Otsana’s POV
"Otsana ! Where is she?
Where is that lazy peasant? Don't tell me she's still sleeping at this hour."
I heard my uncle, Alpha Grayson, call out to me while speaking to his Beta, Jonah. I quickly rose from my slumber, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I stood there, eyes wide open, as he stormed into my room with Jonah following closely. He appeared furious, and I could sense that something was seriously amiss.
"You there!," Alpha Grayson said, his tone firm. "Head to the bathroom and have your body washed thoroughly. Alpha King Ralph wouldn't want a dirty omega as a Luna."
"I'm not dirty, uncle," I replied, met with a sharp, piercing gaze.
Approaching me, he grasped my neck. "How dare you talk back to me. And don't ever call me 'uncle.' I'm not your stupid uncle," he growled, his intense gaze locked onto mine.
"I apologize," I stammered, tears welling up in my eyes.
He swiftly tossed me onto the bed, causing me to land on my back.
"Help her pack her belongings; she's leaving in the morning," he instructed Jonah.
"No, No, you can't do this to me," I said, standing up from my bed.
My uncle was about to leave, when he suddenly stopped.
With a sharp gaze, he extended his finger toward me and sternly stated, "You must not leave this room under any circumstances. The maids will prepare you to look presentable for Alpha King Ralph . Do you understand?" He asked, awaiting my response, but I chose to ignore him.
My only concern was to find out why he had selected me out of all the female werewolves in the pack.
"Why me? Why do you despise me so?" I yelled, as my uncle stormed out of the room, ignoring my protests.
"What have I done to warrant such hatred from all of you?" I turned to Jonah, who was diligently packing my bags. He remained silent, offering no response to my question.
Frustrated, I slumped onto my bed, tears streaming down my face, contemplating how I was going to survive as a Luna for ruthless Alpha King Ralph .
Everyone knows how wicked and cruel he is, with a history of killing his maids once he's done using them and has no need for them anymore. I cried so bitterly, wishing my parents were here to stop them.
My mother died shortly after I was born, so I never had the chance to meet her. My father, Alpha Jason, was poisoned on the day of his coronation as the leader of the Dark Shadow Pack. The killer still walks free, but I know that one day, I will seek revenge against the person responsible.
"Take a quick bath; I'll be back for you in 15 minutes," Jonah said before leaving the room.
I ignored my uncle's orders not to leave the room, and I decided to go for a run in the woods, something I did often to clear my mind and escape my worries.
As I sat beneath a big tree, I stretched my legs and felt the cool breeze on my skin while I thought about what my uncle just said to me.
I looked at the moon, staring at it, and suddenly remembered the next full moon was approaching, but it felt too soon, maybe I could find my wolf, and possibly my mate.
While I was still gazing at the moon, I heard a tree branch make a noise. Someone was close, and before I could turn around, someone covered my eyes.
"Samson!" I recognized his scent.
Samson uncovered my eyes and sat beside me with a warm smile. "What are you doing here, all by yourself?" He asked.
Samson was my childhood friend, or better still, he was my best friend, the only person who cared for me.
I smiled back at him. "Samson , how about we run away together?"
"Huh?" He looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"What if we just leave everything behind and go away together? Do you think that's possible?" I asked him.
Samson gave me a thoughtful look and then chuckled, before he replied, "Where can we go?
Who should we run to?
What's your plan? Or do you plan on becoming a rogue?" He spoke gently.
"Going rogue would probably bring us closer to death than the punishments we face here, have you considered that yet?" He asked staring into my eyes.
"He was right; we had no other choices. Being an Omega, and lacking both money and power. If we were to pursue my plan, we'd definitely become rogues.
But if you think about it, wasn't going rogue a more favorable option than being whisked away to that cruel Alpha King Ralph as his Luna? I voiced my concern to him."
"Why are you thinking about this?" He turned to look at me. His brown eyes made me feel warm.
"Otsana," he called out to me.
I looked up, curious about the reason for his call.
"I apologize if this might upset you, but I believe it's important to prepare you for what lies ahead," Samson said, gazing into my eyes.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, curious.
"I overheard Beta Jonah telling a guard that you are to be handed over to the Moonlight pack as part of a peace treaty," "Alpha Grayson is clearly taking you away because you suspected him in the death of your father. He wants to eliminate you at any cost."Samson revealed, his eyes filled with sympathy.
I leaped from my seat upon hearing him, my eyes widening in a mix of fear and surprise.
"What?!" I exclaimed, my expression shifting to one of frustration as I began pacing back and forth in the woods, suddenly overcome by dizziness.
"What will you do about this?" he asked as I halted my pacing and took a seat beside him.
I forced a phony smile, exhaled deeply, and leaned back. "The truth is , I have no idea. I can't fight my uncle, especially not when he has labeled me as an Omega, even though I know I'm truly an Alpha".
"I suppose I'll just let it be," I replied with a casual shrug and another smile.
Samson was about to respond when we were interrupted by an abrupt shout from someone nearby.
"Hey, you two! What's going on over there? Hey?!"
It was Beta Jonah.
Catching sight of him in the woods, and realizing i had disobeyed my uncle by leaving the room. we exchanged a quick glance.
"Samson," I turned to my friend.
"Run!"
I woke up in pains the next morning, the result of a painful lash across my back following my capture by Jonah, which left me unconscious. I cried out, tears streaming down my face and soaking my shirt, but no one cared.
My uncle was angry with me for my disobedience, and he commanded his guards to have me taken to the dungeon for punishment.
He asked them to flog my back but not leave any visible scars because I was to be taken to Alpha King Ralph today. My legs were also bound with silver chains, which burned my skin as I struggled to free myself.
My wolf could have helped me endure this pain, but I didn't have a wolf yet, so the pain was more intense. The more I struggled, the worse the pain got, and the weaker I became.
I heard the cell door creak open wide. When I looked up, I made eye contact with Alpha Grayson . Part of me was happy to see him, thinking he had come to ask them to stop, but then I saw him smile with malicious intent.
I swallowed hard as my eyes moved down to see him holding a long whip with thorns. Tears welled up in my eyes as I imagined what he was about to do, but before I could react, I felt it.
Whip!
The first hit hit my back, and it hurt a lot. I couldn't recover before the next one came. I couldn't handle it anymore. My back was burning, hurting, and bleeding, so I knelt down to beg. This made him even angrier. I kept crying with blood coming from my back until I couldn't scream anymore.
"Take her to her room and have the maids clean her up in the next two hours. The Moonlight pack is coming soon, and I won't have you keep them waiting."
I collapsed to the ground.
"Make sure you hide the wounds".
That was the last thing I heard Alpha Grayson say, before I passed out in darkness.