“The next time you try to run from me, I will chase you. And make no mistake, I will catch you. Do you Understand?”

“Y-, yes, sir.” I stutter, suddenly feeling hot all over.

“Alpha!” He corrects me. “I may be a Lycan and a King, but I’m still your Alpha, sweetling.”

Sage is nothing more than an outcast omega, living as a slave in the Blackthorn Pack. Cassius Sloane, the Alpha heir, is the only one there she can trust. Or so she thought.

When a handsome stranger stumbles into her path, bloody and dying, Sage’s kind heart won’t allow her to turn her back on him, despite the consequences for harboring a rogue. But as soon as he’s well, he leaves her too.

Sage has all but given up when her handsome stranger returns, saving her in her darkest hour. But in the midst of her salvation, truths come to light that leave her feeling even more distrustful and betrayed.

She may have been given a second chance at life and a new home, but she quickly finds the Royal pack is no place for an lowly omega. And the ever-growing pull she feels to a certain king she can never have is the last thing she needs. In a kingdom plagued by mutant rogues and political perils, will she rise above her station and find true happiness, or will she forever remain the outcast omega?

Other works:

Fate Trilogy

An Unwanted Fate

A Tangled Fate: Bound By Her Betas

A Cruel Fate: Her Gammas Regret

Legend Of Glass Lake Series

The Alpha’s Abandoned Luna And The twin Flames

Tryst Of Fate

Not Their Luna: A Female Alpha Story-Coming Soon

Stand Alone

Resisting The Alpha Triplets

Sage

“Sage! Sage! Where is that wolfless little urchin?” I hear Daphne, the Beta’s daughter and so-called future Luna, at least that’s how she regards herself, calling out to me as I rush inside the packhouse.

“I’m here!” I answer, a little too breathlessly.

“You’re late!” She chides, the promise of swift and severe punishment lurking in her eyes.

Daphne grabs my wrists, twisting them painfully as she drags me closer. “You lazy little gutterpup! How dare you take advantage of your Alpha’s kindness!” I feel the sting on my cheek before I even register her hand flying out to slap me.

My eyes prick with tears that I refuse to let fall. I rub at the tender flesh while ignoring the snickers from the other omegas who’ve gathered to enjoy the show. They wouldn’t find it so funny if it was happening to them. But of course it never will. Not when they have a poor wolfless outcast like me to abuse instead.

“You will climb up that ladder and polish the crystal chandelier until it shines so bright it hurts your eyes! We have important guests coming to dinner and I will not have our Alpha entertaining in anything less than a spotless home!” She orders.

“B-, but I-, I c-, can’t.” My voice trembles, my fear spilling into my tone. “I’m sc-, scared of heights.”

“You can and you will!” She demands unsympathetically. “Now, get up that ladder before I give you something to really be scared of!”

I stuff the polish and a few rags in my apron pockets, the worn thread stretching at the seams from the heavy load. Just do it, Sage. You’ll be fine. Lots of people climb ladders and live to tell about it. I scramble up the ladder without looking down before I can chicken out.

I’m almost to the top when my foot slips. Suddenly, I’m falling backwards, my arms flailing and my eyes shut tight. I expect to feel the crack of my skull against the hardwood floor at any second, killed by my own lack of coordination.

But the crushing pain I’m bracing for never comes. Instead, a pair of strong arms catches me, pulling me against a warm chest and cradling me there. It feels so nice, I want to snuggle up there and never leave.

“Whoa there, little bird.” His voice is deep and soothing, and slightly amused. “I don’t think you’re quite ready to fly yet.”

“Cassius.” I breathe out, looking up into the handsome face and striking emerald eyes of the Alpha’s son. “I-, I’m so sorry! I don’t know why I’m so clumsy. Thank you for catching me!”

I scramble to get out of his arms and he sets me gently on my feet but doesn’t let me go. My hands feel so small in his, his large palms enveloping mine, his thumbs rubbing softly over my wrists. He’s grinning at me but not exactly in a friendly way, more like the big bad wolf showing his big shiny teeth.

“No need to thank me, little bird. I’m just glad I was here. I’m sure we can find something for you to do that keeps both your feet planted safely on the floor.” He chucks me under the chin and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Yes, Alpha.” I agree, gasping when his smile turns feral, like he wants to eat me. I pull out of his grasp, a shiver running down my spine.

