Chapter One

In my pack, nobody knew their wolf type until they turned eighteen. Then, during a special ritual, they found out if they were Alpha, Beta, Delta, or Omega.

Two days ago, I hit eighteen, and today my test day. My dad ruled as the alpha of our pack, and my late mom had alpha blood too. But a growing fear gripped my heart—I worried I might turn out different.

Maybe it was my stepmother Victoria's fault for constantly implying that I lacked the looks and strength of an alpha. She said it with such conviction that I started to believe her.

My age mates moved forward in a long line. We were all dressed in the same white local handwoven dress with a cap made of pink, red, and blue threads. Everyone else seemed confident that they would inherit their parents' bloodline.

Elders stood ready with kits at the testing center while parents hoped for the best. My dad wore a bored frown and looked unconcerned that his only legitimate child was about to be tested. My stepmother and her daughters were making mocking faces at me from a few feet away.

It was a shame that my dad treated my step sisters, who were born from my stepmother's first marriage, better than me.

"Iris!" Ethan waved and ran towards me. He was my boyfriend and one year older than me.

Ethan bowed respectfully to my dad, who grunted before gripping my sweaty palm.

"You're going to do great," he said and his green eyes twinkled as I offered him a weak smile. "Just remember that whatever happens, I'll be here."

It was now my turn. The atmosphere was quiet, and I proceeded to the blood collection station. The needle prick didn't scare me, and the entire procedure was quick and painless.

I arrived at the result station on autopilot, with my heart thumping like a marathon runner. Everyone seemed interested in my test result because I was my dad's only child and was expected to marry either an alpha or a beta to produce a male heir who would succeed my dad.

That explained why my dad accepted Ethan as my boyfriend because he had Beta blood. The elders spoke quietly, and my heart sank when all of their eyes were fixed on me.

"What's her result?" My dad's bass voice boomed from behind me, startling the elders. I cringed as all of their attention returned to me. Ethan's grip tightened, but it didn't hurt.

One of the elders stepped forward next to the table, where a piece of paper had been prepared. My results were written on it.

There was one typed on the paper, in a large bold font reading 'Omega'.

My stepmother and stepsisters smirked and dad continued to scan the paper. I felt literal chills run down my spine. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

My life was over.

No one said anything, and everyone stared at us in silence. My dad closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He spoke after a long pause.

"I have always suspected that your filthy mother cheated on me with an omega slave," he exclaimed, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Now this proves that you're a despicable bastard!"

Ethan begged him, but he responded with a yell. "Get out of my sight before I do something I regret."

"But... Alpha," Ethan tried to argue, "you can't do this-"

"Out!" My dad commanded and right before me, my worst fears were manifesting.

"Take her away," he said to the wardens of the Sisters Sanctuary, a prison where omega women spent the rest of their lives. "Let her live in misery and suffer the agony and pain of her mother's sins."

I felt frozen in place. Ethan attempted to fight the wardens, but they grabbed my arm, dragged me along with them, and led me to a van. As soon as they opened the door, I began screaming, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Where are you taking me?!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I struggled against them. "Dad! Please, don't abandon me with them. Help me!"

My dad turned around, and the hatred in his eyes told me all I needed to know. I stopped struggling and got into the van.

—------

Three years later

Returning home once a year to celebrate my birthday with my family was agonizing. Dad never stopped reminding me that the omega blood in my veins made me worthless.

"I don't want to go home," I said to the matron who tapped on my bunk and handed me a vest and jeans to wear. "What makes you think I'm excited to celebrate my 21st birthday?"

"Rules are rules, Iris," she said, giving me a deadpan look and tapping her watch. "Hurry to the van."

Like a lamb, I was bundled home. I looked in the van's mirror and saw a pair of sad eyes looking back at me. Sighing, I tied a scrunchie around my unusual chocolate and Burgundy hair color. Unfortunately, no children will inherit it.

We arrived at my dad's four-story townhouse. Ethan would visit me today, which made my heart happy. Although he hadn't visited or responded to my letters in weeks, I knew he loved me.

The music and cars parked outside suggested that a wedding ceremony was taking place inside. When I stepped into the foyer, my step-sister Bianca, who was caring for her young son, raised her head.

"Darling Iris, must you be so unlucky to show up today of all days?"

Her statement was followed by soft laughter, and I frowned in confusion. "it's my birthday," I responded flatly. "I was forced to return home."

Her son, who was to become the next alpha, gurgled after drinking breastmilk. Bianca wasn't as mean as her twin, Serena, and I could take her insults.

"You should leave right now because you'll never be able to unsee it."

This made me curious. “What’s going on?”

She didn't respond, so I pushed past her attempts to stop me and entered my dad's large hall, where he held pack activities. My feet wobbled when I saw Ethan, my last hope of leaving the sanctuary, marry a very beautiful woman.

I held back my tears. Ethan promised to get me out of the sanctuary. We had a detailed plan. His wedding explained his prolonged silence. For weeks, he didn't pay me visits or write letters. It was strange at first, but I accepted it, thinking my dad had threatened him.

Victoria, my stepmother and pack Luna, moved closer to me, her eyes shining with disgust.

"Iris, what a surprise! You would have been a bridesmaid at your beloved Ethan's wedding; I instructed your dad to write to the Sanctuary to allow you to attend. it's good you arrived before the ceremony ended."

She toned down her voice. "His wife is beautiful. She has beta blood. Fortunately, Ethan would no longer have to be concerned about Omega contamination.”

I ignored her and moved through the crowd. Ethan's eyes met mine and his face paled. My dad noticed my presence and, as usual, embarrassed me.

"Who let you out?"

“It’s my birthday," I choked out and turned to face Ethan. “I'll just leave. Happy married life.”

Ethan's wife must have heard about my relationship with her husband, as her eyes were glazed with malice.

"Go upstairs to your room," Dad ordered after dragging me into the foyer.

"I would rather return to the sanctuary. Could you please request that one of your drivers take me back?"

He let go of his grip on me and slapped me across the face. The force knocked me to the ground. Except for Bianca, who looked very sorry, my family looked down at me in disgust.

"You bastard spinster. You repulse me."

"Dad!" Bianca cried out. "Please don't hit her."

My eyes became blind, and tears filled my voice. Dad's rejection crushed me to my core, but as I grew older, I realized that his feelings for me would never change. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, Ethan rushed out.

"My dear boy, don't bother yourself about her,” my stepmother said to him. "You did well to dump her."

Ethan looked guilty and refused to meet my gaze. "I'm sorry you found out this way, Iris. But I refuse to settle for an omega. You're weak and destined to spend your life in that sanctuary."

Those words hurt. Ethan walked away without giving me another glance. Dad ordered a guard to seize me.

"Return her to the sanctuary and keep an eye on her to ensure she doesn't escape."

The drive back was depressingly quiet, with only the radio playing. It began raining without warning. The sky darkened, and because the gate was quite far from the sanctuary, it took some time for someone to emerge from the building with an umbrella.

My dad's guard drove away, and as the old man who mounted the gate approached to open it, an idea struck me.

I could escape the sanctuary. Now was my chance. While he struggled with the padlock, I turned around and began running.

"Hey! Stop right there!" He cried out from behind me. "Get down here."

"I'm sorry but I want a better life," I dared him and fled, making sure the guard could never catch me.