The slap came in the blink of an eye. It was hard and painful, snapping my head sideways. I got dizzy for a moment then swallowed the sting, determined not to let the tears fall. I couldn't ginve them the satisfaction of seeing me break.

"Stupid girl." my mother hissed for the umpteenth time. "You're a curse on this family."

Her brown eyes that so much looked like mine, was filled with nothing but hatred. She always looked at me this way, as if I was a mistake she wished she could erase.

I bent my head trying to apologize. "I'm sorry, Mother."

"Sorry won't change what you are." she spat. "An omega. You're weak and useless. How can you be all the bad things at once?"

All the bad things. Her words were not new to me. I hear them everytime but today, they cut deeper.

Ever since I was young, I've always knew I was different. Omegas were rare in our pack and we were seen as burdens or curse rather than blessings. Though some have big body size and sometimes try to stand tall, I was like the few others. Little, petite and this made me easier to control.

"Mother, please." I tried begging. "I'll do better…."

"You won't." a voice sounded from behind me.

Zara.

I turned, my stomach twisting as I saw my older sister leaning against the door with her arms folded over her chest. Zara is my parent's first child. The pride of the family and unlike me, Zara is strong. She's a beta, favored by our parents. She was everything I wasn't.

She smirked. "You should stop begging at this point, Elara. It's pathetic."

"Enough, Zara." Mother said, but there was satisfaction in her eyes almost like she was happy about what Zara said to me.

Zara walked closer, her eyes full of hatred. "Should I just tell her, Mother?

I held my breath. The look on her face told me she was up to no good. "Tell me what?"

Mother sighed as if she was fed up with me. "We've finally found a place for you."

I felt a chill ran down my spine. A place for me. This doesn't sound good.

"What do you mean?"

She smiled then held my hands. "You're leaving tomorrow."

I furrowed my brows in confusion. I still don't get it. I can only hope wherever I'm leaving to is better than this hell I'm in currently.

Zara laughed. "She doesn't get it yet. Let me break it down for you. You're moving to the Lycan's palace."

The lump in my throat grew into something worse.

"You're selling me?" My voice came out thin and shaky. I couldn't believe my own ears. I had to pinch myself to make sure I'm not having a bad dream but my mother's next words confirmed my fears.

Mother leaned her head towards me. "Selling is such a big word, Elara. Think of it as an exchange."

My heart begin to hammer in my chest. The Lycan's palace is the last place I want to be.

"No." I shook my head as the tears threatened to fall from the corner of my eyes. "You can't…"

"The Lycans need a new maid," Zara cut in. "And guess who they choose?" She said, grinning.

My lungs felt empty and I struggled to breathe.

The Lycan palace.

I have heard the stories. Everyone has. The Lycan princes, David and Bryan Moonshade were beasts. They are vicious, ruthless monsters.

I stared at them, fear crawling its way up to my throat.

"You're selling me to them?" I asked, shocked.

Mother shrugged her shoulders. "They made a pretty good offer."

A price. That's what I was to them. I summoned courage then stepped forward. "No. I won't go."

Mother exhaled, already feeling quite bored. "You have no choice."

Zara sneered, leaning her arm against the door. "Unless you think you can fight us?"

She was quick, but this time, so was I.

I ducked under her arm, took to my heels, and ran.

****

The cold night air filled my lungs as I ran through the trees, my bare feet hitting the damp earth.

I didn't stop.

Not when the branches cut my skin. Not when I kept falling down repeatedly. Not when I kept hearing the sound of wild animals around me.

I had to get away. That was the only thought on my mind.

The Lycans would kill me. I knew it. If they didn't, they would make my life worse than death. I could already hear the guards chasing me. My mother must have informed them of my escape.

Faster.

Faster. Just a bit more to cross the pack's boundary and I'll be free. I just have to make it to that particular spot.

I had almost made it to the boundary when a hard weight slammed on my back and sent me crashing to the ground.

I gasped, pain flaring through my ribs.

"Got her." a deep voice said above me.

Rough hands grabbed my arms, picked me up and I felt myself thrown on someone's shoulder. I fought for my life by kicking, thrashing but my attacker was way stronger than me.

Seconds later, a sharp blow landed on my head and I felt my vision darken.

****

When I woke up, I was moving and both my hands and feet were tied. I looked around and realized I was in a carriage of some sort. The ropes around my wrists cut into my skin and my body swayed with the motion of the carriage.

Panic rose in my throat. Where was I being taken to? Did I managed to escape? The last thing I remembered was the sharp pain I felt on my head before I passed out.

