WHEN THE MOON BINDS US

CHAPTER ONE MAYA’S POV “Faster, Omega!” a warrior barked. He obviously wasn’t an Omega like me. His voice made me flinch, and my arms trembled. Good for me, the tray stacked with food in my hands didn’t find its way to the ground. The smell of roasted meat and herbs filled my nostrils as the plates rattled. I held on to the tray tightly like my life depended on it. My life did depend on it, actually. “The Alpha is waiting!” my ears caught. I had no idea who the speaker was. The tall, strong, and beautiful pack girls laughed hysterically, making a mockery of no other werewolf than me, the useless and wolfless Omega. My eyes were on the floor as I quickened my pace. I had to arrive at my destination on time, or I would pay dearly for it in an inhuman way. “Careful, Maya. Don’t drop the Alpha’s food. You wouldn’t want him to see how useless you are,” one of them sneered. I bit the inside of my cheek and kept walking. The only thing I could do was ignore them. It was what I had been doing for the longest time, and I had gotten used to it. “Pathetic,” another girl hissed. “Why was an Omega asked to serve the Alpha?” Kendra showed up in front of me and asked, her arms crossed. She stood in my way, so I had no option but to pause. I made sure our eyes didn’t lock, or it would trigger something. I wasn’t on a mission to get on anyone’s nerves. Often, she overplayed her role. She might have been Alpha Damien’s childhood sweetheart, but she acted as if she were already his mate. “Let me have it,” she ordered and shoved the tray before I could hand it over to her. Plates crashed against the floor, and food splattered everywhere. Gasps filled the air, followed by another round of hysterical laughter. I couldn’t believe my eyes, and they got teary instantly. What would I tell Alpha Damien? I took a glance at Kendra, and she didn’t act like she was remorseful. “The next time you’re asked to serve the Alpha by a chef, let the chef know that you aren’t worthy to serve him,” Kendra spat. I dropped to my knees and hurried to clean up the mess. I knew I would take the fall for this and not Kendra. Perks of being a wolfless Omega. “I’m off to the kitchen to grab dinner for the Alpha,” she announced. The other girls present had gone mute. They dared not speak whenever Kendra was speaking. She was one of the strongest maidens in the pack, so she couldn’t be tried. They were all in the mansion because a feast would be held later that day. It was to celebrate the remembrance of the late Alpha, Alpha Damien’s father. “You’ll survive. You’ve got this,” I affirmed. It was one of my favorite things to do. I picked up a shard of glass, and it cut my finger. My blood spilled on the floor, and I instantly felt a type of way I had never felt before, like a dormant part of me had just erupted. “Look at her,” one of the pack girls mumbled while walking past me. I raised my head and found out they were all walking away in groups. None of them offered to help. None of them. “I was delusional to think any of them would help,” I muttered. Alpha Damien might not punish me for this because Kendra would get him something else to eat. I kept on bleeding, but I still had to clear the mess. The moon was out, and the feast had begun. The courtyard was alive with music and laughter, and the smiles on the faces of the pack citizens were contagious. I stood at the edge. I could only watch from afar. I wasn’t worthy enough to sit among the pack citizens or even stand next to my fellow slaves. “Omega, over here!” a young male werewolf shouted, waving me toward their table. I didn’t bother to give a response before heading in his direction. “Open the wine and serve every one of us,” the werewolf who called me ordered after I got to his table. He could have done that by himself, but no, he didn’t. “What is wrong with me?” I asked myself after a strong, sharp, and intoxicating scent hit me. Earlier, I had felt like something had erupted within me, and now this. I would love to believe that it was a result of the influence of the full moon. A wine glass slipped from my hand, causing me to splash a little wine onto the table. Thankfully, no one noticed, or a hot slap might have landed on my cheek. “I’d better grab a seat.” “Alpha Damien!” The words slipped out of my mouth. After I turned to leave, I found a figure obstructing my way. After taking a good look at the figure, I realized it was Alpha Damien. I hadn’t just screamed his name for no reason. The young, slightly muscular Alpha stood tall. The moonlight shone upon his face, and his gray eyes landed on me. He wouldn’t move aside, and I dared not walk out on him just because I needed to grab a seat so I could get a hold of myself. My wolf stirred faintly, and I wasn’t surprised because she did that occasionally. My knees weakened, and my senses heightened suddenly. Mate. A word I had never expected to hear from my wolf. She had just whispered it to me, and I was sure about what I heard. I gasped, and my hand landed on my chest. Every beat of my heart screamed it. Alpha Damien was my mate. “The Alpha and the Omega?” Alpha Damien asked. That was his way of telling me that he felt it too. The moon goddess must have made a mistake by making me Alpha Damien’s mate. My eyes were tightly closed while I waited for his next set of words to me.