Sera's POV
The bucket of dirty mop water hits my face so hard I actually fall backwards.
Oops, Vivian Dark water says, her red lips curling into a smile. Didn't see you there, traitor's daughter.
I stay on the floor, water dripping from my hair, while the other pack members laugh. Nobody helps me up. Nobody ever does.
Today is my eighteenth birthday. The day I've been waiting for since I was ten years old. The day I can finally leave this nightmare behind.
I just have to survive one more day.
I grab my bucket and push myself up, keeping my eyes on the marble floor. That's the first rule when you're the lowest wolf in the Shadow pine Pack never look anyone in the eye. Never speak unless spoken to. Never, ever fight back.
You missed a spot, Vivian says, pointing to where her designer shoe just stepped in the water. Clean it. Again.
My hands shake as I wring out the mop. I want to scream at her. I want to tell her that eight years ago, my parents were the highest ranked wolves in this pack. That my mother was kind and beautiful, and my father was the best warrior Shadow pine ever had.
But then I remember the execution platform. The silver chains. The way my mother looked at me one last time before
Today, omega! Vivian snaps her fingers in my face.
I scrub the floor again. The cold water makes my fingers hurt, but I don't stop. I learned a long time ago that pain is easier than punishment.
Vivian finally walks away, laughing with her friends. I hear pieces of their conversation.
Can you believe the Blood Moon Festival is tonight?
I heard Alpha Kael might finally choose a mate!
Obviously he'll choose Vivian. She's perfect for him.
The Blood Moon Festival. I've heard the servants whispering about it for weeks. It only happens once every ten years a special moon that makes the mate bond stronger. Every unmated wolf will be there, hoping to find their destined partner.
Not me, though. Omegas don't get mates. We're too weak, too useless. The Moon Goddess doesn't waste bonds on wolves like me.
I finish cleaning and carry the bucket back to the servant quarters. It's a tiny room in the basement with five other servant beds crammed inside. Everything I own fits in one small box under my bed three servant uniforms and the photograph.
I pull out the photograph carefully. It's old and bent at the corners. My mother and father are standing in front of the pack house, smiling. I'm between them, maybe seven years old, laughing at something my dad just said.
We look happy. We look like a family.
Traitors, the Alpha called them at the execution. Wolves who betrayed our pack to the enemy.
It wasn't true. I know it wasn't. My parents loved Shadowpine. They would never
Sera! A voice whispers from the doorway.
I shove the photograph back under my bed and turn around. Lyssa Chen is peeking inside, her dark eyes sparkling with trouble.
Go away, I tell her. If someone sees you talking to me
Let them see. Lyssa bounces into the room and shuts the door. She's carrying a bag behind her back. Happy birthday!
My throat gets tight. Lyssa is the only person in this entire pack who's been nice to me. She sneaks me extra food when I'm hungry. She warns me when Vivian is in a bad mood. She's risked everything just to be my friend.
You shouldn't be here, I say quietly.
It's your birthday, and I brought you something. She pulls out a dress from the bag simple and blue, but prettier than anything I've ever owned. You're coming to the Blood Moon Festival with me tonight.
I actually laugh. Are you crazy? I can't go to the festival. I'm
An omega, I know. Lyssa rolls her eyes. But you're also turning eighteen today. That means tomorrow you can petition to leave the pack. This is your last night in Shadowpine, Sera. Don't spend it scrubbing floors.
They'll never let me
So we sneak out. Lyssa grins. Come on, Sera. One night of freedom. Don't you want to see what it feels like to be more than invisible?
I look at the dress in her hands. Then at my reflection in the small, cracked mirror on the wall. I see a girl with tangled blonde hair and tired gray eyes. A girl who's been beaten down so long she forgot how to stand up.
But tomorrow, I leave. Tomorrow, I start a new life somewhere far away from here.
Maybe Lyssa is right. Maybe I deserve one night to remember what freedom feels like.
Okay, I whisper. I'll go.
Lyssa squeals and hugs me so hard I can't breathe. Yes! Meet me at the north gate at sunset. And wear the dress!
She runs out before I can change my mind.
That night, after all my chores are done, I lock the door to the servant quarters and pull on the blue dress. It fits perfectly. I brush my hair until it shines and look at myself in the mirror.
For the first time in eight years, I don't see a servant.
I see a girl who might be worth something.
I'm about to leave when I feel it strange tingling at the back of my neck. Like something is watching me. Like something inside me is waking up after a very long sleep.
I turn around, but the room is empty.
The feeling doesn't go away.
And somewhere deep inside my chest, something whispers a word I don't understand:
Tonight.