“Good girl!” The words rumble up from deep in his chest. He flashes me a sexy smirk and then he’s gone.

“How dare you inconvenience Cassius!” Daphne pops up out of nowhere, startling me out of my dreamy thoughts. “He has far more important things to worry about than rescuing pathetic wolfless omegas!”

She grabs my upper arm, digging her nails into my skin and drags me into the kitchen. Once we’re out of sight, she tosses me onto the ground and stands over me with a glower.

“Since you can’t manage the one simple task I gave you, now you can get down on your hands and knees and scrub the entire floor. Make sure it’s pristine, so clean our guests can see their reflection in it!” She shoots me an evil smirk then tosses her long black hair over shoulder and leaves.

A few hours later, I stand back and look at my handiwork, proud of what I’ve accomplished. The floor is polished to a high shine and the whole room smells like pine. I hope Cassius will be proud of me when he sees it.

Exhausted, I head down the hall for a much needed bathroom break. Daphne and some of her friends are huddled together, whispering conspiratorially but they all go quiet when I pass by. I wonder what the she-devil is up to now.

When I exit the bathroom, they’re all waiting for me. One of them grabs me by my hair and throws me to the ground in the center of their circle. They each take turns kicking and punching me until I can barely breathe.

I curl into a ball and try to protect myself from their blows as much as possible. I used to fight back, but that only made it worse so I learned to lie still and take it, doing my best not to cry. When they’ve all had a turn, Daphne spits on me, a murderous look on her face.

“Stay away from Cassius, you little slut! You think I didn’t notice the little stunt you pulled today? Try and seduce him again and I’ll slit your throat, you piece of scum!”

They leave me lying there on the floor, bleeding and bruised. I take a few minutes to catch my breath then slowly pull myself up to my feet. When I make it back to the dining room, the beautiful floor I worked so hard on is completely destroyed. Dirty, greasy footprints are tracked across the room and it looks like someone dumped the kitchen trash right in the middle.

I sigh, swallowing back the urge to hunt Daphne down and murder her. But I’d only end up in jail for the crime. I work late into the evening to repair the damage, managing to make it sparkle again just before the guests arrive. It’s not as nice as my previous work, but it will have to do.

Starving, I head to the kitchen to wrap up some scraps of food, my pay for all my hard work. Then I start the long trek back to my little shack out by the pack border.

I’m bone-weary and everything hurts from the beating I took. Any other day, I’d take my time walking home. But tonight, I push through the pain, in a hurry to get back. Because tonight, I have someone waiting on me, counting on me to take care of him, and I can’t let him down!

Sage

My anxiety grows with every step I take as I rush home. I have an important guest, well important to me anyway, and he’s injured. He was still unconscious when I left him this morning and I’ve worried about him all day. I hope he’s okay.

I don’t know his name or where he’s from. All I really know is that he needs me. I was working in the fields yesterday when he stumbled into our pack, covered head to toe in blood from several nasty looking wounds. It was a gruesome sight and I was terrified, but before the shriek could tear from my lungs, he collapsed at my feet.

I’m ashamed to admit I hesitated to help him, concerned he might be a rogue. Harboring a rogue is punishable by death in my pack and I wasn’t sure I should risk it. But on closer inspection, he was wearing expensive clothes and even the blood smearing his face couldn’t hide his handsome features. He smelled amazing too, like fresh, crisp winter air, not putrid like a rogue.

Everything in me screamed to help him. If I did nothing, he’d die of his wounds and I couldn’t live with myself if I left him to that fate. So, with all the strength I could muster, I managed to drag him home and laid him on my little cot. I cleaned and dressed his wounds and watched him through the night, bathing him with cool rags whenever his fever spiked.

I hated to leave him this morning, but if I didn’t show up for work, Daphne would have sent someone looking for me. Then we’d be caught for sure and we’d both be dead. I just hope he survived the day.

When I finally make it home with my little bundle of food, I rush inside, eager to check on my patient. He’s still on the cot but he’s sitting up now and his face has a little more color. I take that as a good sign.

“How are you feeling?” I ask, hoping he’s a tiny bit more talkative now that he’s feeling a little better.

He doesn’t answer me, glaring at me as he scans me from head to toe like he’s just seeing me for the first time. Then I swear I see his gray eyes flash amber as he lets out a ferocious growl.

