Veyra POV“Right, up.” More guards come, and I sigh. Another trial already? It’s either that or we are all being punished for my behaviour. I hope not, though.We’re guided out and into a large room, the walls of which are stone and bare. We walk in and are pushed towards the other Omegas. There must be at least sixty others here, maybe more. Just looking around, I can tell who has a place in the main dorms and who are like us, in cells and such.Standing at the front, I wait. Riven and Sera push closer to me, and I now notice the Alphas seated close by as well. So is this going to be a public display of beating me for not following orders? I feel like it is.“Today’s trial begins now. You will be in groups of three. Only one person can win in the groups of three.”One? Riven and Sera sob behind me. So I can’t save them?“Today’s trial, you will stand between the Alphas. They will give you commands. If you refuse to do them, you will be punished. If you refuse to submit and follow ord
Veyra POVI was born to rule. In the werewolf kingdom, the first child is always a male so there’s an alpha to run the pack in the future. Only for my family, they got a girl first.I’ve spent my entire life proving that I can be the alpha to our pack. Everyone doubted me, everyone believed I would fail, and tonight, I’ve proved them wrong.Tonight, I’m handed the title and become the alpha. I watch as the maids rush around me, each one doing something different. They are making sure I fit the part, look ready, and come across as powerful.Tonight isn’t just the night I get the title handed to me and take on my family’s pack. I marry my mate, and we claim each other.One of the maids pulls my dress, tightening it more.“Are you nervous, Miss Veyra?” the maid smiles as she straightens my dress.“No, I’m actually excited.”The maids smile at me softly.“And so you should be. The first female Alpha! The firstborn female, you were destined for greatness.”Their words are nice to hear, but
Veyra POVMy father isn’t happy, even I know that.“What have you done?” His words are growled, his nails digging into my skin.“He wanted our pack!” I argue.“Then you give him it.” His words are sharp and I stare.“What? Why would I give him the pack?” I didn’t train to be Alpha just to hand it over to a man.“A man is meant to be alpha, not a woman. You should have agreed to give him the pack.”I don’t understand. “I’ve proven I can take care of the pack, I’ve proven I can be alpha, why now are you not agreeing?”“You’re a disgrace. What sort of person rejects becoming Luna just to hold onto a pack? To hold onto a title that is meant for a man?”I stare at my father, my breath coming in sharp, controlled bursts. My entire life has been spent proving to him that I can lead, that I am strong enough, ruthless enough, and capable enough to take this pack into the future. And now, when I am finally about to take what is mine, he tells me I should have just handed it over?“You would rat
Veyra POVKieran steps closer, lowering his voice so only I can hear. “You should have given me the pack when you had the chance.”I meet his gaze, my own unwavering. “You should have never betrayed me.”Turning, I face my father, I have to try and save the pack. My heart slams against my ribs as the weight of his decision presses against me. Of all the people he could give the title to it’s Kieran after he married Lyra. Has he forgotten what her pack did to us?I straighten my shoulders, my voice cutting through the silence. “You can’t just cast me aside. I am your daughter. I am this pack’s rightful Alpha!”My father steps forward and towers over me; his presence is suffocating. “You were my daughter. You were meant to be Luna, you were meant to be a wife. Your role was to support your mate. Instead, you chose power over duty, and now, you’re nothing.”His words send a sharp pain through my chest. I lift my chin, refusing to show it. “You can strip me of the alpha title, but you can
Veyra POVI can't believe this is happening. Their hands are gripping me, rough and unrelenting. My body is dragged across the floor like I'm nothing. I can't move, and I can't fight. Not with whatever they had shot me with still flooding my system. My vision blurs, and I catch a glimpse of familiar faces. Some look away, too ashamed to watch. Others watch with silent satisfaction, but no one steps forward, and no one helps me. "Opening my mouth, I try to speak, to scream to fight against this, but my voice is still gone. The cuffs are burning around my skin, dampening any trace of power that I might have had left. They are silver-lined, made to ensure my wolf is shielded. Of course, because if they didn't use these, I could shift and run. Lyra strolls ahead of me like she's already won everything. She has, for now, but there's no way I'm not fighting to get back my pack. Her steps are slow and almost deliberate, and I know it's for show. She turns back once, just once, like that i
Veyra POVTwo of the Omegas are snoring, and one is quietly crying into her blanket while another stares at the ceiling like she's already given up. This is why so many die; they see it as there's no escape, but there is. I don't sleep, I can't. I stay pressed against the wall, and every muscle is tense. I'm waiting for the sound of a guard changing shifts, a door unlocking, anything at all. I move quietly but quickly, my bare feet making no sound against the cold floor. The windows are barred and sealed tight, I still check them, just in case. I tug and test their strength, but nothing gives.The door locks from the outside, of course, so there's no way to get the lock open. Maybe, though, I can find a weak spot? I crouch near the hinges, running my fingers along the stone. There's nothing, no cracks, no loose bricks. This place is built to keep people in.Looking up I pause when I see the glint of a red light in the corner of the ceiling. A camera. My eyes sweep the room again, and
