I pushed my cart filled with cleaning supplies into one of the luxury top-floor bedrooms, trying to be as quiet as possible.
As an Omega, I was already at the bottom of the social hierarchy at the prestigious Silver Moon Boarding School. A university for the next generation of Pack members to learn and thrive.
Unless you were me in my spare time when I wasn't in class or studying - Cleaning the rooms of the elite students, including the infamous Silver Moon Pack's Alpha triplets, was just one of the many ways I had to earn my keep.
All Alpha-born were given the top floor of the boarding house, with the rest of the hierarchy being given the other two, Beta's and Delta's, large floors below with a large kitchen and common area on the ground.
But Omega's like me?
Well... I was the first Omega to ever be accepted, so they had to give me... a broom closet.
Like I was f*****g Harry Potter.
It was humiliating at first, but my grades had been exceptional, and most higher Pack didn't see the need for medical training - or a Pack doctor, for that matter. So most of them leave me alone, knowing I'm either too smart for them to properly insult or because they knew they could do nothing compared to the Trio.
That and I was right next to the kitchen, so midnight snacks were a breeze.
I began to make the Alpha's bed, trying to distract myself from where I was, moving as quickly as I could.
My mind kept wandering to the upcoming full moon tonight when I would finally receive my first shift.
As an Omega, my shift was delayed until I was twenty, my hormones and strength reaching maturity later than the higher-ranked members, but it was finally time.
I couldn't wait to feel the power of my Wolf coursing through my veins.
Just as I finished smoothing out the blankets, I heard the door open behind me.
My breath caught as I turned to see Heath standing in the doorway, his brothers Warrick and Sebastian flanking him.
My heart skipped a beat as they gazed at me with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.
Coated with smirks of cruelty.
"Oh, Cinderella, what a lovely surprise," Heath said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
I gritted my teeth. My name was Ariella, something the triplets enjoyed comparing to the soot-covered princess because of the similarities of not only our names, but I was also small, blonde and blue-eyed.
I ducked my eyes, pulling away from the bed to the centre of the room. "Alphas, I'm sorry-" I felt my face heat up and my words choked as they suddenly surrounded me like I was prey, their presence suffocating.
Warrick, the eldest of the three, stood in front of me. He took a step closer, his dominant presence making me shrink back, only to hit the chests of Sebastian and Heath.
"Imagine finding our little Omega maid in my bedroom," Heath continued, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
Sebastian, the self-proclaimed and well-shown bad boy, snickered, his gaze roaming over me like I was a piece of meat. "Maybe she's looking for a little... extracurricular activity."
I tried to speak, but my voice caught in my throat.
I hated it when they picked on me... They were technically my Alpha's, but when they treated me like this... It felt more.
Like some twisted game, they'd played with me since I arrived three years ago.
Before then, they'd never given me the time of day or even knew my name in the Packlands.
No one knew who I was, other than the Orphaned Omega.
They all stepped closer, growling low in their throats when I said nothing, their chiselled features, tousled varied lengths of dark brown hair and piercing green eyes making them almost indistinguishable from one another. However, their personalities and voices set them apart. Warrick, exuded confidence and dominance, his deep voice commanding attention. Heath, the 'sweetheart', had a softer tone and a gentle smile, but still held an air of authority. Sebastian had a rougher edge, his voice laced with sarcasm and a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Look at our girl, all alone and vulnerable," Warrick sneered.
Sebastian snickered, snatching my hair tie and pulling my hair loose. "I bet you've never been gripped by the hair while f****d, have you little Omega?" He suddenly grabbed a fistful of my hair, making me yelp as he tugged me back into his hard chest.
They all towered over me by a good foot and twice my width.
Even if I had my Wolf, I was no match for three Alphas.
Still, I tried to struggle, only for Sebastian to clamp his arm around my waist, tugging my hair back against his shoulder and lifting me off the ground.
Heath's voice spoke in my ear, softer and a caress, but still condescending. "Ariella, you really should learn to better precautions. You're clearly not capable of defending yourself."
Warrick trailed a knuckle across my jaw and throat while Sebastian held me pinned, my eyes widening in panic.
He smirked at me, seeing my fear and inhaled, stopping for a moment to raise an eyebrow at me, his smile cruel.
"f**k," he said roughly. "Are you wet right now?"
My face heated from his accusation, Sebastian squeezed my waist, chuckling darkly in my ear and scented me, letting out a groaned sigh. "I'm pretty sure she is," he chuckled again, raising his head to Warrick. "Told you she'd like it rough."
Embarrassed at my body's betrayal, I flailed, trying to break free again.
They all laughed at me, Sebastian holding me in place easily.
Warrick nodded at him once.
Sebastian tugged my hair again, a gasp leaving my lips as he dropped me onto my feet and released my hair roughly.
