The night of the Blood Moon Pack's Mating Ceremony arrived with a sky ablaze in crimson light. I stood at the edge of the gathering, my fingers nervously twisting the simple dress I'd spent weeks sewing from discarded scraps. Eighteen years of waiting, of being the unwanted daughter, of living in Presley's shadow—all coming to an end tonight.

"Look at her," someone whispered behind me. "Shay's little Omega mistake."

I kept my chin high despite the sting of their words. My mother—no, Shay—had made it clear long ago that I was nothing but a reminder of her shameful past with my father.

"It's time," announced Beta James, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "The Moon Goddess blesses us with new bonds tonight."

My heart hammered against my ribs as Alpha Nathaniel stepped onto the ceremonial platform. Tall, imposing, with dark hair that caught the moonlight and eyes that held storms. The pack's collective breath hitched in reverence.

Then it happened.

A sudden, violent tug in my chest. My vision blurred as warmth flooded my veins, replacing the cold emptiness I'd carried for eighteen years. My wolf stirred within me, her golden eyes opening wide in wonder.

*Diana,* she whispered inside me. *Our mate.*

I gasped, clutching my chest as the sacred bond snapped into place. The sensation was overwhelming—like coming home after a lifetime of wandering. Across the courtyard, Nathaniel's head snapped up, his nostrils flaring as he caught my scent.

His eyes found mine through the crowd, and something dark flickered across his face before he composed himself.

"It's her," I heard someone say. "The Omega girl is his Fated Mate."

Relief washed over me in dizzying waves. The Moon Goddess had seen me after all. Hadn't abandoned me to a life of servitude like my mother claimed. I was wanted. Chosen.

My wolf paced eagerly within me as I stepped forward, drawn by the invisible thread pulling me toward my mate. The crowd parted, whispers following in my wake.

"Alpha," I said, my voice steadier than I felt as I approached the platform. "I feel it too."

For one breathtaking moment, something like recognition flashed in his eyes. Then his expression hardened into a mask of cold fury.

"Follow me," he ordered, his voice low enough that only I could hear.

The crowd erupted in cheers as he grabbed my wrist, his fingers digging into my skin with bruising force. He dragged me away from the celebration, through the pack house corridors, and into his private office. The heavy door slammed shut behind us, sealing us in a soundproof chamber.

"Alpha?" I whispered, confusion replacing hope as he paced before me like a caged predator.

"You're my Fated Mate," he said flatly, confirming my joy with clinical detachment. "How... convenient."

"Nathaniel," I began, emboldened by our bond, "the Moon Goddess has—"

"The Moon Goddess has made a mistake," he cut me off, his voice a blade of ice. "I have no intention of marking you."

The room seemed to tilt beneath my feet. "But... the bond..."

"I know all about the bond," he sneered, circling me now. "And I know exactly what it means. What you mean."

He stopped inches from me, his scent—pine and winter frost—overwhelming my senses. "My heart belongs to Presley. My chosen mate. The only one I've ever wanted."

"But the ceremony—"

"A necessity," he said dismissively. "Your blood is the only thing of value to me."

My blood? I stepped back, bumping against his desk. "I don't understand."

His smile was all teeth. "Presley needs your Golden Healer Blood to survive. And I need to keep you alive to provide it."

The truth crashed over me like ice water. "You want me as a... blood bag?"

"I want you compliant," he corrected, moving closer. "The bond makes that possible. I won't reject you—that would be wasteful. Instead, you'll stay here, where you belong."

"No," I whispered, tears blurring my vision as I turned toward the door. "I won't—"

I didn't make it two steps before his voice slammed into me like a physical blow.

"STOP."

The Alpha Command hit me with crushing force. My knees buckled as my wolf cowered within me. My body betrayed me, collapsing to the floor as my muscles seized in response to his power.

"Alpha," I choked out, fighting against the invisible weight pressing down on me.

"That's better," Nathaniel said, crouching to grip my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "You'll learn your place quickly, I think."

I couldn't speak, couldn't move, could only stare into the eyes of the man who was supposed to be my salvation—and had instead become my jailer.

"The Moon Goddess may have chosen you," he whispered, his breath hot against my face, "but I choose Presley. And you will serve her—or I will make what remains of your life a living hell."

The bond between us pulsed with his cruelty, and somewhere deep inside me, something precious began to break.

Morning light filtered through the curtains, but I couldn't feel its warmth. I lay on the cold floor of Nathaniel's office, where he'd left me after our confrontation. My body ached from the Alpha Command, but the pain in my chest—where our bond should have bloomed into love—cut deeper.

