Mated to My Enemy

The slap came before I even finished scrubbing the floor. “Lazy omega,” growled Beta Axel, his voice as smooth as oil but twice as suffocating. “Do you want the Elders to walk on dirt tonight?” My cheek burned where his hand had struck, but I kept my eyes down. If I met his gaze, it would only earn me another blow. “No, Beta,” I whispered. My fingers tightened around the rag. The cold stone floor bit into my knees, but I scrubbed harder, letting the sting in my skin drown out the ache in my heart. Around me, the grand hall of the Lichen Pack glittered in preparation for tonight’s feast. Golden banners hung from the ceiling. Fresh meat roasted over fires, the scent making my empty stomach curl with longing. Tonight, every ranked wolf would dine in splendor before traveling to the Bluerock Pack for the Mating Moon Summit. And me? I’d be lucky to lick the scraps off a bone after the feast ended. I was Teresa Blackwood, the lowest of the low—the pack’s invisible omega, the girl whispered to be cursed. Once, long ago, my last name had meant something. My parents had led this pack. Strong. Respected. Loved. Until one night, when I was five, everything burned. The Elders called them traitors, executed in secret, and their child—me—was cast down. Since then, I was nothing but a shadow in my own pack, tolerated only because the Beta claimed me as his ward. Ward. I wanted to laugh. More like a prisoner. “Faster,” Axel snapped now, his polished boots clicking past me. His tone dripped honey for the others—he always saved his venom for me. “The Moon Goddess smiles on diligence. Perhaps if you tried harder, she might bless you with a wolf of your own.” His words stabbed deeper than his hand ever could. Because it was true—my wolf had never come. Not at thirteen, like most. Not at fifteen. Not even at nineteen, where I now stood, hollow and wolf-less. Some nights I woke screaming, begging the Moon for a sign that I wasn’t broken. But dawn always came, and with it, silence inside me. “Teresa.” A softer voice reached me this time. I looked up to see Mara, the cook’s daughter, slipping me a crust of bread from the kitchens. Her dark eyes brimmed with pity. “Here. Before Axel sees.” I mouthed thank you and tucked it into my apron. If Axel noticed kindness shown to me, Mara would pay the price. “Don’t eat too much,” she whispered, forcing a smile. “Tonight’s the Summit. Who knows? Maybe the Goddess will surprise us all.” I gave her a smile in return, but it didn’t reach my eyes. A Summit miracle? For me? Impossible. Still, when night fell and we gathered in the courtyard beneath the silver glow of the Moon, my heart betrayed me with a tiny flutter of hope. The Mating Moon Summit. Once every year, packs came together under the Goddess’s light. Sometimes, fated mates were revealed—bonds that could not be denied, souls tied by destiny. For most wolves, it was the most exciting night of the year. For me, it was just another reminder of my failures. I stood at the very back, in rags, among the other servants. Axel, dressed in his Beta’s finery, took his place beside Alpha Gerard, smug and proud. Wolves from every pack gathered, their scents thick in the air—Bluerock warriors in silver armor, visiting Elders in flowing robes, even rogues seeking acceptance. Then he appeared. Alpha Terry Walter of Bluerock. The crowd hushed as he strode into the clearing, tall and broad-shouldered, with an aura that made even seasoned warriors stiffen. His eyes, cold as winter steel, scanned the gathering. Power rolled off him in waves, the kind that demanded obedience. I shrank further into the shadows. Men like him didn’t see girls like me. But then… he did. For one impossible moment, his gaze locked with mine. The world went still. My lungs seized. My heart stopped. And deep inside me, something stirred—a voice I had never heard before, fierce and wild, whispering in my blood. Mate. My wolf. The word slammed into me like lightning. My knees buckled. I clutched my chest, gasping as heat spread through me, filling every hollow place I thought was lost forever. The Moon above flared brighter, silver beams falling like a spotlight onto the clearing. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Whispers grew. “The Moon has chosen.” “She’s his mate.” “The Alpha of Bluerock… and the cursed omega?” My heart pounded. No, this had to be a mistake. But the bond thrummed between us, undeniable. Terry’s jaw tightened, his fists clenched, and I knew he felt it too. This was it. The moment I had prayed for, cried for, begged the Moon for. After years of silence, I was chosen. Not just chosen—mated to the strongest Alpha alive. My lips parted in shock, trembling on the edge of hope. But Terry’s voice cut the night like a blade. “I refuse.” Gasps broke across the clearing. My breath hitched. “I will never accept that as my mate.” He jabbed a finger at me, his eyes hard, cold, merciless. “The Moon has erred. I reject you, omega.” The bond tore through me like fire, ripping at my chest, searing my veins. Pain lanced so sharp I nearly screamed. My wolf wailed inside, a newborn voice already breaking. The crowd watched in stunned silence as my knees hit the dirt. Rejected. The word echoed in my skull, crushing every fragile dream I had dared to hold. And as the pack’s laughter rose like thunder around me, I realized one truth with bone-deep clarity. If this rejection didn’t kill me… something else would.