Rejected By The Alpha Prince, Claimed By His Uncle.

Zarelia Point Of View.

“Being an Omega seems like a curse, don't ask me how because that is how my life has been, a d*mn curse.”

My name is Zarelia Voss.

In the Nightbane Pack, my name carries very little weight.

If you asked the nobles who lived inside the royal palace about me, most of them would probably stare at you blankly before asking who I was. 

If you asked the warriors, they would laugh and tell you I was just another omega servant. 

I was an omega, the lowest and weakest rank a werewolf could be born into.

We were seen as the most disposable, the kind of wolf everyone stepped over.

"Watch where you're kneeling, omega.” The sharp voice came a split second before a muddy boot landed directly on the section of staircase I had spent nearly an hour scrubbing clean.

My hand froze around the brush.

Slowly, I lifted my head.

A warrior stood above me, looking down with a smirk stretching across his face. Behind him, several of his friends had stopped walking, clearly interested in whatever entertainment they thought they had found.

The warrior glanced down at the muddy footprint he had left behind.

Then he looked back at me.

"Oh," he said mockingly. "Was that clean?"

At once, a burst of laughter erupted behind him.

I lowered my eyes. "Yes, sir."

The warrior twisted his boot deliberately, grinding the mud deeper into the polished marble.

"Then clean it again." He instructed and there was another roar of laughter.

I swallowed hard and reached for my brush.

One of the other warriors folded his arms across his chest.

"See?" he said to his companions. "That's exactly why omegas exist."

His friend barked out a laugh. "To clean up after real wolves?"

"Exactly."

The group burst into laughter as they continued down the staircase, leaving muddy footprints behind them like a trail of humiliation for me to follow.

I watched them disappear before lowering my head again.

There was no point arguing, experience had taught me that arguing only made things worse.

"Zarelia Voss." A voice suddenly called out my name and my entire body stiffened.

I immediately recognized the voice.

It was the head Maid, Miss Corinne.

Slowly, I looked up, she stood several steps above me with her hands clasped behind her back, her expression already filled with disapproval.

My stomach sank.

Nothing good ever followed when Head Maid Corinne used my full name.

She stared at the staircase, back at me, then back at the staircase.

"You call that clean?" She raised a brow, pointing at the stair. 

I quickly rose to my feet. "I was just about to…"

"You were just about to do what?" She fired, her voice sliced through mine effortlessly.

"I... I was just fixing it." I stammered and her eyes narrowed.

"Excuses already?"

"No, ma'am."

"You omega girls are all the same. Slow, careless, and very useless!"

Heat crawled up my neck.

Several nearby servants lowered their heads awkwardly and nobody spoke.

Head Maid Corinne snatched a bucket from a passing servant and tossed it toward me.

Immediately, the cold water splashed across the front of my dress and I gasped in horror at my soaked clothes. 

The servants nearby winced but Corinne remained expressionless.

"Start over!" She screamed her lungs out. 

I bit the inside of my cheek. "Yes, ma'am."

As I dropped back to my knees, I noticed several servants exchanging sympathetic glances, but none of them stepped forward or offered help.

I couldn't blame them.

Being associated with me carried risks and in Nightbane, survival always came before kindness.

A sudden burst of feminine laughter echoed through the hall.

Immediately, conversations stopped and heads turned to the direction where the laughter came from.

Even Corinne straightened her posture.

I didn't need to look up to know who had arrived.

“Selene.” I muttered to myself, knowing that her presence will make my situation more horrible.

Selene, my half-sister always had that effect on people. Fortunately for her, she was born into the alpha rank due to her late mother being an alpha 

Selene carried this grace, whenever she entered a room, attention followed her naturally.

Heaving a sigh, I finally lifted my gaze, she was standing beneath the crystal chandeliers like she belonged there more than anyone else.

Her silver dress shimmered beneath the palace lights.

Diamonds sparkled around her throat and golden curls cascaded over her shoulders.

She was beautiful, and perfect. 

Everything I wasn't.

Several noblewomen surrounded her immediately.

"Selene, that necklace is breathtaking." One of the women complimented while Selene giggled. 

"Was it another gift?" One asked. 

Selene laughed softly, the sound was graceful and very practiced.

"Oh, Lord Evander insisted." Selene responded, showing off. 

The women giggled. "You're so lucky."

"I know."

More laughter followed and I quickly lowered my gaze.

People practically competed for Selene's attention as they spread rumors of her being a Luna someday. 

Meanwhile, I struggled to be acknowledged as a person.

Suddenly I heard footsteps heading towards where I knelt. My fingers grasped the brush tightly as I looked up to see those sharp green eyes of hers watching me.

My stomach tightened instantly.

