The Alpha’s Forbidden Omega

FIVE YEARS AGO

LILY

I balance the tray carefully as I step into the dining room, the smell of bacon and eggs clinging to the air around me. My father already sits at the head of the long oak table, his shoulders square, with an unreadable expression on his face. My two older sisters, Clara and Beth, or the terrible twins as I secretly call them in my head, lounge across from him in silk robes, their hair brushed and shining even though it’s barely morning.

“Finally,” Clara mutters as I step into the dining room. “I would have sworn you wanted us to starve.”

I ignore her, setting Father’s plate before him first. I’m careful not to spill or move too quickly. He hates it when I rush. 

He hates it when I do anything, actually.

Carefully folding his morning paper, he places it by his side and reaches for his fork without looking at me.

Not that I was expecting him to. 

I swallow and keep serving, sliding another plate to Beth, the eldest. She flicks her long, dark hair over her shoulder and smirks up at me, a cruel gleam in her eyes as she searches my face. The gleam sparkles when they land on my neck…or the thing around it.

“Where did you get that?” She asks, reaching for my necklace.

I predict the movement, which is why I push her hand off before she can grab it. I hear her gasp as I move away, but before I can serve Clara, Beth shoves into me from behind. Hot tea, amongst other things, spills on my legs, some of it touching Clara’s lap. I wince from the pain but thankfully manage to save half of the tray’s contents from spilling on the floor. 

That doesn’t matter, however, because now both twins are p*ss*d. 

“How dare you?” They both screech, Clara staring at the few droplets of tea on her robe while Beth nurses her bruised ego from me ignoring her.

Beth spins me around to face her, landing a sharp slap on the side of my cheek. My face whips to the side, throbbing from the pain. 

“Guess you’ll be eating your breakfast off the floor today,” I hear Clara mutter beside me as she sets the saved plates before her. 

Beth rips the necklace from my neck.

“No!” I gasp, reaching for her. 

She dangles it away from me. “What even is this?” She scoffs, staring at the broken emerald pendant.

This is why I never wear it, because of them. They’ll either ruin it or take it away from me.

“It’s ugly, but I’ll keep it,” she says, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “Just because I know it means something to you—”

“Enough!” Father’s voice booms across the room, cutting her off. For the first time, I’m grateful for his interruption, until he speaks again. “You don’t need to be contaminated by whatever she touches.”

Clara laughs softly. “Don’t be so hard on her, Father. She’s already pathetic enough.”

Another scoff escapes Beth before she flings the necklace to the floor. I immediately rush to pick it up. 

“Look how pathetic she is,” Clara mocks behind me.

Anger and pain explode in my chest when I see the broken clasp. I feel my wolf raging inside me, but I take deep breaths to remain calm. Attacking any of them is useless. They are stronger and faster than I am. 

‘Weak. Useless. Pathetic.’ Father’s everyday words echo in my head.

I shove the necklace into my pocket before turning to meet their hateful gazes.

“No breakfast for you today,” Father says simply.

My throat aches. I want to scream, yell, and bring the house down. I want to ask them why they hate me so much. 

But it’s no use. I know why. I’ve felt why my entire life.

‘You should’ve died with your mother. Instead, we were cursed with you. A weak, fragile omega born into a beta’s bloodline. A disgrace.’ My father’s voice never leaves my head.

I’m the reason he lost his wife, the reason my sisters lost their mother. I am a curse to the Hart family.

“Clean up this mess,” he says before returning to his meal.

“Yes.” I duck my head and leave the room, shortly returning with a broom and rag. 

I get down on my knees, wiping the floor while they eat, the clinking of silverware and scraping of knives against plates filling the silence.

Clara breaks it first. “Everyone’s talking about the ball tonight.” Her tone is light and smug. “I can’t believe Alpha’s son is finally coming home. It’s going to be the event of the year.”

“I already know what I’m wearing. I’m going to look stunning when Grayson walks in,” Beth says. 

My stomach twists at the mention of his name. My broken necklace sizzles in my pocket.

I start wiping harder, desperate to get out of here. 

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Clara tells Beth. “Half the pack is going to be trying to get his attention. And you know his father’s expectations. He won’t just choose anyone.”

“Well, if he won’t choose me, then he won’t choose you either. We look exactly alike,” Beth shoots back.

‘He won’t choose anyone,’ a voice whispers in my head. ‘Just me.’

“Lily, will you be attending?” 

Clara’s tone is mocking. It won’t do me any good to give her a response.

“She will be dumber than I thought she was to do that. Grayson will never notice her.”

‘The necklace in my pocket begs to differ,’ I’m tempted to say but bite down hard on my tongue instead. 

But then Father’s voice comes again. “Don’t waste your breath on her,” he says flatly, setting his fork down. His eyes flick to me, cold and steady. “A disappointment from the moment she took her first breath.”

My throat tightens as I stare right into his eyes, swallowing down the lump rising there. If I let the tears come, they’ll only mock me harder.

Thankfully, they quickly move on from that, talking about dresses, jewelry, and hairstyles, the ball buzzing at the edges of their words. I don’t add anything. I just clean in silence, pretending not to care, though every mention of Grayson’s name makes my heart beat faster.

When the meal ends, they all stand up to leave. I clear the plates and wipe the table, their laughter echoing behind me.

**

Hours later, back in my small room, I sit on the edge of my bed, staring at the plain dress hanging in the corner. I shouldn’t go. I should just work my shift at the local pack bar like I planned. No one would notice if I skipped. 

‘Grayson would notice.’

I let out a huff. I can’t skip even if I wanted to. The thought of seeing Grayson after all this time pulls at me.

We used to meet in secret, back when I still believed he was mine in some way. His smile, his laugh, the way his hand brushed mine under the stars…they were the only things that made me want to live, and after three years of him being gone, it almost feels like it happened in another lifetime.

