The Forgotten Omega

Chapter 10: Know Your Place

Chapter 10: Know Your Place

Ava pov…

I jolted awake to someone shaking me.

"Healer! Healer, please! Wake up!"

Alex's voice cracked with panic. My eyes fluttered open, still hazy from sleep. The room was a little bright, the early morning light just starting to creep through the small window.

"What's going on?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.

Alex’s face was drenched in tears. Her hands trembled as she clutched my arm. That was enough to snap me awake. My heart started pounding.

"It’s Catherine!" she cried. "The Luna—she’s punishing her. Please, you have to help her! Please I beg you."

I sat up fast. "What? Why?"

Alex choked back a sob. "This morning, Ali and I woke up before you. Catherine was still sleeping, and she looked so pale. You said she needed rest. So we didn’t wake her. We went to do our chores. We thought the Luna would not notice."

My chest tightened.

"But the Luna found out," Alex continued. "She said Catherine was being lazy and told the guards to drag her out to the park square. Ava, she’s flogging her! In front of everyone! In front of the whole pack."

I didn’t need to hear more. I was already up, my bare feet hitting the cold floor. I threw on the nearest cloak and grabbed Alex’s hand.

"Show me."

We ran. The halls were eerily quiet, but the closer we got to the square, the more I could hear it—the sickening snap of leather meeting skin, and the hushed murmurs of a crowd.

When we reached the park field, I froze. My breath caught in my throat.

Catherine was on her knees, her wrists tied to a wooden post. Her dress was torn down the back, exposing a sea of red welts, blood running in thin rivulets down her spine. Clara stood behind her, holding a long whip, her eyes shining with cruel satisfaction.

No one moved. No one spoke. They just watched, frozen, afraid.

My fists clenched. Heat surged through me, rising up my spine like fire licking my bones.

"Clara!"

The whip paused mid-air. Everyone turned.

She looked over her shoulder, and her lips curled. She let out a soft, mocking laugh and tossed the whip aside, walking toward me with slow, measured steps.

"Well, well," she said sweetly. "You know my name now? Who gave you the right to use it, rogue?"

I didn’t move. I kept my eyes locked on hers. "What kind of Luna beats her own people? What kind of Luna lets a sick girl bleed for resting? That’s not leadership—it’s fear."

Her smile faded. Her eyes narrowed.

"You forget your place," she spat. "You’re a rogue. A thing without a pack. A white-haired freak that nobody wanted. You should be grateful I even let you sleep under this roof."

"And you should be ashamed," I snapped. "Because being a rogue is better than being a Luna no one respects."

Gasps rippled through the silent crowd.

Clara’s jaw tightened. She stepped closer, her voice low with venom. "I should tear you apart for that. But I won’t. Not yet. You’re only here because you’re treating the Alpha. Step out of line again, and I’ll end you."

I raised my chin. "All you know is punishment. No wonder your people flinch at the sound of your name."

Her hands twitched at her sides. She looked back at Catherine with a sneer, then turned to me. "She’s a maid. A slave. She doesn’t get to sleep. I say who rests and who bleeds."

I took a step forward. "She was sick. Even if she’s a maid, she’s still a person. Or does that not matter in your kingdom of fear?"

She laughed. "A maid doesn’t have the right to exist. And you? You’re even lower than her."

I bit down on my rage. My fists trembled. I was one second from lunging at her, but I forced myself to breathe. I wasn’t here for revenge. I wasn’t here for drama. I was here to do my job and leave.

But this? This was too far.

I stepped toward Catherine. "I’m taking her. She needs care. I’ll bring her to the room and care for her."

Clara’s eyes flared. "You dare?"

I didn’t answer. I turned.

The moment my back faced her, I heard the whistle of the whip.

It never touched me.

I turned fast, my hand raised. The whip stopped mid-air, caught by an unseen force. My eyes burned, and I felt it—power flaring just beneath my skin. The whip dropped to the ground.

Clara stared at me. "So that’s it. An Omega with a trick. No wonder they threw you away. Weak and cursed."

I stepped forward and snatched the whip from the ground, throwing it far from her reach. "You don’t get to define me. You never did."

I turned toward Catherine again.

"Get her!" Clara shouted.

Suddenly, two guards rushed me, grabbing my arms. I struggled, but I didn’t fight back—not yet.

"Pin her down!" Clara barked. "Let’s remind her where she stands."

They forced me to the ground. Dirt pressed into my palms as I tried to twist free, but I stopped myself from releasing the power building in my chest.

Clara picked up the whip, holding it high above her head.

"Let’s see if your pride holds up after this."

She stepped closer, the leather drawn back. I tensed, my body coiled, ready to move—

And then a voice, loud and sharp, cut through the air.

"Enough!"

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