Chapter 1

{AVELINE}

THE surroundings are still dark, but I woke up immediately. It was only 4 o'clock in the early morning, according to the dusty clock hanging on the cracked brown wall of my room. I quickly got up from my old and worn-out bed. It made a sharp sound as if it would break as I moved and got off it. I winced.

The only source of light in my entire room was a small lamp. No matter how much I clean it every day, the surroundings are always dirty, as if nobody lives here. That's because everything inside my room is just scraps discarded by the wealthy werewolves. And scraps always attract dirt, no matter how much I try to keep it clean.

I carried my lamp and left my room. I was greeted by a dark hallway and the endless rows of rooms where Omega slaves like me have been living since birth. I am always the first one to wake up among all of us.

I quietly walked along the very long hallway. There were mice scurrying in front of me, making squeaking sounds. I'm used to it. They are the ones I've grown accustomed to over the years.

Sounds pathetic, right? That's the life of an Omega slave. Most of us would wish we had never been born if it meant being born as an Omega slave. But for me, even though it's difficult and painful, I will endure. I'm the kind of person who is grateful to have been born into this world. I'll live my life until my last breath.

I spent almost a couple of minutes walking down the hallway to exit the Omega slave quarter in the Right Wing of the palace. When I finally stepped out of the long hallway, I went straight into a spacious room where everyone's laundry from the noble clan was neatly arranged, each with their own labeled basket.

Every fifth day of the week, other Omega slaves would collect these baskets one by one from the rooms of each noble family. And then, on Saturdays, it would be the Omega slaves' turn to wash them, and I'm one of those assigned to this task. From the first day until the fifth day of the week, their laundry piles up, so there's a lot of it.

Princess Octavia. Princess Viviana. Princess Meliora.

I read their names. I am assigned to wash their beautiful and thick clothes. They are the children of the three siblings of our pack's Luna Cordelia. Our pack is ruled by the Hastings hierarchy, and our pack is named after their surname, the Hastings pack. All the Hastings are already considered royalty. Our Alpha, named Alpha Archibald, is the true Hastings, and he was only married to our Luna. Now, all the family members of the crowned Luna will also be considered royalties. But only their children have the right to inherit the throne, and if they are not fortunate enough to have one, they will choose from the Hastings family only.

Enough with our pack overview, I placed the three baskets, which are bigger than my human size, into the long cart that I also took from inside the room. They were heavy, but I have become accustomed to carrying heavy weights. I have been doing all of these tasks for almost 7 years. When you're still between the ages of one and ten, they only give us light chores. I am 17 years old now, according to Aunt Nerissa. She has been taking care of me since I was born, after my parents left me outside her door.

When I think about my parents, I can't help but ask myself, "Was I really an Omega, or is my true identity something more than an Omega slave?" Never mind. Nothing will change if I keep thinking about it. Besides, they won't come back for me, they left me, right?

I proceed with my heavy task. I push the cart while holding my lamp at the same time. As I make my way along the rough path towards the river, the sun slowly starts to peek through. What a tiring way to start my day.

"OOPS! My fork fell to the floor," Princess Octavia snarkily remarked to me.

I wasn't even finished serving their delicious dinner when she immediately called my attention. I approached her, knelt down to pick up the fork she purposely dropped, and placed it back on her plate. She always did this every single day, making my work even harder and more tiring.

She gave me a disdainful look. "Are you seriously kidding me, Aveline? Does your narrow mind even function? Didn't you see that fork fall to the dirty floor? Do you really think I would use that thing knowing it dropped on the filthy ground? I'm not like you, you piece of trash!" she angrily shouted at me. The floor was actually clean; she just always overreacted to things.

Her words entered through my right ear and went out through my left ear. That's what I always did. I've grown accustomed to scenes like this and I'm immune to the ill manners of the three princesses in front of me now. The other two princesses, Viviana and Meliora, laughed at me.

"I'm sorry, I will replace your fork, Princess Octavia," I humbly replied.

I took the fork from her empty plate.

"Your eyes are truly useless! Can't you see that you've already put that dirty fork back on my plate? The dirt might already be on my plate!" She shouted as if she were going hysterical.

"Don't be surprised. She didn't receive any education," Princess Meliora remarked to Princess Octavia. Then she looked at me with a mocking smile on her lips.

I didn't show any emotion in response to their insults, nor did I defend myself. It would be pointless to do so. In the end, I am still an Omega slave and I have no right to defend myself against any of the noble clan. What a life!