The door burst open. Martha, the Head Omega, stood there with two guards.

"Get up," she snapped. "The Alpha has summoned the pack."

I struggled to my feet, dignity the only thing I had left. "What's happening?"

"Your new position is being announced," she said with a cruel smile. "Move."

The great hall was packed with pack members. Their eyes followed me as Martha prodded me forward. Nathaniel stood on the raised platform, Presley beside him, her hand possessively on his arm.

"Pack members," Nathaniel's voice boomed. "Last night, the Moon Goddess revealed our Fated Mate."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. I kept my eyes downcast.

"However," he continued, "there are debts to be settled before any ceremony can take place."

My heart sank as he pulled out a ledger.

"Diana Spencer's father died owing substantial debts to this pack. Until those debts are paid in full, she will serve as a slave Omega."

Gasps echoed around me. Slave Omega—the lowest possible rank, below even regular Omegas.

"Nathaniel," I whispered, forgetting protocol. "You can't—"

"Can't what?" His eyes flashed dangerously. "The bond doesn't change her status. It merely ensures your compliance."

Shay stepped forward from the crowd, her face a mask of disappointment. "I'm ashamed to call you daughter," she announced loudly. "Presley has always been the true jewel of our family."

Presley smiled, leaning into Nathaniel's side. "Thank you, Mother. I'll make you proud as our Alpha's chosen mate."

Two guards gripped my arms, dragging me toward the servants' quarters. The damp, freezing room smelled of mildew and despair. They shoved me inside.

"Home sweet home," one sneered, slamming the door.

---

Three days later, I was scrubbing floors in the main corridor when Dr. Webb appeared.

"Diana," he said with false concern. "You look pale. Let me check your vitals."

Before I could protest, he led me to the clinic. The examination room was cold, sterile.

"Your blood pressure is concerning," he muttered, though he hadn't taken it. "We need to run tests."

He prepared a syringe. Something about his movements seemed deliberate, practiced.

"What are you doing?" I asked, stepping back.

"Stay still," he ordered, grabbing my arm.

A sudden push—his hand against my back—sent me tumbling down the stone stairs outside the clinic. Pain exploded through my body as I landed at the bottom, my leg twisted at an unnatural angle.

"Oh dear," Dr. Webb said, appearing at the top of the stairs. "What a terrible accident."

Through the haze of pain, I saw Presley waiting in the doorway.

"Quickly," she urged. "She's bleeding."

Dr. Webb lifted me onto a gurney, his hands rough as he cut away my clothes. The needle plunged into my arm before I could process what was happening.

"This will help with the pain," he lied.

But it didn't help. It hurt more as he filled vial after vial with my blood. My vision blurred, darkness creeping in at the edges.

"Wake her up when it's done," Presley instructed. "I need to be at my best for tonight's dinner."

The blood flowed out of me like liquid gold. Dr. Webb worked methodically, siphoning my life force into tubes that Presley eagerly accepted.

---

A week later, I was assigned to clean the clinic. My body still ached from the "accident," but Martha wouldn't let me rest.

"The Alpha expects perfection," she'd hissed. "Or have you forgotten your place?"

I scrubbed the floors, careful to avoid the examination room where they'd bled me dry. Voices drifted from behind the partially open door.

"Another accident soon," Dr. Webb was saying. "Her body needs time to replenish the blood."

"Presley's looking healthier already," Nathaniel replied. "But she needs more. Regular transfusions."

My hands froze mid-scrub. They were planning more "accidents."

"And the girl?" Dr. Webb asked. "She's getting suspicious."

"She won't be a problem," Nathaniel said coldly. "The bond keeps her compliant."

I backed away silently, my heart pounding. That night, I slipped into the pack library while everyone slept. Ancient texts lined the shelves—including ones on mate bonds.

The Rite of Rejection. A way out.

My fingers trembled as I copied the words onto a scrap of paper. Separation papers. If I could just get Nathaniel to sign them...

But first, I needed proof. Needed to understand exactly what they were doing to me.

I tucked the paper into my pocket, determination replacing despair. They thought me weak, compliant.

They were wrong.

The separation papers felt like they weighed a thousand pounds in my trembling hands as I pushed open the heavy oak door to Nathaniel's study. He sat behind his massive desk, not bothering to look up from the documents before him.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice cold and distracted. "I'm busy."

I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. My heart hammered against my ribs as I approached his desk, my wolf cowering within me.