Gradually, the smell of damp wood filled my nose, mixed with the heavy scent of horses and metal. I twisted my hands, trying to loosen the rope, but they were too tight.

"She's awake." one of the guards grunted.

"Good." another replied. "We are almost there."

Almost. They must be talking about the Lycan's Palace. My escape was futile. I forced myself to breathe. There has to be a way out. The moment they untie me, I would…

No sooner had I thought that, the carriage came to a sudden halt and my heart hammered against my ribcage.

No. Not yet.

The door to the carriage swung open and a hand grabbed my arm, pulling me out.

I barely had time to steady myself before I saw it.

The Lycan palace. It was huge, towering over me like some wild animal ready to swallow me whole.

Torches were around the stone walls and they cast shadows on the dark wood of the entrance doors. The air smelled of cedarwood and smoke and I felt a chill run down my spine.

I was afraid to move, so I stood rooted to the floor "No, please." I begged the guard in front of me.

The guard pushed me forward while opening the door with his other hand.

And standing there right at the entrance, was a woman.

Lady Lila. I've heard about her. She was soon to be married to one of the Lycan brothers and from what I've heard, she's as wicked as them.

She was beautiful with dark curls, deep red lips and piercing black eyes. But there was nothing warm about her.

Her gaze swept over me from head to toe before she finally turned to the guards.

"This is the girl?" She asked, her tone full of disappointment.

The guard beside me nodded. "Yes, my lady. She is the new maid."

Lila sighed. "Pathetic."

Heat burned my cheeks and my hands tightened into fists but she merely scoffed.

"You won't last a week."

I raised my chin. "Watch me." I replied, surprised at my own response. But If I was going to survive here, I must not appear weak. I have to be strong.

Her smile stretched further and before I knew it, she raised her hands and her palm connected against my cheek with a slap.

I held my cheek in pain as I staggered backwards.

She then bent towards me and whispered in my right ear. "Welcome to hell, omega."

I scrubbed harder and my fingers were red and aching as I worked the rough brush over the marble floors repeatedly. My knees hurt from kneeling on the cold stone for hours, but I didn't dare to stop.

Not when I knew they were watching.

Lady Lila stood near the grand staircase, sipping red wine from a glass and her crimson lips stretched into a mocking smirk.

"Did you miss a spot, little maid?" Her voice was sweet, laced with venom.

I gritted my teeth while keeping my head down. "No, my lady."

Her heel tapped against the polished floor. "Then why does it still look dirty?"

I swallowed hard, biting back my anger. "I will clean it again."

"Better. I want it spotless." She said before turning the rest of the wine in her hands and spilling it on the marble floor".

Zara's laughter echoed from across the hall. She stood beside Lila with her arms crossed and her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

"Look at her." She sneered. "On her hands and knees like the lowly omega she is."

Lila chuckled. "It's the only place she belongs."

Heat crawled its way up to my skin but I didn't utter a word. Talking back will only make things worse.

I was now one week into my tenure at the Lycan palace. A week of never ending chores, deep exhaustion that made me feel like my bones were breaking and cruel comments everywhere I go.

I always thought my mother was the worst thing that could ever happen to me.

Turned out I was wrong.

Lila and Zara made sure I never forgot my place. It seem like every day, there was a new punishment and a new humiliation. If I finished my chores too quickly, they will make me start all over. If I worked too slowly, I got beaten. And if I did everything perfectly, they always find fault with something.

There was no pleasing them.

The other maids avoided me. No one wanted to be caught talking to the worthless omega. I was completely alone.

But the best part? The Lycan princes had never even noticed me.

Not even once.

I have heard whispers about them, of course. David and Bryan Moonshade. The heirs to the Lycan throne.

David, the eldest is cold and ruthless. He rarely spoke but when he did, people listened.

Bryan is different. He is unpredictable, dangerous and from what I heard, the two brothers despised each other. They were enemies in constant rivalry wieach other and their rivalry shaped the palace itself.

But one thing united them. They don't care about me. And I planned on keeping it that way. I only have to survive.

****

That fateful night, everything changed.

The full moon was high in the sky and for some reason, it was bright tonight.

I walked down the halls carefully and my hands tightened around the tray of wine I was told to deliver. My feet made no sound against the stone and I kept breathing was slow and even.

Lila had sent me here. She said the guards needed refreshments, but I knew better.

She want me to fail, to get lost. To be punished.

I rounded a bend in the hall, my stomach twisting with nervousness. The palace felt somehow tonight. The air was thick and heavy. There was something wrong but I couldn't place a finger on it.

A low growl sounded from down the corridor and I froze. I turned my head slowly and saw them.

