The morning sun filtered through the curtains as I carefully arranged Luka's breakfast tray. Four years of service had taught me exactly how he liked his coffee—black with one sugar, placed on the right side of his plate. My hands trembled slightly as I reached for the cup, my wolf stirring restlessly inside me.

"Calm down," I whispered to her. "Just two more days."

My wolf, Luna, whined softly. She'd been increasingly agitated lately, sensing what I refused to acknowledge—that our time here was coming to an end, one way or another.

The door opened without a knock, and Luka strode in, his cedar and rain scent washing over me like a physical force. I lowered my eyes immediately, keeping my breathing shallow to avoid taking in too much of his intoxicating aroma.

"Your coffee, sir," I murmured, placing the tray on his desk.

Luka didn't acknowledge me. He never did. To him, I was furniture—useful but unworthy of notice. I backed away, my heart aching with the familiar pain of rejection.

As I turned to leave, my hand accidentally brushed against his. A jolt of electricity shot through me—our mate bond reacting to the contact. I gasped, unable to suppress my response.

"Stop it," Luka growled, his eyes flashing amber. "Stop projecting your scent."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, backing away further. "I didn't mean to—"

"Silence!" His Alpha tone vibrated through the room, hitting me like a physical blow. "Control yourself, Omega."

I nodded, tears threatening to spill. Suppressing my scent wasn't just difficult—it was painful. My wolf howled in protest as I forced her back down, the effort making my chest ache.

"Better," Luka said coldly, though his eyes lingered on me for a moment longer than necessary. "Now get out."

---

The garden tea party was Katherine's idea. She'd returned from overseas yesterday, and Luka had been practically glowing ever since.

"Ember, serve us in the garden," Luka ordered, not bothering to look at me as he adjusted Katherine's chair. "And make sure the tea is properly brewed this time."

I nodded, gathering the delicate china cups and silver teapot. My hands shook slightly as I arranged everything on the tray. Katherine's perfume—expensive and cloying—mixed with Luka's natural scent in a way that made my stomach turn.

"Careful with that," Katherine said sweetly as I approached. "Those cups are from my grandmother's collection."

"Of course, Miss Rose," I replied, keeping my eyes downcast.

I poured the tea, the steam rising between them as they sat intimately close. Luka reached out to tuck a strand of Katherine's golden hair behind her ear—a tender gesture he'd never once shown me.

"You look lovely today," he murmured to her.

Katherine giggled, leaning into his touch. "You're such a charmer, Luka."

I stood silently to the side, waiting to be dismissed. My wolf paced anxiously within me, sensing the threat Katherine posed.

"Oh!" Katherine suddenly exclaimed, knocking over her cup. Tea spread across the white tablecloth, staining it brown. "How clumsy of me!"

Before I could move to clean it up, she turned to me with narrowed eyes. "Though perhaps if the service were better, I wouldn't have been startled."

Luka's expression hardened as he looked at me. "What is wrong with you, Ember? Can't you do anything right?"

"I'm sorry," I whispered, grabbing a napkin to soak up the spill.

"Leave it," he snapped. "You'll only make it worse. Katherine, let me show you the renovations we've made to the east wing."

As they walked away, Katherine glanced back at me with a triumphant smile that chilled me to the bone.

---

The dining hall buzzed with excitement that evening. Alpha Marcus had called a formal dinner, and everyone knew something important was about to be announced.

I stood against the wall with the other staff, watching as Luka and Katherine entered together, her hand possessively on his arm.

"Attention, everyone," Alpha Marcus called, raising his glass. "I have wonderful news to share."

The room fell silent.

"In two days, at the Moon Goddess Festival, my son Luka will officially mark Katherine Rose as his Luna!"

Cheers erupted throughout the hall. I felt the room spin around me as Luka turned to Katherine, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Dr. Elena whispered beside me. "Though I always thought..."

She trailed off, noticing my pale face.

Luka's eyes met mine across the room, cold and indifferent. In that moment, something inside me shattered completely.

"Two days," I whispered to myself. "Just two more days until I'm free."

My wolf, who had been whimpering in pain, suddenly went quiet. We both knew what this meant—there would be no miracle, no sudden realization from Luka that I was his true mate.

