His Hybrid Mate And His Mistress

LEAH’S POV "Two thousand one hundred and ninety days". I murmured to myself as I dragged the marker down the wall, the black line joining the other old lines like another scar on my soul. It was now six years. Six brutal years since my parents were killed, and the Silver Wolf Pack took me in, or rather, took me in as a prisoner. I stepped back, eyes tracing the tally marks that covered the hidden corner of the storage shed like a calendar of pain. I was almost eighteen now, no longer the scared little half-breed girl they’d first broken. But some habits refuse to die, even when hope has. I wasn’t a runt but my blood was the problem. Half human. Half wolf. A living insult to everything the pack stood for. They made sure I never forgot it because I was even lesser than the omegas. Omegas in this pack were protected by pack law, given small mercies and roles to fulfill. I had none of that. I was lower than trash. Something to be used, broken, and discarded for sport. A reminder that the mighty Silver Wolf Pack could crush anything impure. Silently I wiped the dust from my hands and leaned against the wall, wincing as fresh bruises protested. But I had nothing to do, I had to go and my chores. With a heavy sigh, I pushed off the wall and slipped out of the shed before anyone came looking for me. The moment I stepped into the open, the familiar knot of dread tightened in my gut. Chores for me weren’t like the omegas’. They got to wash clothes by the river or help in the kitchens under supervision. I got the worst of it: scrubbing the warriors’ blood-stained training gear until my fingers bled, hauling massive barrels of waste from the slaughter pens, and cleaning the alpha’s private latrines with nothing but a rag and my bare hands. I kept my head down as I crossed the compound, eyes fixed on the dirt. However just as I walked, the first whistle came from behind me and I instantly knew what the hell was going to happen to me. “Hey, half-breed! Where do you think you’re going?” Gamma Kael’s voice made my steps falter. Before I could answer, a hard shove sent me sprawling face-first onto the floor. Laughter erupted from the group of warriors nearby. “On your knees where you belong,” one of them sneered. A boot pressed between my shoulder blades, grinding me deeper into the filth. “Omegas at least know their place. You? You’re just a walking instead of doing your chores.” Gamma Kael spoke. “I was going to start my chores right now”, I bit back the cry of pain as another kick landed against my already bruised ribs. “Just right now?!” Gamma Kael called out. “You so lazy.” He tilted the cup he had in his hands and carelessly poured the rest of his drink onto the ground right in front of me, creating a sticky puddle of ale and dirt. “Clean it up right now.” He ordered. I stopped, staring at the mess. Something inside me cracked and for once I kept my eyes down but didn’t move. I was really done with their disrespect. “I said clean it up right now with your mouth”, His boot suddenly connected with my face so fast I didn’t see it coming. Pain exploded across my nose and cheek. I staggered back, tasting blood instantly. Warm liquid poured down over my lips and chin. My nose was bleeding heavily now, dripping onto my torn shirt and the floor. Laughter erupted all around me again. Gamma Kael threw his head back, howling with amusement as I cupped my hands under my nose, trying to stop the flow. “Look at her! The mutt’s finally leaking!” someone shouted. “Even her blood smells weak,” another added. Rage boiled up inside me, hot and blinding. I was tired, tired of the kicks, the claws and the humiliation. For a second, I didn’t care that I was half their size. I balled my bloody fists and started to rise, ready to lunge at Kael even if it got me killed. But before I could fully stand, the entire atmosphere shifted. The laughter died instantly. The warriors straightened, lowering their heads in respect. A heavy, commanding presence rolled over the training grounds like a storm front. My wolf instincts screamed in warning… and something else. Something deeper. A pull. I slowly lifted my gaze. Alpha Damien stood there, tall and imposing, his powerful frame cutting through the crowd like a blade. His ocean blue eyes locked onto mine, and the world tilted instantly. Mate. The word slammed into me with such force I nearly dropped to my knees again. This couldn’t be real. The Alpha of the Silver Wolf Pack was my mate? The same man who had allowed me to be treated like vermin for six years. He won’t accept me. He already has a childhood girlfriend, everyone knows that. Amelia, the beautiful pure-blood female who’s been by his side since they were pups. She’s everything I’m not. I waited for the disgust. I waited for the rejection I knew was coming. His lip would curl any second now. He would spit on me like the rest of them and order them to finish what they started. But he didn’t. Instead, his jaw tightened, and a dangerous growl rumbled from his chest. His eyes flashed with fury as he looked at the flowing blood on my face, then at Kael and the others. “Take her to the infirmary. Now,” he ordered, his voice low and seething with barely contained rage. “If anyone touches her again before I deal with this, I will rip their throat out myself.” He added. Shock rippled through the pack. Kael paled and stepped back immediately. Two warriors moved toward me hesitantly, but Damien’s glare stopped them from getting too rough. As they helped me up, actually helped me, I could only stare at the Alpha in stunned silence, blood still dripping from my nose and my heart hammering with confusion Was I really dreaming or?