Forsaken by the Alpha

CHAPTR SEVEN-THE PLEA IN SILENCE

The packhouse was alive with its usual chaos, the scent of roasted meat and fresh bread wafting through the halls in Silver Moon Castle.

Selena moved quietly, her steps light as she carried a basket of freshly laundered clothes toward the dining hall. Her shoulders ached from scrubbing the heavy linens earlier, but she kept her head down, avoiding the gazes of the pack members milling about.

A few muttered insults reached her ears, familiar taunts she had long learned to ignore. Selena’s grip tightened on the basket, her nails digging into the rough fabric.

She wanted to snap back, to defend herself, but she knew better. Here, words of defiance only brought more trouble.

She slipped into the kitchen, placing the basket on a corner table. The warmth of the room wrapped around her like a blanket, the crackling fire in the hearth offering a brief reprieve from the cold stares outside. For a moment, she allowed herself to breathe, to let the weight of the day fall away.

But it wasn’t enough. The ache in her chest remained, a constant reminder of the life she endured.

As the sun began to set, Selena found herself in the quiet of her tiny room tucked away near the servants’ quarters. The air was cool, the walls bare except for a small window that overlooked the forest.

She sat on the edge of her worn mattress, her gaze fixed on the rising moon. Its silvery glow bathed the room in soft light, and something about it called to her.

Her hands clenched into fists in her lap as a swell of emotion rose in her chest. She had held it back all day, but now, in the solitude of her room, it spilled over.

“Moon Goddess,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Why me? Why did you let this happen to me?”

The silence that followed was deafening, but Selena pushed forward, her words pouring out like a flood.

“I’ve done everything I could to survive. I’ve endured every insult, every punishment, every ounce of pain. But I can’t keep living like this.” Her voice cracked, and tears slid down her cheeks.

Her fingers brushed against the crescent-shaped mark around her neck, the only thing left of her parents, a small comfort in her anguish.

“I’m turning eighteen soon,” she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I can’t stay like this. Please, Moon Goddess, if you’re listening… pair me with someone strong. Someone who can protect me. Someone who can help me escape this life.”

Her tears fell freely now, staining the fabric of her skirt. She didn’t know if her prayers would be heard, didn’t even know if the Moon Goddess cared. But it was all she had left, a fragile hope in the face of despair.

The sound of footsteps in the hall snapped Selena out of her thoughts. She quickly wiped her tears away, straightening her posture as if bracing for another scolding.

The door creaked open, and Alpha Damian stood in the doorway, his towering presence filling the small room.

Selena’s breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected to see him here, and the intensity of his gaze made her stomach twist.

“What are you doing?” His voice was low, edged with irritation, but there was something else there, something softer that Selena couldn’t quite place.

“I…..I was just about to get back to work,” she stammered, rising to her feet. Her heart raced as his piercing eyes bore into hers.

Damian’s jaw tightened as he stepped inside, his movements slow and deliberate. “You’ve been slacking,” he said, though his tone lacked its usual sharpness.

Selena lowered her gaze, unable to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry, Alpha. I didn’t mean…”

“Save it,” he interrupted, but there was no venom in his words. Instead, he seemed distracted, his gaze lingering on her longer than necessary.

He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming. Selena felt a strange tension in the air, something that made her skin tingle and her heart pound. She didn’t understand it, but it left her feeling vulnerable in a way she hadn’t before.

Damian’s eyes flicked to her neck, where a stray lock of hair had fallen away, revealing the faint crescent-shaped birthmark beneath. His breath hitched, his usual composure slipping for a brief moment.

“Damian?” Seraphina’s voice rang out from the hall, breaking the spell.

The Alpha’s expression hardened instantly, his shoulders straightening as he turned away. “Get back to work,” he said coldly before striding out of the room.

Selena stood frozen, her mind racing. What had just happened? Why had he looked at her like that?

She shook her head, brushing the thought aside. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. To him, she was nothing more than a servant, a burden he had to tolerate.

But as she returned to her tasks, a small, unbidden warmth bloomed in her chest, one she didn’t dare acknowledge.

Damian sat in his study, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. He couldn’t shake the image of Selena’s face, the vulnerability in her eyes, or the strange pull he had felt toward her.

“It’s nothing,” he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. But deep down, he knew it was a lie. Something about her had stirred something within him, something he couldn’t ignore.

Every time she crossed his path, it was as though an invisible force pulled at him, testing the iron walls he had built around his heart. He hated it, the vulnerability she awakened in him, but more than that, he hated the way she made him question everything he thought he knew about himself.

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, his jaw tightening. She was just a servant, a girl with no standing, no importance in the grand scheme of things. Yet, every time he saw her, he couldn’t help but notice the quiet strength in her eyes, the resilience she carried despite her circumstances.

It was infuriating and fascinating all at once. She wasn’t supposed to matter, and yet, she had begun to infiltrate his thoughts, slipping past the defenses he had spent years fortifying.

The crescent mark on her neck haunted him more than he cared to admit. He had seen it clearly tonight, and something about it had felt familiar, almost ancient, as though it carried a story yet to be uncovered.

Why had she been marked? What secrets did it hold? And why did he feel as though its meaning was somehow tied to him?

Damian clenched his fists, frustrated with the questions swirling in his mind. The Moon Goddess had always been cruel to him, but this, pairing him with a girl like Selena, felt like a particularly twisted game.