Veyra POVI won’t cry or show weakness like the other women are.“The rules are as follows,” the guard continues.“One: You will rise at dawn and sleep only when permitted, if you're caught sleeping without permission, you get punished.Two: You will eat only if you please the Alphas. Losers do not get fed; some may become meals for the rogues outside the walls.Three: You will not fight among yourselves, that is, unless commanded to.Four: You will participate in every trial set before you, regardless of comfort or shame.Five: You will not speak unless spoken to.Six: Any attempt to escape will result in immediate execution.Seven: You will address the Alphas as my Alpha or Alpha. There are no exceptions, and if you don't, you will be punished.Eight: When the final day comes, the Alphas will each choose one omega. The rest who are still alive…”He lets the words hang there because we all know what happens to anyone who manages to survive but isn't claimed. They are thrown to the ro
Veyra POV He's simple, cruel and honest. As he returns to his seat, Alpha Dagen rises, Lyra's brother. He doesn't hurry, he acts like he's on a leisurely stroll. He's already smirking before he even begins to move and every step toward me feels like a shadow stretching across the room. It's thick, suffocating and laced with something crueller than all the others combined. He doesn’t stop at the line like the others did, or even look at them. Instead, he walks straight to me.My shoulders tense as his eyes rake over me like I’m a prize he’s already decided belongs to him. He's wrong if he thinks I will let him claim me.“You know,” he begins, voice low and taunting, “I told Lyra you’d end up on your knees.” His smirk grows. “Let’s make that come true, shall we?”He gestures lazily toward me. “Kneel.”Silence spreads like wildfire, and the other omegas don’t even breathe. The guards shift, waiting for the moment they need to punish me.I don’t move. I stay strong with my eyes locked f
Veyra POV“Right, up.” More guards come, and I sigh. Another trial already? It’s either that or we are all being punished for my behaviour. I hope not, though.We’re guided out and into a large room, the walls of which are stone and bare. We walk in and are pushed towards the other Omegas. There must be at least sixty others here, maybe more. Just looking around, I can tell who has a place in the main dorms and who are like us, in cells and such.Standing at the front, I wait. Riven and Sera push closer to me, and I now notice the Alphas seated close by as well. So is this going to be a public display of beating me for not following orders? I feel like it is.“Today’s trial begins now. You will be in groups of three. Only one person can win in the groups of three.”One? Riven and Sera sob behind me. So I can’t save them?“Today’s trial, you will stand between the Alphas. They will give you commands. If you refuse to do them, you will be punished. If you refuse to submit and follow ord
Veyra POVDagon storms away, but he didn’t take the plate of food. I guess that’s a win for me.Walking back to the mats, Riven and Sera are staring at me. “Do you want to die?” Sera asks quietly.“No, but I also won’t be told what to do.” I pick up the plate and hand them food again. Sitting, we eat quietly, but we don’t speak. I can see them, they are trying to hide that they are eating.If Dagen didn’t want me to feed them, he should have taken the food with him.When we finished eating, we lay down.I watch Riven and Sera fall asleep, but I can’t sleep now. I shouldn’t have slept today. Instead, I begin to pace the small cell and when that doesn’t help. I begin to exercise.What else do I have to do? Exercising is a bonus right now because I need to keep my strength up. I do anything I can within my limited space—press-ups, sit-ups, and every type of exercise there is. When my arms are dead, I begin with squats.Eventually, I become too tired to stand, fall onto the mat, and pass
Dagen POVI knew she was up to something, the others thought she was being stubborn, that she was exercising her right to tell us to get fucked, without saying it. Not eating, they thought was her fighting back, but I knew it wasn’t, which is why I stayed up.And here, I am. Pinning her against the wall after I caught her on camera sharing food when she was warned not to! She’s smirking like she’s winning, when she’s actually losing. She needs to stop helping others, as they make her weak.She leans closer and spits the chewed-up food into my face.“Then I don’t eat it, I won’t swallow one more bite of your food,” she snarls toward me.Her words hang in the air between us, it’s like a blade, sharp and final. She stands there, defiant but trembling, her chest rising and falling fast as she stares at me. No, she stares me down like I’m nothing more than another threat that she is intent on killing and destroying.I should hit her, that’s what everyone expects me to do. Hell, I know she
Veyra POVWe’re guided back to the cells. As I step into them, I stop when I see the five mats. Five. Today started with five of us. Now, there are only three.“That was awful, I’ve never been so close to dying,” Riven mumbles, and I turn to face her.“Are you joking!” My words are harsh, and she stares at me.“She’s not wrong, Veyra, we were all close to dying.” Sera sits on her mat.“I don’t mean that, I mean you two running off and leaving Olivia. She died because neither of you would stay and help!” How could they just run away from her like she was nothing?“What were we supposed to do, risk our own lives for her?” Riven stares at me.“Yes! You were! As if it were you who was hurt, you would have expected us to! Actually, you expected me to protect you, but you couldn’t even help her to safety?”Sera sighs. “I saw the silver flakes on it; they were in her bloodstream. She would have died anyway.”“Yeah, but at least she would have died with some dignity and knowing people cared!