As the celebration continued around me, I made my decision. The moment my debt was paid, I would flee the Bloodmoon Pack and never look back.

The antiseptic smell of the pack infirmary burned my nostrils as I slipped through the door. The hallway was quiet—most pack members were preparing for tonight's festivities, not wasting time in a place of sickness and healing. My footsteps echoed softly against the polished floor as I made my way to the back room where my mother lay.

"Five minutes," Dr. Elena whispered, her kind eyes filled with pity. "She's been asking for you."

I nodded gratefully. Dr. Elena had always been kind to me, one of the few in the pack who treated me like a person rather than property.

The room was dim, sunlight filtering through half-drawn blinds. My mother looked small against the white sheets, her once-vibrant features now hollow and pale. Tubes and monitors surrounded her, the steady beeping of machines the only sound besides her shallow breathing.

"Mom," I whispered, taking her limp hand in mine.

Her eyelids fluttered, and for a moment, recognition sparked in her faded blue eyes. "Ember... my little wolf..."

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I clutched her hand tighter. "I'm here. I'm here, Mom."

"Time..." she rasped, her voice barely audible. "Running out..."

"I know," I choked back a sob. "But I have a plan."

I leaned closer, my lips nearly touching her ear. "After the Moon Goddess Festival, I'm leaving. I'm going to the human territory where the pack can't track me."

Her fingers twitched in mine, a weak squeeze of acknowledgment.

"I'll find work, send money back. Once I earn enough, I'll come back for you. We'll both be free."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small wooden wolf carving—my father's gift from before he died. It was crudely made but precious to me. I placed it on her bedside table.

"Remember this? Dad made it for me." I traced the rough edges with my fingertip. "I'm leaving it with you as a promise. I'll come back."

A single tear slid down her temple into her hair. "My brave girl..."

I pressed a kiss to her forehead, breathing in her fading scent one last time. "I love you, Mom. Hold on for me."

---

The servants' quarters were a stark contrast to the opulent main house—narrow hallways, bare bulbs instead of chandeliers, and doors that stuck when you tried to open them. I was folding my meager belongings into a worn backpack when the door swung open without warning.

Katherine stood in the doorway, her golden hair perfectly styled despite the late hour. Her blue eyes sparkled with an emotion I couldn't quite place.

"Working late, Ember?" she asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

I froze, my hands still clutching a threadbare sweater. "Miss Rose. I was just—"

"Packaging up your things?" She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. "Planning to leave after your debt is paid?"

My heart hammered against my ribs. How could she possibly know?

"Don't look so surprised," she laughed, running a manicured finger along my desk. "Did you think I wouldn't notice? The way Luka's scent changes when you're near? That distinctive mate fragrance..."

She clicked her tongue sympathetically. "Such a shame. An Omega and an Alpha heir. The Moon Goddess does have a cruel sense of humor sometimes."

I remained silent, unsure of what to say. Katherine circled me slowly, like a predator assessing prey.

"You know," she said casually, "I'm not heartless. Really, I pity you."

She stopped directly in front of me, her perfume overwhelming my senses. "I have a proposition for you. A way to clear your debt instantly."

My wolf stirred uneasily within me.

"There's a diplomatic package that needs delivery to a VIP guest at the Blackwood Hotel on the pack borders." She produced an envelope from her jacket. "Deliver this tonight, and I'll personally clear your mother's debt."

"Why would you help me?" I asked, suspicion threading through my confusion.

Katherine's smile widened. "Because I'm going to be Luna in two days. And a Luna who helps even the lowest Omega... well, that's quite the reputation to build, isn't it?"

She pressed the envelope into my hands. "The recipient's name is Gatlin Perry. He's expecting you."

Something cold slithered down my spine at the name. I'd heard whispers of Gatlin Perry—a Rogue Alpha with a taste for cruelty.

"Just deliver the package," Katherine said, moving toward the door. "Nothing more. Then you'll be free to run away to your human territory with your mother."

As she reached for the handle, she turned back with a final smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Oh, and Ember? Don't tell anyone about our little arrangement. It's our secret."

The door closed behind her with a soft click that sounded like a trap snapping shut.

