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 or not I took a step to the left. 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. My wine tray went flying from my hand and crashing to the floor, spilling its red content all over the Alpha’s daughter, in the middle of the Alpha’s speech. I raised my head and caught Alpha Zavier’s gaze and at that moment, I broke the three fundamental rules of laying low.

At that moment – when I made eye contact with the Alpha and sealed my fate – Skylar, the Alpha’s daughter, let out a blood-curling scream, as if it took her that ten seconds of silence to process what I’d done. I’d spilt expensive wine on her more 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 bitch 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 my punishment; 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 to 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 the basement, locking the door behind them. The pack house’s basement served as the laundry room for the entire pack, a storeroom for useless junk and my room. I’d carved out a small space for myself and sealed it off after spending years down here. I slept here, had all my possession – a single bag – in this room. The days I had food, I ate here and the days I didn’t; I nursed my hunger in this same room.

I didn’t mind being locked down here but the problem was not knowing how long I’d be trapped and if anyone would remember to bring me food. A few months ago, I spent two weeks locked down here and sometime in the two weeks, my food supply was cut off. I’d starved for a few days but down here, in the cold, damp basement of the pack house, time became relative. I may have starved for one week or one day.

The door handle jiggled as someone tried getting 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. Her brother fiddled with his belt once they closed the door behind them.

“It’s time for you to pay,” Skylar said. She’d taken off her ruined dress to wear black combat shorts and a black long-sleeved keyhole shirt.

Alpha Bethel, the future leader of our pack called pulled me out of bed but he didn’t need to. I knew the drill. I placed my hand on a ruined stool with my back to them.

“Come hold her, Lucien,” Bethel called.

“There’s no need to hold me,” I muttered. My head spun from the blow Bethel dealt me.

“Keep quiet!” Beta Lucien hissed.

“I won’t fight.” The worst part of taking a beating was Lucien holding me down. I’d learnt to endure without trying to run like the other omegas did because when Lucien was involved, it meant paramount pain. He was a choker and gasping for air with a belt lashing down wasn’t pretty.

“Oh, really?” A muscular hand gripped my jaw with bruising force, forcing me to look up at cold, black eyes. Everyone in the Redville pack hated me but Lucien had a special place in his heart for hating me, a part of his mind dedicated to formulating many ways to torture me and make me wish I’d never been born.

“Take off your clothes then.” I blinked. Tears spilt from my eyes when I blinked. I didn’t expect that but it made Bethel guffaw.

“W – what?” I swiped at my cheeks as the next alpha continued to laugh. I wouldn’t fight didn’t mean I wanted to humiliate myself in that way.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Lucien? Oh, so you want to see her naked?” Skylar shouted from behind us. I jerked away, Lucien’s hands falling from my face.

“Baby –“ Her yelling cut off his soft, simpering tone.

“Don’t baby me! Hold her, let’s get this over with!” Skylar’s jealousy saved me from humiliation but it made Lucien angrier. He forced my face onto the stool by my neck, squeezing with one hand while the other held my hands.

Bethel’s belt came down hard against my back forcing a gasp from me. The gasp caught in my throat as Lucien held me down. The belt descended again with Lucien continuing to squeeze the life out of me. By the third strike, I could not keep silent anymore. Choked words spilt from my mouth, falling with tears from my eyes. My wolf whimpered, the physical pain getting to her as the men broke me.

“Enough,” Skylar commanded. Bethel didn’t stop at once. He brought the belt down once more after that command. I’d become a mess by then. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t thrash, couldn’t beg or fight. They overpowered me as they liked and ripped me apart the way they pleased.

Even after Lucien let go, I couldn’t raise myself from the table they bent me over. My body slid to the ground when my quivering legs couldn’t hold me up for much longer.

My back stung with my throat raw and my eyes swollen. I gasped for air now that I could take as much as I needed while Bethel put on his belt and Lucien wiped his hands on my sheets.

“Next time, when you want to be unfortunate, make sure I’m nowhere near.” Skylar’s words came from a distance, echoing faintly in my ringing ears. “You’re not only stupid, you’re also useless. Learn to stay in your lane.” She finished.

“To think they tried taking over.” Bethel laughed his loud obnoxious laughter. I curled into myself, tears sliding into my ears from the way I lay down.

“She has always wanted what I have. Nasty little thing.” Skylar clicked her tongue. “She deserves another beating just for bringing up bad memories.” I shut my eyes tight. I wouldn’t survive another beating. I wouldn’t.

“She wouldn’t make it through another thrashing. Look at her,” Lucien sneered. “She doesn’t deserve a simple death.”

I didn’t deserve any of this. Why did they make me pay for the sins of my parents? I never had a hand in all this!

This was for the disrespect I dealt Skylar. How would I cope with the Alpha’s wrath when it came? I interrupted his speech and dared look him in the eye.

“Stay wretched.” Skylar crooned. She jabbed her boot into the side of my head in a hard kick that stole the light from my eyes.

‘Maybe today is the day I die,’ were my last thoughts as my world went black.