Rejecting the Future Moon Goddess

CHAPTER 6 An Omega's Life

　　I groan while going through the laundry, nearly gagging at the smell left on the sheets from a particular room while the heat of the dryers in the brightly lit basement room intensifies the smell emanating off of this particular basket I am stuck with. Visitors from Forest Paw had just left and their Alpha, Alpha Leo, the biggest sleaze I have ever met, left a mess in the guest room that I had the unfortunate luck to be in charge of cleaning. He came to negotiate an alliance with our pack and I watched as Mika and Beta Bastian accepted this man openly while I cleaned the foyer of the pack house. Alex managed to keep me as far away from the visiting Alpha as possible after the first night where I was forced to serve dinner. I could feel his eyes on me throughout the night, knowing that if he spoke one word to the Beta, he could have his way with me— a fourteen-year-old child. It wouldn't be the first time the Beta tried to use my body for his own advantage, but thankfully Alex has a friend in the medical wing who handed him a highly potent sleep drug and before anything could be done. Leo, the wolf in question, would be safely passed out in his room at any time if I was ordered to tend to him.

　　My hope to becoming a Beta Female again in this pack has been all but dashed by the many bruises that paint my skin and the scars that linger from punishments that were unnecessary, in my opinion. But at least I was not offered as a play thing to the visiting pack like some Omegas were for the last seven days.

　　"Someone got the raunchy sheets left by Alpha Leo," Lilly fake gags as I throw the white sheets with bodily fluids I refuse to think about into the soaking tub. I would rather incinerate them, but if Beta Bastian finds one sheet missing by the end of the day, then I will become the scapegoat as usual.

　　"Honestly, I am just glad Alex kept me in the cleaning rotations and not the serving rotations," I groan with relief, throwing the rubber gloves into the trash bin and washing my hands with scalding water and the strongest soap I can find. I feel dirty just touching anything of that nature and can feel the panic attack rising inside me. Mumbling to Misbah that I am going to get air, I rush up the Omega staircase and burst into the garden, the cold winter air a refreshing welcome to my lungs. I find a corner free of snow and take some deep breaths, hugging my knees to my chest and doing my best to keep the tears at bay.

　　I found this spot thanks to Alex, a place to be weak between the walls of the pack house and the evergreen shrubs that leave a sharp pine scent in the air. No one comes to this part of the garden, not even Omegas, leaving me alone and feeling safe. After an hour passes and my panic has settled down, I make my way down to the basement and put on another pair of rubber gloves, intending to finish those sheets. To my surprise, the sheet in the soaker tub is gone, and Lilly gives me a sympathetic glance while I go fold the dry clothes. She is one of three people who knows what happened, knows the night that officially killed my hope of being a Beta Female again.

　　I keep an eye on the time, working hard and keeping to the basement or the kitchen helping with meals for the day. When Lace comes in and lets the Omegas finish for the day and enjoy the rest of the night off at 7:30, I sigh with relief, finish folding the laundry fresh from the dryer and hand it off to a waiting Omega for him to deliver to its respective room. Being the last to leave the laundry room and climb the stairs closest to the pack kitchen, I take a deep breath at the top of the stairs and confirm that no one else is around. Many are most likely in the dining hall, with the smells of freshly baked bread, stew and cupcakes lingering in the air. I see the goods sitting on the stove and counters, my stomach grumbling with hunger pains at the thought of being able to fill my stomach.

　　Since Beta Bastian and his wife took over, Omegas have become nothing more than tools, only deserving of enough food to live and nothing else. No extra food, no treats, and no drinks other than water. I've spent countless nights trying to fill my stomach with water in hopes of calming the hunger pains since my first week as an Omega. I think about all the tears falling from my eyes as I cried from the cramps an empty stomach brought when Beta Bastian took away my food privileges for some reason or another. I spent days trying to make it through another day until Alex could sneak me something small enough to eat. I learned quickly how to steal in order to keep on living in hopes of finding my own mate one day.

　　With a deep breath, I scan the area for any lingering scent of pack members. As I thought, most seem to be in the dining hall, with only a few upstairs. My scent will be gone by the time dinner is over. With a grin, I quickly grab the tote bag I stashed earlier in the day in the small broom closet beside the basement stairs and quickly fill it with the bread, easy-to-store goods from the pantry and a thermos of the still-hot soup. I leave the cupcakes with a reluctant gaze, knowing there is only enough for those dining in the hall, and quickly run up the stairs with my stolen goods towards my room in the attic.

　　Seven years have passed since my demotion to Omega, and in those seven years, this small room with bare wooden walls, a daybed, a desk, and a dresser slowly became home. A lock on the door handle was added two years ago, as well as a deadbolt that I locked each and every night since that incident a few years ago. Alex put in place this safety measure in case a visiting wolf needed a "Bribe" from Beta Bastian.

　　Placing my stolen goods on the desk beside my laptop, I sigh and take a seat on the worn wooden furniture, the damp cold only associated with an attic seeping into my body, causing goosebumps to form and shivers to crawl down my spine. Flicking my laptop open, a prize I won for a writing contest in school, I reach into the bag of goodies and pull out the stew as I wait for it to power on. With school still ever-present in my daily life at fourteen, I have no choice but to comply and do the homework needed for the following Monday. After many bites of food and multiple assignments later, my tired eyes glance at the time and sigh. It is midnight, and I am finally done. With a groan and a final sip of the stew, I stash the remaining food I stole into an airtight container hidden in the walls and climb into the small bed for much-needed sleep.