“Follow my lead.” Lucas ordered.

I inhaled deeply before falling behind his steps. My wolf jumped gleefully at the sight and near proximity of our mate, but unease sat pretty in the pit of my stomach. Something just doesn't feel right.

Walking into the ballroom, I was greeted by the sight of the pack members deeply engrossed in light talks and clink of champagne glasses. Not a single gaze was directed towards me. I was invisible. Even at my mating ceremony?

“Follow me, and don't say a word.” Lucas' voice interrupted my train of thoughts again.

I swallowed hard and nodded, increasing my pace to match his long strides. Slowly maneuvering the crowd, we got to the stage where the Alpha and Luna sat on their royal chairs.

“Is she the one?” Alpha Kilian asked Lucas.

“Yes dad,” Lucas replied. “I didn't want to do anything behind-the-scenes, so I brought her to the mating ceremony.”

What's going on here? I thought to myself as my eyes darted between father and son.

“Sit here,” Alpha Kilian's voice dripped with every bit of disdain as he pointed at a wooden footstool by the corner.

Confused, I nodded obediently and began heading towards my ‘royal seat’, but Lucas' voice over the microphone made me freeze in my tracks.

“Good evening everyone, without wasting much of your time, I'm glad to announce that I've found my mate…”

My heart skittered into overdrive as a feeling of pride washed over my body. I was finally getting a dose of goodness and my life is about to change for the better.

“Dear members of the Lorentz pack, it is with pride that I announce my mate, who is none other than…”

Lucas' voice blended into my ear drums like a melodic symphony and involuntarily, I found my legs moving towards the spotlight where Lucas stood in his full glory.

“...Also, I hereby reject April Gortham as my mate as she is unfit for the status of a Luna of this prestigious pack. Hence, I choose Natasha Dunches as my mate!”

Icicles flooded my veins as I froze at the spot with my eyes wide open. Lucas didn't announce me as his mate. He'd intentionally invited me here to publicly reject and embarrass me!

A high-pitched alarm set off in my head, and my breath hitched in my throat as I watched Natasha's slender figure make her way to the spotlight. Lucas smiled broadly and placed a loving kiss on Natasha’s lips, while his left hand snaked around her lower back.

With a clapping and standing ovation, the pack members cheered on Lucas and Natasha, completely ignoring my presence on the stage. When the ovation died down, Lucas turned to my direction, a dangerous smile playing at the corner of his lips.

“I know you feel bad, April, but can't you see that you don't fit into my status quo?”

A scornful smile tugged at Natasha’s lips as she tightened her grip on Lucas' arm. She'd known from the start that Lucas would reject me.

“Well, I have an offer for you,” Lucas smirked. “Since you're unfit for the role of a Luna, I'll give you a befitting role.”

“Don't do this please!” my wolf cried.

No, no, no, no….I begged internally, but Lucas' next words shattered my essence of existence.

“You, omega April Gortham, will become a palace maiden eunuch, and tend to my Luna,” Lucas spat out. “...and that's final!”

•••••

I let out a tired sigh as I slouched onto my bare spring bed, sniffling as I wiped my puffy eyes. I've endured all the humiliation meted out to me by the pack members, but being publicly rejected by my mate was the apex of it all. Pain jabbed relentlessly in my heart and fresh tears began to pour down my face.

Rejecting me wasn't enough for Lucas, he went as far as labelling me as a maiden eunuch, smashing all my hopes of finding happiness in another mate.

“You're being loud with those sobs,” a redhead who lay crumpled by the corner snorted. “There's nothing special about people like us. Deal with it and move on fast.”

“I am different!” I fired back, a surge of anger coursing my veins.

“If that makes you sleep at night,” the redhead sighed and turned her face to the wall. “Being an omega is already hell, but being a cursed omega?”

Her words drove a thousand pins into my already broken heart and a fresh burst of emotions flamed through my chest—it wasn't self-loathing, nor pity.

A wave of righteous anger crashed over me, pushing me up to my feet. Boldly, I moved towards the door, grabbing the door knob and throwing the door open. Stepping outside the maidservant quarters, I slammed the door with a new found strength.

“Bitch!” I heard the redhead curse loudly.

The biting cold night wind did little to douse the volcano of anger bubbling inside me. I am done!

“I can't continue living like this,” I muttered under my breath.

