Chapter 1 The Sinner
Crash!
The sound of expensive porcelain shattering sounded through the Pack Hall.
Before I could even process the noise, a heavy hand gripped my throat. My feet left the ground.
"K-Amon..." I choked out, clawing uselessly at the granite forearm that held me.
"Don't you dare speak her name," Alpha Amon roared, his eyes flashing a terrifying, predatory red. "Don't you dare speak at all, you filth."
Thud!
He threw me across the room. I flew like a ragdoll, my back colliding hard with the stone fireplace.
Pain exploded in my spine. I crumbled to the floor, gasping for air, my vision swimming with black spots.
"Oww..." I whimpered, curling into a ball.
"Look at what you did!" Amon bellowed.
I forced my eyes open. Through the tears, I saw her.
Melissa. The Beta’s daughter. The woman the whole pack wanted to be their Luna.
She was lying on the bottom of the grand staircase, clutching her ankle, sobbing theatrically.
"My ankle!" Melissa cried, looking up at Amon with wide, wet eyes. "She... she pushed me, Amon! I tried to help her carry the laundry, and she just... she pushed me!"
"N-No!" I stammered, shaking my head frantically. "I-I d-didn't! I w-was nowhere n-near her!"
"Liar!" Amon snarled.
He crossed the room in two strides, looming over me like a god of vengeance.
I flinched, shielding my face with my bruised arms. I was just an Omega. A runt. I had no wolf to protect me. I was nothing compared to him.
"Melissa is delicate," Amon spat, his voice dripping with disgust. "She is everything you are not. Kind. Beautiful. Worthy."
Every word was a knife to my heart.
We were fated mates. I knew it. He knew it. But he had never marked me. He had never claimed me. To him, the Moon Goddess had made a mistake.
"I-I would never h-hurt anyone," I whispered, tears streaming down my face, mixing with the dust on the floor. "P-Please, Amon. B-Believe me."
"Believe you?" He laughed, a cold, cruel sound.
"Why would I believe a wolfless waste of space over my future Luna?"
Future Luna.
My heart shattered.
He bent down, grabbing a fistful of my hair. He yanked my head back, forcing me to look at him.
"You are jealous," he hissed, his face inches from mine. "You are a jealous, spiteful little creature. You tried to cripple her so she couldn't dance at the Mating Ball tonight."
"N-No..." I sobbed.
"Silence!" he roared.
He released my hair with a shove. I fell back against the cold stones.
"Guards!" Amon commanded.
Two burly warriors rushed in, bowing their heads.
"Take this trash to the dungeon," Amon ordered, not even looking at me anymore. He was already walking toward Melissa, his expression shifting from rage to tender concern. "Get the doctor for Melissa.
Immediately."
"Yes, Alpha."
Rough hands grabbed my arms. They didn't care that I was bruised. They didn't care that I was crying.
"Get up, runt," one of the guards sneered, dragging me to my feet.
I stumbled, my legs weak.
I looked back one last time. Amon was scooping Melissa up into his arms, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
Melissa looked over his shoulder. Her sobbing stopped.
She looked right at me. And she smirked.
A cold, evil smirk that promised this was only the beginning.
"Move!" The guard shoved me.
I stumbled out of the hall, the image of Amon holding her burned into my mind.
He hates me, I thought, the realization settling deep in my bones. He truly hates me.
They dragged me down the stone steps, into the dark, damp belly of the pack house. The air grew cold and stale.
The guard opened the heavy iron door of the furthest cell.
"Enjoy your new room, Omega," he laughed.
Clang!
They threw me inside. I landed hard on the freezing concrete floor, scraping my palms.
The heavy door slammed shut. The lock clicked.
I was alone.
I curled up in the corner, pulling my knees to my chest. My body ached, but my heart hurt worse.
I wrapped my arms around my stomach, trying to keep warm.
"I-I'm s-sorry," I whispered into the darkness, though I didn't know who I was apologizing to. Myself? The Moon Goddess?
Or the tiny spark of life I had suspected was growing inside me for weeks.
If Amon knew... he would kill us both.
