CHAPTER 1: ON THE RUN

Meredith’s POV

Blood.

The metallic scent fills my nostrils, forcing my eyelids apart. This isn’t my room; where am I?

Memories from the previous night come flooding in, and my mouth forms an O shape as the realization dawns on me.

Oh, that is right, I am currently in my matrimonial bed. I just spent the night with my newlywed husband.

Most girls would be ecstatic to wake up in the arms of their husband after a blissful wedding night.

But I am not.

I do not even know who this man I call my husband is. My marriage was arranged by my father, and I only met my dear husband once before we said our vows on the altar yesterday.

Let me explain.

My name is Meredith, the first and only daughter of Oliver Amman. My father is one of the most powerful Alphas in the kingdom of Nuvia. I am sure you are thinking, Oh, I am a princess, and I have the best life.

How I wish that were true, but sadly, it is not. And that is all because of one thing.

I am an omega.

And an omega is the worst thing one can be in this kingdom.

Omegas are known to be carriers of a plague that, if they are not killed, will inevitably wipe out the rest of the wolf race. Which is why once an omega is discovered, their penalty is death.

Only omegas married to powerful Alphas are spared from this fate. It is believed that the mate bond with an Alpha is the only thing that can provide the diseased wolf with stability.

Omegas are hunted down by an elite group known as the Wolffian Council.

My father has tried to keep me away from their eyes throughout my childhood, but now that I am older, he can no longer do that. Which is precisely why he arranged this marriage.

My father negotiated my marriage with the son of another powerful Alpha, Johnathan Anders. He was the only one who would agree to marry me with my omega predicament without selling me out to the council.

By marrying Johnathan, my father offered up some of our lands to his pack.

The day I learned of my marriage to Johnathan, I was torn apart.

I mean, how should I feel knowing that I will be marrying someone I do not even know? I had to tell my best friend, Idris, the day my father broke the news to me.

And let me just say that he was not happy about it in any way.

Idris is not just anybody to me; we have been friends ever since we were pups. He was my favorite person in the entire world, and it tore my heart to pieces when I found out he was not my mate.

But that did not stop us from trying.

He was the only one who really made me feel normal. All my life, I shrank into my shell and avoided everyone because I did not want to be a danger to anyone. But no matter how hard I tried to stay away from Idris, he was always there for me.

I fell in love with him.

And somehow, I think he has always felt that way for me too.

When I broke the news of my arranged marriage to him, the way he looked at me tore me to pieces.

“Run away with me,” he had said to me. He picked up my hand and placed it above his beating heart. “Let’s go far away from here. Away from Nuvia and the council. We can go somewhere far and start up a new life, just you and me.”

The way he looked at me with so much hope in his eyes made my reply even more painful for both of us.

“I am sorry, but I can’t do that to my father. You cannot forget that I am an omega; I need an Alpha to stabilize me. If we run away, I might become highly infectious, and word would get to the council, and they would come looking for me. I am sorry, but it is too risky.”

He lets go of my hand, and I see rage take over his features. A growl escapes from his throat, and he shoots to his feet.

“I knew you never loved me.”

My eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets from his words.

“How can you say that? Of course, I love you! Don’t you see I am doing this to protect you as well?”

“Well, I do not need your bloody protection! What is the use of protecting me if my heart is drenched in sorrow? Come with me and let us start a new life, or I swear, if you marry someone else, I promise that you will never hear from me again.”

My silence was the only answer he needed.

I saw him swallow and blink away his tears.

“Goodbye, Meredith. I hope you will finally be free of this curse and live the rest of your life the way you have always wanted to.”

And with that said, he turned his back on me and left.

The next day, as I walked down the aisle, accompanied by the arms of my father, I had to do everything within my power to keep my tears at bay.

Everyone was watching; the majority of the guests had no idea I was an omega. I cannot give them a reason to question anything.

So, I plastered a smile and said my vows to a complete and utter stranger.

The after-party was all a blur in my head, probably because I spent it drowning myself in alcohol. The last thing I remember is Jonathan picking me up from my chair and taking me up to this room.

My body jolts out of bed, and I throw the blanket off my body.

A sigh of relief escapes my lips when I see that I still have my bra and tights on. He only took off my wedding dress. Well, wasn’t that sweet of him?

But wait a minute; something feels odd…

I feel something sliding down my neck.

Cautiously, I touch my neck.

When I take my hand out, my heart drops to the pit of my stomach. The thick crimson that stained my fingertips is all too familiar. The metallic scent fills my nostrils and gives me the urge to gag.

But where did this blood come from?

I do not feel hurt anywhere.

My head turns to the side slowly, and what my eyes fall on makes a scream leave my lips. My body flies out of the bed as tears sting my eyes.

