The Lycan Queen

Omega’s prey

As pathetic as it sounded, I still wanted to be better. Because a small, stubborn part of me believed that if I could shift if I could finally prove I wasn’t just a defective burden then maybe, maybe, they wouldn’t look at me like I was something to scrape off their boots.

The thought was still circling my mind like a vulture when the blow came.

A sharp, sudden pain exploded in my side, and then the world tilted. I was airborne for half a second before my back slammed into the dirt, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs. My eyes squeezed shut on instinct, but I didn’t gasp. Didn’t scream.

This wasn’t new.

The only question was who this time not why.

A hand fisted in my hair and yanked, forcing my head up. Scalp burning, I blinked against the sunlight and found myself nose-to-nose with Bryan, his lip curled in a snarl.

"Open your eyes and look at me, you weak, stupid slut," he spat, his breath rancid with cheap pack ale.

Ah. Bryan.

An Omega like me, but with twice the venom and half the self-awareness. A boy who’d spent his entire life seething at the world because he couldn’t accept his rank and took it out on the only person the pack deemed lower than him.

"Let go,"I said, voice flat.

His grip tightened. "Or what? You’ll cry? Shift?" He barked a laugh, the sound grating. "Oh wait you can’t."

His cronies two other low-ranking Betas with nothing better to do snickered behind him.

I didn’t react.

That only made him angrier.

"You think you’re special?" Bryan leaned in, his nose nearly touching mine. "With your freak silver hair and your stupid blue eyes? Like some kind of Luna?" He sneered. "You’re nothing. Less than nothing. At least the other Omegas have wolves inside them. You? You’re just a human with a stink."

A muscle in my jaw twitched.

He wanted a reaction. Wanted me to thrash, to scream, to give him the satisfaction of breaking me.

So I smiled.

"Funny," I said softly. "You’re the only one who smells like piss right now."

His face darkened. "You

"Bryan."

A new voice cut through the clearing cold, authoritative.

Bryan froze. His grip on my hair slackened just enough for me to wrench free, scrambling back as a shadow fell over us.

Kieran.

The Gamma stood with his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. But his scent sharp with warning said enough.

Bryan paled. "Gamma Kieran, I was just—"

"Harassing pack members weaker than you?" Kieran’s voice was dangerously calm. "Real impressive for an Omega."

The way he said it like it was a joke, like Bryan’s posturing was pathetic made something viciously satisfied curl in my chest.

Bryan’s face flushed. "She started it! She—"

"She’s on the ground,"Kieran deadpanned. "And you’re standing over her with your lackeys. Tell me, Bryan. How exactly did she ‘start it’?"

Silence.

Bryan’s mouth opened, then shut. His fists clenched, but he didn’t dare argue with a Gamma.

Kieran jerked his chin toward the path. "Get out of my sight. Now."

Bryan hesitated just long enough to shoot me a glare that promised this isn’t over before slinking away, his tail between his legs. His friends followed without a word.

The moment they were gone, Kieran turned to me.

"You okay?"

I wiped the dirt from my face, wincing as my fingers brushed a fresh scrape on my cheek. "Peachy."

Kieran exhaled through his nose, like he was debating whether to scold me or laugh. "You’ve got a real talent for pissing people off."

"It’s a gift," I muttered, pushing myself to my feet. My side ached where Bryan had kicked me, but I refused to limp.

Kieran watched me for a long moment. Then, quietly: "You shouldn’t let them push you around."

I barked a laugh. "Right. Because standing up for myself has worked so well so far."

"I mean it." His gaze hardened. "You’re not as weak as you think."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

"I can’t shift, Kieran," I snapped. "I don’t have a wolf. I don’t have a rank. I don’t even have a place here. So spare me the pep talk."

For the first time, something like frustration flickered across his face. "You think shifting is the only thing that makes someone strong?"

"In a werewolf pack? Yes."

He stepped closer, his voice dropping. "Then why does Adrian watch you?"

My breath caught.

"What?"

"You heard me."Kieran’s eyes bored into mine. "He pretends you don’t exist, but he notices . Every damn day. So tell me, Aria if you’re nothing, why does the future Alpha care where you are?"

