The Omega’s Hidden Revenge

Lira’s POV I recall the time I died more vividly than any other experience in my life. My skin was chilled by the night air as I was kneeling in the middle of the courtyard of Nightfall Pack. Torches flamed about me, and their fires leaped like rapacious eyes upon my descent. Wolves, --warriors, elders, servants, even pups, cowering between their parents. All faces were judgmental. Some looked satisfied. Some looked afraid. Venturing to speak on my behalf, none appeared to be willing. My wrists were bound together with chains, the heavy silver biting my flesh. I lifted my head slowly, searching for only one person. The Alpha Kael Draven was on the stone platform above me, in black ceremonial armor. Strong. Untouchable. The man I had more trust in than my life. The man who refused to look at me. “Lira Velen,” an Elder said loudly. “You are charged with treason of the Nightfall Pack.” There was a buzz among the people. Traitor. The term remained smouldering. “I have not turned this pack in,” I said, and my voice shook, though I tried to be calm. “You know me. I would never—” “Enough,” Kael interrupted. His voice was cold, sharp, and final. I broke at the sound of it. He would not look up at me yet. “I have been proved right,” he said. “You liaised with rebel foes and threatened our citizens.” “That is a lie,” I muttered. I looked desperately at his face. “Kael… look at me.” One agonizing second, he did. I perceived strife there. Pain. Doubt. Then it was lost behind the mask of an Alpha. The penalty of treason, my friend, is death. The words were heard more than the wailing wind. People shouted, but I heard no sound other than the beating of my own heart. “You believe this?” I inquired of him. “After all. You think I would be unfaithful to you?” He made no reply, but his jaw tightened. It was worse than the sentence because I was silent. There was one that came behind me. I heard the execution blade being raised. My wolf cried out within me, at a loss and scared. I had no fear of death. I was afraid of being abandoned. My eyes moved once more through the crowd in search of the one who had indeed betrayed me. Somebody here had put me in the frame. Someone I trusted. I could say it in my bones. But I never found out who. “Have any final words?” said the Elder. One more time, I looked at Kael. “I liked this pack,” I said to myself. “And I loved you.” His expression faltered. The blade fell. Pain, then all was dark. I awoke with a scream. My body convulsed as air got into my lungs. I felt like my chest was on fire because I had been in the water too long. I was lying on a cold, rocky floor, trembling. I was struck by the smell. Rot. Sweat. Hunger. This was not death. Rise, worthless omega! Somebody shouted. Some dirty water splashed on my face. I bristled and sneezed. My body was not right; it was weak, light. My hands were trembling, and I stared at them. Smaller. Thinner. Full of bruises which were not mine. Mist was knocked against me. I remembered dying. I remembered the blade. Why then was I breathing? “Did you become deaf?” another servant said. “Kitchen duty started already!” I glanced at the crowded room with its shabbiness and terrified faces. Omegas. Dozens of them. None met my eyes. I suddenly started to think of the memories that were not mine, endless chores, hunger, beatings, and loneliness. A name surfaced. Lira. “This corpus was that of an omega called Lira.No. no.” I said to myself and gripped my head. “No…” I whispered, clutching my head. I rose weakly and fell almost on my knees. My wolf was faintly aroused within me, but it felt. different. Older. Like it had been in the world a long time longer than I. I felt fear running up my spine. I did not simply live. I had returned. The pack hall was precisely the same. The long tables. The banners. The boastful warriors laughed at the servants as they ran around them. And me--bearing food, as I had never reigned by them before. Nobody knew who I was. Nobody recalled the woman they carried out. Perfect. I maintained a low head as I stacked up dishes on the tables, having to breathe slowly. Fury glowed under my smooth face, but I smothered it down. I ceased to be a Luna candidate. I was a non-observable omega. And invisible people survived. There was a sudden silence in the hall. Every wolf stood. I stood there frozen with my hands around the tray. I did not look far to know why. Alpha Kael walked in. The atmosphere even appeared to be in motion. Powerful. Dominant. Alive. Alive while I had died. Memories crashed into me, causing my chest to tighten painfully. I had been sentenced by his voice. His silence when I pleaded with him to believe me. Hatred rose first. Then something worse arose. Longing. I despised myself because of it. He passed me, talking to warriors a few words, totally ignorant that the woman he murdered was within the reach of his footsteps. Then he paused. His head was turned a little. His eyes fell on me. A small frown formed on his face. For one terrifying moment, it felt like he could see through me. I lowered my gaze immediately and moved away. Don’t notice me. Don’t remember me. I wasn’t ready. A warrior knocked over a goblet, spilling dark wine across the floor near the Alpha’s seat. “Clean that,” someone barked. I hurried forward and knelt, wiping the liquid with a cloth. My heart pounded violently as Kael stood right beside me. So close. Too close. I could feel his presence like heat against my skin. I reached forward— Suddenly, his hand shot down and grabbed my wrist. The contact sent a shock through my body. His grip tightened instinctively. A low growl escaped his throat. The entire hall went silent. I looked up in shock. His eyes were glowing gold. His wolf was awake. Confused. Hungry. Searching. “What…” he muttered under his breath, staring at me like I was impossible. My wolf stirred violently inside me, responding to him in a way I couldn’t control. Recognition. Pain. Something deeper. Kael’s breathing grew uneven. His fingers tightened before he abruptly released me as if burned. He stepped back, disturbed. The warriors exchanged uneasy looks. I quickly lowered my head again, pretending submission, though my heart raced wildly. Why did he react like that? Why now? I was only an omega. Worthless. Invisible. Yet his wolf had recognized something. Kael continued staring at me long after I moved away, his expression dark with confusion. And for the first time since my rebirth, fear truly settled inside me. Because the man who ordered my death… might already feel drawn to me again. And if he discovered who I really was— Would he kill me a second time? Or worse… Why did his wolf react to a worthless omega like me?