Contracted to the Alpha

Lucia learned, that night, that a house could forget you long before it threw you out. The rain had already started when her stepmother called her name not loudly and not angrily, but with the careful softness that always meant something was about to be taken away.She definitely recognized that voice . Always. Unsure of what's ahead for her, Lucia stood in the narrow hallway, barefooted, and the cold seeping into her skin,as she listened to the sound of her own heartbeat. “Lucia,” her stepmother said again. “Come here.” She obeyed like she always did. It was a subconscious and reflex move. The living room was too bright and every light bulbs was switched on as though to expose her. Her father sat still on the couch, his eyes fixed on the floor. Beside him stood her stepsister, arms crossed,her lips curved in a smile she didn’t bother to hide. Afraid,Lucia’s chest tightened. No one smiled unless there was trouble. “There’s been enough trouble,” her stepmother said calmly. “Enough embarrassment at that” Lucia swallowed, pausing for a while and lifting her eyes up to her stepmother. “I don’t understand.” Her stepsister laughed softly. “Of course you can't.” The words came quickly after that, as though they were rehearsed and they were sharp. Accusations of disobedience. Of attracting the wrong attention. Of bringing shame to the family. Of being… what she was. An Omega. The word wasn’t spoken aloud, but it hung in the air like a law verdict.And Lucia had known it and been so familiar with it since her first shift failed to come properly. It was the norm, Omegas were often tolerated and pitied at worst. They were not meant to take up space. They were meant to serve. Her father finally looked at her . And for one moment,Lucia hoped he would say something. Anything at all But his eyes were empty and without emotions, like a man already mourning something he ha chosen to lose himself “You should go,” he said quietly. “Go?” Lucia repeated as her eyes blinked rapidly. “Where?” Her stepmother stepped forward and placed a small bag at Lucia’s feet. It was light. Too light. A few clothes. Nothing else. “We’ve arranged something for you,” she said. “You’ll be taken care of.” Lucia stared at the bag. “Arranged… what?” “A solution,” her stepsister replied sweetly as though it was the best they had to offer . No one answered her questions. No one explained. And just like that, the house she had grown up in ,the walls that echoed with the memory of her mother’s laughter, turned its back on her and is suddenly becoming an history. And just then,The door closed behind her with a sound that echoed far louder than it should have. Lucia stood in the rain for a long moment, unmoving, as if waiting for the world to correct itself. Only that,It didn’t. The rain soaked into her clothes, plastering her hair to her face, and blurring the lights of the street ahead. She picked up the bag, thankfully it wasn't heavy and began to walk, not because she knew where she was going, but because standing still hurt more. After walking a mile,an unfamiliar black car pulled up beside her silently.The window rolled down, revealing a man she did not recognize. He did not smile. “Lucia,” he said, like it was a confirmation, not a greeting. “Get in.” Something in his tone warned her not to argue. She stopped for a second and then opened the door and slid inside. The warmth of the car was jarring after the cold. “Where are you taking me?” she asked. “To sign something,” he replied. She frowned. “What kind of something?” “A paperwork,I think you should save your self the trouble of thinking too far.” That should have scared her more than it did. But fear had limits, and Lucia had reached hers hours ago. As the car moved ,she tried to ask more questions, but the man said nothing else. In no time,they arrived at a tall and old building, its stone walls etched with symbols she didn’t recognize. The air felt different there ,thicker and quite heavier. She was led inside a long corridor, and into a room where a single table waited beneath dim lights. The papers were laid out neatly and a pen rested on top of it. “Read it,” the man said calmly but enough to make her uneasy. Lucia scanned the pages, confusion knotting her stomach. The words blurred together : terms, obligations, seals. Her name was written clearly at the bottom. “This is about… marriage?” she whispered. The man did not react. “Sign.” Her hand trembled as she searched the man's eyes. “To who?” There was a pause. “You don’t need to know that yet.” Lucia laughed coldly, weak and disbelieving. “I don’t even know where I’ll sleep tonight.” “That will be provided.” he said flatly. Something deep inside her rebelled, a quiet, aching resistance. But hunger, exhaustion, and years of being told she had no choice pressed down on her all at once. So she signed. The moment the pen lifted from the page, the room seemed to breathe. Lucia felt it that moment ,a strange pull in her chest.It was sharp and sudden, like a thread tightening around her heart. She gasped, clutching at her shirt. “Did you feel that?” she asked. The man was already gathering the papers. “It’s done.” “What did I just do?” she whispered. He opened the door. “You’ve just changed your life.” Lucia stepped back into the night, unaware that she had bound herself to the Alpha of the Full Moon Pack, unaware that fate had already marked her.