Sera's POV
The bucket of dirty water sloshes over my hands as I scrub the kitchen floor.
My knees ache. My back screams where the stitches pull tight. My stomach is a hollow pit that hasn't stopped growling for three days.
But I keep scrubbing.
Because if I stop, the head cook will find another reason to punish me. And I can't afford any more punishments.
Move faster, omega. The cook's voice cracks like a whip. That floor won't clean itself.
I scrub harder, ignoring the way my hands are turning raw.
It's been a week since the rogue attack. A week since I discovered the power sleeping inside me. A week since I realized someone might be trying to kill me.
And a week since I've seen Kade.
He avoids me like I'm a disease. Every time I sense him through the bond getting closer, walking down a hallway I'm in he turns around and goes the other way.
The rejection shouldn't hurt. He made it clear he wants nothing to do with me.
But the mate bond doesn't care about logic. It pulls at me constantly, whispering that I should find him, be near him, make him accept me.
I hate it.
Pathetic. One of the other kitchen omegas a girl named Rita steps over my freshly cleaned section with muddy boots. Making a mess already.
The other omegas laugh. They've made it their mission to make my life miserable. Extra work, stolen food, cruel comments. Anything to remind me I don't belong.
I grit my teeth and start scrubbing Rita's footprints.
You know what I heard? Rita says loudly. I heard she used dark magic to trap the Alpha. That's the only way someone like her could catch someone like him.
My hands still.
The other omegas murmur agreement. It makes sense, doesn't it? An omega thief with no family, no status, suddenly mated to the most powerful Alpha around? She must have done something.
I keep my head down and keep scrubbing. They want a reaction. I won't give them one.
I bet she's not even a real omega, Rita continues. I bet she's hiding something. Something wrong.
My scrub brush freezes.
Because she's right. I am hiding something. The power. The glowing. The strange things that keep happening when my emotions spike.
Just yesterday, I got angry at a broken dish and it repaired itself in my hands. This morning, I touched a dead plant and it bloomed silver flowers.
Something is very, very wrong with me.
The head cook claps her hands. Enough gossip. Back to work. You She points at me. When you finish the floor, clean the pantry. It's filthy.
I nod silently. The pantry is massive and I haven't eaten since this morning's stale bread. But arguing means no food at all.
Hours later, I'm on my hands and knees in the pantry, organizing sacks of flour.
My stomach cramps with hunger. There's food everywhere fresh bread, cheese, dried meat but taking even a crumb would get me beaten.
I've learned to live with hunger.
Voices drift from the next room. I freeze, recognizing them immediately.
Kade and Ash.
They must be in the Alpha's private dining room, which shares a wall with the pantry. Sound carries through the thin barrier.
I should leave. Give them privacy.
But I can't seem to move.
How long will you avoid her? Ash's voice is calm but pointed. It's been a week, Kade. She's your mate.
Forever if I can. Kade's voice is ice-cold. She's a criminal. A weakness the Council forced on me. I won't pretend otherwise.
The words slam into me like a fist.
A weakness.
That's what I am to him. Not a person. Not even an inconvenience. A weakness.
The bond in my chest twists painfully. I press my hand over my heart, trying to breathe through the hurt.
You don't know she's a criminal, Ash argues. We talked about this. The evidence could have been planted.
The Council had witnesses.
Witnesses can be bought. Ash pauses. And what about what Mira told you? About the omega using power during the rogue attack?
My blood runs cold. Mira told him?
Kade is quiet for a moment. That's exactly why I'm avoiding her. I don't know what she is. That power she used it's not normal. It's not safe.
So you're afraid of her?
I'm cautious. There's a difference.
You sent her food the night of the attack, Ash points out. That's not caution. That's care.
I felt her pain through the bond. It was... distracting. Sending food made it stop.
Right. Because that's the only reason. Ash's voice is dry with sarcasm. Not because you were worried about your mate starving.
She's not my mate. Kade's chair scrapes back violently. She's a forced bond. A punishment. The sooner you all understand that, the better.
Footsteps. He's leaving.
I scramble backward, but there's nowhere to hide in the small pantry.
The door swings open.
Kade stands there, frozen.
I'm on my knees, surrounded by flour sacks, tears streaming down my face before I can stop them.
His eyes widen slightly. You heard.
It's not a question.
I wipe my face quickly, but the tears keep coming. The mate bond is screaming at me to go to him, to make him understand, to
My hands start to glow.
No. Not now. Not in front of him.
I shove my hands behind my back, but it's too late. He saw.
Kade's expression shifts from shock to wariness. Show me your hands.
I shake my head.
That wasn't a request. His Alpha command pushes at me, but something in me pushes back. The power fights his dominance.
His eyes narrow. Interesting. Most omegas can't resist my commands.
I'm not most omegas. The words come out bitter.
Clearly. He steps into the pantry, and suddenly the small space feels tiny. What are you?
I don't know! The confession bursts out. I don't know what's happening to me. The power, the glowing, the strange things I've never had any of this before. I was just a normal omega until
Until the forced mating. His voice is flat.
I meet his eyes. Until you marked me. Yes.
Something flickers across his face. For a moment, I think I see guilt.
Then his walls slam back up. You need to control it. Whatever this power is, you can't let others see. It's dangerous.
Dangerous for who? Me or you?
Both. He turns to leave, then pauses. Stop skipping meals. You're making the bond uncomfortable.
The head cook doesn't give me meals, I say quietly. She gives me scraps. When she remembers.
Kade goes very still. What?
I shouldn't have said anything. I drop my gaze. It's fine. I'm used to being hungry.
The temperature in the pantry seems to drop twenty degrees. Through the bond, I feel his fury spike.
You're my mate. Forced or not, that means you're under my protection. No one in my pack starves. He stalks to the doorway and shouts, Cook! Get in here. Now.
I scramble to my feet. You don't have to
Sit down. He points at a stool.
The command in his voice is absolute. I sit.
The head cook rushes in, her face pale when she sees Kade. Alpha. I didn't know you were
The omega hasn't eaten properly in a week. Kade's voice could freeze blood. Explain.
The cook's eyes dart to me, then back to Kade. She's... she's been eating. I give her the same portions as the others.
Lie. The word is a growl. I can smell the hunger on her from here. Try again.
The cook's face crumples. II thought everyone said she trapped you with dark magic. I thought if she was weak, the spell might break
You're dismissed. Effective immediately. Kade's tone leaves no room for argument. Pack your things and leave my territory before sunrise. If you're still here by dawn, I'll have you thrown out.
The cook's mouth opens and closes like a fish. Then she runs.
Kade turns back to me. His expression is complicated. Eat. And then we need to talk about your power. Because whatever's happening to you it's getting stronger. I felt it through the bond.
Before I can respond, my hands flare with silver light again brighter than before. So bright it illuminates the entire pantry.
And in that light, I see something I've never noticed.
Marks on my skin. Faint, silver symbols spiralling up my arms like tattoos, appearing only when the power shows.
Ancient symbols.
Royal symbols.
Kade sees them too. His face goes completely blank with shock.
Those markings. His voice is barely a whisper. I've only seen them once before. In a history book about the old wolf monarchy.
He looks at me like he's seeing me for the first time.
What are you really, Sera?