Selene smiled at me, the same sweet smile everyone loved.

The same smile that always made me nervous.

"Zarelia." She muttered, her gaze not letting go of me. 

I immediately stood. "Sister."

She approached slowly. "Working hard today?"

"Yes." I nodded. 

"Good."

The noblewomen watched our interaction with interest.

Selene placed a hand gently on my shoulder.

Anyone watching would think she was being affectionate but I knew she was here to make me feel less than a person. 

"She's always been hardworking," Selene said.

One noblewoman sighed dramatically. "You are far too kind, she is lucky to have you as her older sister."

Another woman nodded. "A lesser sister would be embarrassed but here you are, being so loving to her. You are an angel, Selene."

The women laughed and I forced myself to smile.

Selene accepted their compliments gracefully.

Then she reached for a wine glass from a passing servant.

The moment her fingers wrapped around the stem, my stomach dropped because I recognized the look in her eyes.

I knew exactly what was coming, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Deliberately, Selene tilted the glass, I watched the dark red wine poured directly onto the staircase I had spent hours cleaning.

Loud gasps echoed around us, then laughter followed.

Selene looked at me innocently. "Oops! My bad, I guess you missed a spot." She giggled. 

The humiliation hit me like a physical blow.

"I already cleaned there," I said quietly.

Her smile sharpened."Then clean it again."

The noblewomen burst into laughter and one covered her mouth dramatically.

"I still don't understand how they're sisters." I heard her say to another who shook her head.

"One was clearly born to rule."

Her eyes drifted toward me."The other was born to crawl."

The words settled heavily inside my chest, not because they were cruel, but because everyone believed them, including me.

The laughter followed me long after Selene and her friends walked away.

It echoed inside my head as I dropped back to my knees and dipped the brush into the bucket beside me.

Hot tears welled my eyes but I struggled not to let them drop. 

I scrubbed harder than necessary, watching the red wine slowly disappear from the marble staircase.

Maybe they were right.

Selene was beautiful and everyone loved her.

Warriors smiled when she walked past and noblewolves tripped over themselves trying to gain her attention. Even servants seemed eager to please her.

But I was lucky if people remembered my name.

"Zarelia." A timid voice interrupted my thoughts.

I glanced up.

One of the younger omega servants stood nearby clutching a basket of linens.

She looked nervous.

They always looked nervous around me because being seen talking to me too often usually attracted unwanted attention.

"Yes?"

The girl hesitated. "The Head Maid wants the west wing cleaned before sunset."

I nodded. "I'll do it."

Relief flooded her face. "Thank you." She smiled and hurried away before anyone noticed her speaking to me.

I sighed quietly.

This was another day with a list of impossible tasks.

Another reminder that my place in the palace was somewhere beneath everyone else's.

*

The sun was beginning to set when I finally escaped to the omega quarters.

Unlike the beautiful royal chambers upstairs, the omega quarters were cramped and cold.

The walls were cracked and each of us had thin blankets for the cold nights. 

As I headed to my room, the scent of sickness lingered in the air.

Still, it felt more like home than anywhere else.

I pushed open the door to the room I shared with Nessa, my roommate.

She immediately sat up. "You came early!" She squealed in excitement as she got up from her bed and hugged me. 

I grinned and pulled a loaf of bread from beneath my cloak.

Nessa gasped dramatically. "You actually stole food again!"

"I borrowed it." I corrected her. 

"That's stealing."

"It's only stealing if I get caught." I grinned and she burst out laughing.

For a moment, the heaviness inside my chest eased.

That was what Nessa did, she somehow made terrible days feel less terrible.

I sat beside her on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

She groaned. "Like I'm dying."

"You said that yesterday."

"I was dying yesterday too."

I rolled my eyes. "You are impossible."

Nessa pointed at me. "No, you should be saying that to yourself."

My brows furrowed. "Why?"

She sat up straighter. "The Moon Ceremony is tomorrow and you aren't excited at all."

I groaned loudly. "Please Nessa, let's not have this conversation again."

"Yes, this conversation, we need to talk about it."

"Nessa..."

"What if that day changes everything?" She asked. 

I looked away because despite how often I pretended not to care, I thought about it constantly.

The Moon Ceremony.

The night the Moon Goddess revealed fated mates and every unmated wolf in the kingdom dreamed about it.

Even omegas.

Nessa bumped my shoulder. "You're thinking."

"No."

"You are."

I sighed. "Fine."

A triumphant smile spread across her face. "I knew it."

I laughed softly, then my smile faded. "Men don't want girls like me."

Nessa frowned. "That's not true."

"It is."

"No."

I looked down at my hands. "Powerful wolves want beautiful women in good ranks."

