Chapter 0002

Elara

Olivia was frozen solid. I was, too, save for the soft “Thank you,” that escaped my lips.

Alpha Alaric hardly cast me a glance in response. I bowed my head slightly, taking a step back as I clasped my hands in front of myself.

It was no wonder that he didn’t answer. He was an Alpha, and I was an Omega—hardly more than an insect beneath the heel of his boot. Why he had stepped in to help me, I wasn’t sure. Not immediately, at least.

But it soon became clear to me when Alpha Alaric snapped his fingers and one of his subordinates stepped forward, a young man with neat blond hair and a pristine suit. He seemed to be Alaric’s Beta, judging from his tidy appearance compared to the plain black uniforms of the other subordinates surrounding Alaric.

“Olivia Hartwell?” the subordinate asked. Olivia nodded mutely and he continued, “you are under investigation for the kidnapping of Alpha Alaric’s biological child.”

I felt my heart skip and my eyebrows hike up in surprise. Olivia’s face went white as a sheet. “What?” she blurted out.

The Beta’s gaze hardened and he held out a sheet of paper. “It says here you were the nurse on staff six years ago, the night that Alpha Alaric’s child was born. January 6th at midnight, to be precise.

My eyes narrowed in response to that, although I kept my gaze fixed on the floor. January 6th, six years ago was the same time my daughter had been born.

It was hardly more than a coincidence, of course. This was the largest hospital in the pack, and a lot of babies were born here every day. It was strange that my daughter shared a birthday with the Alpha’s child, but it wasn’t really much to think about.

Olivia frowned and snatched the sheet from the Beta’s hands. Handing it back a moment later, she replied surprisingly tersely for someone speaking to a Beta, “So it seems. But I’m not sure how that connects me to the alleged crime.”

Alaric and the Beta exchanged glances. They didn’t seem to believe her. “We request you to provide your work documents from that night,” the Beta said. “I presume you keep them on file, yes?”

“Er—yes,” Olivia said slowly. “Yes, I do. Follow me. I’ll show you.”

Olivia walked over to a nearby nurse’s station, and the two men followed her. Alaric brushed past me without so much as looking at me, and I caught a whiff of his cologne—something woodsy and subtle, like the faintest scent of bourbon. It made my knees tremble ever so slightly, but it was gone just as quickly as it came.

While Olivia rifled through her filing cabinets, I returned to my work. I knelt down beside the bucket and began to scrub the tiles.

Olivia gasped softly. “It-it should be here,” she stammered, letting out a tiny laugh of embarrassment. “It was just here.” She stood awkwardly in place. Suddenly she snapped her head toward me, her eyes flashing. “You! You meddled with my files, didn’t you, Omega? Trying to frame me for a crime, simply because I’m marrying your ex-husband?”

I jerked my head up, dropping the sponge back into the bucket. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me!” Olivia stormed over to me and forcefully grabbed my arm, hauling me to my feet. Her sharp nails dug into my arm, making me wince.

“I’m just a janitor here,” I said, gesturing to the keyring on her belt that she’d just used to open the filing cabinets. “I have no way to get into the files. And even if I did, I have no interest in framing anybody.”

Nearby, a group of nurses watched and sneered at me. I could feel their gazes on me, judging me—waiting to see me fall.

I wanted to tell them that she is the one who stole my husband. But l quickly shoved my thoughts down.

No one would believe me. They never did. I was just an Omega janitor, and knowing my luck, the Alpha would arrest me on the spot. It was better to maintain a shred of dignity and remain quiet.

“Do not blame bystanders for your own failures,” Alaric suddenly stepped in. His Beta stepped forward with another subordinate and grabbed Olivia by the shoulders, yanking her away from me.

“W-What are you—”

“Take her in for questioning,” Alaric said calmly. “As for the rest of you: get back to work. No one likes a rubbernecker.”

And with that, Olivia was dragged away, her screams fading into the distance. The other nurses bowed their heads and scurried away, embarrassed. I swallowed hard and immediately moved to gather my things, expecting Alaric to follow the Beta and Olivia.

But he didn’t.

His nostrils flared, and he walked straight toward me. Something in his brown eyes flashed dangerously. I stiffened, thinking that I was somehow still in trouble. An Omega wasn’t supposed to meet an Alpha’s gaze, but I couldn’t help it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pull my eyes away.

“You,” he said, his voice deep and dark. “You smell familiar. Do I know you?”

I couldn’t speak. Could only shake my head mutely.

He stared at me for a moment longer, pursing his lips, before he turned on his heel and left.

…

The sweet sound of children’s laughter floated through the air as I walked up to the school. My legs felt heavy, my hair disheveled and my uniform stained from a hard day of work.

Picking up my daughter, getting to see her sweet face after a long day, should have been the highlight of my day. And it was. But no matter where I went, the whispers followed.

“Ew. She stinks like garbage,” one mother groaned, pinching her nose as I passed.

Another parent chuckled. “Maybe she lives in a dumpster.”

“Wouldn’t be surprised. Her daughter looks like she wears old trash bags.”

I held my chin high, ignoring them, even if the whispers hurt. The last thing I wanted was to let my daughter see me falter over such words. And up ahead, I saw her small form running toward me.

“Mommy!”

I crouched down, opening my arms with a smile. Zoe ran straight into my embrace and nuzzled her precious little head of jet black hair into my shoulder. I held her close, inhaling her sweet scent.

Truthfully, I didn’t know where her black hair came from. Both Mason and I had brown hair. So I supposed it was a recessive gene. Since I'm an orphan myself, l guessed one of my biological parents must have very dark hair, It suited Zoe, though. And to me, she was the most beautiful creature on this planet.

“Did you have a good day, honey?” I murmured.

Zoe nodded and began chattering away about arts and crafts and music class, but her words were drowned out by a nearby conversation.

“Little piece of trash,” a parent complained, shooting my daughter a disdainful glance. “I should complain to the principal. I don’t want her filth rubbing off on my kid.”

“She doesn’t even have a father,” another scoffed. “She’s a bad influence on the other children.”

I looked up, opening my mouth to tell them to fuck off. But before I could, Zoe spun around and beamed.

“I do have a daddy!” she exclaimed, pointing down the street. “Look. He’s that way!”