{CASSIUS}

"DOWN to your knees!" Morgana shouted at the three men standing in front of me. She was appointed as the Beta of my Mooncrest Pack.

I could see the fear in the eyes of the three men who pretended to be my warriors but were actually spies from the Blood Moon pack. Blood Moon pack topped the list of my rival packs, and I intended to conquer them in the future when the time was right.

"Wha—what have we done wrong?" one of them asked, trembling with fear. I felt sorry for him as he was one of the skilled warriors who recently joined our forces.

Morgana was impatient. She walked behind them and kicked each of their knees, forcing them to kneel before me. As their knees hit the ground, a swirl of dust danced in the air. Seeing them unable to meet my gaze directly and trembling with nervousness gave me a sense of amusement.

"Besides being spies from the Blood Moon pack, which I already know, you can start telling me the plans of your cunning Alpha and all the things I should be aware of," I said with a smile.

"We don't know what you're talking about," the man in the middle responded firmly. As far as I knew, his name was Cristobal, or his fake name at least.

What a boring one! I still haven't heard the magic words, "Please spare us, Alpha Cassius!" I'm eagerly anticipating hearing them. Perhaps they will finally fulfill my anticipation later on.

"Morgana, you can now train the warriors," I said to Morgana. She nodded at me before heading to the front, where the warriors were neatly lined up, watching the spectacle before them.

"You can start punishing these three until they talk," I ordered the three guards who had been waiting in the back.

They forcefully made the three men sit on three chairs arranged in a row, with their hands tied to the armrests. A white cloth was placed on their laps, and boiling water was poured onto it. They let out a slight scream, but I could still see the determination in their eyes not to reveal everything they knew.

The three guards took thick and long wooden sticks and began striking their thighs. The men cried out in pain. The intense pain mixed with the burning sensation from the boiling water poured on their thighs was unbearable.

I lit a tabako as I watched their suffering. I couldn't help but sigh when I saw Stephan shedding tears while punishing one of the men. I've known him to be a soft and kind-hearted man. While he was still young, I started training him for situations like this. In the world we belonged to, being too kind could be your downfall.

"HE already knows all my plans," I said with a grin.

"Why do you have that reaction?" Morgana asked, raising her eyebrows. She was looking at me like I am the weirdest werewolf she had known.

We were inside a spacious room in my castle. This room served as our planning headquarters. Only Morgana, Theodor (our pack's military enforcer), and I were present. I forgot to mention that Morgana is my only sister, and I'm just six years older than her. Theodor, on the other hand, is my best buddy, and we're the same age.

"Should it be like this?" I asked her. I clenched my fist, darkened my facial expression, and forcefully pounded my clenched right fist on the table in front of us. And then I said angrily, "He already knows all my plans!"

After uttering the last word, it was followed by Theodor's loud laughter, accompanied by a vigorous applause. Morgana's face couldn't be any more expressive as she seemed to look even older than me.

"That was epic!" Theodor exclaimed joyfully.

"Shut up! Your only contribution is your constant laughter. Does that help, huh?" Morgana retorted, blocking him.

Theodor scratched his neck. My sister always gets on his nerves.

"Enough, let's proceed!" I said seriously.

They both settled in their respective chairs.

"We can no longer proceed with the plan we had set," I began.

From the first day those men joined as new warriors in my pack, I felt something unusual. I could read every being I faced. I could easily tell what was going on in their minds with just a glance. But I let them do their things for over a week. Letting them be was like watching and knowing my enemies' moves.

I even allowed them to eavesdrop on our every meeting. I wanted to laugh. What do they think of me, a fool? As if I wouldn't be able to feel their presence. Even if they use some sort of magic to hide their scent as a werewolf, it doesn't affect me. Right, he's really cunning because he went so far as to venture into the kingdom of dark witches just to carry out his failed plan. It's ridiculous that Percival had to send fools men here to spy on me. Well, their Alpha is also foolish.

After they sang everything they knew to me, I still took their lives. I stabbed them in the heart with a spear made of silver. It wouldn't make a difference if I let them live. Once they return to the Blood Moon pack, Percival would kill them anyway. It's more fitting that they die by my hands.

"We will attack them in the next full moon!" I declared finally. After that, I started smoking my tobacco and blew some smoke in Theodor's face just to tease him.

Still, I appreciated that the three spies finally told the truth at the end, and in return, I would spare the lives of their families once we attack the Blood Moon pack to make it as my new territory. I can't wait to see that cunning Percival begging for his life, kissing my brown boots that I always wear.