MARKED BY DECEPTION

Maybe in another life I wasn’t an omega,but in this one? I was, and that sadly meant I had to do things I didn’t want to do.Spying on an Alpha, for example. It was not my first time.Apparently my intelligence and skills were only good enough for the dirty work,almost as if that was all I was made for. Thankfully, this was going to be the last mission I had to do before I was finally free from this cursed title of omega. That was what Alpha Brandon had promised, if he kept to his words or not— it was my last. “My loyal servants—”, he started to address us, his tone was full of sarcasm, the mockery was evident but I listened intently regardless as my Alpha leader, Brandon spoke to us. We were five omegas kneeling before him on this cold cemented floor, the ‘chosen’ ones for his new mission. We had been dragged roughly from our quarters earlier, as if we had committed a crime. Imagine how surprised I was to find out we had passed his stupid test. In his palace, it was very easy to notice that I was the only female amongst the five of us that were picked.Seeing this,I already knew my intended role.Seduction. “And you Laura-”, I rolled my eyes as Alpha Brandon spoke to me. Laura? Who was that? Certainly not me. How many years working for him and he still wouldn’t say my name right.Lyra was not hard, he just wanted to make sure I knew how forgettable I was. As if my family abandoning me wasn’t enough of a reminder. “You must find your way into his palace,and find favour within his eyes”, he looked straight into my eyes, in an attempt to make me nervous, it didn’t work. Eye contact did not make me have sweaty palms. “You know what I mean,” he said. It was his favourite role to give me, I was used to it by now. ‘Lyra, the seductress’, that’s what some of the omegas used to call me, their way of shaming me. I made more money than them, and I was closer to freedom than they could dream of, and that was my consolation. “Lyra?!”, he called out my name loudly when I had said nothing. His voice echoing through the barely filled room. Oh, so he knew my name after all. I looked up and met his hardened face, arrogance and his bruised ego visible through his bulging eyes. I knew just what to say to fix that already bruised ego of his,“Yes my lord”, I said, bowing before him. I could see the smirk on his face as I lifted my head. It worked every time, he loved when he was called ‘Lord’. The feeling that he owned us made him feel like a lottery winner. “What a bastard” I cursed beneath my breath. Not loud enough for anyone to hear of course. I could not wait to be let out.Sometimes, I tell myself, maybe I should be flattered that my beauty brought such powerful jobs but I was not. I was tired, tired of being an end to a means. Used to bring men to their ruin and nothing more. If he trusted me with something else, something more relevant, he’d be surprised at the outcome, I was ten times smarter than all the men here combined. I was certain, I put in the work to make sure I was not just a beauty without a brain, what that they had stereotyped me to be. My gaze left his hardened face and focused on the men that knelt beside me.They nodded sheepishly to every word he instructed them, eyes glued to the man who sat on the throne before them. I wondered if they shared my dream, the dream of being free. I dreamt of it every night and day. I didn’t want to scrub the floors anymore, or serve a group of hungry men who would rather eat me than the meal I and the other female omegas tiredly made. My eyes settled on Simon as Alpha Brandon talked to him. He seemed very comfortable being his dog. He jumped at every command, and was always so eager to report everything. Yet he was still nothing but a godforsaken omega. Shameful. If I were not desperate to be free,I would not be here, but Simon? He was comfortable in his position and was only here to favour his dearest alpha. “Cornelius, you on the other hand should find a way to gain favour in the eye of one of the elders. There will always be one greedy enough to sell their king”. With the way Alpha Brandon spoke, it sounded like a plan he was well confident in. How many months did it take him to he plan this? He was not the brightest in the room. “Yes my Lord”, Cornelius bowed before him. I could tell why he was given that role, he looked a bit older than us by ten years at least,grey hair had outnumbered his black hair and his wrinkled face had given into nature. It was definitely going to be easier for an elder to relate with him more than Simon or the other two men who knelt beside him. They were brothers, Jeremiah and John. I had just learnt their names this evening, although I had seen Jeremiah around a couple of times around the bar. He looked older than John by five years.John looked very young,too young to be here, I almost had pity on him. When he finished assigning our roles, he looked at Timothy, his beta“Alpha Darius, wouldn’t know what hit him”, he let out a throaty evil laugh that echoed through the room. Timothy joined in, as well as his gamma. He his gaze fell upon us mid laughter , the men joined in the laughter. I faked a smile. He cleared his throat, “You report to Simon at the end of every week,”he instructed. Simon smiled, he loved that role, it always made him feel more important than he was. The last mission I had with him was unbearable. What a control freak. I wish he died there, maybe this time around, I’d be so lucky and he would. One of the guards by his right handed him a wooden box, he opened it. “Any one who disobeys will have their head on this platter”, he held out a silver platter, and laughed hysterically again. I looked at it imagining my head being on it.My imagination was cut short by his call; “Arise!”. We did as we were told, I cleaned my knees that now had dust of cement on them. “come closer!”, he commanded. I knew what was next, it was time to swear our loyalty to him. As instructed, I placed my hand on my left chest, the very place my heart was, I spoke; “I, Lyra pledge my loyalty to the Shadow pack, my life and strength yours to command” A fulfilled smile crept on his face as we all said that. He was on cloud nine right now,if only he knew they were nothing but mere words to me. “Go forth, and make me proud”, he commanded. I was only loyal to myself.