Chapter 1- Wren

Walking in the woods is peaceful. I hate that omegas aren’t allowed in the woods. We are confined to the main pack area. The pack area is huge, but the surrounding woods are off-limits. It’s the Alphas rule. He says it’s for our safety. That might be true, but it’s hard to know if it is or not. Omegas are valued, yet we are treated as less than. 

Omegas are the only ones who can handle Alphas knots and bare their heirs. Every pack has a rule. At eighteen omegas are auctioned off to the highest bidder. The Alpha of the pack goes first and then his Beta. After that, it goes to the other alphas and betas of the pack. There is only one Alpha who rules the pack. The technical name is Alpha Supreme for the Alpha who leads the pack. Most just call them Alpha, and the other alphas go by their names. 

Tonight is our packs auction. I turned eighteen months ago, and I will be auctioned off. My fate is to become a breeder or a sex slave. Maybe both. An omega's fate is never certain. If we aren’t bought at auction, then we go back to being servants of the pack. Before eighteen, we are servants of the pack. We work in the packhouse nannies, doing the jobs others don’t want, or wherever they can put us until we are eighteen. 

Today is my last day of freedom, and all I want to do is enjoy it. So, I broke the rule and entered the forest. As an omega, I can’t shift. Omegas can only shift when they are marked and mated. We have wolves' and other werewolves' abilities like heightened senses and self-healing. Omegas do heal slower since we can’t shift. Not being able to shift makes us weaker. 

I know I have a wolf, but I will never meet her. Omegas aren’t taken as mates. It’s rare, but it does happen. It’s never happened in our pack. To packs, omegas are nothing more than breeders or sex slaves. That's it. The male omegas get treated even worse. They get the worst jobs, used in training for the warriors who beat them within an inch of their lives, and the female high-ranking wolves use them as pleasure toys when they aren’t mated. 

I wish I had my wolf right now because I bet she would enjoy this walk. Being in the woods is bittersweet. It makes me wonder what it would be like to have my wolf transform, run the woods truly free, and talk to my wolf. The curse of being an omega. 

One would think that female omegas would be held as precious jewels and taken as mates, given that we are the only ones who can provide alphas with heirs. Beta females can produce heirs for beta males, but that’s never an alpha. Ironically, beta females are the ones who get mated even to alphas. 

The taste of freedom is sweet. I know this is the only taste I will ever get. I also know that if I get caught, I’m going to be punished. The punishment is a public whipping to make an example for other omegas. Any rule broken by a pack member is a public whipping, but the higher-ranking wolves can smooth talk their way out of it. Omegas are always punished.  Always. There’s never any mercy for us, and there is no sweet talking our way out of it. 

If I get punished, it will be worth it. Being in the lush green woods, the sound of nature, the smell of the earth, and the peace that it brings me is worth it. I touch the rough bark of the trees as I walk deeper into the woods. I’m not worried about getting lost, as werewolves have a wonderful sense of direction. It’s almost impossible for us to get lost, even us omegas. 

I do have to be careful not to get too close to the border where the warriors run patrol. On my exploration, I find a river. It’s not too deep. I debt going for a swim, but I’m not sure I should because I will have to leave time to dry off before I get back. I have on my standard omega dress. We all wear simple off-white tank dresses that come to our knees. They aren’t exactly flattering as there’s barely any shape to them. It doesn’t matter once we are auctioned off. Most of us spend our time naked, locked up in sex dens waiting to service our masters. That’s also why I wanted to explore the woods. After tonight I don’t know when I might breathe fresh air again. 

Omegas get taken out for parties and such, but they are entertainment. They serve drinks and food, perform sex acts, and whatever else their masters demand of them. So while they are getting out of lockup, they definitely aren’t free. 

I kick my worn-out brown flats off and stick my feet in the water. The water is cool and refreshing. Summer is coming to an end as the cicadas sing their last songs of summer. The nights are becoming cooler, and the sun is setting earlier. With the change in season, I find a change rising within myself. 

The change of not wanting to be an omega. I know it’s impossible to change that. We can’t change what we are born as, but I don’t want the fate that I’m about to get. I don’t know why the moon goddess allows omega to be treated so poorly. It’s not fair. We are vital members of the pack. We are the ones that bear alpha heirs, yet we are nothing. Once upon a time, I didn’t mind being an omega. I embraced it. I embraced my natural submissive behavior, the joy of serving an alpha as they have the most effect on us, and the happiness of knowing that one day I might carry an alpha’s heir in my belly. 

Now faced with the auction, I find myself dreading everything about being an omega. I hate being so submissive. Part of me still enjoys it, but I want to be submissive to my mate, not every fucking alpha there is. I hate serving others like a damn slave treated less than because of what rank I was born into. The worst is knowing that whatever pups I have, I will never be a mother to them. Some other bitch will raise my pups because that's the curse of being an omega. Born to serve, but never to be loved. 

I will never know what it’s like to raise my own pups, to love them, hold them when they are sad, or watch them grow up. It pains my heart to know that truth. They are my pups, I should be the one to raise them now, some other she-wolf who I have no idea how she will treat them. Sometimes it is hard for high-ranking females to love the heirs that are produced by a breeder. 

Tonight my fate will be sealed, and the terrifying part is I don’t know who will purchase me, what will happen to me, or what I will be forced to do. There is a high chance I end up dead. Unfortunately, many omegas are killed once they have so many pups. Our bodies can only handle pregnancy so many times, and each of us is different. Some can handle a few while others can handle a dozen. If we can’t have pups and we are too weak to perform sex acts, we are killed. Not only that, but jealous mates sometimes kill omegas, afraid their mate will begin to love the omega more. It’s dangerous to be an omega.

My thoughts are interrupted when I hear twigs snapping. I whip my head to where I heard the noise, praying to the goddess it's just an animal. However, to my dismay, it’s not. A giant black wolf is showing its teeth to me. I know that black wolf. Everyone does. It’s Obsidian, Alpha Valen’s wolf.