Only a fool looks Alpha Zavier in the eye when he speaks. You dare not interrupt him and if you're an omega girl called Aysel, it's best to hide. I learnt these tricks early in life. I knew not to look up, not to make a sound and to make myself invisible in the crowd of people that filled the banquet hall to celebrate the Feast of the Moon.
But I never did anything right. When asked to take a step to the left, I ended up at the right, whether I took a step to the left or not. Fate worked in reverse for me. If I sowed good, I reaped misfortune.
It was the reason why, while serving with my head down, trying to make myself smaller than my small frame, I tripped on a fair leg, my tray of wine flying from my hand and tumbling to the ground, crashing – loudly – to the floor and spilling its red content against the fair feet of the Alpha's daughter, in the middle of the Alpha's speech. I raised my head and caught the Alpha Zavier's gaze and at that moment, I'd broken three of the most fundamental rules of avoiding a beating.
At that moment – when I made eye contact with the Alpha and sealed my fate – Skylar, the Alpha's daughter, let out a blood-curdling scream, as if it took her that ten seconds of silence to process what I'd done. I'd spilt expensive wine on her equally expensive, white, floor length dress.
Her hand smacked my head to the right as an apology dropped from my lips. Then to the left, and right again. She kept smacking me as everyone stared with their mouths open at what I had done until the Alpha cleared his throat and called for order.
"That's enough, Sky." Alpha Zavier looked at me as he addressed his daughter, his eyes filled with deep hatred and fiery anger. I gulped, cupping my hot cheeks.
"It's not. This little b*it*ch ruined my dress!" Skylar cried, her sweet soprano voice raising as she hit me for the last time. "Why are you so jealous of me?" She cried yet again, dragging everyone's attention back to the scene despite the Alpha's call for order.
"I'm not," I answered in a whispery voice with my hands shaking.
My eyes stung with the tears I held at bay, blurring the faces around me. I didn't want to cry now – not now. It would only make my humiliation worse if I broke down here. I told myself I had to wait – I had to wait for them to take me out for a beating when the enforcers would give me a good reason to cry but I wasn't strong. My lips quivered as the tears slid down my face. I blinked rapidly to clear them but they fell faster the more I blinked.
Alpha Zavier signalled something at those behind me as his daughter stumped out, pushing people out of her way as she went. Two men grabbed me from behind, dragging me out of the hall. I looked at the few people who still watched the drama unfold as the Alpha went back to his speech, a muscle twitching at the side of his jaw. Only one person watching me looked at me with anything other than scorn in her eyes as the enforcers dragged me away.
They threw me into a dark room, locking the door behind them. This dark room belonged to me. I slept here, had all my possessions – a single bag – in this room, the days I had food, I ate here and every day, I cried in this same room.
Two months ago, I spent two weeks locked up in my room and sometime in the two weeks, my food supply was cut off. I'd starved for at least five days but down here, in the cold, damp basement of the pack house, time became relative. I could have starved for one week or to days, there was never a way to be sure. Everything was dark – every hour of the day, night.
The door handle jiggled as someone tried to get in. The door jammed a lot and needed brute force to open on most days. Skylar came in with her brother and her boyfriend all wearing nasty smirks on their lips.
My eyes lingered on Skylar's boyfriend for a minute. A few years ago, Lucien had been my best friend. I told him everything. I loved him as a best friend and more.