"I want to sever the bond," I said, my voice steadier than I expected as I placed the papers before him. "I've drawn up the sacred rejection vow."

That got his attention. His head snapped up, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"You dare?"

"The Moon Goddess may have chosen me as your mate," I continued, gathering courage from somewhere deep inside, "but you've made it clear you don't want me. I won't be used as a blood bag for the rest of my life."

Something dark flickered across his face. He rose slowly from his chair, his massive frame casting a shadow over me.

"I, Diana Spencer," I began reciting from memory, "reject you, Nathaniel Reed, as my—"

The words died in my throat as his Alpha Aura slammed into me like a physical wall. The air vanished from my lungs as I collapsed to my knees, my body betraying me once again.

"You think you can reject me?" he snarled, circling his desk to tower over me. "You think you have that right?"

I couldn't speak, couldn't breathe under the crushing weight of his power. My wolf whimpered, curling into herself.

"Nathaniel," I gasped, fighting against the invisible force pressing down on me. "Please..."

His hand shot out, grabbing the papers from his desk. With deliberate slowness, he pulled a silver lighter from his pocket and flicked it open.

"Watch carefully," he said, his voice deadly quiet as he touched the flame to the corner of the pages.

The papers caught fire, curling into black ash that fluttered to the floor between us. The sacred words—my one hope for freedom—turned to smoke and nothing.

"Let me make something perfectly clear," he said, crouching down to grip my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "You will never sever this bond. You will never leave this pack. And if you ever attempt something this stupid again, I will personally exile your mother to the Rogue lands."

The threat hung between us, cold and terrible. Shay might have treated me like a servant, but she was still my mother. The thought of her alone among the rogues—the outcasts who survived by violence and desperation—made bile rise in my throat.

"Do you understand?" he demanded.

"Yes, Alpha," I whispered, defeat washing over me.

---

Three days later, Martha burst into my tiny room in the servants' quarters.

"Get up," she snapped. "The Alpha's chosen mate is moving into the Alpha suite today. You'll be serving their private dinner tonight."

My stomach twisted. Presley was officially taking her place as Nathaniel's chosen mate—even though our bond remained intact.

"Is that necessary?" I asked quietly.

Martha's smile was cruel. "The Alpha insists. You'll wear your Omega uniform."

The Omega uniform—ragged, faded, marked with the symbol of the lowest rank. Designed to humiliate.

That evening, I stood in the corner of the Alpha's dining room, watching as Presley arranged herself at Nathaniel's right hand. She'd decorated the table with candles and fresh flowers, transforming the space into something intimate and romantic.

"Serve the wine," Presley commanded, not even looking at me.

I moved forward, the bottle heavy in my hands. As I leaned between them to pour, Presley shifted suddenly, her arm brushing against mine.

"Careful," she hissed for my ears alone. "Remember your place."

I stepped back, but not before Nathaniel's nostrils flared. His eyes widened slightly, a strange expression crossing his face as he inhaled deeply.

For a moment, he stared at me with something like recognition—or longing—his wolf responding to my scent without his permission.

"What is it?" Presley asked sharply, noticing his distraction.

Nathaniel blinked, seemingly confused by his own reaction. "Nothing," he muttered, but his eyes kept drifting back to me.

Presley's face darkened with fury. She reached for her wine glass, then deliberately knocked it over, spilling red liquid across the white tablecloth.

"Oh!" she gasped, clutching her chest. "I don't feel well!"

She slid from her chair, collapsing dramatically onto the floor. Nathaniel was at her side instantly, panic replacing his earlier confusion.

"Presley!" he cried, gathering her into his arms. "What's wrong?"

"The pain," she whispered weakly. "It's back."

Nathaniel's head snapped up, his eyes finding mine with sudden rage. "Guards!" he roared.

Two Delta wolves appeared instantly at the door.

"Take her to the clinic," he ordered, pointing at me. "Now!"

"But I didn't—" I began.

"Now!" he thundered, his Alpha Command silencing me.

Strong hands gripped my arms, dragging me from the room as Presley nestled against Nathaniel's chest, her eyes meeting mine over his shoulder—alert, triumphant, and utterly healthy.

The guards pulled me down the corridor toward the clinic, where I knew Dr. Webb would be waiting with his needles and vials.

"Please," I begged as they shoved me through the doors. "This isn't right."

But no one was listening. In the Blood Moon Pack, the Alpha's word was law—and I was nothing but property to be used for another's survival.