“Who hurt you?” He roars.

“I’m fine.” I brush off his concern, too embarrassed to tell him about the abuse I endure.

“You’re not fine! Now answer me!” He grinds out, his jaw clenched in anger.

“Why does it matter?” I snap back. “You’re still too injured to help and nothing can be done about it anyway. But if you really want to know, I’ll tell you all about it when I’m done changing your dressings. How, how are you?”

He stares at me a moment longer, clearly unhappy with the bargain. But finally nods and answers, “Still weak, but alive, thanks to you.” His full lips turn up in a half smile and I feel myself blushing at his gratitude. “I appreciate the risk you took, bringing me to your home. Are you sure it’s safe for me to be here? I can go if you want me to.”

“Trust me, if you don’t want to be found, there is no safer place to hide than in my home. No one ever comes looking for me.” I say a little too bitterly.

But if he notices my tone, he doesn’t comment, just nods and winces from the pain the movement caused. I can see from here that some of his dressings need to be changed, already bleeding through the fabric of his clothes. I start to remove his clothes but his hand darts out, grabbing mine with surprising strength for someone so weak.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m undressing you.” I answer matter-of-factly. “You can’t expect me to treat you with your clothes on. Besides, It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before. How do you think I took care of you last night? Those dressings didn’t get there by themselves.”

He says something that comes out as a grunt but releases my hand. I take that as permission and help him remove the rest of his clothes, all but his underwear. It takes every ounce of willpower I have not to stare.

It’s clear this man takes care of his body. Every inch of him screams power and strength, muscles rippling under his gorgeously tanned skin. Aside from his current wounds, only a few scattered scars mar its perfection.

“Uh, I’ll just go get the first aid kit. I’ll be right back.” I stand, forcing my eyes away.

I hurry into the bathroom, my chest heaving and my heart pounding. “What is wrong with you, Sage? So what if he’s devastatingly handsome! The man is injured!” I scold myself. “Besides, you’re a wolfless nobody. He won't look twice at you once he’s well. Don’t forget that!”

Lecture complete, I grab the kit and rush back to his side. I make quick work of cleaning his wounds and redressing them. He watches me the entire time, his intense steel-gray eyes never leaving me and his firm, square jaw never shifting from its neutral expression.

“You’re good at that.” He deadpans, an observation not a compliment.

“I’ve had a lot of practice.” I shrug. “ I tend to get hurt a lot. And no one is around to treat my wounds.” I leave out the part about them not being willing to help even if they were nearby.

“Huh.” He grunts and I clench my jaw. He could at least say thank you.

“So, would you mind telling me how you ended up inside our pack border?”

“I was attacked by rogues. I managed to get away and was looking for a place to hide.” He states flatly, again no emotion in his tone. “I’ll go as soon as I’m healed. I know you’re taking a risk by having me here.”

“Some of these injuries are serious. You’ll need to be monitored for infection. I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.” He stares at me for a moment but doesn’t argue as I expect him to.

For reasons I can’t explain, the thought of this stranger I just met not being here makes me sad. Maybe it’s because I sense a kindred spirit in him. I can’t even sense his aura like other wolves. His wolf must be really weak, or maybe he doesn’t have one just like me.

I’m lost in my musing as I work but as soon as I apply the last bandage, I look up to find him watching me intently. “Are you done?” He asks.

“Yes, for now.” I reply.

“Good. Now tell me who hurt you!” He demands.

Alaric

She’s covered in cuts and bruises! Who the fuck would do that to her and why do I have this overwhelming need to find them and end them slowly and painfully? She’s a tiny waif of a thing, thin and frail. Only the worst kind of bully would do that to someone like her.

“Tell me who hurt you, sweetling.” I don’t mean to growl but I can’t help it.

I’m not a soft man. I’m used to commanding respect, not coddling little omegas. But she doesn’t seem put off by it, in fact, she appears to ignore it completely.

“Who didn’t?” She shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Here, I brought you some food. It’s not much, but you need to keep your strength up.”

She chatters away, unwrapping her little bundle and presenting it to me like a sacrificial offering. She doesn’t seem affected at all by her injuries though I can tell by looking at them that they must be painful. It’s almost like she’s accustomed to this kind of abuse and I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.