I almost fell, Heath catching my wrist subtly to stop me before he released me, his brothers unaware of his moment of kindness.
Tears swelled in my eyes, fear, humiliation and anger mixing painfully in my chest.
Warrick grinned at me. "You know how to make this stop." He raised an expectant eyebrow, crossing his arms over his large chest.
I didn't look up, I didn't say anything.
I just sank to my knees, my heart feeling like it wanted to slow down and stop completely from humiliation.
"Forgive me, my Alphas," I whispered, tears shaking my voice.
"Good girl," Warrick purred, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "We love seeing you on your knees, Cinderella. It's where you belong."
Sebastian chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "You're going to learn to love serving us, little doctor."
Heath's gaze seemed almost apologetic, but he said nothing, his silence a betrayal.
I felt a pang of despair, trapped and helpless at their mercy.
Warrick suddenly gripped my chin, making me look up.
I let out a small whimper, his eyes flashing black at the noise, his smile turned mocking. "Oh, little wolf." He purred at me, the name a term of endearment or belittling.
I gritted my teeth, my eyes flaring in defiance despite keeping my mouth shut.
That was enough for Warrick.
Before I knew what happened, I was on my back on the floor, and Warrick's teeth were at my neck.
"You flare your come-f**k-me-eyes at me again," he growled against my throat, my whole body tensing and shuddering in fear and an odd pull of excitement I hated myself for. "I will do exactly what they beg me to do, understand?"
He didn't wait for me to answer before grabbing me off the floor and throwing me towards the door. "Get out," he snapped at me, his teeth extending to canines as I tried to grab my cart. His eyes flashed black as he snarled at me. "Leave it. Your day is over." I turned to leave, hearing the bit out "Happy birthday," but felt no true kindness of it, only the duty to be somewhat nice to his Pack members.
And the woman who would potentially be doing surgeries on him and delivering the child of his mate.
"T-thank you, Alpha." I ran out of the room, not stopping until I was safely in my room, curled up on my bed and cried.
I had a few hours before midnight, spending only half of it feeling sorry for myself before I put myself together, washed my face in the small basin in my room and headed for the library to study.
I reached the library in record time, mostly because there was a snowstorm and I ran to keep myself warm.
The library was empty when I arrived, except for the little old She-Wolf Berta, who took care of it.
She raised her head when I entered, smiling kindly and waving to me as I de-iced myself at the front door and took off my coat, hanging it up on one of the communal hooks.
No one stole things, mostly because everyone could smell the scent of whoever it belonged to, and with the amount of shifting the Alphas and Beta did, there were often places around campus to store clothing and footwear to come back to later untouched.
I spent a good three hours buried in my assignments and studying for an upcoming dissection exam.
I wasn't ready for it, not because I didn't know everything I needed to, I just hated we used cute little piggies for the class.
Honestly, I'd rather have a cadaver.
At least then I'd have the excuse of 'gotta cut up a human at some point anyway'.
But, that wasn't for another year or so.
That, and the school had problems with our cadavers going missing in the past, so they kept their use of them to a minimum.
No one talked about it, but we knew it happened from time to time.
Humans were sometimes a craving; it's not our fault they're called long-pig for a reason.
I shook my head, looking away from the dissections and anatomy books that were way too graphic for my hungry, near-midnight brain.
I collected my books and put them away, saying goodnight to Berta.
She stopped me as I pulled my jacket on. "Oh, did Alpha Heath find you?"
I narrowed my brows at her, confused. "Alpha Heath?" I repeated.
She nodded, gesturing to my jacket. "He said you forgot something and put it in your pocket, told me he was going to tell you."
I shook my head, my hand slipping into my pocket, feeling a slip of paper.
"Oh, yeah, my favourite pen," I said and pulled out the rainbow biro pen I used all the time, my lie coming out smoothly as I smiled. "Can't write without it."
She grinned, holding up her ink pen of ivory. "I'm the same, I refuse to write without it."
I chuckled. "Have a good one, Berta."
She waved at me as I left, my hand curled around the paper in my pocket.
I waited until I was almost back at the boarding house, slipping into the safety of a building's verandah and unfurling the note.
It was torn from one of Heath's notebooks, with some random strategy notes on one side from Alpha classes.
The other side had a small scrawled note in his handwriting.
Ari, go to the old willow tree. Avoid the creek tonight. Happy birthday.
I scrunched it up and put it in the bin, marching off the forest behind the campus, muttering angrily.
What game was he playing?
The willow tree? That was on the other side of campus, far away from where I usually spent my evenings.
I faltered, looking up at the moon and seeing it beam down on me like a bright flash of light.
My body rippled and I didn't get a chance to undress. I'd been too caught up in my thoughts, I didn't realise the school's bell was chiming.
Midnight.