.

The Alpha-to-be is Jace Greenwood, Jeremy’s son.

Jace happens to be one of the biggest contributors to my childhood trauma.

A bully. A cruel, cold, and nasty man with the meanest streak I’ve ever come across.

There was once a time when I ... It doesn’t matter.

It’s not something I like to think about.

His Beta is my brother, Miles. Miles was born with Alpha blood, but in this pack, he is Beta to Jace. The Black Ops training is only for those with Alpha blood, even those like Miles, who hold a Beta position.

Miles and Jace have been gone for a few years now. I hardly miss Miles because we were never close. He was a part of the cool gang. Too cool to want to acknowledge that he was related to me in any way.

Black Ops training is no joke. Every Alpha trains there, and they come back a different person.

The pack breaks out in an excited rustle of awe and amazement as the elder gestures towards a screen displaying men arriving on our land.

It's show and tell. A few of the Betas are out there, kitted out with weapons, one of them is even carrying confiscated silver, just so that we can see how it shows up on the scans.

The other two elders nod and smile. Marcus Thorn and Lexus Wilson.

They’re bragging about the technology and soaking in the praise.

Kelsey nudges me in the ribs. “Do you think they’ll credit you this time?” she whispers, her voice barely audible over the pack's chattering excitement.

“Pfft,” I scoff. “They never have and they never will,” I shrug. I’m so used to not being acknowledged for the work I do around here. Every piece of technology in this pack is something I’ve created or improved on. It’s my passion. It’s what I do for hours when I retreat to my workshop.

I’ve created security systems that are far superior to any other pack in this region. I’ve created weapons and monitoring systems…even a device that helps teach the young shifters to have better control over their powers because it alerts them before the shift takes place.

But not once, ever, have one of the elders come to thank me or mention my name at these pack meetings.

Would I want the attention? Probably not. Does it piss me off? It used to. But after a childhood of being bullied and ostracized, I learned that there are worse things than being ignored and denied credit where credit is due. Accolades are a luxury I don’t yearn for.

A quiet, peaceful life is far more valuable.

***

“The sensors have already been set up on the perimeter of our territory,” Marcus says to the pack. He turns toward Jeremy and Lucas. “Was there anything else you wanted to discuss in this morning’s meeting? The school, the food stores, the Red Moon Eclipse next month…did I forget anything?”

“Yes, the ceremony?”

“No, we’ll sort that out once we know what day they’re arriving,” Lucas says in a hushed tone, shaking his head.

I lean close to Kelsey, “Whose arriving?” I ask.

She shrugs, her bright blue eyes are wide as she raises her brows, “It could be anyone. I haven’t heard a thing.

” She leans back in her seat and rakes her fingers through her long blonde hair to pull it up into a high bun on top of her head.

She’s gorgeous. The kind of gorgeous that makes you stare too long.

“You’re supposed to be the one who keeps us in the loop of all the social happenings,” I groan.

“Oh, please, you know I’m just as much of an outcast as you are,” she smirks.

“Whatever, not even close,” I scoff.

She is an outcast, just like me. Maybe not just like me.

Because she’s drop-dead gorgeous. But she wasn’t born in this pack.

She was sold to our pack’s Alpha when she was just a baby.

Omegas are weak, but valuable. The pack needs caregivers and nurturers.

Her parents no longer wanted her and needed the money.

We heard rumors that shortly after they sold her, they both went rogue and disappeared.

Who knows if that’s true or not. Probably just kids making up stories to create a bigger mystery around an outsider.

Anyway, it was enough to push her into our outcast group and turn her into one of the nerds.

“Ok, that’s it for this morning. Bella, when you get to the school, you need to update Rayanna on today’s key points,” Jeremy asks, eyeing one of the other omegas. Bella works with my aunt at the pack’s elementary school..

“Yes, sir, right away,” she says, bowing her head in respect.

Kelsey sneers, “She’s such a suck up,” she complains.

“Everyone thinks she’s in line to be our Luna when the Alpha returns, so I guess she’s just playing the role she’s been given,” I say.

“Well, she doesn’t have to be such a bitch to all the other Omegas while she’s at it.” Kelsey can’t stand her. I do my best to stay neutral, even though I secretly dislike her; there’s no point in getting on your Luna’s bad side before she becomes Luna.

***

After the morning’s pack meeting, Kelsey walks me back to my cottage. I need to collect my sketchbooks because I jotted down some designs in there that I'll use at the workshop. I left them in my Jeep, which is parked at home. She needs to go in the same direction anyway.

My workshop is in the tech building behind our community gym and swimming pool. It's close enough to the Omega dwellings on the compound that I don’t need the Jeep to get to work. So, I only use it when I make runs into town or I have a lot to carry.

The Omega cottages are set away from all the Betas and high-ranking members who have far more luxurious homes. The highest members of the pack live in the mansion with the elders and the Alpha, when we eventually get an Alpha.

We live on the far side of the compound, but we still have beautiful views of the lake.

We each have our own small, one-bedroom cottage. Every single one of them is identical in layout. It’s small, cozy, and has everything I need. It’s home to me, and I’m grateful to have that space to call my own.