But he’s back. And maybe, just maybe…

My fingers play with the necklace clasp, the one he gave me. I’ve fixed it, but I’m scared to wear it again. I only wore it earlier to mark his return. The entire pack has been buzzing about it for weeks now, and he wanted me to wear it every day. I feel bad for not granting him his wish. 

I hear my sisters’ laughter echo down the hallway, and my heart twists as I imagine how beautiful they must look. I want to look beautiful for Grayson too. I haven’t seen him in three years, goddammit.

With newfound confidence, I pull the dress down and smooth it over my lap. It’s simple, not nearly as pretty as what I know my sisters wear, but it is the only decent dress I own.

I tug it on and admire the way it clings to my shape in a way I like. I take my time brushing out my wavy hair before pinning it back so it looks neat. My hands tremble as I apply a touch of makeup, just some blush, mascara, and pink lip gloss. It’s enough to make me look presentable at least.

When I step into the hallway, Clara and Beth are already dressed in gowns that sparkle with sequins and beads. They both stop when they see me.

“You’re actually coming?” Clara laughs, giving me a once-over. “That’s cute.”

Beth tilts her head. “Oh, Lily. You’re even more delusional than I thought.”

I keep my chin high, even though their words sting. My father steps out of his study then, looking at all three of us. His gaze lingers on me for just a second, his expression unreadable. My heart slams against my chest, scared he’ll ask me to stay back.

But he just turns away. “Let’s go.”

**

The Alpha’s mansion rises against the night sky, lights glowing from every window. Music spills out of the glass doors as sleek cars line the drive. Wolves from powerful werewolf families are gathered at the entrance of the building. Glittering gowns and sleek suits of different kinds gleam under the compound lights.

We step inside, and I admire the way the chandeliers drip crystals over the ballroom. The air hums with chatter, laughter, and soft music. We join the line to greet the Alpha. When it’s our turn, my father beams. “Marcus,” he says, bowing his head slightly. 

“Oh, Kieran, don’t embarrass me,” the alpha laughs before pulling Father into a hug. 

Alpha Marcus and my father have been friends for years. They were boys together, and now they rule Shadowcrest together. 

“An honor, as always.” Father ushers the twins forward. “Beautiful and well-behaved. They’ll make fine mates when the time comes.”

They both do a small courtesy, and Alpha Marcus greets them with polite smiles before his eyes flick to me. “Lily, I haven’t seen you in a while.”

I freeze like a deer caught in headlights. “I—”

“She spends all her time working at Ashwood,” Father interrupts. 

“A fine young lady like you is too good for a rusty old bar like that,” he jokes, and I don’t know whether to laugh or pray for the ground to swallow me.

My father does me the honors, laughing on my behalf, or at my expense, I don’t know. 

I force a smile, my chest burning as though the room is closing in around me. Thankfully, we step aside for another family to greet the Alpha. 

We find a table, and as my siblings settle in, I wander away from them, trying to steady my breath. That’s when I hear my name.

“Lily.”

I turn. Victor stands there, tall and broad-shouldered, his blonde hair falling into his eyes. His smile is soft and genuine.

“Hey,” I manage.

“You clean up nice,” he says, glancing at my dress. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

“I almost didn’t.”

“Good thing you did.” His smile tilts. “It would have been boring without you. Plus, Grayson would want to see you.”

Victor is Grayson’s best friend. The orphaned son of a Shadowcrest warrior who died in war and was adopted by Alpha Marcus. 

He has always been kind to me, though I keep my guard up. He’s the only one who knew about my…thing with Grayson, and he kept it to himself. After Grayson left, he tried to get closer, possibly at Grayson’s request to look after me, but I wanted my distance. 

Before I can reply, the atmosphere shifts. The chatter dulls, as if someone had turned down the volume of the entire room. A weight settles in the air, heavy and electric.

Every head turns toward the entrance.

He’s here.

Grayson walks in, looking tall and commanding in a crisp, dark suit. I feel his aura from a distance away. His presence swallows the entire room, demanding attention. And attention, he gets. All eyes follow him as he steps further into the room. 

My breath catches in my throat. I’m seeing him again. After three years, we’re in the same room again. My eyes trail over his dark, tousled hair to the sharp edges of his face and down to his chest. The first few buttons of his shirt are undone, revealing the emerald necklace around his neck, the pendant a second half to the one I’m wearing. It catches the chandelier light, glowing faintly.

My lips start to pull into a smile until I see a set of manicured nails settling on his chest. 

My heart stops beating for a split second. 

I have been so focused on Grayson that I didn’t see her.

A girl at his side, stunning in a flowing silver gown. Her hair falls in perfect waves, her arm linked through his like she belongs right by his side.

And maybe she does.

She’s Aurora, daughter of Alpha Alexander of the Crescent Moon pack. 

A perfect match made in heaven.

While I burn in hell.

LILY

“Oh sh*t,” Victor mutters beside me. That’s when I remember he’s still here. “I didn’t think he’d actually bring her.”

His words make my chest squeeze. “You knew about them?” I say, turning to look at him, the pain in my voice so obvious. 

Victor’s eyes widen slightly in panic. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. And they are not… There’s nothing going on between them.”

I huff before turning away again. Of course, he’d defend his best friend. And here I was thinking he was one of the good ones. 

“It doesn’t matter,” I mutter under my breath, my chest squeezing painfully as I watch them walk up to where Alpha Marcus is seated. 

My father has joined them, alongside Aurora’s parents and another pack elder. But my eyes remain on Grayson, on how different he looks, with a cold, unreasonable expression on his face.

“All I know is that their families are trying to make that happen,” Victor continues. “Doesn’t mean they’re actually together.”