Evelyn Thorne POV:

Martha shoved me into a small, damp room in the Packhouse cellar. The air was thick with the smell of mildew and defeat. A single, hard cot was pushed against one wall. This was an Omega’s quarters. This was my new home.

She tossed a bundle of coarse, gray fabric at my feet. It was a servant’s uniform. "Your new clothes," she sneered, the word 'Wolfless' a venomous hiss on her tongue. "Work begins before sunrise in the kitchens. Don't be late."

The heavy door slammed shut, and the sound of a key turning in the lock echoed in the small space. I was a prisoner.

I sank onto the lumpy mattress, my body one giant, throbbing ache. The humiliation of the past twenty-four hours pressed down on me, a physical weight threatening to suffocate me. I felt utterly and completely alone, a speck of dust in a hostile universe.

I curled into a tight ball, pressing my face into the musty blanket. I didn't want to cry, didn't want to give them the satisfaction, but the tears came anyway, silent and hot, soaking the rough fabric. *Is there anyone left?* I cried out in the silence of my own mind. *Anyone at all?*

A voice, clear and strong and laced with irritation, exploded in my head.

*"Stop crying. It's loud, and we haven't lost yet."*

My eyes flew open. I shot up, my heart hammering against my ribs as I scanned the empty, shadowed room. There was no one there.

It had to be a hallucination, my grief-addled mind playing tricks on me.

*"I'm not a hallucination, you idiot,"* the voice snapped, even clearer this time. *"I'm in here. With you. I've been awake for a while, but that ridiculous ceremony of yours knocked me for a loop."*

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. An inner wolf? But... they said I was Wolfless. Everyone did.

Hesitantly, I formed a question in my mind. *Who are you?*

*"Who am I? I'm Aries! I'm your wolf! And for the record, this vessel you've provided is a little dense for not figuring out how to let me out, but I am most definitely here."* The voice was vibrant, arrogant, and so full of life it was a stark contrast to the despair that had consumed me.

A dizzying, incredulous joy surged through me. I wasn't Wolfless. I had a wolf! I wasn't broken!

But the euphoria was quickly chased by confusion. *Then why? Why couldn't I shift?*

There was a pause, and I could almost feel her concentrating. *"I don't know,"* Aries said, her tone less certain now. *"It feels... blocked. Like there’s a wall between us and the outside. It's weird. I've never heard of anything like it."*

The hope that had flared so brightly dimmed. So I had a wolf, but a useless one. To the pack, I was still the same—a broken thing, a failure.

Aries must have sensed my plunging spirits. *"Hey! None of that,"* she commanded. *"Don't get all gloomy again. The point is, you're not alone anymore. And I can feel it, Evelyn. I'm strong. Stronger than any of those prancing mutts upstairs."*

Her fierce confidence was infectious. A tiny spark of strength ignited within me. We had a secret. A dangerous one. If the Alpha found out I had a wolf I couldn't release, what would he do? He might see me as an even greater abomination.

*We have to keep this a secret,* I told her, my mind racing. *No one can ever know you exist.*

*"Fine,"* Aries grumbled, clearly displeased with the idea of hiding. *"But you have to promise me we'll figure out what's wrong. I have no intention of spending my entire existence cooped up in your skull."*

It was a deal. For the first time since my parents died, I felt a flicker of real hope. I had an ally. I was in hell, but I wasn't in it alone.

I listened as Aries launched into a litany of complaints about the hard bed, the foul air, and the general injustice of our situation. Her indignant chatter was the most comforting sound I had ever heard.

I sat up, wiping the tears from my face, and took a real look at my prison cell. My purpose was clear now. I had to survive. For Ren. For Aries. And for myself. I had to uncover the truth.

*"Oh! I almost forgot!"* Aries exclaimed, her voice suddenly giddy. *"Our Mate! We need to find our Fated Mate! He'll be able to help us! What about the Alpha's son? I remember his scent... it was... interesting."*

The mention of Desmond was a fresh stab of pain.

*Don't talk about him,* I shot back, my mental voice cold and sharp. *And besides, what Fated Mate would want an Omega? A 'Wolfless' girl? The Goddess doesn't give mates to the broken.*

Aries fell silent, sensing the depth of my pain. A moment later, a strange, gentle warmth spread through me, a feeling of being held and comforted from the inside out. It was her. In the suffocating darkness of that cellar, after two long years of aching loneliness, it was the first real hug I’d received.

