BONDS OF MOONLIGHT AND VENGEANCE

"What are you still doing here? You good-for-nothing! You've been cleaning this place for hours now," Arla barked. Melissa lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Arla. I'm just about to leave," she replied, her head still lowered. Arla felt pleased with herself, seeing how she reacted. "I'll forgive you this once. Just get lost," she waved her off. Melissa quickly left, cursing in her heart. She could barely stand Arla's behavior. Sadly, she could only live like this. She, who used to live like a princess in the pack, was now reduced to this. She sighed as she walked toward the Omega quarters. A blonde-haired, skinny girl came out to greet her. She was very thin, but her chest area was quite generous. She was also beautiful. "You're back, Melissa. I told you not to go! You're a princess and shouldn’t engage in these kinds of work. I could have covered for you," she chided Melissa while giving her a very warm hug. Melissa felt blissful. The blonde-haired girl, Mara, was her only friend in the pack. Once upon a time, she was her personal maid. They had developed a very strong bond that lasted. "I told you to stop saying that nonsense, Mara. It's been two years already. I'm no longer who I used to be," she scolded. "You're wrong, Melissa. You're still my lady and always will be." Melissa sighed and patted her on the head. "When will you accept this reality?" she sighed. "Come on, let's go inside." The two walked back to their quarters. Mara followed her to her room before waving goodbye. After she left, Melissa sighed as she observed her room. It was easily the worst in the Omega quarters—it had a leaking roof and was smaller than the others. "Sister Melissa, are you in?" Melissa, who was already about to doze off on her bed, sprang up. "Yes, Rowland, come in." The door opened, and a chubby boy, looking around ten, came in wearing a handsome smile. "How are you doing, handsome? Did you win a trophy?" Melissa teased, seeing the chubby boy’s wild grin. "Sister Melissa! You don’t remember?" the boy asked, his mouth wide open in shock. "Was there anything I was supposed to remember?" she continued teasing him. He looked like he was about to cry. "Okay, today is your birthday—I remember now. How could I have forgotten?" she laughed. "You meanie!" Rowland scowled and ran away, sobbing. Melissa thought she must have gone too far this time... In the evening, all the Omegas were called out to prepare for little Rowland’s birthday. "Did you hear? The Alpha of Silvermoon Pack, Richard Connor, is coming today to grace little Rowland's birthday?" Melissa overheard one of the Omegas gossiping. Her eyes lit up. She leaned closer to hear what the two Omegas were saying. "Isn't that too much for an Alpha to attend Rowland’s birthday? I mean, it’s just a birthday," one of the Omegas said. "You know nothing," the other Omega laughed. "The birthday is just secondary. He’s going to get engaged to the young miss, and the engagement ceremony will be held today." "What?!" The two Omegas jumped in fright and only calmed down when they saw it was just Melissa—the fallen princess, as they secretly called her. "What’s with that shout? You almost scared the s**t out of us, you piece of trash." Melissa ignored the insult. "Did you say that Richard is getting engaged to Arla?" she asked in shock. The person referred to as "young miss" could be no one else but Arla. It had been two years since anyone had called her that. "Yes. Wait... don’t tell me you still have that wishful thinking?" one of the Omegas—who had revealed the news—replied with disdain. Melissa walked away in a dilemma. She felt shattered. The two Omegas looked at her in confusion but decided to ignore it. "What do I do now? How do I live now?" She ran to her room and lay on the bed, crying. Richard was her only hope of escaping this misery. She had endured all the mistreatment for years—all because of him. "Sister Melissa! Sister Melissa!" She wiped her face and forced back the tears that threatened to fall. She waited for the owner of the familiar voice to find her. "You’re here." Melissa was surprised. She hadn’t expected to see her. "When did you come back? Miss Arla has been asking for you. She said she wanted all the households, including Omegas..." Mara was shocked when she saw Melissa’s condition. "What happened, my lady?" she asked in surprise. "Nothing. Come, let’s go immediately. Let’s not waste time and annoy that witch." Melissa smiled weakly. Mara was still curious but didn’t ask further since it was urgent. Night was fast approaching, and the party had already started. But it wasn’t in full swing—it was clear the Alpha was waiting for someone. Soon... he arrived. Melissa had hidden by the side and waited, her heart skipping a beat. He was still as handsome as she remembered—tall and majestic. He looked even more masculine than before, but that was normal considering the last time they met was two years ago. He was flanked by men on both sides. This man was her fiancé, Richard Connor—the only reason she had stubbornly remained in this pack that had always mistreated her. She didn’t want to believe the news she’d heard earlier. The two Omegas might be wrong. No... they were certainly wrong. Richard was not like that. He would never be like that. Her relationship with Richard wasn’t something so fragile. They had been childhood sweethearts. They had been so close that their parents decided to engage them when they were young. They grew even closer after that. She felt the love and care he had for her and knew it was genuine. Alas it wasn't.