CLAIMED BY THE BANISHED ALPHA

My father would never

ELODIE’S POV

The Omega quarters were never quiet. There was always something to scrub, something to carry, something to prepare for someone else. The air smelled of soap, damp stone, and smoke drifting down from the kitchens. Voices overlapped constantly—orders, complaints, the scrape of buckets across the floor. I had only been there a few days, but it already felt like a lifetime.

My hands burned from the lye water as I wrung out a cloth and dropped it back into the bucket at my feet. The stone hallway stretched ahead of me, already drying in dull streaks where I had cleaned. I wasn’t fast enough. I wasn’t used to this. I wasn’t build for this. Every movement felt wrong, clumsy, unfamiliar. My back ached from bending, and my arms trembled from work I had never done before. Once, I had spent my mornings reviewing council records.

Now I scrubbed floors.

“Move faster.”

Nyra’s voice cut through the hallway like a blade.

I didn’t look up. The Omega overseer stood at the end of the corridor with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her sharp eyes traveled over the line of us working on the floor. She had disliked me from the moment I arrived. Not because I had done anything wrong. Because she knew exactly who I used to be.

“You’re cleaning like you’ve never held a cloth before,” she snapped.

I kept my head down.

“I haven’t.”

A few of the other Omegas nearby froze slightly, Nyra’s laugh was short and cruel.

“Well, that explains a lot.”

She walked closer, her boots echoing against the stone.

“Former council assistant,” she said mockingly. “Look at you now.”

I dipped the cloth back into the bucket and kept scrubbing.

“Get used to it,” she added.

“I will.”

My voice sounded distant even to my own ears. Nyra stopped beside me.

“Good.”

Her gaze shifted toward the corridor leading upstairs.

“You will need that attitude tonight.”

That made me pause.

“Tonight?”

“The celebration.”

My stomach tightened slightly. Every Alpha in the region was coming for it. The entire pack had been preparing for days.

“And what does that have to do with me?” I asked quietly.

Nyra smiled thinly.

“You will be serving.”

The words landed heavily.

“Serving?” I repeated.

“Yes.”

She leaned down slightly so only I could hear her.

“Trays. Wine. Cleaning up after the guests when they are finished.”

My chest felt tight.

Just weeks ago I had attended council gatherings in that hall. Now I would be carrying drinks.

“Don’t worry,” Nyra added mockingly. “You will blend in perfectly with the rest of them.”

I swallowed and kept working, It shouldn’t have mattered. I had already lost everything else. Still, the humiliation burned. Nyra watched me for a moment longer before straightening.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Something in her tone made my hands stop moving.

“You won’t be expecting visitors.”

My head lifted slowly.

“What do you mean?”

Her smile returned.

“Your father came looking for you earlier today.”

My heart jumped painfully in my chest.

“My father?”

“Yes.”

I pushed myself up from the floor without thinking.

“Where is he?”

Nora’s expression sharpened instantly.

“Back down.”

I froze.

“Now.”

I slowly lowered myself again, my pulse racing.

“What happened to him?” I asked quietly.

Nyra crouched in front of me.

“You really don’t know?”

My stomach twisted.

“Know what?”

Her voice turned almost amused.

“He’s in the holding cells.”

The cloth slipped from my hand into the bucket.

“What?”

“He forced his way into the Alpha’s office this morning.”

My breathing became shallow.

“He demanded to see you.”

Something in my chest cracked.

“What did Damon do?” I whispered.

Nyra tilted her head slightly.

“What do you think he did?”

The answer formed in my mind before she even said it.

“He had him imprisoned.”

The hallway suddenly felt too small. Too tight.

“That’s not possible,” I said weakly.

“Oh, it is.”

My heart pounded violently.

“My father has never broken pack law.”

Nyra shrugged.

“He challenged the Alpha.”

I stared at her.

“That’s enough.”

“That’s more than enough,” she corrected coldly.

The words blurred in my mind. My father… alone in a cell because of me.

“Apparently,” Nyra continued casually, “he accused Damon of hiding you.”

The humiliation deepened.

“He even threatened to expose him to the elders.”

My throat tightened painfully.

“And now,” she finished with a small smile, “he’s exactly where he belongs.”

My hands shook.

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

“My father would never—”

“He did.”

Her voice hardened.

“And thanks to you, he is paying for it.”

The hallway felt strangely quiet. None of the other Omegas were speaking. They were listening. Watching and probably grateful that it wasn’t them in this position.

“You and him,” Nyra said slowly, “have finally found your proper place.”

My chest felt hollow. I couldn’t breathe properly. Couldn’t think.

Images of my father filled my mind—his careful handwriting across council documents, the way he used to remind me to stand straight when we walked through the pack house corridors. He had always believed the pack was fair. That the law protected everyone. Now he was sitting in a cell. Because he tried to find me. Because of Damon. Nyra stood again.

“That’s enough talking.”

Her voice snapped through the hallway.

“All of you—up.”

Buckets scraped against the floor as we stood.

“The Great Hall needs to be cleaned before sunset,” she continued sharply.

“Every table. Every floor tile. Every column.”

She looked directly at me.

“You will start with the center hall.”

My head still spun.

“Nyra…”

She cut me off instantly.

“its luna to you and you better get moving.”

The other Omegas began gathering their supplies quickly.

I forced my hands to pick up the bucket. The water sloshed weakly against the rim as I lifted it. My father was in a cell. And there was nothing I could do.

“Tonight,” Nyra said coldly as we started toward the Great Hall, “the most powerful wolves in the territory will be under this roof to celebrate me and my mate” Her eyes lingered on me one last time.

“So try not to embarrass the Alpha while you serve them.”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. The doors to the Great Hall opened ahead of us.

The room was enormous. Banners hung from the rafters. Long tables stretched across the polished floor. This was where Damon would celebrate tonight. Where Nyra would stand beside him. Where the elders would watch. And where I would carry wine like I had never been anything else. I gripped the bucket tighter and stepped inside. There was no time to break. No time to think.

Only work.