Without sparing a glance at the palace doors behind me, I let my feet pound hard against the damp, cold soil. Henceforth, I'm going to survive and live on my own terms, and with that unbridled determination, I ran…

My hands wrapped my stomach as yet another growling sound erupted from my inside, reminding me that I was hungry. I hadn't had anything to eat for the past twenty four hours—I was too excited to be officially mated to Lucas that I had totally forgotten about food. My once dignified anger had long dissipated and now I'm battling with the regret of running away from my pack.

It was a pitch-black and starless night, making it even harder for me to navigate through the thick woods. I had stumbled a few branches, gaining fresh cuts on my knee and elbow. Should I really continue into this forest? What if I end up becoming breakfast for a roaming wild animal?

My chaotic thoughts were interrupted by the loud clap of thunder, followed by lightning, and just as the lightning was about fading into the darkness, my eyes caught sight of a menacing figure skillfully hiding behind a large tree trunk.

Its large brown eyes glinted in the dark as it began moving towards where I stood rooted to the spot. It was a wild bear!

Before my brain could register the sight of the wild animal, my legs had already started moving on its own accord. My chest thumped loudly as I ran deeper into the forest. Nothing mattered anymore at this moment. Not Lucas. Not the rejection. Not my miserable omega status. All that matters to me at this point is surviving!

Blood rushed to my ears as I stumbled over a thorn of shrubs, gracing my skin with yet another bout of scratches. Blood trickled down my body as I picked myself up and continued my desperate race for survival. Another clap of thunder was followed by heavy patter of raindrops which suddenly grew into a full-blown downpour. My clothes were soaked in minutes and my sight became blurry, the soil underneath my feet became slippery, making movement a herculean task. I threw a furtive glance over my shoulder, and behold the bear was closing in faster than I had expected.

“April, you can't die this way,” Bianca cried.

“Shut the hell up and take over my human form!” I screamed back in anger.

If only I could turn to my wolf form…

I was still lost in thoughts when I tripped over a broken branch and crash landed on the wet soil with a loud thud. I could barely register the shock, before my body suddenly began to tumble down the steep hill. Air puffed out of my lungs, and my eyes burned with pain, the slashing sounds of jagged tree stumps and thorns tore through my skin, and my body kept rolling down like a broken record. I could feel my subconsciousness float out of my body, and suddenly everything stilled. My body wasn't moving anymore, and the pain was suddenly numbed.

“Are you dead?” Bianca’s voice sounded far away.

Maybe I am dead…

As much as I didn't want to die, the peace and quiet that comes with death is quite an alluring incentive.

Breathing the last whiff of air in my lungs, I let my subconsciousness slide into abysmal darkness.

•••••

“Is this heaven?” Bianca purred as a tiny shred of consciousness crept into my body.

“Hmmm. So heaven smells of croissant, bacon and apple pie,” Bianca sniffed harder.

Such a lousy weak wolf! I hissed internally.

I tried to move my body but every fiber in my body suddenly weighed a ton. I rolled my eyes in frustration— if I was dead and in heaven, then why am I not waking up?

Is this how the moon goddess runs the afterlife?

A mild shuffle of feet and clinking of plates jerked back my consciousness.

“Is she still unconscious?” A dangerously brusque voice asked.

“She's awake now, but she's yet to open her eyes,” a soothing male voice replied. He sounded professional, like a medical doctor or something.

“Open your eyes!” The gruff voice ordered.

Is he referring to me?

That voice commanded unmistakable authority and I'd be foolish to dare ignore it. Slowly, my eyelids fluttered open, squinting at the bright natural light that filtered through the open windows.

I blinked twice before my eyes settled onto the pair of most beautiful sapphire eyes I've ever seen. His jaws were taut, and his eyes held no atom of emotion, yet it pulled me in like gravity. A bold scar ran from his earlobe to his cheekbones, and his pepper and salt hair fell in long waves, stopping short below his neck.

What in the name of beauty is this! My thoughts roared.

I had just met him, but the mere sight of him was already stealing air from my lungs, and plunging my heart into free fall.

“Who are you?!” His voice rang, pulling me out of my subconscious daydream.

“I…I …uhh…I am… my name is April Gortham,” I stammered, wincing at the throbbing headache that dulled my senses.

“And what are you doing here? You must be a spy from the neighbouring pack.”

“Huh? No, no, no, I'm… I'm not a spy,” I began in my defense. “I was just trying to escape from my pack and then…”

My voice trailed off as it dawned on me that fragments of my memories were missing. The last thing I remembered was the loud clap of thunder and my body tumbling down the hill.

