The rejected omega

Elena knew she was unwanted long before anyone said it aloud. She could see it in the way her adoptive mother looked at her every morning. Like Elena was a stain that refused to disappear. She could hear it in the sighs whenever she entered a room. And she felt it most painfully whenever the other girls in the village shifted away from her because she was the only Omega without a wolf. At nineteen, Elena had learned not to complain. Complaining only made things worse. She stood barefoot in the small kitchen, her fingers wrapped around the handle of a heavy wooden bucket. Her long dark hair was tied loosely behind her head, with several strands falling across her face as she scrubbed the floor. The water was freezing. Her hands were already red. But she kept scrubbing. “Are you planning to stand there all morning?” Her adoptive mother's voice came from behind her. Elena immediately lowered her head. “No, Mother.” “Then move faster.” “Yes, Mother.” She scrubbed harder. The woman walked past her without another word. Elena watched her disappear through the doorway before quietly releasing the breath she had been holding. She didn't remember the last time she'd been called beautiful. Or precious. Or even loved. She only remembered being called useless. Hopeless. Wolfless. A burden. When Elena had turned eighteen, everyone had expected her wolf to awaken. It never did. While other young wolves celebrated their first transformations, Elena had sat alone in the woods, waiting for something—anything—to stir inside her. Nothing came. No wolf. No howl. No connection. Nothing. The village healer had examined her and declared her an anomaly. A defective Omega. Those words had spread quickly. Since then, Elena had become the subject of whispers. Some said she was cursed. Others said the Moon Goddess had abandoned her. Elena didn't know which was worse. She only knew that she had spent the last year trying to prove that she could still be useful. She cooked. She cleaned. She fetched water. She worked from dawn until midnight. And still, it wasn't enough. “Leave that.” Elena looked up. Her adoptive father stood in the doorway. He rarely spoke to her. When he did, it was usually because he wanted something. “I've finished the floor,” Elena said softly. “I said leave it.” She slowly stood. Her knees ached from kneeling. “Yes, Father.” He looked at her for a long moment. There was something strange in his eyes. Elena noticed it immediately. Fear. No. Calculation. Her stomach tightened. “Did I do something wrong?” Her father scoffed. “You always do something wrong.” Elena's eyes dropped. “I'm sorry.” “You should be.” He walked away. Elena remained standing in the kitchen, confused. Something was different today. She could feel it. A few minutes later, she heard voices coming from the sitting room. Her adoptive parents were arguing. Elena wasn't supposed to listen. But then she heard her name. She froze. “I'm telling you, she's worth something,” her adoptive father said. Her heart skipped. Worth something? Her adoptive mother laughed bitterly. “Worth something? She's a wolfless Omega.” “She's still young.” “So?” “There are people who pay for Omegas.” Silence. Elena's fingers tightened around the edge of the kitchen table. Pay? A cold feeling spread through her chest. Her adoptive mother spoke again. “How much?” Elena stopped breathing. Her father lowered his voice. “Enough to clear our debts.” The room seemed to spin. She took one step backward. Then another. Her heart pounded so loudly that she was certain they could hear it. They were talking about selling her. She should have been shocked. She should have been angry. But beneath everything else was something much more painful. She wasn't surprised. Because deep down, Elena had always known this day would come. She had simply hoped it wouldn't. The front door suddenly opened. A man's voice filled the house. “Is the girl ready?” Elena's blood ran cold. She hurried toward the back door. Maybe she could escape. Maybe she could run. But before she reached it, her adoptive father appeared in front of her. He grabbed her wrist. “Where do you think you're going?” Elena's eyes widened. “Father…” “You heard us.” It wasn't a question. She swallowed. “Please.” Her mother appeared behind him. For the first time in years, Elena looked directly into the woman's eyes. “Mother, please don't do this.” Her adoptive mother didn't even flinch. “You should be grateful.” “Grateful?” “You've been eating our food for nineteen years.” “I've worked for you every day.” “And yet you've given us nothing.” Elena's lips trembled. “I tried.” Her father pulled her toward the front room. A stranger was waiting there. He wore expensive black clothing and carried the crest of the royal palace on his chest. Elena stared at the emblem. The palace. Her father pushed her forward. “This is her.” The stranger looked Elena over from head to toe. “Wolfless?” “Yes.” “Age?” “Nineteen.” The man nodded. “She'll do.” Elena's stomach twisted. “Where are you taking me?” No one answered. She looked at her adoptive mother. “Mother?” The woman turned away. Elena's eyes filled with tears. “Please.” Still nothing. The stranger took a small pouch from his coat and handed it to her father. The sound of coins hitting the table seemed louder than a scream. That was the moment Elena understood. She had not been raised here because they loved her. She had been kept because she was useful. And now they had found a better price for her. Her father released her wrist. “Go.” Elena stared at him. “Where?” “The royal palace.” Her heart stopped. “I don't want to go.” “You don't have a choice.” The palace servant grabbed her arm. Elena struggled. “Please! I can work here. I'll work harder. I promise. Just don't sell me!” Her adoptive mother finally looked at her. There was no love in her eyes. Only impatience. “Stop embarrassing yourself.” The words broke something inside Elena. She went still. The palace servant pulled her toward the door. Elena turned around one last time. She looked at the small house she had called home for nineteen years. At the people she had called family. No one followed her. No one stopped the man taking her away. No one said goodbye. The door closed behind her. And just like that, Elena was alone. She didn't know that beyond those palace gates waited the most powerful wolves in the kingdom. She didn't know that she would soon meet the royal prince who would become the first love of her life. She didn't know that he would reject her in front of everyone. And she certainly didn't know that the palace she entered as a worthless servant would one day become the place where she would sit upon the throne. For now, she was only Elena. A hopeless Omega. A girl with no wolf. A girl who had just been sold. And somewhere deep beneath her broken heart, something ancient had begun to stir. Something the Moon Goddess had been waiting nineteen years to awaken.