Chapter 1

"I had told you never to appear in front of me again, but you disregarded my warning and came here yourself, even appearing in my room all alone like this" Leigh said as he grabbed my neck making me drop the bucket in my hand.

"Please let me go" I said grabbing his arms on my neck but he tightened his grip and was actually strangling me. I struggled to escape but I couldn't. Was I really going to die like this? I couldn't even utter a word as his arms pressed out every air in my throat. How did it come to this? I tried to recall as my life flashed before my eyes. It all started during that damned marking ceremony.

~~~~~

"Iris, why are you standing over there looking lost? Get those flowers to the table quickly!" Madam Maureen yelled, and I snapped back to reality.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied politely with a smile. "Why does she always have to yell? No wonder she couldn't find a mate," I said silently to myself.

I picked up the flowers and arranged them quickly. The ceremony was starting soon. It was a marking ceremony where an alpha announces his mate publicly before marking her privately. It was like a wedding ceremony that only the rich and powerful got to partake in. I imagined myself having such a ceremony too, but that was almost impossible. Although I already had a special someone who I hoped to be mated with, I couldn't dream of such a thing because I was a low-level omega.

"The ceremony is commencing. Everyone, go to your assigned spot!" Madam Maureen yelled, and all the other workers and I immediately located our various spots.

I was a server at the event, and as a low-level omega, it was hard to find a proper job as those were reserved for the higher species. I walked around and served wine to the guests. It was not a hard task because I was used to it. Although Archie, my boyfriend, had specifically told me not to go out today but to rest since I have had to work all week, I couldn't miss out on this gig because the pay was good.

Soon, the pair to be mated were invited to the stage. This part always excited me, so I hurriedly served a few more drinks as I walked forward so I could take a look at the new couple, and to my greatest surprise,

"Archie," I whispered softly. What was he doing here, and why is he standing at the front as if he's the one to be mated? What was going on? I couldn't wrap my head around it; I felt a little dizzy, so I dropped the tray in my hand. It made a loud sound, and everyone looked at me. Archie caught sight of me and quickly looked away.

"Who dares disrupt the ceremony?" Luka Lane said in an overpowering voice. He was the leader of his pack and the father of the omega to be mated.

Madam Maureen rushed forward to apologize and quickly dragged me away.

"What is wrong with you? Why do you always cause problems? I should never have employed you for this job. Do you know who you offended? What if I don't get more jobs because of your carelessness?" She said it agitatedly as she pulled me outside. I was out of it for a few minutes before I recovered from the shock.

"Is Archie the one to be mated?" I asked, still in disbelief.

"It's Archie Addams; call the name right if you want to keep your head, young girl," she said warningly. She looked at me and saw that her reply was not what I wanted to hear.

"Yes, he is to be mated with Ethel Lane, and this is their mating ceremony," she said finally, and my world came crashing down. How on Earth could this happen? I was with him only yesterday, and just now, inside, he couldn't even spare me a glance.

My heart ached, and I ran. I didn't know where I was running, but I just ran towards the door, and Madam Maureen called after me, probably surprised by my sudden weird behavior. As I made for the door with tears in my eyes, I suddenly bumped into something hard; it was a man, probably a guest. The tears in my eyes made everything so blurry that I couldn't see properly.

"Watch where you are going," a harsh voice said to me.

I looked up, and all I could see were the deep maroon eyes staring at me sharply. It felt like these pairs of eyes could see right through me. He smelled of sweet spices and he had a dominating aura around him. He raised a brow as he noticed how hard I stared.

"I'm so sorry" I kindly apologized and excused myself but he held my hands and handed me an handkerchief with a T symbol engraved on it.

"Wipe your tears" he said coldly before walking away.

I stared at his back as he walked away from me. I sniffled into the handkerchief and it had his scent on it. It was calming but it couldn't take away the hurt in my heart.