The Rejected Omega's Second Chance Mate

FREYA'S POV. "FREYA!" "Where is that worthless girl?" Amber's angry voice woke me from sleep. I jumped up so fast, I started to feel dizzy. My heart pounded in my chest as I looked around in confusion. I had fallen asleep again. My back had been resting against the cold wall of the kitchen. The rain outside and the warmth from the stove must have made me doze off. I didn’t mean to. I swear I didn’t. Before I could say anything, freezing cold water hit me straight in the face. "Aah!" I gasped, coughing and blinking as the shock ran through me. My clothes were soaked in seconds, sticking to my skin. Pain exploded across my scalp, and I looked up just in time to see Amber, our soon to be Luna, grab me by the roots of my hair and yank me up to my feet. "You lazy, incompetent waste of space!" she shouted, her face twisted in anger. “Sleeping while dinner burns? Are you serious?!” That was when I smelled it. The thick, bitter scent of smoke. I turned my head and saw it. The pot on the stove was burning with steam and smoke rising from it. My eyes widened in horror. The pasta. The meatballs. Everything was ruined. I had burnt dinner. My stomach dropped to my feet. Goddess save me. “Luna, I—I’m sorry,” I whispered. Amber wasn't officially Luna yet, since Alpha Ethan hadn't officially mated her. But she still made everyone in the pack call her Luna. I didn't dare call her anything else. Not if I wanted to live. "Shut your mouth!" Amber screamed as she slapped me hard, and I dropped to my knees with a cry. "You’re not sorry, you good-for-nothing pathetic Omega!" she screamed, striking me again. “You think this pack is your little dream house? That you’ll be Luna someday? You still harbor the thought of taking my place in the pack, don't you?! Foolish girl!" “No—Luna, I swear I didn’t mean—” “Shut up!" she yelled. "You don't talk when I talk, you miserable slave. You should be grateful we even let you live here after your worthless, good for nothing mother died years ago!” Tears burnt my eyes, but I held them in. I had cried too many times. It never helped. It only made things worse. I heard the door swing open behind us, and my body went completely still. Alpha Ethan. I didn’t need to look to know it was him. I could feel it from his presence. “What’s going on here?” His voice was deep and calm as he asked the question but I knew better. Calm meant dangerous. Calm meant I was about to feel his wrath. Amber turned to him and crossed her arms, and her tone changed instantly. “This slave let dinner burn,” she said sweetly. “She fell asleep in the middle of cooking. She’s been getting lazy lately… probably still nursing her wretched dream of becoming Luna someday.” I kept my eyes on the floor as my hands trembled on my lap. “Freya,” Alpha Ethan said in a voice that caused me to flinch. “Did you fall asleep while making dinner?” I swallowed heavily in fear. “I... I'm sorry, Alpha. I had a headache,” I whispered. “I sat down just for a moment. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” He was silent as he walked toward the stove. The sound of the pot scraping off the burner made my stomach twist in fear. “Do you know how this food is provided?” he asked as he came to stand in front of me. I didn’t answer. “You think we grow it out of thin air?” he continued. “You think it’s funny to waste food you don't even know how it's provided? I work to provide for this pack, and your job will be to waste them.” “No,” I said quickly. “I’m sorry, Alpha. I swear I didn't__” Before I could finish he tilted the pot, and without warning, the pot's contents hit me square in the chest. The pasta was hot and sticky and it and I screamed in pain as it burnt me. The pot crashed to the floor beside me with a loud noise and I quickly shifted away to avoid getting another burn from it. “You want to sleep?” Alpha Ethan growled. “Then go sleep with the pigs, Freya. Outside in the sty. Not in my kitchen! Not while making my food!" Tears rolled down my cheeks, even as the water was still dripping from my hair. “Clean this up!” he barked. “And make me new dinner. You have fifteen minutes.” I nodded and scrambled up, ignoring the pain on my skin. My shirt was sticking to the burns, but I didn’t dare complain. I turned to go to the pantry to get more pasta when his voice stopped me. “Where do you think you’re going?” Alpha Ethan snapped. “To get more pasta,” I said quickly, trying to avoid getting him more angry. “No,” he said with a smirk. “You’re making mashed potatoes and steak.” I froze. Mashed potatoes and steak? But... “Alpha, we ran out of potatoes,” I said, already dreading where this was headed. Alpha Ethan's smirk widened. " That's none of my business, Omega. If the kitchen is out of potatoes then go to the pack farm house and get some.” My stomach dropped. My mouth opened, but nothing came out for a second. The pack farm house was nearly two miles away. It was already dark outside. And the rain... I glanced out the window at the heavy rain pouring outside. “Alpha… it’s raining. And the farm house is far—” “I didn’t ask for excuses,” he growled angrily. “Did I?” I shook my head. “No, Alpha.” Amber stood beside him with a smug smile, like she was proud of what he was doing. Surely, she was enjoying this. She always did. I picked up the empty basket from the corner and walked toward the back door. My clothes were still wet. My hair was sticking to my face. I was cold and sore, but I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t fight back. I opened the door and stepped out into the night. The wind hit me first. It was cold and windy outside tonight, and it felt like it wanted to knock me off my feet. Then came the icy rain, soaking me all over again. I pulled the basket close to my chest and began my walk to the pack farm. The ground was muddy. Every step made my feet sink into the earth, but I kept going. I didn’t look back. There was no point. I walked through the woods, shivering, trying to ignore the pain in my chest from the burns. The pasta had left red welts on my body, and the rain only made it worse. My thin shirt offered no protection. My fingers were so cold I could barely feel the basket anymore. My fingers went to the silver pendant hanging from my neck, and I held it tightly, allowing myself to feel the warmth and comfort it always brought me. It was the only thing I had of my mother's, and I always kept it close. It made me feel like she was still here. I tried not to cry again. This was my life. I was born into it, and I was trapped in it. I didn’t know who my father was—just another secret buried in the Crescent Moon Pack. But my mother had served this pack her whole life as an Omega. But because she was not an original member of this pack, she was considered even lower than an Omega. She died sick and alone, and no one cared. And me? I was nothing but a slave. The daughter of the mysterious woman who showed up pregnant at the pack border years ago seeking help and shelter. No one knew anything about us or where we really came from. And that was probably why we were treated like outcasts. Especially by Alpha Ethan, who had always had a strong amount of dislike for me, even though I never knew why. And then the Moon Goddess decided to curse me even more. One year ago, a mate bond snapped into place, and I discovered that Alpha Ethan was my mate. I felt it instantly. There was the pull, and also the strange connection in my chest. He felt it too. But he didn’t care. He rejected me right away without any hesitation. And ever since then… he hated me more than before. He hated that the Moon Goddess would pair him with a pack slave for a mate. A nobody. Amber did too. She hated that I was the one chosen by the Moon Goddess for her future mate. So they made me pay for it. Every day. Every slap. Every cruel word. Every impossible task. It was all because of the bond I never asked for. The farm house finally came into view. I walked to the storage shed and pushed open the wooden door. The smell of soil and vegetables hit me immediately. It was dry inside, thankfully. I placed the basket down and started filling it with potatoes. My fingers were numb and clumsy, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. Because if I didn’t return soon, I’d be punished again. And this time, it might be worse. When the basket was full, I looked down at my hands. They were dirty, scraped, and shaking. I sighed and took a deep breath and blinked the tears away. No one was coming to save me. Not even the moon goddess herself. She had long forgotten me. But I had survived this long. I would survive tonight too. Because that’s all I knew how to do. Survive.