David and Bryan.

They stood at the end of the hall with their broad shoulders tensed. Their sharp features was highlighted by the moonlight and I could see their golden eyes from where I stood.

They were shifting. It's the full moon.

Lycans were at their most dangerous during a full moon and I had walked straight into them.

I felt a lump rise in my throat and I took a step back but it was too late. David's gaze was fixed on mine and the second our eyes met, the lump in my throat disappeared.

All of a sudden, pain slammed through me around my ribs. I held my chest in pain but the pain was so strong, it nearly made me drop to my knees.

No. Not this. Not now. Not with them.

Bryan suck in a sharp breath and his body went rigid. His eyes widen in shock.

I knew what he was feeling because I felt it too. The pull. The truth hit me like a hurricane.

David and Bryan Moonshade. The Lycan princes and the two strongest men in the kingdom were my mates. My body knew that and my senses screamed at me to take cover. Yet I couldn't move.

I wanted to run and get away from this cruel fate but I just remained rooted to the spot.

Bryy took a very slow step ahead and his nostrils flared as he sniffed me trying to know my rank in the pack. He didn't have to. My appearance said everything. His fists clenched almost immediately and his countenance changed.

"No." he whispered. "This is a joke."

It is a joke to me too. David on the other hand did not say a word. His reaction remained the same, but his fists shook. His entire body was tensed, like he wanted to tear me to pieces.

After few seconds of utter silence, David's lips curled back into a smirk.

"No." he growled. "You are nothing to us." My insides twisted as I felt a sharp knife stabbed into my chest.

Bryan's gaze darkened and his jaw clenched. After a while, he let out a sadistic laugh. "The moon goddess has got to be kidding me." he muttered. "This can't be real."

I took a step back, shocked by his words. All my life, I had dreamt of finding my mate. Of belonging to someone who would cherish me. Protect me. But not like this and not them. Was the moon goddess making fun of me?

David's cold eyes was fixed on mine, burning with a hatred I couldn't understand.

"You are beneath us" he said, his voice sharp like a blade. "You're an omega and a maid. I'm sure you're not expecting us to accept you."

Bryan exhaled while running a hand through his dark hair. "You're a mistake."

The words cut through me, deeper than any wound. I should have expected it. Of course they wouldn't want me. I was nothing but a lowly servant and an omega.

I clenched my fists, determined to shove the pain away. "I never wanted this," I spat.

Bryan laughed hard. "Good. Because neither did we."

David continued to stare at me, his look unfathomable. "If you know what is good for you." he whispered, "you will forget this ever happened."

My hands kept lshaking and my heart raced so hard it was painful. I have spent my whole life dreaming of the day I would find my mate. And now? I wished I never had one.

Before I could utter another word, I heard Lila's voice down the hall.

"David? Bryan?" Her footsteps sounded so close. "Where are you?"

I began to panic. If she saw me here, If she found out about this, I will be in deep trouble.

David moved first. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me closer.

I felt his breath on my left ear. "Stay silent." he warned "or I will make you regret it."

Lila's footsteps came closer. I looked up at him with pleading eyes as his grip tightened around my wrist.

And then, just as Lila turned the corner, he shoved me into the darkness.

As soon as David pushed me into the darkness, my breath got caught in my throat.

My back hit the cold stone wall so hard and I could hear the sound of my own heartbeat as Lila's voice echoed down the hallway.

"David? Bryan? Where are you?"

Her footsteps got closer and I pushed myself deeper into the shadows, my heart slamming against my ribs. If she saw me here, if she even suspect what just happened, she would make my life even more worse than it already was.

Facing David, Bryan cursed under his breath. “Get rid of her.”

David exhaled sharply, his voice indifferent. “We’re here, Lila.”

I couldn't see them from my hiding place, but I could hear their voices.

"Ahh, there you are." Lila's voice was gentle. Nothing like the voice she use when talking to me. I imagined her reaching out, tracing her fingers down David's arm the way she always did. "The full moon is strong tonight. You should be careful."

"We're fine." David said coldly.

Lila let out a laugh. "Of course you are."

I heaved a sigh of relief. It seem she doesn't suspect anything. I decided to leave through the back door. There was silence before Lila's next words stopped me in my track.

"Why are you out here, my love?"

My stomach twisted. She was talking to David. I waited for him to push her away, to say something to dismiss her.

Instead, his voice was gentle. "I could ask you the same."

I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I shouldn't have felt hurt. David and Bryan had already rejected me. They made it clear that I mean nothing to them. And yet, something inside me twisted painfully at the way he played along with her so easily.