The Blackwood Hotel loomed before me, its glass façade reflecting the moonlight like a warning I should have heeded. My hands trembled as I clutched the envelope Katherine had given me, the weight of it far heavier than its actual mass.

"Just deliver the package," I whispered to myself, trying to calm my fraying nerves. "Then you'll be free."

My wolf, Luna, paced anxiously within me. *Something's wrong*, she kept insisting. *This feels like a trap*.

"It's just a delivery," I argued, though my own voice lacked conviction. "Katherine promised to clear our debt."

The lobby was eerily quiet for a hotel on the pack borders. A single clerk manned the reception desk, his eyes flickering briefly to me before returning to his computer screen. No one else was in sight.

"Package for Mr. Perry," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

The clerk's expression didn't change as he handed me a key card. "Suite 702. He's expecting you."

The elevator ride was interminable, each floor bringing me closer to an unknown fate. My reflection in the polished doors showed a pale, thin girl with wide, frightened eyes—a far cry from the confident Omega I'd promised my mother I'd become.

When the doors finally opened on the seventh floor, the hallway stretched before me like a tunnel. Room 702 was at the very end, the distance seeming to grow with each step I took.

I knocked softly, the envelope clutched in my white-knuckled grip.

"Come in," a deep voice called from inside.

I pushed open the door to find not a diplomat's suite but something from a nightmare. The room was opulent yet disturbing—candles casting long shadows across walls adorned with hunting trophies. In the center sat a man I recognized instantly from whispered pack stories.

Gatlin Perry. The Rogue Alpha whose name was spoken only in hushed tones. Tall and muscular with a jagged scar running down his left cheek, he looked every bit as dangerous as the rumors suggested.

"The little Omega," he drawled, rising from his chair. "Katherine said you'd be coming."

My blood turned to ice. "Where's the diplomat? The package—"

"There is no diplomat." Gatlin's smile revealed yellowed teeth. "Just a business arrangement between Katherine Rose and myself."

He moved toward me with predatory grace, and I took an instinctive step backward. My back hit the door, and I fumbled for the handle, but it was too late. Gatlin reached behind me and engaged the lock with a decisive click.

"Katherine paid me handsomely to make sure you understand your place," he said, his breath hot against my face. "She wants to ensure you never threaten her position as Luna."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "I'm leaving after the festival. I'm no threat to her."

His laugh was cold and hollow. "Words mean nothing to people like Katherine. Actions, however..." His eyes raked over me, calculating and cruel. "She wants you broken, little Omega. Wants to make sure you'll never have the strength to challenge her."

I tried to dodge past him, but his hand shot out, gripping my arm with bruising force. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

Something inside me snapped. Four years of submission, of hiding my true nature, of being silenced by Alpha commands—it all crystallized into a single moment of pure rage.

I swung at him with the envelope, the paper edge slicing across his cheek. He roared in surprise and pain, momentarily loosening his grip.

"You bitch!" he snarled, blood trickling from the cut.

I lunged for the lamp on the nearby table, yanking it from its base. The cord tore from the wall as I swung it wildly, connecting with his temple. Gatlin staggered backward, eyes wide with shock that an Omega would dare fight back.

"You want to break me?" I screamed, advancing on him. "I've been broken for years!"

He recovered quickly, his Alpha strength making him faster and stronger than me despite my desperate fury. His fist connected with my jaw, sending me sprawling across the bed.

"The pretty ones always fight the hardest," he panted, wiping blood from his temple. "But in the end, you'll all beg for mercy."

I scrambled to my feet, but he was already on me. My shirt tore as he grabbed me, the sound of ripping fabric echoing in the room like a death knell.

"Please," I gasped, fear finally overcoming my rage as his weight pinned me down. "Don't do this."

"Katherine wants you destroyed," he growled, his hands moving over my body with possessive cruelty. "And I always deliver what I promise."

I fought with everything I had—kicking, clawing, biting—but my Omega strength was no match for his Alpha power. Tears streamed down my face as I realized the horrifying truth: I couldn't win. I couldn't escape.

And as his hands moved to my throat, I understood with perfect clarity that Katherine hadn't just planned to humiliate me—she had planned to end me.