Forbidden Heir

Jade's POV

"Filthy omega trash! You think you can steal food meant for our Alpha?"

The boot crashed into my ribs, sending waves of agony through my body. I curled inward, desperately trying to explain through the pain.

"Please... I didn't steal anything. My foster mother made it for my birthday today..."

"Shut your lying mouth! You're nothing but the lowest omega scum in this pack."

A vicious slap snapped my head sideways. When I managed to open my eyes, warm blood trickled down my temple, and I found myself staring into cold, mocking eyes.

Penny Hayes. The Beta's precious daughter and the architect of my daily misery. She'd made tormenting me into an art form.

"Ladies, I think our little thief needs to learn some respect." She gestured to her followers, who closed in around me with predatory smiles.

I screamed as someone yanked my hair backward. Before I could fight back, they forced my head into a bucket of filthy water—the same disgusting water the omega maids used for cleaning floors.

The murky liquid rushed into my lungs. I thrashed wildly, desperate for air, but their grip was unyielding. My lungs burned as if filled with acid.

This was my reality in Silver Creek Pack—a daily ritual of humiliation at the hands of these privileged wolves.

No one intervened. No one cared.

In their eyes, I was just Jade Parker, an abandoned orphan with unknown origins. A stain on their precious pack.

It was true—I had no memory of my birth parents. They'd left me in the forest to die, and if not for my foster mother finding me and saving me from rogues, I wouldn't be alive. She was the only light in my otherwise bleak existence. She'd given me a home when no one else would, but this pack never stopped treating me like something beneath their boots.

They mocked my unknown lineage, used me for the most degrading tasks, and treated me as their personal punching bag. If my foster mother hadn't fallen ill years ago, requiring the pack's medical care, we would have fled this hellhole long ago.

As my oxygen depleted, darkness crept into my vision. Just when I thought they might actually kill me this time, they yanked my head up.

I gasped desperately, gulping air into my burning lungs. My clothes hung heavy with filthy water, my hair plastered to my face in stringy clumps. Their laughter echoed around me as if my suffering was the day's entertainment.

"God, she reeks like roadkill," one girl snickered, earning approving laughs from the others.

Penny's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Listen, garbage girl. Since I'm feeling generous today, I'll forgive your theft—on one condition." Her eyes glittered with malice. "Crawl across the main hall on all fours and oink like the disgusting pig you are."

Her followers erupted in laughter, praising her brilliance. I stared back coldly, humiliation and rage boiling inside me.

"No," I said through clenched teeth. "I didn't steal anything. I won't degrade myself for your amusement."

Penny's smile vanished instantly. "Wrong answer."

I screamed as someone grabbed my hair again, forcing my head toward the water. This time, I was ready. Summoning every ounce of strength, I wrenched myself free and stumbled backward.

I was about to remind them that the Alpha celebration would begin soon—even they wouldn't dare cause trouble on such an important day—when something else caught their attention.

"What's this?" One of Penny's minions held up something small and glinting. Through my blurred vision, I recognized the butterfly hairpin my foster mother had given me that morning.

"That's mine!" I lunged forward, but Penny kicked me away and snatched the hairpin.

"This cheap trinket? Did you steal this too?" She dangled it mockingly above me.

"Give it back! My mother gave it to me for my birthday!" I reached for it desperately, grabbing the hem of her dress to steady myself.

The next moment, I was flying through the air. I crashed against the wall, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs.

"You disgusting animal!" Penny shrieked, her face contorted with rage. "How dare you touch me with your filthy hands! You're dead!"

The first kick landed in my stomach. Then another. And another. Her followers joined in, raining blows on my curled body. I felt something crack inside me as I tried to protect my vital organs.

'I'm so sorry, Jade,' my wolf Luna whimpered inside my head. 'If only I could shift to protect you.'

I managed a weak mental smile to comfort her. No one knew I'd connected with my wolf two years ago. For reasons unknown, I couldn't shift, which only made me more of a target for ridicule. Luna carried the guilt heavily, though I never blamed her. She was the Goddess's gift to me—proof I wasn't completely alone.

Blood filled my mouth as another kick landed. Just when I thought I might lose consciousness, someone shouted:

"The Alpha's motorcade just pulled up!"

The assault stopped abruptly. Today was the ceremony where Alpha Foster would officially name his son Owen as the next Alpha of Silver Creek Pack.

Rumors also suggested Owen would announce his chosen Luna tonight.

Penny had always fantasized about being that choice. Nothing mattered more to her than making a good impression on her "future mate."

"Owen's here!" She frantically wiped her hands on her dress. "I can't meet him looking like this."

She yanked my head up by my hair one last time. "Don't think this is over, gutter rat. After the ceremony, after Owen announces me as his Luna, I'll make sure every male in this pack uses you as their personal whore."

Her words froze the blood in my veins. Would she really go that far? What had I ever done to deserve such hatred?

I watched her strut away on her designer heels, laughing with her friends as if they hadn't just beaten someone half to death. Bitterness settled in my chest like a stone. When would this nightmare end?

'Maybe when we find our mate,' Luna suggested hopefully.

I laughed bitterly as I struggled to my feet. Mate? Who in this pack would ever accept someone like me?

I glanced around the empty hallway. Despite the commotion, not a single person had come to check if I was alright.

'No one cares about us here, Luna.' I limped to the utility closet, wincing with each step. I cleaned my wounds as best I could, but had no clean clothes to change into. No other omega would lend me anything.

The broken mirror reflected a pitiful sight—bruised face, split lip, dirty clothes. I smiled sardonically at my reflection.

'What mate would want this? Even if he were an outsider, he'd run the moment he saw what a mess I am.'

'You should have faith in the Moon Goddess,' Luna insisted, but I was too exhausted to argue.

As a lowly omega, I wasn't permitted to attend tonight's celebration. The head maid had ordered me to remain hidden until cleanup duty afterward. But Penny's threat lingered in my mind. If she truly became Luna tonight, what horrors awaited me?

I decided to observe from a distance, just to gauge the situation. But as I approached the main hall, an intoxicating scent stopped me in my tracks. The aroma was divine—like nothing I'd ever experienced. My body responded instantly, heat pooling between my legs.

My heart raced as Luna practically danced with excitement. 'We need to find that scent, Jade!'

'No,' I resisted, suddenly understanding what was happening. 'If Alpha or Penny catches me here, they'll kill me.'

'Just one look! Don't you want to see who's calling to us?'

Before I could argue further, the hall doors began to open. I spun around to flee, but collided with someone in my haste.

"You worthless omega!" a female voice shrieked. "Do you know how much this imported dress cost? You've ruined it!"

A brutal kick to my stomach sent me tumbling backward. I screamed as I lost my balance, falling down the grand staircase. Pain exploded through my body with each impact until I finally crashed onto something at the bottom.

Through the haze of agony, I became aware of something warm beneath my fingertips. Smooth, hot skin that sent electric shocks up my arm. The sensation was so powerful it forced my eyes open.

An unnatural silence had fallen over the room. I looked up to find myself sprawled at the feet of Owen Foster—our future Alpha.

His deep ocean-blue eyes locked with mine, widening in shock. Something primal flashed in his gaze, mirroring the fire suddenly racing through my veins.

In perfect unison, our wolves spoke a single, life-altering word:

"MATE!"