The Alpha's Contract Mate

Ashes And Scrub Water

By nightfall my hands were raw.

The stone floor of the infirmary wing never stayed clean, no matter how hard I scrubbed. It clung to blood and dirt like the pack clung to tradition—stubborn, unrelenting, cruel.

I poured another bucket of soapy water and dropped to my knees. The scent of rosemary and iron rose with the steam, but it didn’t cover the whispers.

They were louder this morning.

“Did you see her? Skulking in the trees like some jealous ghost.”

“She looked like she was going to cry. Pathetic.”

“Damon didn’t even glance her way. That’s how little she mattered.”

I didn’t look up. I knew those voices. Healers. Warriors. Even omegas. People I once smiled at in passing, before everything collapsed.

Now, I was just the rejected one.

The broken mate. The lesson in humiliation.

My fingers slipped on the wet stone, and the bristles of the brush scraped my knuckles. Blood rose, bright against pale skin.

I hissed and dipped my hand back into the bucket, letting the sting bite deeper than necessary. Pain was easier to control than shame.

I had snuck back to my cot late in the night, unnoticed by the guards who rarely even bothered to check on the servant quarters. I thought I’d sleep, maybe dream of a life where Damon had chosen me. But all I saw was fire and teeth and the way his eyes never once looked for me in the crowd.

A warm breath fluttered against my ear, startling me.

“Still clinging to your last scraps of pride, Honey lemon??”

I tensed.

Liora’s voice dripped honey and venom in equal measure.

She stood behind me in a velvet cloak the color of crimson wine, her golden hair gleaming in the light that filtered through the infirmary windows. A smug little twist shaped her lips.

And beside her—just a few steps back, arms folded across his chest—stood a tall stranger cloaked in black. My mate.. Damon.

Even without an introduction, His presence darkened the room like a storm cloud, and every wolf within five feet instinctively straightened their spines.

His eyes, cold and unreadable, flicked to me.

I dropped my gaze to the floor and bowed my head.

“I thought maybe you had some shred of dignity left,” Liora continued sweetly. “But to sneak into our mating ceremony? Uninvited?” She gave a mock gasp. “It’s sad, really. So desperate to see what you missed.”

I didn’t answer

There was nothing to say.

“You made a fool of yourself,” she said, circling me like a wolf testing prey. “You embarrassed the pack, and worst of all, you embarrassed me.”

She stopped directly in front of me, lowering her voice.

“You think Damon felt sorry for you? He didn’t. When we mated, he said I tasted like victory. He didn’t even remember what your scent smelled like.”

Her words were a scalpel. Precise. Designed to wound.

I stared at the floor, throat tight, heart hammering against my ribs.

“I should have you flogged,” she whispered. “No one would protest. You violated a sacred rite.”

My wolf stirred, not with defiance—but with exhaustion. We were tired of breaking.

She stepped closer again, crouching slightly so that only I could hear her.

“You should’ve stayed in your hole, Arielle. You have no place in this story anymore.”

Then, loudly, for all to hear, she added, “As punishment for your disobedience, you’ll clean the blood pits alone tonight. No rest, no food until it’s done.”

I flinched.

The blood pits were the lowest task—caked in old gore from training battles, reeking with decay and rot. Normally it took three wolves to clean them. Alone, it could take all night.

“Yes, Liora,” I whispered, my voice hollow.

It's Lady Liora now Arielle" voiced Liora with a sinister smirk on her lips. "You see despite being the Luna to the crowned Alpha Prince," she paused slightly amidst walking round me.

"The alpha King also gave me a very special gift..... YOU."

I jerked instantly, a spark suddenly flowed through my body. "what do you mean me" I asked hoping for it not to be as I thought.

"The alpha King has handed you to be my maid as a mating ceremony gift."

"No" I heard myself say. my heart shaking with fear "he wouldn't do.....

"oh but he did Arielle "You now serve me as nothing but a maid. she paused amidst rubbing her hands on my braided hair. "my pet slave"

"so you answer me as Lady Liora now, IS THAT CLEAR"Liora spat out in anger and pride

"Yes....Lady.... Liora" I said biting hard to hold down my pride.

She smiled. “Good girl.”

My eyes travelled from the ground onto his face, Damon's face.

For one long, unbearable second, he said nothing.

I don't know what stirred in me, But suddenly I found myself talking to him.

"How could you" I asked, my suprano voice laced with hurt.

"I was willing to do anything for you and you reject me like some cheap w***e??" I asked, trying hard not to let them see my tears.

Then, finally, he spoke—voice low and calm, but unmistakably sharp.

"You are worthless Arielle. A failure to the Raven pack. you are not worthy to be my Luna"...." he paused and then added." To call you a w***e would be an understatement considering how you opened yourself to me all these years."

I didn't let him finish. "With anger and pain I had been controlling for the past few days, I made a big dash at him and landed a well deserved slap on his cheeks.

For a moment I felt my anger and hurt give way to a fraction of satisfaction. My eyes gleamed with contentment as they caught the reddened cheek of Damon and a shocked face of Liora.

Damon turned his face. His dangerous gaze resting upon me.

"You seem to have forgotten your place slave" Damon says clutching his cheeks.

And then it happened in a flash.

Damon hit me!

I had never thought my longtime crush and Angelic faced Damon could ever hit me.

I tried to fight back but he didn't stop.

I was thrown to the ground, while Damon punches came pounding at my face.

I begged him to stop. But he didn't

"I will remind you of your position of lowly omega" he said amidst punching me. "You belong to me Arielle. you are my possession mate or not you are mine!!.

"Yes I am; please stop" I begged further.

He finally let me go leaving me clutching at my sore face

"You clean up and be at Liora bed chambers by dawn you are ours now is that clear". he ordered breathlessly.

Yes.. I replied

And with that, he turned and followed her out of the room, black cloak sweeping behind him like a shadow.

Only once their footsteps faded did I allow myself to breathe again.

I dipped my brush into the bucket and kept scrubbing, my blood mixing with the soapy water. My fingers ached. My knees throbbed.