Lila sighed softly. "I was waiting for you. You've been so distant these few days."

Bryan yawnedp. "If you two are going to get started, I would rather not be here."

Lila laughed softly. "Come to my chambers tonight."

David purred and my breathing stopped for a moment. "If that's what you want, my love." he said.

Something in me broke as he uttered the statement. I barely took notice of the sound of their steps disappearing down the corridor, of the empty space they left behind.

I heard just one thing over and over again. If that's what you want.

I stood in the darkness for a long time, long after they were gone. My fists tightened to the point my nails tore into my flesh.

I had been an idiot to think this bond meant something. It meant nothing.

****

I barely had any sleep that night. The next morning, I was back at work, scrubbing the floors of the palace with aching fingers.

I forced myself to move faster, to work harder. If I kept my head down, if I acted like the maid they wanted me to be, maybe and just maybe they would forget I exist.

But Lila did not forget. She never did.

"Slower, Omega. You're making a mess."

She stood over me, swirling a goblet of wine in her hand as I scrubbed the dining hall floor. I bit my tongue, paying attention to the work I was doing.

"She's ignoring you, my lady." one of the noblewomen said from across the table.

Lila sighed. "How rude.

Before I could stop her, she tipped the goblet forward, spilling deep red wine across the floor. The liquid splashed over my hands, my dress and the already cleaned floors.

My stomach tightened. "Oops." She smiled. "It looks like you'll have to start over again."

The noblewomen laughed. I closed my eyes for a moment, gripping the brush so hard my fingers ached.

This was a game to her. A test. She was waiting for me to break.

But I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

Slowly, I dipped the brush into the bucket of soapy water and started scrubbing again.

Lila laughed. "See? This is what happens when you let lowly omegas into the palace."

I kept my head down. "If it were up to me, I would have you thrown to the rogues." She continued.

Hours later, I was on my knees in the corridor outside the throne room still cleaning. I was glad Lila left already with the other women after making my life difficult. I made a note to finish the chores before she comes back.

But the instant the door to the throne room opened, I froze.

David and Bryan walked past me without sparing me as much as a glance. Their faces held no expression as they strode past me and walked into the throne room where their father, King Aldric Moonshade sat waiting. He must have summoned them.

Curiosity tickled my skin. The king never summoned both his sons at once. I shouldn't have stayed here. I should have kept scrubbing with my head down but I couldn't. I kept feeling the urge to listen, so I did.

I said nothing as I placed my ear on the door straining to catch every word through the open doorway while praying I don't get caught.

"Do you know why I called you here?" the king's deep voice sounded from inside the throne room.

David's voice was cold. "If this is about the war council…"

"It is not." He said before continuing. "A prophecy was revealed."

My breath got caught in my throat.

"A prophecy?" Bryan repeated, sounding bored. "Let me guess, another warning of death and destruction?"

The king ignored his sarcasm. "A seer has spoken. If you do not accept your mate, calamity will befall this kingdom."

My heart stopped momentarily. Mate. So he knew. But how?

Bryan let out a laugh. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" the king snapped. "Strange things are happening in the pack. Different sicknesses keep spreading in villages. The animals are aggressive. The last time something like this happened, the Moon Goddess punished our ancestors for denying their mates."

I felt a shiver ran down my spine.

"It does not matter. We will never accept her."

The words sliced through me. Though I knew already that they won't accept me, it still hurt because of the mate bond. The king let out a deep breath. "You are making a mistake."

"You expect us to claim some omega maid just because a seer says so?"

The king insisted. "You will take her in."

"You cannot force this." David retorted.

"Yes, I can or you are to take her as your breeder."

There was silence in the room and I had to pinch myself to make sure I'm not having a bad dream. A breeder. Not a mate. Not a wife. Just a vessel for producing babies.

Bryan was the first to break the silence. "Are you serious?"

"Very." The king's tone remained the same. "You will observe her for months. If any one of you impregnates her first, you will inherit the throne."

My stomach twisted. This couldn't be real.

"You are gambling the throne on this?"

"I am ensuring our survival," the king corrected. "If the prophecy is true, we cannot risk defying fate."

Bryan's chair scraped against the floor. "You expect us to fight over a weakling?"

"You will do what is necessary," the king said. "Or you suffer the consequences."

There was a moment of silence before David finally spoke, his voice colder than ever.

"If we must take her, then we will make her regret ever being born."

I didn't wait to hear anymore. I ran down the corridor before I could hear another word. My chest heaved and my breath came in short painful gasps.

They were not just rejecting me. They were going to destroy me.

And there is nothing I can do to stop it.