No.

This can’t be.

There is no way the man I married only a few hours ago is lying lifeless on the bed on which I laid with him. Johnathan is lying shirtless with blood spilling out of his open, soulless eyes.

A similar crimson trail flows from his lips, ears, and nose.

I have heard of this.

This is how those infected by an omega die.

I can’t believe it; I killed my own husband!

My chest fills tighter as a sob erupts from my throat.

My vision blurs from my tears as my bloody hands find their way to my hair. What have I done? I don’t understand... Johnathan was supposed to be the one to heal me and stabilize me.

How the hell did I end up killing him?

My heart practically flies out of my chest when a knock comes from the door.

“Johnathan? Are you in there? I do not mean to disturb; Father wants to have a word with you.”

I recognize the voice as Luca’s, Johnathan’s younger brother.

I can’t let him see Johnathan like this! I shouldn’t be here.

When people find out that I am an omega and it is because of me that Johnathan is dead, I will be killed on the spot.

“Meredith? Are you in there?” Luca knocks again.

Quickly, I throw the doors to Johnathan’s wardrobe open and put on one of his shirts and shorts. My gaze lands on one of his car keys, and I quickly snatch it before making my way towards the window.

The doorknob begins to turn aggressively; thank goodness it is locked.

"Johnathan, open up this door right now, or I am calling father!”

I do not have much time, I have to get out of here!

I pop my head out of the window; there is no one in sight. Fortunately, because Johnathan’s room is only on the first floor, I think I can make the jump.

A surprised yelp leaves me when powerful bangs erupt from the other side of the door. The furious voice of my father-in-law bounces off the walls and fills me with fear.

“Meredith? Johnathan! You both have five seconds to open this door before I bring it down!”

My heart rate accelerates as I fling my legs over the windowsill.

Shutting my eyes, I say a silent prayer before throwing myself out the window. Pain shoots up my left arm like a needle. I try to stop myself from screaming out in pain as I lift myself off the marble floor.

A loud bang fills the air, and my blood runs cold.

“MY SON!”

Shit.

My legs begin their sprint towards the garage. I ignore the pain on my left side as I run as fast as I can toward Johnathan’s car.

“BRING ME THE HEAD OF MEREDITH AMMAN!” The Alpha’s pained yet powerful voice could be heard across the entire palace.

There is finally a bounty on my head.

Thankfully, my gaze falls on Johnathan’s car immediately after.

Unlocking it, I throw myself inside and start up the engine. Stepping on the gas as hard as I can, I make my way towards the palace gates. My body trembles as I approach the two security men who come into view.

Judging by the way they smile at me, I can tell that they have no idea what is going on.

Yet.

"Well, if it isn’t the new bride, where are you off to this early morning?” One of them asks me, and I put on one of the fakest smiles I have ever had to muster.

I just hope it is believable.

“I'm just feeling a bit homesick. I need to say one last goodbye and grab the last of my stuff,” I say, and I hope they can’t notice the layer of sweat on my head.

“Alright then. Drive safely now; we do not want anything to happen to our soon-to-be luna,” he says jokingly, and I let out a dry laugh.

He signals for his colleague to open the gate for me, and the second he does, I zoom right out.

“No! stop her!” I hear someone shout from a distance, and I apply more weight to the gas.

I peep through the rear-view mirror to find a bunch of cars following me.

Shit!

I take a sharp turn to my left and join the traffic up ahead. I take a few other turns before completely taking another route out if the city.

A sigh of relief leaves my breath when I see that I am no longer being followed. I do not know where I am driving to, but I sure as hell will not stop. The next two hours are spent driving down to the middle of nowhere.

“Oh no, please not now,” I mutter as Johnathan’s car begins to slow down. I am out of gas.

I groan with frustration before hopping out of the car. I am in the middle of nowhere; there are nothing but trees surrounding me. This really is not my day.

My nose picks up the scent of roasted meat. My stomach grumbles in response.

Okay, feed first; think of what to do later.

I follow the sweet scent until I find myself stumbling upon a camp.

There are a few tents set out and a little campfire. My gaze shifts to the tray containing the roasted meat, and my mouth waters. Taking in my surroundings, I find no one in sight.

Surely these nice campers won't mind if a few go missing.

Quickly, I pick up some meat and place it into the large pockets of my shorts before making a run for it. I do not know where I am heading, but I sure as hell will not look back.

A tired smile creeps up my lips when I see a small cave up ahead.

I practically crawl into it and land on my ass. I take out the meat from my pockets and begin to devour it savagely. Once I am done, a contented burp escapes my lips.

I do not know at what point I fell asleep, but the next thing I know, I am opening my eyes to find three Greek gods standing right above me.

“Our little thief is finally awake.”