OUTCAST: Bow Before The Omega

CHAPTER FOUR

"Are you blind, Artemis?" Luna Aria's voice cracked like a whip as she kicked the bucket of water I’d been using to mop her and the Alpha's room. The soapy water spilled across the floor; I’d just scrubbed it spotless, undoing hours of effort.

I flinched, forcing myself to keep my gaze low. Two days had passed since I’d been framed, and already my body felt like it might give out. I barely managed three hours of sleep each night, and my limbs screamed from relentless labor. The hunger gnawed at me too, but pride had stopped me from touching the Alpha’s leftovers on my first day. By the second day, desperation and Aria's threat to deny me even that forced me to eat scraps just to survive.

Now, the Luna loomed over me, her piercing gaze cutting as deep as her words. "Did you forget there's a doorknob to clean?" She barked, her boot stepping purposefully into the water, creating fresh mud streaks for me to clean.

"I was going to," I murmured, keeping my tone soft to avoid provoking her. "I planned to wipe it last, after making sure I left no trace behind."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You dare talk back to me?"

Before I could reply, her boot struck my temple, sending me sprawling. The slick floor betrayed me, and I fell hard, my face splashing into the dirty, soapy water. A sharp pain radiated through my body, but worse than the ache was the humiliation.

Tears blurred my vision as I tried to lift myself up, only for her mocking laughter to ring in my ears. "Oh, so you can cry," she sneered, her voice dripping with scorn. "Maybe if you'd learned to keep that mouth shut."

"What did I ever do to you?" I snapped, my voice breaking despite my effort to hold it steady. I glared at her through the sting of tears. "You've hated me since the day I met you. Why?"

Her laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by an icy smile that sent a shiver down my spine. She bent over and grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking hard enough to make me gasp in pain.

"You cursed me," she hissed through gritted teeth, her eyes flickering with yellowish light.

"Cursed you?!" I managed, gripping her wrist in a feeble attempt to free myself. “You said you're innocent; why are you scared of a stupid w***e’s curse?”

Before she could reply, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hall. Her grip loosened, and her demeanor shifted in an instant. She leaned in close, her breath warm against my ear. "We'll talk again... soon," she whispered darkly.

The Alpha appeared in the doorway, his sharp eyes sweeping the room before landing on the mess. His brows furrowed. "Aria, what’s going on here?"

Her transformation into a concerned, compassionate figure was so seamless it made my stomach churn. "I was passing by and saw she’d fallen," she said sweetly, gesturing to me. "I couldn’t just leave her there."

Her words twisted in my chest like a knife. I looked at Alpha Asher, my eyes pleading for even a sliver of mercy. Surely he remembered all my grandmother had done for him—all the lives she’d saved. But his expression remained unreadable, and the hesitation in his eyes wasn’t enough to spark hope.

"Wait for me downstairs," he said finally, in a clipped tone.

Aria tilted her head, clearly unsettled. "Why?"

"Because your presence is required," he replied curtly, still staring at me.

Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t argue further. She turned on her heel and left, but not before throwing me one last venomous glare over her shoulder.

The room fell silent except for the sound of water dripping onto the floor. My heart pounded as the Alpha stood there, his gaze still not readable. For a fleeting moment, I thought he might say something, but when he didn't, I gathered my things and was going to ask politely for him to get out of the way, but he held me by the arm, and for a split second, I could swear I felt something electric shoot through me, sending my chest heaving fast.

“Artie,” he began, his voice struggling to be calm. “About what happened—”

“You could’ve said something in my defense—”

“I’m the alpha,” he stated firmly.

“Then there is nothing to talk about in secret, my king.” I interrupt, quietly battling the tears that wanted to spill down. In the past he was like an elder brother to me. Whenever there was a war and his father, the alpha, was off to fight, he would be entrusted to my grandmother; then he, Calum, and I would do everything together. Hell, our parents even died together, and rumors say my father was protecting his father when a sword was driven through his heart. But how swiftly the tables have turned. He is the one watching me get crucified.

I was going to walk away from him, but he gripped my arm firmly once more, and the electricity shot through me again, painful this time. I yanked my arm away from him. “You’re hurting me.”

An angry look surfaced on his countenance, and he gritted his teeth. “I don't want this for you,” he said sincerely, “but you brought this on yourself. Infidelity? Really? You and Calum have been together—

“Your majesty, with all due respect, the stables won't clean themselves,” I said, refusing to be hurt further. “And in case you forgot, it is unrighteous for the king to be found with me, a harlot with no shame, no self-respect, and—”

“Stop it, Starr!” he ordered, his eyes flickering yellowish. “You are like… a sister to me, and I am trying to find a way to help you, but you have to cooperate. Now, I won't ask you twice: tell me whom you were with, and maybe I could find something—”

“And you still believe I did it? You know what, Gray, just leave me be. If you want to help, take care of my grandmother; I’ll serve; I’ll take the blame lest she be killed. Now if you will excuse me, your omega must make our beloved pack look good for all the self-proclaimed innocent members.”

I walked out of his room and descended the stairs with tears streaming down my face.

*****

About an hour after I was done with the palace, I was down at the stables cleaning. I heard female voices approaching from the distance. Training was over, and they had dispersed.

“Did you know that the most disgusting thing in the night sky is the star?” I heard a distinct voice, Catherine’s, say, then the others with her broke into laughter.

“They’re crowded like a female with multiple s*x partners,” another chipped in, causing them to laugh once more.

Rage began to simmer beneath my skin, and I curled my fingers into a fist. Now more than ever, I wished Sia was here so I'd leave a beautiful scar across their faces.

Finally, four girls walked in with Catherine in the lead, each holding a training bag in hand.

“There you are,” Catherine hissed, a smirk dancing around her lips.

I exhaled loudly, setting down the dirty bucket of water I was using and bracing myself for whatever they had planned for me. The four cupped their noses and stopped approximately three meters away from me. Catherine suddenly began to turn pale; I could tell she was allergic to the horse-dunked place. She cleared her throat and forced a smile.

“Artie,” she began, “I know we haven't been the best of friends—”

“We’re not friends,” I managed, with a straight face.

“Fine, but I need your help,” she stated. That caught me off guard. She didn't say anything for what seemed like forever, and neither did I, but I cleared my throat, and she went on. “Calum asked me out tonight, and I was wondering if you could give me some tips on how to make him feel good… you know since you two have been much closer over the years. I’m kind of his… second chance mate.”

It felt like I was drowning all over again, just as I had when his rejection echoed through me two days ago, stripping me of any hope I had foolishly clung to. This wasn’t just betrayal—it was obliteration.

Jealousy filled my insides, and all I could envision was jumping on Catherine and tearing her to shreds, but what if she was just teasing, or what if she wanted me to make my case worse?

I couldn’t give her that satisfaction. “I’m happy for you two,” I said, although it wasn't true. “Just…” I paused and walked up to her. I sensed her shiver within when my face got closer to hers. “Just don’t do anything to hurt him, or else I will find you, and I will hurt you in ways you can never fathom; that’s what I can tell you.”

She growled, and my attention was quickly shifted to her claws, which had elongated. She swiped it across my face, but I caught her wrist firmly, my heart pounding as I knew she was much stronger than I was now that I was wolfless.

Just then, the two betas that had come to my grandma’s with the luna appeared at the entrance wearing grim looks.

“Artemis Starr, you’re under arrest,” one of them voiced, causing my heart to seize beating.

“W-what?”