I opened my mouth then shut it.

Because I didn’t have an answer.

Kieran shook his head. "Figure it out."

Then he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there bruised, bleeding, and more confused than ever.

I sank to the ground, my legs giving out beneath me. The rain came down in sheets, cold and relentless, soaking through my thin clothes, turning the dirt beneath me to mud. I didn’t move. I just sat there, letting the water mix with the tears streaming down my face.

Then, the dam broke.

A scream tore from my throat, raw and guttural, swallowed by the thunder. My hands clawed at the earth, fingers digging into the wet soil as if I could rip open the ground and disappear into it. My chest heaved with sobs, each one sharper than the last, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I cried until my throat burned, until my body shook with exhaustion, until I wasn’t sure if the rain or my tears were drowning me.

But no one came. No one heard.

Eventually, the storm inside me quieted to a numb ache. I wiped my face with trembling hands, smearing dirt and tears across my cheeks. Then, with effort, I pushed myself up, my body protesting every movement. My side still throbbed from Bryan’s kick, my scalp stung where he’d yanked my hair, and my legs barely held my weight as I limped back toward the pack house or, more accurately, the place I was forced to call mine.

The storage closet.

It wasn’t a room. It wasn’t even meant for living. It was a cramped, windowless space tucked at the back of the pack house, where brooms, mops, and buckets of cleaning supplies were haphazardly stacked. The ceiling leaked in three different places, the constant drip-drip-drip of water echoing in the small space. The wooden floor was warped from moisture, the air thick with the scent of mildew and chemical cleaners.

I stepped inside, my bare feet pressing against the damp wood. The pile of old rags I’d gathered to serve as my bed was already soaked through, the water seeping into the thin blanket I’d scavenged. A rusted bucket sat in the corner, half-full from the leaks, and the shelves sagged under the weight of cleaning bottles, their labels peeling from humidity.

This was my home.

I exhaled, a shaky, defeated sound, and leaned against the wall, sliding down until I sat on the wet floor.

Then, the door creaked open.

Beta Hilda, the woman in charge of the Omegas, stood in the doorway, her pinched face twisted in disgust. She was an unsightly woman in her older years, her graying hair pulled into a tight bun, her lips perpetually pursed as if she’d just tasted something foul. Her hand flew to her nose, and she gagged dramatically.

"Good lord," she exclaimed, her voice shrill. "The stink of this place!"

I didn’t answer. I just stared at the ground, too exhausted to care.

She motioned sharply for me to follow her into the corridor. "Up. Now."

I dragged myself to my feet, my body protesting, and stepped out into the dimly lit hallway. The moment I did, she wrinkled her nose again, as if even my presence offended her.

"The mating ceremony starts tomorrow," she snapped, her beady eyes raking over me with disdain. "And you are in charge of cleaning."

A bitter laugh nearly escaped me. "When am I not in charge of cleaning?"

Her face turned purple. "What did you just say?" she screeched.

I clenched my jaw, biting back the rest of my words.

She leaned in, her sour breath hitting my face. "That’s exactly what I thought, you filth." She spat the word like it was poison. "The Alpha’s son will be participating, so you’d better clean up properly."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

Adrian.

My chest tightened, a sharp, inexplicable pain lancing through me. I didn’t know why it hurt. I shouldn’t care. He’d made it clear repeatedly that I meant nothing to him.

But the thought of him standing there, choosing a mate in front of the entire pack while I scrubbed the floors like some invisible servant

It burned

Beta Hilda smirked, as if she could see the wound she’d just prodded. "Get to work. And if I find one speck of dirt tomorrow, you’ll be cleaning the kennels with your tongue."

With that, she turned on her heel and stalked away, her footsteps echoing down the hall.

I stood there, my fists clenched at my sides, my nails digging into my palms hard enough to draw blood.

The mating ceremony.

Adrian.

And me the girl who didn’t even have a wolf.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned back toward my so-called room, my body moving on autopilot.

But inside, something dark and defiant stirred.

Fine.

Let them have their ceremony.

Let him choose his perfect Luna.

But I wouldn’t be the one scrubbing their floors forever.