Evelyn Thorne POV:

Two years. Two years of scrubbing floors, hauling laundry, and enduring the casual cruelty of the pack. Two years of being invisible, a ghost haunting the servant’s corridors of the Packhouse.

Today was my twentieth birthday. No one remembered. No one cared. Omegas didn’t have birthdays.

*"Two years and we're still washing dishes,"* Aries grumbled in my head as I plunged my hands into the greasy water of the kitchen sink. *"Are you ever going to fight back? You could, for instance, smash this plate over that old hag Martha's head."*

*And get locked in the punishment cell for three days without food,* I replied calmly, my hands moving in a steady, practiced rhythm. *It would only make things harder for Ren at the training grounds. It's not worth it.*

I had learned patience. I had learned to swallow my pride, to wear a mask of numb obedience. Every insult, every shove, I stored it away, letting it fuel the quiet, secret fire within me. I spent my nights practicing the fighting moves I observed from the warrior training sessions, my body growing stronger in the shadows, my power coiling tighter within me, waiting.

The kitchen doors swung open, and Lily Crest swept in, flanked by two of her fawning friends. She was the jewel of the pack now, beautiful and popular, and everyone assumed she would be Desmond's chosen mate, the future Luna.

She wrinkled her perfectly powdered nose at the kitchen’s steamy air and then her cold, blue eyes landed on me.

"Well, look what we have here," she said, her voice dripping with saccharine poison. "Still scrubbing away, our little Wolfless."

The other Omegas in the kitchen bowed their heads, making themselves smaller, trying to disappear. I kept my eyes on the sink, my face a blank wall. Ignoring her was the most effective weapon I had.

My indifference clearly enraged her. She glided closer and, with a deliberate 'oops,' tipped her glass of juice. The sticky, red liquid puddled on the floor I had just finished mopping.

"How clumsy of me," she tittered, her friends giggling behind her. "Lick it up, Omega. Maybe I'll let you have the scraps from my dinner tonight."

*"Kill her,"* Aries roared in my mind, a wave of pure fury crashing against my consciousness. *"Let me out, Evelyn! I'll rip her throat out!"*

I clenched my fists, my short, clean nails digging into my palms. The sharp sting of pain helped me focus. This was a test. She wanted a reaction. She wanted to see me break.

I would not give her the satisfaction.

Wordlessly, I picked up a rag, knelt, and began to wipe up the mess.

My submission seemed to bore her. With a sigh of theatrical frustration, she kicked the bucket of dirty water beside me. Icy, foul-smelling water sloshed over my legs and soaked the hem of my thin uniform.

She leaned down, her face close to my ear, her voice a venomous whisper meant only for me. "Did you know it's your birthday today, too? A sad little party for one in the dirt. Meanwhile, Desmond is spending his entire day planning the magnificent celebration he's throwing for *me* tonight."

That did it. The mention of his name, the casual, possessive way she spoke it, was a poisoned dagger straight to the heart.

My head snapped up. For a split second, the mask slipped, and she saw the cold, murderous rage in my eyes.

She flinched, taking an involuntary step back, a flicker of fear in her eyes before it was replaced by renewed anger.

Before she could say or do anything else, Martha bustled into the kitchen. Her scowl at me instantly transformed into a fawning smile when she saw Lily.

"Miss Crest! How lovely to see you." She then rounded on me. "You, girl! Stop dawdling! You'll be serving at Miss Lily's party tonight. There's much to be done!"

Of course. The cruelty was exquisite. Forcing me to serve at my tormentor’s birthday party.

Lily’s triumphant smile returned. "Excellent, Martha. Put her on drink duty. I can't wait to see the look on our future Alpha's face when he sees what’s become of his old... playmate."

She turned and swept out of the kitchen, her laughter echoing behind her.

I stayed on my knees, methodically cleaning up the mess. Aries was quiet now, her rage simmering down into a shared, aching pain.

I knew what tonight would be. It wasn't a party. It was a public execution of my dignity.

I looked at my own pathetic reflection in the murky water on the floor. My face was pale and thin, but my eyes... my eyes burned with a cold, hard light.

*One day, Aries,* I promised my wolf, my voice a silent vow in my soul. *Everyone who has ever humiliated us will pay. A hundred times over.*

*"I'm counting on it,"* she replied, her voice regaining its strength. *"But for now, let's go to this stupid party. Who knows... maybe our fate changes tonight."*

There was a strange, prophetic note in her voice that sent a shiver down my spine.