Marked by the Moon

Chapter 5 : Family Drama

Asher's POV

Devi's raised voice caught my attention as I left the classroom.

I stared at that maid standing up to Devi. A split second before Devi struck, I moved forward, grabbing her wrist.

"That's enough," I told her firmly.

Devi creased her brow at me, eyes widening. Her face turned red, and she yanked her wrist from my grasp.

The maid stepped back, her eyes still bright and scowling. I glared between the two women.

"Perhaps you should go," I said to the maid. "I'd like a word with my fiancée alone."

The maid nodded and hurried off. At least she didn't defy me again. The other Gamma followed her after Devi nodded.

"What are you doing?" Devi asked me. "Why'd you stop me?"

"Your behavior is childish," I said. "Striking a maid simply for not agreeing with you. You're a princess. Act like it!"

I glared at her brown eyes. She glared back with her chest heaving. I rolled my eyes and relaxed my face.

Her cheeks were red with embarrassment, and so were her eyes. She wasn't used to being opposed.

"I can't believe you just defend a lowly Omega!" Devi whined, pouting at me.

Right, like her pouting was going to win me over. No way.

"Devi, you can't beat evil by doing evil," I explained with a sigh.

"Oh, please, she is my servant," Devi said, putting her hands on my hips. "I can do whatever I want to her."

Now I knew where that Omega's cuts and bruises on her arms were from.

How could she be so cruel? I snarled at Devi, my blood heating in my veins. I clenched my fists at my sides, gritting my teeth.

But I'd never beat any females.

"Though I wanted you to be kind to every pack member, no one could change your mind," I took a deep breath and controlled my urge to yell at her. "You knew very well in your heart that we were not..."

"No, Asher, stop! I don't want to hear it!" This willful 18-year-old child covered her ears and turned her back to me.

She had turned 18 a few days ago. Still, she pretended everything stayed the same and believed we were mates, like everyone in this pack did.

In fact, she knew we were not.

"Maybe you want to stay here alone to calm down." Turning on my heel, I stomped off, ignoring Devi's calls after me.

Vika's POV

Prince Asher had defended me. He had stopped Devi from slapping me. What did that mean?

Did Asher know she'd ever abused her maids?

I hurried back to my home, my heart fluttering and my mind racing.

What a weird day I'd had.

After opening the door, the smell of stewed beef rushed into my nose. It smelled amazing. It must have been my parents cooking in the kitchen.

"Welcome home, darling." My dad was busy with his pot in front of the stove.

My mom couldn't wait to tell me. "Your soft sponge birthday cake is lying in the oven, just waiting for someone to enjoy it tomorrow night."

They'd made some of my favorite dishes for my birthday dinner. Those would be delicious to dig into.

"You guys don't have to do all this for me." I licked my lips and winked at my younger brother, Henry.

"We have to. I helped them a lot with the cooking." He grinned at me with his white teeth. I looked down at his lovely brown eyes. This 13-year-old guy would definitely attract many young girls in the future because of his charming smile.

"Eighteen… It is a big number. My little girl will grow up to a new stage," my mother said. She touched my cheek. Her eyes were soft.

"Yeah, we should celebrate it!" Dad sipped the soup from the spoon and nodded in satisfaction.

"Thank you, you're best." I hugged my mother.

Mom patted my back, which made the scars on my back hurt vaguely. But the aroma of delicious food in the kitchen and the smell of laundry detergent on Mom's clothes relieved the pain.

I winced away from my dad when his arm pressed against my bruised arms.

"How's Princess Devi? Everything good?" my mother asked, turning to check the oven.

I sighed. It was a daily concern about Princess Devi from my parents. What could I say? My parents loved Princess Devi.

"The princess was still… Challenging." I didn't want to ruin the current atmosphere. I glanced at Henry. He shook his head at me. I shrugged off his warning.

"Sweetie, you know she is a princess and under a lot of stress," my dad said.

I rolled my eyes. Of course, they'd immediately defend her.

"Yeah, I know, but she almost slapped me today," I said, without telling my parents about the bruises on my arms and whip lashes on my back.

"What did you do, honey? Are you not used to the maid's work, so you made some mistakes?" my mother asked. She looked at me from the stove.

"Come on, Vika, you should have done better." My father smiled at me.

"Why do you think it's my fault? I did nothing wrong."

I couldn't believe they were blaming me. What were my parents thinking?

She wasn't their daughter. I was.

"Come on, Mom, Dad," Henry said, coming to my side. "We all know the princess can be a little temperamental. I'm sure our smart Vika wouldn't do anything annoying her."

I smiled at Henry, nodding. I watched my parents exchange looks.

"None of us can really understand the pressures of being royalty." My dad nodded.

"Yeah, but does that really give her the right to abuse her pack members?" I asked. "I mean, she's nothing more than a spoiled brat."

"Vika, that's enough!" my mom chastised.

"Yeah, defend the princess, even though your daughter is the one who has been tortured and scolded since she entered the castle!" I shouted.

My mom opened her mouth and wanted to say something.

"I'm tired. No need to ask me for dinner. Sorry." I went back to my room and slammed the door.

Hot tears pricked my eyes. It should have been a good dinner. Why did they keep asking Princess Devi every day?

I wiped them away until I heard a knock on my door.

I raised an eyebrow at Henry after I opened the door. He walked right into my room.

"You know you shouldn't bring up the princess with them," he reminded me, "not if you want them to take your side."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I said, waving him off.

"Are you alright? You said she scolded and tortured you." Henry's eyes softened.

I slumped down on my bed and patted the mattress beside me. Henry grinned, sitting next to me. I lifted my sleeves to show Henry the bruises.

"No way," he said, eyes popping. "You should show them to Mom and Dad."

"They can't do anything about it." I shook my head. "We are Omegas. What's the point?"

"But we have to find a way to stop her," my brother argued.

"Don't forget, I'll shift after midnight. I will soon be more powerful." I glanced at the door and lowered my voice, "Honestly, Princess Devi is weak. I bet if I were to fight Devi right now, she wouldn't be able to beat me regardless of status."

Henry chuckled, clamping a hand over his mouth. He didn't believe me, I could tell, but that didn't matter. I knew it was the truth.

Shian had hurt me more than Devi had. A Gamma who was stronger than a royal? That didn't make sense.

"Thanks for listening, my little bro," I said, nudging my brother. Henry giggled and nudged me back.

"I know it isn't easy to serve the royals, sometimes." Henry sighed. "You're already stronger than most Omegas. After you shift, you could take on Gammas. Then, you could become the pack protector you always want to be. Prince Regent Asher could probably help. You should ask him."

My cheeks burned. I looked away from Henry, who didn't notice my strange reaction.

It wasn't like anything had really happened between us, right? Sure, he'd kissed me in his sleep, but he didn't even remember.

My stomach squirmed. But I wasn't going to tell Henry about that experience. It was a secret I wanted all to myself.

"Maybe I should try," I said softly.

I heard the door to my parents' bedroom close. They were going to bed. I smiled at Henry.

"What?" he asked. "Oh, I know that look. What are you planning?"

"You know all my tricks," I teased him. Henry rolled his eyes. "Can you cover for me? I just want to shift outside."

"Sure, sure," Henry said with a wink.

I hopped off my bed and snuck outside as I had done so many times before. The night air felt so alive and free after the day I'd had. I took a deep breath in the fresh, crisp air.

Feeling delighted, I headed to the castle training grounds. I wasn't allowed to learn to fight as an Omega. Yeah, like that was going to stop me when no one else was around.

It was also the perfect place to shift for the first time.