Chapter 1: Grounded

Jane's POV

I crept out of the attic and tiptoed down the creaky stairs, carefully avoiding the spots that I knew would make noise. I held my breath as I passed my aunt and uncle's bedroom, praying they wouldn't hear me sneak by. Once I was outside, I let out a sigh of relief. 

"We made it, Frey," I whispered to my wolf. She yipped excitedly in my mind.

"It feels good to be free." I stretched my body, my bones cracking from hours of sitting in the tiny attic since I was grounded at breakfast.

"Hey, hurry up before it gets crowded." Frey yipped just as another loud horn cut through the late morning sky. I was much closer than the first.

I hurried through the woods, following the sound of the warrior's horns announcing their return. My heart pounded with anticipation. I loved watching them train - it was the only way I could learn, being an omega. I was too weak and fragile to ever become a warrior m by myself. So I never missed a chance to watch them train and pick up what tricks and skills I could. 

My lack of proper nutrition made my body slow to develop like the others, giving me a weak and delicate frame that relegated me to being an omega - the lowest ranking wolf in the pack that bred honed warriors. My legs were shorter than the other girls my age, so I had to push myself to keep up.

By the time I reached the Nightingale pack arena, it was packed full of spectators. I weaved through the crowd, ignoring the glares and insults thrown my way. 

"Move, weakling!" someone shouted. 

I ducked my head and kept moving. Frey growled in frustration, but I soothed her. I was used to this treatment.

Finding a tall tree at the edge of the arena, I climbed up and settled on a high branch. It was the best seat in the house anyway. I pulled out a juicy peach I had snatched from the kitchen when Aunt Tia grounded me for breaking her China during breakfast. I hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday. Thus I nibbled on it eagerly, savoring the sweetness. My aunt barely fed me enough table scraps to survive. 

"Look Jane, the warriors are here!" Frey whispered excitedly. She was the only friend I had in this lonely world.

Right on cue, the warriors marched into the arena in tight formation, their boots thudding rhythmically on the ground.

"It's here!"

The crowd erupted in raucous cheers as two warriors dragged a massive rogue onto the field. Chained up with silver cuffs, the brown rogue wolf snapped and snarled, clearly furious at being captured.

"Oh my god... It's huge!"

"I know right?! Look at its fangs!"

I squinted my eyes at the large brown rogue, observing its blood stained fangs. Finally, I caught a glimpse of its dark incisors. Judging by its dark blue fangs, it was at least a B-rank. 

A wolf's rank can be determined by the color of its incisors. The scale ranges from white–the weakest, to indigo–the strongest. All pups start at white. Omegas like me can only reach pink at best, while betas can get to blue, which is rare. Alphas can achieve the highest indigo fangs. My teeth are still white, the same as the pups. 

Rogues are usually yellow fangs. The very few strong ones capable of destroying entire packs are blue, making them highly dangerous. But that wasn't a problem. The Nightingale pack had two blue fangs- taking it down wouldn't be a problem.

"This battle is going to be intense." Frey chirped, as excitement coursed through me. Watching the warriors battle was the highlight of my day.

I leaned forward, observing the rogue's movements closely. It was strong, but clumsy due to the injury on its front legs. I predicted the warriors would target its front legs to bring it down, but the rogue knew that as well, and would probably be on guard.

I held my breath as the crowd parted ways for the selected warrior. It would probably be Bruno, the elderly arms master and the first blue fang. 

The last person I expected was Caleb. I suck in a sharp breath as his huge wolf strode into the open space. The crowd's cheers grew deafening at the sight of our strongest warrior and next in line as Alpha. Caleb rarely participated in these duels ever since he became successor. He was unmatched in the pack, possessing the rare indigo fangs not seen in decades. 

My heart fluttered at the sight of his sleek black fur and intense golden eyes. Like every girl, I had a crush on him. But there was no chance an alpha like him would want a weak omega like me. Thus I was content watching him from afar.

The rogue charged at Caleb, who nimbly leapt aside. He aimed for the front legs, just as I predicted, and the rogue crashed heavily to the ground. In two swift motions, Caleb's indigo fangs ripped out its throat. The crowd went wild.

"You're amazing, Caleb!" I shouted excitedly before I realized my mistake. I clamped my hands over my mouth. But it was too late, Caleb looked right up at the tree, his intense gaze meeting mine. My heart stopped. I shouldn't catch the Alpha's attention, nothing good would come out of it.

But then Caleb's wolf loped away like nothing happened.

I slid down the tree in a daze after the crowd dispersed. "What was that about, Frey?" I wondered nervously. She yelped in confusion. 

I shook my head. It was surely nothing. I couldn't let my foolish crush distract me - tonight was the mating ceremony! After 18 lonely years, I would finally meet my mate. Someone who would accept me for who I was. The thought filled me with euphoria.

Humming, I hurried back home to get ready, my hunger forgotten. I had been saving up for years to buy a beautiful dress that matched my red hair and creamy skin. Though I wasn't curvy, the dress accentuated my petite frame. I couldn't wait to put it on! 

But sneaking back into the attic, my joy evaporated. Aunt Tia sat waiting on my bed, while May stood guard at the door smirking.

"And just where have you been, young lady?" My aunt interrogated me. "Sneaking out when you were specifically grounded this morning for breaking my fine china?"

"I...I just went for a walk," I stammered.

"A walk? I don't remember giving you permission to leave the room."

"I-i'm..." I started, but was rudely interrupted by May.

"Don't lie!" May piped up before I could defend myself. "Mother, I saw her leaving dad's office in the morning! She must have stolen money to get her hair and nails done for tonight. How shameful!"

I gaped at her. "I did no such thing! I saved every coin I earned for years! I would never steal!" 

But my aunt refused to listen, accusing me of being an ungrateful brat. As punishment, I was forbidden from attending the ball and locked in my room all night instead. 

"It's for your own good." She sniffed. "No decent wolf would want a weak, useless thing like you anyway." With that, she slammed the door locked behind her. Their laughter rang in my ears long after they left.

I sank to the floor in despair. "This couldn't be happening, not tonight of all nights!" Frey howled mournfully in my mind. 

"What are we going to do?" I whimpered. The room was bare except for a simple bed and wardrobe. No windows or other means of escape exist.