"So?"

"They want women who can strengthen their bloodlines."

"So?"

"They don't want broken omegas."

The room fell silent.

Nessa's expression softened. "Zarelia..."

I forced a smile. "I'm being realistic."

"No." She grabbed my hand. "You're repeating what everyone else says about you."

I opened my mouth to speak but couldn't because she wasn't entirely wrong.

Maybe I had heard those words so many times that I had started believing them.

Nessa squeezed my hand tighter. "What if your mate sees something everyone else misses?"

I laughed quietly. "Then he'll be blind."

She smacked my arm with a pillow.

"Nessa!" I yelped.

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

She stared at me stubbornly and I stared right back.

"I don't need a mate." I spoke. 

Nessa blinked. "What?"

"I don't need some powerful Alpha." My voice softened. "I just want someone kind."

Something tightened painfully inside my chest.

"Someone who looks at me and doesn't immediately see disappointment."

Nessa's eyes filled with sympathy and for a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then she smiled.

"Maybe the Moon Goddess has someone exactly like that waiting for you."

I snorted. "Now I know you're sick."

She threw the pillow at me again and we both laughed into the night. 

*

The next day, the palace was still buzzing with preparations hours.

Servants rushed through the corridors carrying decorations, flowers, candles, and ceremonial robes.

Tomorrow's Moon Ceremony was one of the most important events of the year.

Everything had to be perfect, which meant everyone was stressed, especially the servants.

I adjusted the stack of folded linens in my arms and hurried through the western corridor.

The bundle was so large it blocked half my vision.

I should have been paying more attention but I wasn't.

I turned a corner too quickly, and suddenly, I collided with something solid.

The linens slipped from my arms instantly and a startled gasp escaped my lips.

I stumbled forward waiting for the hard floor to meet me but at once, a strong arm caught me. 

“Oh my!” I gasped aloud and the world stopped and my breath vanished.

One of his hands was wrapped firmly around my wrist while the other steadied my waist.

Heat exploded through me so suddenly that I forgot how to think, move or breathe.

The scattered linens lay forgotten across the floor.

Slowly, I lifted my head to know who might have caught me. 

To my shock, I found myself staring into the most striking eyes I had ever seen.

It had sharp silver eyes, cold, sharp but mysterious. 

The man standing before me seemed carved from darkness itself.

He had broad shoulders with his long dark hair and a powerful jaw.

An intimidating presence that made the air feel heavier around him.

For several heartbeats neither of us moved or spoke, our legs locked together. 

The corridor had fallen completely silent.

Then suddenly, servants walked in and at the sight of him, they dropped to their knees, and one of them whispered fearfully.

"Alpha Dravenor."

My heart nearly stopped.

Alpha Dravenor, the Beast of Nightbane.

The kingdom's most feared Alpha and the alpha king's younger brother.

The warlord whose name alone frightened grown warriors.

I should have lowered my eyes immediately, any sensible omega would have, but I couldn't because he was staring at me too.

His silver eyes remained locked on mine, and something shifted in his expression that I couldn't understand.

A low growl suddenly rumbled from deep within his chest. The sound sent a shiver down my spine.

His fingers tightened slightly around my wrist, not enough to hurt, just enough to make me painfully aware of his touch.

For one impossible moment, I noticed his hands began to tremble.

The realization shocked me.

Alpha Dravenor Vaelcor was trembling.

Why?

His expression hardened immediately as he thought he had realized something he didn't like.

Without warning, he released me, stepped back, and looked away.

The loss of contact sent a strange ache through me but before I could say a word or even gather my thoughts, Alpha Dravenor turned and walked away.

His black coat disappeared into the darkness at the end of the corridor leaving me standing there, frozen and breathless.

My heart was hammering wildly against my ribs, and for reasons I couldn't explain, I couldn't stop staring after him because the most terrifying Alpha in Nightbane had looked at me as though I was the one who frightened him.

“What just happened?” 

Aeron Point Of View. 

“Hail Prince of Nightbane!” 

My name is Aeron Vaelcor, the future Alpha King of Nightbane.

Heir to the most powerful werewolf kingdom on the continent.

I am the wolf every noble wanted to serve, the Alpha every warrior wanted to become, and the male every unmated female dreamed about.

I had strength, power and perfection. 

“Weakling!” I yelled and the clash of steel echoed across the training grounds as my sword collided with my opponent's.

Today was training and I had to teach with the use of swords rather than claws. 

The warrior stumbled backward but I didn't.

He swung at me again, fast and aggressive but his mice were very predictable.

I sidestepped easily and struck the flat side of my blade against his ribs.

The impact sent him crashing into the dirt.

A loud cheer erupted around the arena.