Before dawn, Elara's bare feet hit the cold kitchen floor.
Today you are eighteen years old, but birthdays didn't mean much when you were the black wolf pack's lowest rank. "Move faster, omega!" Beta Marcus barked at the front door.
"Alpha Kael wants breakfast ready in ten minutes." She cracked eggs into the pan with shaking hands.
The air smelled like bacon, but she didn't feel hungry. Omegas was the last to eat. Always. She told him, "Yes, Beta Marcus," but she didn't look up.
The massive stone house called Stonehaven felt like a prison. Long, dark passageways went on and on. Heavy furniture reminded everyone who held power here.
Elara had scrubbed these floors since she was twelve. Her knees still carried scars from those early days. Other pack members walked past the kitchen without looking at her.
To them, she was invisible. Just another omega helper. But something felt different this morning. A strange warmth pulsed through her chest.
Her skin tingled like tiny lightning bolts were dancing under it. She touched her neck, confused. "What's wrong with you?" Sarah, another omega, hissed while chopping veggies. "You look sick." "I feel... strange," Elara revealed. Sarah's eyes went wide.
"Oh no. Is your smell changing?" Before Elara could answer, heavy footsteps sounded down the hall.
Every wolf in the kitchen froze. Alpha Kael was coming. Elara's heart hammered against her ribs. The Alpha never came to the cooks. Never. The footsteps stopped right outside the door.
"Everyone out," came a deep, cold voice that made her bones shake. "Now." The other omegas scattered like scared mice. Pots clattered.
Chairs scraped against stone. In seconds, Elara stood alone. Alpha Kael Blackwood stepped into the kitchen. He was huge.
Six feet of pure strength wrapped in an expensive black suit. His dark hair was perfectly styled. His eyes burned like black fire. Everything about him screamed danger.
"You," he said, pointing one long finger at her. "Come here." Elara's legs felt like water, but she forced them to move. Three steps. Four. Five.
Each one brought her closer to the most powerful wolf she'd ever seen. He studied her face like she was a problem he couldn't solve. "What's your name?" "E-Elara Moss, Alpha." Her voice came out as a squeak.
"How old are you today, Elara Moss?" The question hit her like a slap. How did he know it was her birthday? "Eighteen, Alpha." Something flickered in his dark eyes.
His nostrils flared slightly, like he was testing the air around her. "Interesting," he whispered.
That single word made her stomach flip. Nothing good ever came from being interesting to an Alpha.
"You've been working in my kitchens for six years," he continued. "I've never noticed you before today." Of course he hadn't. She was nobody.
Nothing. Just an omega who cleaned and cooked and tried to stay unseen. But the way he looked at her now made her feel naked.
Exposed. Like he could see straight through to her soul. "Your scent is..." He paused, looking for words. "Different." Panic shot through her chest. Different was scary.
Different got omegas thrown out of packs. Or worse. "I'm sorry, Alpha. I don't know what you mean." The lie tasted bitter on her mouth. He stepped closer.
Too close. She could smell his cologne mixed with something wild and raw. Something that made her wolf whimper inside her chest. "Don't lie to me, little omega."
His voice dropped to a whisper that somehow felt louder than screaming. "I can smell it on you. Sweet. Warm. Like honey and roses."
Her cheeks burned hot. No one had ever described her smell before. Most wolves ignored omega scents totally.
"I have excellent control," Kael continued, circling her like a predator. "I've never lost control. Not once in fifteen years of being Alpha." Where was he going with this? Elara's hands trembled at her sides.
"But your scent..." He stopped directly behind her. His breath tickled her ear. "Your scent makes my wolf want to do very bad things."
The kitchen spun around her. This couldn't be happening. Alphas didn't notice omegas like her.
They certainly didn't talk to them about smells and control and bad things. "I have a rule," Kael whispered. "I never take the same woman to my bed twice.
One night only. Always." Her heart stopped beating. "Alpha, I—" "But rules can be broken," he interrupted.
"For the right reason." She spun around to face him, nearly crashing into his chest. His eyes had changed. Still black, but burning now. Hungry. "I don't understand," she breathed. His hand lifted toward her face. She should run.
Every impulse screamed at her to get away. But her feet stayed stuck to the floor. "You will," he said. "Tonight." The kitchen door burst open.
Beta Marcus rushed in, his face red with fear. "Alpha! The Vance group arrived early. They're asking for you immediately." Kael's hand dropped. The spell shattered like glass.
"Tell them I'll be there in five minutes," he ordered without taking his eyes off Elara. "But Alpha—" "Five minutes, Marcus." The Beta disappeared as fast as he'd come.
Kael fixed his suit jacket. The dangerous Alpha mask slipped back over his features. But his eyes still burned when they looked at her.
"Finish your work," he ordered. "But stay in the house tonight. Don't go to the omega apartments." "Why?" The question slipped out before she could stop it.
A slow, hungry smile spread across his lips. It should have scared her. Instead, something hot and confusing twisted in her stomach.
"Because, little omega," he said, walking toward the door, "tonight you're going to learn what happens when an Alpha breaks his own rules." The door slammed shut behind him.
Elara sank against the counter, her legs finally giving out. Her whole body shook like a leaf in a storm. What had just happened?
The most powerful Alpha in the area had just... what? Claimed her? Threatened her? She couldn't tell the difference. Her image stared back from the window above the sink. Same brown hair.
Same brown eyes. Same everyday face she'd worn for eighteen years. But something had changed. Something that made Alpha Kael Blackwood break his most precious rule.
Something that would change her life forever. The warm feeling in her chest grew stronger. Her smell was definitely different now.
Richer. Sweeter. More... noticeable. Tonight, she would find what that meant. And deep in her bones, she knew nothing would ever be the same.