“I asked you a question, sweetling. I expect an answer.” My tone is firm, brooking no argument, but I manage to keep my aura in check. I’m not used to being defied or ignored.

She sighs, exasperated but resigned. “The Beta’s daughter hates me. Well everyone hates me, but she detests me more than the others. She makes it her mission in life to hurt me when no one is looking.”

“And her friends are all too willing to join in on the fun. Today was just worse than usual. Now, let me check the nasty bump on your head.”

“That can wait. Tell me why you say everyone hates you.” It’s clear by her run down little shanty and the lack of food in her pantry that she’s not well cared for by the pack. It’s inexcusable and I want to know why.

“I don’t have a wolf.” She looks away when she answers, her face coloring with shame. “I’m an embarrassment to them.”

“I see.” I keep my expression neutral, but inside, I’m enraged. I knew the moment I met her she didn’t have a wolf. Being wolfless is an anomaly but it happens sometimes. There is nothing shameful about it. Any good Alpha would care for all members of his pack equally.

My wolf rumbles unhappily, pushing me to comfort her but I don’t want her to get attached. We haven’t even exchanged names yet and it’s better that way. I can’t stay here long.

“And the Beta’s daughter? What is her problem?” I press for more information. Not out of concern for her but because anything she reveals could be beneficial to my mission. At least that’s what I tell myself.

“She doesn’t like that the Alpha’s son, Cassius, is nice to me. She’s decided he belongs to her and wants me to stay away from him. She thinks I’m trying to seduce him or something.

“Which is ridiculous.” She wrinkles her nose adorably. “I can barely speak around him. I get all tongue-tied when he’s around, hardly seductive behavior. And it’s not like he’d seriously consider someone like me anyway.”

“Hmm.” I mumble. “You don’t seem to have a problem talking to me.”

“You’re easy to talk to and a good listener.” She rattles on, not missing a beat. “Anyway, Daphne is as psychotic as they come and unfortunately, I’m in her line of fire.”

“Maybe it would be prudent to steer clear of the Alpha’s son if that's a trigger for her.” I suggest the obvious but this little spitfire isn’t having it.

“Absolutely not! He’s the only person in this pack that’s ever been kind to me and I won’t repay him by avoiding him to save my own skin.” She snaps. “Besides, spending time with him, however short it may be, is the highlight of my day. And he’s very nice to look at.”

I have to hold back the snarl threatening to escape at her words. Why should it bother me if she has no sense of self-preservation, wasting her time on a man like Cassius Sloane. From what I know of the man, he’s no good for her but it’s not my place to tell her so.

“Oh! Guess what!” She exclaims without waiting for an actual guess. “Tomorrow is the big contest to determine who the new Chief Omega for the packhouse will be!

“I’m going to compete! If I’m chosen, I’d get to work inside everyday instead of out in the fields in the sweltering heat. But the best part is, I would be working closely with Cassius everyday to make sure everything is to his liking.

“We’d be spending lots of time together, choosing menus for pack dinners and going over his schedule, making sure he has everything he needs for meetings and such. It would be a dream come true for me!”

This time a growl does slip free. For some reason, the thought of her spending time with that man annoys the shit out of me! I really need these wounds to heal soon so I can be on my way before this little omega really gets under my skin.

She flinches slightly at the sound and I feel guilty for scaring her. “I’m sorry. I won’t hurt you little one.”

“I know. I’m not scared of you. You’re my friend.” She says confidently, offering me a radiant smile.

She helps me lean forward and cleans the wounds on my back, her touch patient and gentle. I’ve noticed she hums while she works and the sound soothes me as I breathe through the pain. But something about what she said is nagging at me.

“I’m happy to be your friend, sweetling. But you shouldn’t trust so easily. You don’t know me that well. If I were someone else, you could’ve been in real danger. I would think your pack has taught you that lesson well.”

“And if I’d let them break me, if I closed myself off, suspicious of everyone instead of choosing to look for the best in people, you wouldn’t be alive today.” She pushes back, her lips turning up in a challenging smirk.

As much as I love a good challenge, I let the comment go. I have a job to do and bantering with a pint-sized omega is not part of the plan. I need to focus my energy on healing so I can move on. But a tiny ounce of guilt pricks at me when I see her face fall at my obvious dismissal.

Why do I get the feeling this tiny little wolfless omega is going to be the death of me?