The Lycan Queen

The scraps of breakfast still clung to the plates grease smeared across it, crumbs scattered like fallen stars. My stomach growled, but I was used to the hollow ache by now. Omegas ate last, if at all. And I? I wasn’t even a proper Omega. Just a defect. I dragged the damp cloth across the rough wooden table, the splinters biting into my palms. A sharp pain shot through my finger as one lodged deep, drawing a thin line of blood. I barely flinched. Pain was familiar. A laugh cut through the quiet. "Look at her. Like a little ghost haunting the dining hall." I didn’t need to turn to know who it was. Selene and her pack of perfect Betas, their scents sweet and smug in the air. Their footsteps circled me like vultures. “Honestly, Aria, do you even try?"Selene’s voice dripped honey and venom as she flicked a strand of my hair. “This silver… it’s unnatural. Like some kind of freak mutation." My hair pale as moonlight, tangled and unwashed fell over my shoulders, the only beautiful thing about me. That, and my eyes. The blue of them always seemed to unsettle people. Too bright. Too strange. “Maybe she’s not even a werewolf," another girl sneered. “Just some stray mutt they took pity on." I kept scrubbing, my fingers raw, my torn tunic slipping off one shoulder. The fabric had long since faded, patches of it barely holding together. No one cared if an Omega looked presentable. Selene leaned in, her breath warm against my ear. "I heard Adrian almost lost his breakfast when he caught your scent the other day. Imagine being repulsed by your own kind." My chest tightened, but I forced my hands to keep moving. Adrian. The Alpha’s son. Golden, untouchable. And me? The girl who couldn’t shift, who bled too easily, who smelled wrong. I was nothing to him. And yet… A sharp yank on my hair made me gasp. Selene twisted a lock around her fingers, her smile cruel. “Maybe we should cut it off. See if ugliness suits you better." The dining hall doors slammed open. “Enough." The voice wasn’t loud, but it froze us all. Adrian stood there, his dark eyes sweeping over the scene. His gaze lingered on me for half a second just long enough for my stupid heart to lurch before flicking away like I was nothing more than a stain on the floor. Selene dropped my hair, her smirk returning. “Just playing, Alpha." He didn’t answer. Just turned and left, as if the sight of us bored him. But in that brief moment our eyes had met, I’d seen it. Disgust. And something worse. Recognition. The moment Adrian disappeared through the doors, the weight in my chest twisted tighter, like a rope pulled too hard around my ribs. I didn’t understand why only that the air felt heavier when he was gone. Selene’s boot struck the bucket before I could react. Water sloshed across the floor, soaking into my already threadbare shoes. The wooden handle clattered against the stone, echoing through the now-empty dining hall. “This is the least you could do,"she sneered, her lip curling, “when all you do is eat good food and ruin the air." Elsa and Nina giggled, their voices sharp as broken glass. My fingers trembled against the wet cloth still clutched in my hand. The hunger gnawing at my stomach had long since turned into a dull, ever-present throb. My reflection in the spilled water showed hollow cheeks, skin stretched too tight over bone. Anyone with eyes could see it the way my collarbones jutted out, the way my wrists looked like they’d snap under the slightest pressure. But they didn’t care. “I haven’t had even a drop of water, talk less of food,"” I muttered, the words slipping out before I could stop them. Silence. Then— The crack of Selene’s palm against my cheek sent my head snapping to the side. Pain exploded across my face, white-hot and blinding. My vision swam, tears springing unbidden to my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “You don’t speak unless spoken to, defective." Her voice was low, venomous. “Or do I need to remind you of your place?" The taste of copper bloomed on my tongue. I swallowed it down, along with the words I wanted to scream. Selene leaned in, her breath warm against my stinging skin. “Clean this up. And if I hear you whining again, it won’t just be a slap next time." She turned on her heel, her minions trailing behind her like shadows. Their laughter lingered long after they’d gone. Alone again, I pressed my fingers to my throbbing cheek. The water on the floor stared back at me, my fractured reflection rippling in the puddle. One day, I swore silently, I wouldn’t be the one on the ground. One day, they would regret this. But for now, I picked up the bucket and got back to work. The slap still burned on my cheek as I scrubbed the spilled water from the floor. My knees ached against the cold stone, my fingers raw and red. The dining hall was empty now, the pack having moved on to their duties training, patrolling, living the lives of true wolves. And me? I was left with the scraps. A shadow fell across the wet floor. I didn’t bother looking up. If it was Selene again, I didn’t have the energy to react. “You missed a spot." The voice wasn’t hers. It was deeper. Male. My head snapped up so fast my neck protested. Kieran. The pack’s Gamma, and Adrian’s closest friend. He stood over me, arms crossed, his dark eyes unreadable. Unlike the others, he didn’t sneer. Didn’t laugh. He just… watched. I swallowed, my throat dry. "I’ll get it." He didn’t move. I dipped the cloth back into the bucket, wringing it out with shaking hands. The water had gone cold, just like everything else in this damned place. “You’re bleeding." I hadn’t even noticed. A thin trail of blood dripped from my split lip, joining the water on the floor. I wiped it away with the back of my hand, smearing red across my skin. “It’s nothing." Kieran exhaled sharply through his nose, like he was holding back words. Then, without another sound, he turned and walked away. I expected relief. Instead, frustration coiled in my gut. Why had he even bothered? To mock me? To pity me? Before I could dwell on it, a new scent hit me—sharp, metallic. Blood, but not mine. I followed it, crawling toward the edge of the hall where the stone met the dirt. A small, crumpled figure lay half-hidden in the shadows. A pup. No older than ten, his leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, his breaths shallow. His eyes, wide with pain, locked onto mine. “P-please," he whimpered. "I fell… I didn’t mean to…" My heart lurched. This was Liam, one of the youngest in the pack. An Omega, like me. Forgotten, like me. I didn’t think. I just moved. Gently, I lifted him, ignoring the way my own body protested. He was light—too light. Had anyone even noticed he was missing? "Shh," I whispered, cradling him against my chest. “I’ve got you." His fingers clutched my torn sleeve, his tears soaking into the fabric. “They said… they said Omegas don’t get healers." A fire ignited in my chest. “Then we’ll fix it ourselves." I carried him toward the abandoned storage shed at the edge of the territory—the only place I could think of where no one would look. The door creaked as I kicked it open, dust swirling in the dim light. Liam whimpered as I set him down on a pile of old sacks. His leg was bad. Really bad. But I’d patched myself up enough times to know the basics. “This is going to hurt," I warned, gripping his ankle. He nodded, biting his lip. I pulled. The scream that tore from his throat made my own eyes water. But the bone slid back into place with a sickening pop. Liam gasped, his body trembling. “H-how did you…?" I didn’t answer. Instead, I tore a strip from the hem of my tunic and began wrapping his leg. “You can’t tell anyone about this," I said quietly. “Not even the other Omegas." “Why?" “Because." I met his gaze, my voice steel. “They’ll only take it away." A noise outside made us both freeze. Footsteps. Close. I shoved Liam behind me, my pulse roaring in my ears. The door swung open. Moonlight spilled in, outlining a tall, broad-shouldered figure. Adrian. His golden eyes burned into mine, his expression unreadable. “Aria." My name on his lips sent a shiver down my spine. Then his gaze dropped to Liam.