“Bold of you to think that I'll buy such feeble lies,” he scoffed.

“I'm not lying… I… ouch!” I let out a yelp as I tried to move my hands. A slight turn of head made me discover that I was bound in chains on the bed.

What sort of inhumane treatment was this? Does the stench of being an omega follow me around?

“You should count yourself lucky to be alive,” he said, approaching the bed. His height towered over the bed, and the scent of musk and leather breezed into my nostrils.

“By the order of things, you should be dead by now,” he growled as he leaned forward. “... because anyone who trespasses into the Whitlleburg pack dies right away!”

A soft gasp escaped my lips as reality dawned on me. Staring right back at me was no other but the most fearsome Alpha in the whole of Northern Ireland— the infamous Alpha Derrick.

I've heard alot of horrible things about Alpha Derrick and his brutality, but one thing I've never heard is that he was all shades of hands-down perfect beauty.

Fear crippled my muscles, while pure attraction glued my eyes to him.

“Holy fuck,” I whispered.

“Speak up!” Alpha Derrick growled, his eyes turning a shade of amber.

Fear coursed through my body at his voice, the reality of my fate dawning on me—I could be dead in minutes and nobody would even care.

“Please…” my voice squeaked. “Please save me. I don't want to die.”

Tears stung at the back of my eyes as the words rolled out of my mouth. I've done a lot of condescending things as an omega, but one thing I've never done was beg for my life.

The disdainful expression on Alpha Derrick's face made it clear that my pleas were falling on deaf ears.

“Everyone, leave!” He commanded. His words were followed by quick shuffling of feet and in split seconds, the room was empty save for the both of us. Derrick glanced over his shoulder to be sure nobody was within earshot.

“And why should I spare your insignificant life?” Derrick’s voice had reduced to a surprising whisper.

I swallowed hard, and bit my lip before saying, “I'll do anything you want me to do.”

“What makes you think that I'd want anything from you?”

“What if there's something you desperately need?” I whispered in a conspiratorial tone, pushing my luck harder.. maybe, just maybe, he'll find a need for me if I present myself as something valuable.

The thought of referring to myself as a thing formed knots in my stomach. Suddenly, Alpha Derrick’s face lit up with a thin smile.

What is he scheming this time?

“Well, I think there's something you can do for me?”

I pursed my lips as my mind ran through a thousand options. What does he want to do with me? A nanny? Maid? Object of fun for his friends?

“Be my Luna.”

My head jerked upward at his words. Is my brain so fucked up that I'm now hearing things?

“Huh?”

“You heard me right. I'll let you live on the condition that you'll become my contracted Luna.”

Fresh bead of sweat broke out of my forehead and my palm became clammy. There’s no way in the world that the most feared Alpha Derrick is asking me to be his Luna!

“Here,” Alpha Derrick tossed a brown paper envelope on my body. “This is the agreement.”

“I…I can't move,” I protested as the cold chains bit into my delicate skin. “Can you at least unbound me?”

Alpha Derrick scoffed and rolled his eyes indifferently. “Your freedom depends on your answer.”

Seriously? He wants me to sign a contract when I can't even move my body!

“You have till sunset to give me your answer,” he said and began walking towards the door.

Staring out the window, I realised that it was almost sundown, which means I don't have the luxury of time to think.

“Wait!” I called out, causing his form to stiffen, but he didn't look back.

“I've made up my mind… I will be your Luna.”

A wide smirk graced his beautiful face as he turned to face me. “That's a good choice, but I think you should read the terms of the contract first.”

“My hands are tied,” I protested.

Letting out a sigh, Derrick crossed the room in a few long strides and untied the chains. The rattling sound of chains did nothing to douse the mind-numbing effect that his musky scent had on me as every atom of oxygen I breathed in suddenly smelt like him.

“You can go through the contract and sign it. I'll have my beta pick it up when you're done.” And without another word, he sauntered out of the room, leaving me in both awe and pain.

The bang of the closed door brought me back to my senses, reminding me of the searing pain that pulsed my entire skin. Ignoring the pains, I flipped open the document and the words printed in bold italics tipped me over the edge.

“CONTRACT TO BE THE SURROGATE LUNA”

The words stared back at me daringly, as though mocking my miserable life.

“What?” I gasped. “There's no way I'm carrying Alpha Derrick's child in my womb.”

But even as the words rolled off my tongue, I knew it was mere wishful thinking. Alpha Derrick has bought my womb in exchange for my life and there was nothing I could do about it.