Bound by Destiny: The Omega's truimph

Chapter 2 Shadows of Discontent

Aria’s POV

First I observed the states.

I had become accustomed to being invisible, slinking in and out of locations with little notice. As an Omega, that was more sensible. It meant less whispering behind my back and less nasty comments about my pack position. Now, though, every stride I made in the Bloodfang region felt as though I was traversing an eye field. As if they were waiting for me to topple over, they observed me—some curious, others contemptuous.

Their expectations weighed heavily on me, like black clouds hovering over unsaid assessments. I had heard the stories, the talk blazing throughout the pack. Liam's mate is Omega. Every household, every status felt the shock of it. I had spent my whole life being told that I was not valuable, not deserving of the attention of an Alpha—especially not Liam; thus, I was not shocked that it unsettled them.

The awareness made me feel little and useless. But another side of me clung to something else, a subdued will not ready to let go of. I was not going to fall apart beneath their expectations.

Still, I had not been naïve. I could see what was ahead.

Hi Omega.

The voice sliced across the room, sharp and laden with hate. I stopped, my palm clenching around the recently collected basket of plants. I turned slowly to look for the voice source. She wasn't alone; Marissa, a she-wolf among high ranking wolves, was there. Two other pack members were behind her, each staring at me with barely veiled contempt.

Marissa snorted, her keen eyes roving over me like mud under her feet. "I know you have been hanging around Liam. Not too small given someone like you.

The other two laughed, and my gut turned over. Though my heart flew in my chest, I held my head up. Quietly attempting to keep my voice calm, I added, "I didn't ask for this."

Marissa moved nearer, her presence overpowering. "No, but you are making full use of it. Not sure exactly. Would you be Luna, Omega? Would you be sitting at his side guiding this pack? She laughed, the sound harsh and frigid. Keep yourself from being misled. You never will be good enough.

Her comments stung, but I refrained from showing it. I could not afford to be not here, not now, not weak. "Liam and I"— I started, but the words seemed empty, dubious. I hardly knew what Liam and I were. Designed companions? True. Beyond that, though, no decision had been taken. Liam had not yet totally embraced the link.

Marissa's eyelids closed, feeling my pause. She spat with a sympathetic tone. "Liam is entitled to a true friend, someone deserving of the label. not some worthless Omega.

Though I ate my pride, the words felt like a slap to the face. I refused to let her witness the degree of suffering involved.

I responded gently, "I may be an Omega," but "that doesn't mean I'm worthless."

Marissa's smile veered into something nasty. "We’ll see about that."

She turned swiftly, her two lackeys vanishing into the woods and leaving me alone. The planet seemed weightier, and the eyes on me more sharp than ever. Though my hands shook, I tightened my grasp on the basket to resist letting the anxiety control me.

I'll not break. Not sure.

The weight of the pack's displeasure hung over me like a noose slipping around my throat. Every meeting and every discussion with the elders felt like an indictment, as though my bond to Aria had single-handed ruined the Bloodfang Pack.

The worst of it was his displeasure. Though he had always been a man of few words, his quiet now said volumes. It was quite evident from his icy, hard stare on me at pack meetings that he believed I was failing. Not totally, he was not incorrect. Still, I found it difficult to come to regret the link. I could not ignore the draw toward Aria, no matter how hard I tried to put it aside. One I could not put out no matter how hard I tried, it was like a fire blazing in my chest.

"Liam," my father's voice cut through my thoughts as I sat in his office, Alpha's walls decorated with artifacts of his rule. Seated behind his big wood desk, he had hands folded and keen eyes evaluating.

Sure, Father? I straightened and was ready for another lesson.

"You know what folks are saying.” Though his voice was cool, there was an edge to it that made my gut turn over.

"I do. I refused to let him know how much the whispers were getting to me, keeping my tone consistent.

"You have made a serious error," he said, his eyes never flickering. "An Omega to be your friend? Do you know what this implies for the pack?

Though the words seemed hollow, "I do," I said. Though it did not make things any simpler, I knew the implications.

Then repair it, he said, his voice sharpening. "Separate the link before it is too late. Should you not, you will lose the respect of the pack and the seniors. You will seem to be feeble.

I tightened my jaw, rage boiling under the surface. Though I had heard this over and over, it didn't make swallowing any more palatable. "I can't break it," I murmured with jaws clenched. "There is a real bond here."

Then, finding a way, my father snarled from his desk. He was larger, taller than I was, and his weight permeated the room. "Do you suppose this pack will follow an Omega's mate as its leader? They will consider you as unqualified to lead and as weak.

"I'm not weak," I yelled back, my emotions flying. Additionally neither is Aria.

He closed his eyes and snarled with his lips. You believe women to be your equal? You believe an omega may be by your side guiding this pack? Liam, you're a moron.

Though his comments were bad, I stayed grounded. "The bond was chosen by the Moon Goddess," I responded, my voice calm in spite of inner conflict. That is not anything I can alter.

Then you're not qualified to lead, he remarked bitterly, his voice stinging with finality. "You will wipe everything we have created if you keep down this road."

I fixed my gaze on him; his words weighty in my chest. I had been reared to be like him; he had always been merciless, always held the pack above all else. Now standing here, though, I saw I could no longer follow mindlessly. not in regard to Aria.

I turned to go, but his last words stopped me dead.

"Remember this, Liam," he murmured quietly, his voice slicing across the air like a razor. The pack will go with strength. They will find someone who will if you do not.

Days went by, and the pack's stress mounted like a storm building on the horizon. Everywhere I walked, the rumors trailed behind me, each more poisonous than the next. No matter how hard I tried to concentrate on my duties, gathering herbs, ministering to the injured, I couldn't get away from the weight of the pack's opinion.

I could really feel Liam missing. He had avoided me, been aloof and kept to himself. I couldn't point the finger at him. I knew he was in the center; the strain from the pack was getting to be intolerable. Still, it caused pain. Every time I saw him, there was a wall between us, one I didn't know how to tear down; I wanted to talk to him, to know where we stood.

I had no idea how to stop the group from breaking apart all around us.

The door opened as I knelt in the healer's cabin picking among a stack of dry herbs. An unknown man entered. Startled, I looked up to find a tall, strong man with gray eyes and slicked-back black hair. He radiated force, a dark, lethal energy that chilled my spine.

"Aria Stone," he continued, his voice silky yet tinged with malice.

Heart pounding, I stood slowly facing him. "Who are you?," said

He turned to show a nasty grin. Alaric Thorn, Alpha of the Shadow Fang pack.

Blood washed from my face. Renowned for his aggression and relentless quest of land at whatever means, Alaric Thorn was He was doing what right here?

"What do you wish for?" I asked, my voice firm even as the terror crept into my bloodstream.

His smile grew wider, then he moved forward. "I know about you," he continued, his eyes shining with hate. "The Omega that Liam Drax finds interesting."

Tensing, the weight of his words falling on me. That has nothing to do with your business.

But it is, he said, circling me like a predator. "You see, my chance is Liam's vulnerability. And the secret to dragging him to his knees is you, little Omega.

Fear coiled firmly about me as his words sank in my chest. This went beyond simply the relationship Liam and I shared now.