THE ALPHA KING'S DESPISED OMEGA

🌑Chapter 4: Beneath the Alpha’s Shadow

The sunlight spilled weakly through the small window of my room, brushing my cheek with a warmth that felt alien after the chill of the forest. My body ached in places I hadn’t known could hurt. Knees bruised, arms scraped, and my chest still throbbed from the pulsing bond that tethered me to him.

I wanted to pretend nothing had happened—that the forest, the glowing eyes, the whispered guidance, was nothing but a dream. But the ache in my chest told me otherwise. I could still feel the fire of the wolf, the pulse of the bond, and the lingering words in my mind:

“Not yet. You are not weak, child of the moon.”

The moment of reprieve was short-lived. A sharp pounding on my door made my head spin. My stomach clenched. Visitors this early meant only one thing.

“Evelyn!” Cassandra’s voice rang through the thin wooden walls. Sharp, imperious, and dripping with disdain. “Up, omega. The Alpha expects all of us at training. That includes the… rejects.”

Laughter bubbled behind her. My chest sank. She had come specifically to drag me into the spotlight again, to remind me of my shame, to humiliate me further.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself upright. “I… I’m coming,” I whispered, voice trembling.

The door burst open before I could finish, and two of her companions shoved me forward. Cassandra followed, eyes glinting cruelly in the morning light.

“Move faster, pathetic omega,” she hissed. “Do you want everyone to see how weak you really are?”

I kept my gaze down, legs shaky beneath me, arms trembling. My heart raced in anticipation of another public spectacle of humiliation. The memories of the forest—of surviving, of feeling even a flicker of power—made me pause for just a fraction of a second. But the pack would not forgive hesitation.

The training grounds were alive with movement. Warriors sparred, their bodies glistening with sweat, claws and teeth flashing as they shifted seamlessly into wolf form. The ground vibrated with the rhythm of their snarls and growls. Omegas hurried around, carrying trays, polishing weapons, obeying without complaint.

And then my gaze caught him.

Lucien.

He stood in the center, muscles taut, golden eyes scanning the training grounds like a predator assessing prey. Even from a distance, the pull of the bond in my chest tightened, stabbing at me with every heartbeat. I wanted to look away, to hide, but my legs moved against my will.

His gaze met mine for a brief moment—sharp, cold, almost painful—and then he turned back to the sparring warriors as if I did not exist.

Not existing was exactly what he wanted me to feel.

I tried to blend into the shadows, clutching the hem of my plain dress. But the pack never let an omega go unnoticed. Whispers started immediately.

“There she is. The rejected one.”

“Did you see her face? Still trembling from yesterday.”

“Pathetic.”

My cheeks burned, and my palms ached as I gripped my dress. I wanted to sink into the ground, to disappear entirely, but there was nowhere to hide.

And then the inevitable command came.

“Bring her forward.”

The words cut across the training grounds, crisp and uncompromising. Every head turned. Every whisper stopped mid-breath. My knees nearly gave way as two warriors seized my arms, dragging me into the center of the circle.

I stumbled, trying to regain my balance, trying to find some shred of dignity I could clutch. I could feel all eyes on me, burning into my back, my shoulders, my shame.

Lucien’s lips curled into a small, cruel smirk as he stepped closer. “You want to be Luna, don’t you?” His voice rang across the grounds, carrying over the murmurs and gasps. “Let’s see what a Luna you would make.”

My stomach twisted violently. “I… I don’t…”

“You will fight,” he interrupted, motioning to one of the female warriors. “Show me what you are worth.”

The warrior stepped forward eagerly, cracking her knuckles, grin wide with anticipation. I was frozen. My body screamed that I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t capable. I had never trained in combat. I had never lifted a weapon properly. I wasn’t even supposed to be here.

“Please,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I… I can’t.”

“You will,” Lucien growled, eyes narrowing. “Or you’ll show everyone exactly what I know to be true. That you are weak. Worthless. Nothing.”

The words cut deeper than claws ever could. The pack erupted into laughter, cruel and wild. I tried to shield my face with trembling hands as the warrior lunged at me. I stumbled backward, barely dodging, scraping my hands against the hard ground.

Pain lanced through my arms, dirt embedding in fresh scrapes. My body burned, sweat stinging my eyes, but I refused to collapse completely. Not here. Not yet.

Cassandra laughed, leaning forward, her voice like a blade. “Can’t even stand, pathetic omega. This is what the Alpha saw. Nothing but weakness.”

Lucien’s gaze never left me, cold, assessing, as if measuring the depth of my suffering. I could almost hear the bond screaming, the fire in my veins flaring in response to the humiliation. My chest ached, my body trembling, yet still I rose, step by painful step.

Finally, Lucien raised a hand. The sparring warrior stepped back reluctantly, eyes filled with satisfaction.

“Enough,” he said. His voice was calm, but each word carried weight that pressed down like iron.

I sank to my knees, chest heaving, lip split, palms bleeding from the rough ground. My vision blurred with tears, but I forced myself not to crumble entirely. I could not give them victory. Not fully.

Lucien stepped closer, boots crunching against the earth, shadow falling over me. His presence alone was suffocating, yet mesmerizing.

“Look at me,” he commanded.

I raised my chin, trembling, golden eyes meeting his. His gaze was piercing, unwavering, almost unbearable.

“You will never be my Luna,” he said, voice low but carrying across the circle. “You are nothing. Remember that.”

The pack cheered, the sound like knives slicing through my chest. I could feel the bond screaming, yet there was no comfort, only pain.

I bit down on my lip, tasting iron. I wanted to scream, to demand the Moon Goddess explain why she had cursed me with this bond, why she had tied me to a man who could crush me with a word. But no sound came.

Lucien’s back straightened, and he walked away as though I were air, leaving me trembling, broken, yet unwilling to fully collapse.

By the time I returned to my room, every step was agony. Bruises painted my skin, lips split, pride shattered. I curled into myself on the thin mattress, clutching my pillow, sobs shaking me from inside out.

Why? Why did the Moon Goddess choose me, only to tie me to someone who despised me?

I pressed my hands against my chest, feeling the pulsing bond. Pain radiated outward, sharp and relentless. I knew then that I could not remain here, trapped in both the pack’s cruelty and Lucien’s icy dominance. I needed air. I needed the forest.

By nightfall, I slipped outside, bare feet cold against the earth. The whispers returned, soft, insistent.

“Child of the moon…”

My pulse quickened. I glanced around. The trees swayed in the pale moonlight. Shadows twisted, stretched. And then, from between the branches, a hand reached out. Not threatening, but firm.

Lucien’s golden eyes stared into mine, wild and unreadable.

“What are you doing out here?” he growled. “Do you have a death wish?”

My lips parted, no words forming. His scent—spice, cedarwood, storm—wrapped around me, intoxicating, painful, impossible.

“You think you can just wander into the forest?” he hissed. “Do you know what waits there?”

“I… I needed… air,” I whispered.

His jaw clenched. For a long moment, silence stretched, the forest holding its breath with me. Then his lips curved into a small, cruel smile.

“You’re pathetic,” he hissed, shoving me gently yet firmly back toward the pack house. “Stay in your place. Or next time, I won’t save you from what waits in those woods.”

My body trembled. My pulse thundered, but beneath fear, a strange ember glowed—a memory of the forest, of the glowing eyes, of whispered guidance. Survival, I realized, was something I could claim. Even here, even broken, I was beginning to understand it.

And the forest whispered still, patient, eternal, promising more.

Soon…