Vane POVI watch the screens in amazement. She should be dead by now, if not at least crawling. The blood loss, the bruises, and the weight of carrying other people. She fought Dagon, and she didn’t escape that unhurt. But she’s still on her feet, and moving like she was trained for this, like she belongs out there.She doesn’t, though; she is different. Yet I sit here, elbows on my knees, staring at the screen like I’m trying to figure out what the hell she is.Dagen returned, human again, shirtless and bruised from his fight with both Veyra and the cat. He’s silent, leaning against the far wall with that same brooding scowl that he always wears after a shift. Rael is nursing his drink like this is some casual broadcast. Maddox is still lounging back too entertained for his own good.She stumbles again, and I feel my wolf react, too fast, too tense, and my jaw tightens.“She’s slowing,” I mutter.“She’s been slowing for the last fifteen minutes,” Rael replies.“True, but she’s still
Maddox POVWho is this woman? Not only was she able to shift, but she’s fighting these cats like her life depends on it. We expected her to die quickly, and maybe we were wrong.“Almost makes me want to put her in the house. If this is how good she is without food, shelter and warmth, imagine her with all that.”“She would be unstoppable,” Vane states, and he’s right.Olivia continues to cry, and Veyra continues to fight to keep her alive, foolishly, the silver is going to kill her anyway. She’s distracted by one of the cats, and she doesn’t notice the other circling her. Before she notices, it pounces onto Olivia.The camera stays focused even as the cat rips her leg from her body. Her scream is instant, and Veyra turns quickly and foolishly.She’s just turned her back on the other cat. I wait, watching as she attacks the one leaning over Olivia, but it’s too late. The cat already has Olivia’s face in its mouth.Vane leans forward, on the edge of his seat, as the other cat lunges for
Rael POVWhen Dagen said he wanted to be the wolf in with Veyra, we didn’t think much of it. We know their packs have a long history; they are enemies at the core. It’s a war between their packs that dates back centuries.I doubt anyone even knows why they became enemies to begin with, but they sure are dragging out this war.Sitting beside Vane and Maddox, we watch the screens. The collective gasp we all do when she shifts is unnerving. She shifted. I was amazed that she could shift her paws alone, but her shifting entirely was something new.She’s not meant to do that. Her father stripped her title; she’s an Omega, but she fights like an Alpha. We watch, waiting for Dagen to rip her throat out. Only he doesn’t. I see the way his wolf stills, the flash in his eyes.“Oh, this is interesting,” Maddox chuckles and leans back. “His wolf has an obsession.”It does, and for some reason, it’s Veyra. That is going to cause some fun conversations later when he returns to the room to observe t
Dagen POVWe heard her, talking to the other women and making them think they can live and survive. She spoke like she was going to fight for them.The moment I saw her shift, my body almost stilled. She has a collar on, anyone who is less than an Alpha shouldn't be able to shift, yet she did.Her wolf is remarkable, it's grey and white. Her eyes instantly turn golden and there's a crescent that shines on her wolf's head. Something I had never seen before.I don't stop though, I run at her, and she runs at me, which shocks me even more. She's meant to run, she's meant to be afraid, I'm meant to chase her!The moment our bodies collide, I know it hurt her. I heard the noise her wolf made, but she doesn't quit, she bites at me, her teeth snapping on my leg. She's strong, but not strong enough, I can easily get her off my leg.Our bodies tumble down, and I should just kill her, right? But something inside of me wants to draw this out and play with her. She's made this game interesting, s
Veyra POVI begin to move. "Mari, stop!" I chase after her, the others following me at a distance. "Wait, we need to plan!"She stops and turns to face me. Her face is soaked with tears. A loud howl comes, and she bolts forward again. I go to chase her, but then I see it."Wait! It's a trap!" I scream, but it's too late. She steps on it, and I see the arrows move and fly at her. Her body stills, and I see the blood staining the back of her shirt.The other women begin screaming now and panicking."Calm down!" I yell. "If you're hysterical, you won't see the traps!" My words are cold, trying to make them listen.Riven sobs into Sera's chest. Mari didn't last long. Our team of five dropped to four far too quickly."What do we do?" Olivia looks at me."Stick together, watch out for each other." That's all we can do. "Follow me," I whisper, and we move into the trees. I scan everywhere for any traps. They think they can take me down, but they forget, I was trained to be an alpha, and no t