Katana:
I knew turning eighteen wasn't worth celebrating because unlike others, I wasn't destined to live a regular life. The golden age should have been a big deal and throw me into new world of mating, love and motherhood.
Unfortunately, we were one of the "moon goddess's mistakes of creation," according to my mum.
So I longed for something else, freedom from hardship. Being an omega and ranked at the bottom of society, wasn't a joke.
Separated from the rest of the pack, we grew up outside the border, where I never had the chance to live in a real house, eat three meals a day, or even enjoy the privacy of my room.
That's why I agreed to go with my friends when they suggested we have fun in the Wild Oaks, a forbidden forest located west of the border; the same location where the sun god allegedly broke the moon goddess heart.
Mortals were barred from entering the Wild Oaks for fear of the moon goddess's wrath. My instincts warned me against it, but my friends were determined to take me.
Amy and Zayn, my best friend and boyfriend, were among the five omegas my age gathered outside our worn-out tents, enjoying the evening breeze blowing through red-leaf maple trees.
Zayn cupped my butt, whispering in my left ear, "Now that you're eighteen, we can finally explore our bodies and make sweet love."
His breath's heat and his insistence on sleeping with me made me squirm with discomfort. I'd hoped to find my soulmate before having sex.I didn't mind Zayn being my fated mate. He was nice to me and bought me gifts, except that he'd become demanding for sex.
His eyes were wide and eager as he spoke. "At the end of the night, we'll be happy lovers, cuddling up on the grass..."
My best friend interrupted us and handed me a tiny loaf of chocolate bread as birthday gift. Relieved from Zayn's awkward conversation, I clapped in excitement. Plus chocolate bread was a luxury among us.
"In our next world, we won't be omegas but Alphas living in huge mansions and eating fancy meals every day," I said, savoring each bite of the bread.
"If wishes were horses," Amy chuckled as she smoothed my mess of blonde hair. "Wild Oaks, everyone. We leave at ten pm."
"Are we really going to defy the moon goddess?" I whispered to Amy, my mouth full of food. "Didn't Elder Logan say the sun god fucked and broke up with the goddess at the same location? What if she strikes us dead?"
Amy groaned. "Elder Logan made up that silly story to scare us. Let's go have some real fun."
Dragging my feet, I reluctantly agreed, ignoring my instincts warning me to stay back.The moon carved strange shapes against the midnight blue sky as we ventured into the dark woods, making my stomach growl with fear.
With a long stick in his hand, Zayn led the way. I didn't understand how everyone else was so fearless.
Inside the mysterious forest, everything was silent except for the soft crunch of leaves underfoot. Different trees formed small labyrinths, giving me a strange feeling of being watched.
Zayn's fingers curled around my waist. Driven by lust, he pressed his body closer, but I resisted.
"Not here, Zayn. I don't want the moon goddess to strike me with insanity."
His eyes turned cold and flinty as he sighed with exaggeration and walked away. "Fine. Have it your way."
He hadn't moved three steps forward when a chilling howl sent ice through my spine. Panic spread, and we shifted into our wolf form, racing in different directions to the omega camp.
Making sure to be as quiet as possible, I crept into the tent but froze at the sight of my mum, sitting awake and waiting.
"Katana, where have you been?" she spat coldly.
"I-I-I was outside," I stuttered, pointing outside and ignoring my pounding heart.
"You were outside? At midnight?" her voice rose like a raging bull. "You know you're not allowed to go out. It's dangerous!"
Guilt washed over me. "I'm sorry, Mom," I pleaded, my voice trembling.
"Sorry for yourself. Be lucky you're back safe," she grumbled and lay on her side of the mattress, ignoring me.
At sunrise, Zayn, Amy, and I headed to the apple orchard, collecting apples into baskets. The omegas toiled at the pack's food farm, exhausted but driven by the necessity to eat, else we'd die of starvation.
The Alpha, Beta, and other pack members lived in wealth and luxury inside those walls, while we slaved away, doing all the farm work.
I bent down to pick an apple off the ground when Zayn began coughing and hacking. He collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air and shaking violently.
When he opened his eyes again, his pupils turned white, and his breathing became labored. My first instinct was to run for help, and I did, crying all the way to summon our elders.
Little did I know that our visit to the Wild Oaks would bring calamity. A strange sickness spread like fire among the youths. One that made our skin red with boils and sores, and a terrible fever.
We were forced to live in quarantine, keeping our little secret to ourselves until one of us confessed to her mother.
My mom stared at me with horrified eyes, not believing what I got myself involved with.
"What have you done?" she shrieked in tears.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't know…"
Tears streamed down my face as my mom wept like a baby. I was all she had. The elders searched tirelessly for a solution to fix our condition, but nothing worked.
Instead, our health worsened with every passing hour until it finally reached its peak. Our immune system weakened, the illness killing us slowly without any mercy.
Death came knocking, but I held onto hope that somehow someone, anyone could save me. My mom cried day and night, begging the moon goddess for forgiveness.
On the evening of the third day, she rushed into the tent, brimming with hope. "We found a solution," she dabbed my fevered face with a wet rag. "The Alpha's bite holds the power to cure and counter the weakness of Omega blood."
"The… the Alpha? Alpha Damien?"
She nodded, and my heart sank.
"But the Alpha doesn't care about us," I cried. "I'm going to die."
"Don't say that," she chided me. "There's no harm in trying."
That same evening, my mom wrapped her shawl around my shoulders, and in a file, we hurried along toward the border, taking careful steps through the rough, rocky land.
Some parents held their half-dead children, while the stronger ones trudged behind. I was growing weaker by the second.
Zayn and his mom joined my mom and me.Gone was the naturally thin Zayn with long, mousy hair. In his place stood a rake of a man with sunken cheeks and eyes, looking like a ghost.
At the border, tall guards dressed in all black carried assault rifles, looking down their noses at us, mocking our poverty and weakness.
"Alpha Damien doesn't give a fuck about you omega scum. He's not going to waste his precious time on the likes of you."
With a sneer, they let us in, and we rushed in droves into the pack. Despite my sickness, I was in awe of its beautiful and neat streets, with long trees and beautifully painted mansions lining the way.
Moments like these made me regret being born an omega, condemned to a life as a refugee, and constantly at risk. It's why many of our fathers preferred to go rogue rather than suffer persecution.
We waited patiently for the Alpha under a canopy facing an empty warehouse. My mom held me like an egg, cradling my head in her lap.
"You'll be okay," she said soothingly. "The alpha's bite will heal you."
My condition worsened, and I began shaking violently. My once smooth hand was now covered in tiny boils, and the pain in my armpits made it impossible to rest my arm.
It was now my turn and my mum helped me rise. "Go, my dear. May you receive favor."
My feet wobbled towards the entrance. The closer I got, the more anxious I became. I entered a semi-dark room, surrounded by dusty shelves.
Then I noticed a tall male backing me, strapping in a new pair of hand gloves.
"Sit," he commanded in a casual baritone without turning. I lowered myself into a chair, studying his jet-black hair and wondering if he was the Alpha I'd never met.
Suddenly, a sweet blend of musk, chocolate, coconuts, and strawberries hit my nose like a tsunami, stirring my wolf to life. The male turned around wide-eyed, and I almost fell out of my seat.
There were no adequate adjectives to describe the Alpha. Handsome was a huge understatement. Everything about him was perfect, like one who was personally curated by the moon goddess herself for her pleasure. His piercing hazel eyes looked right through me, captivating me in his presence, and a dark lock fell around his tanned face.
My teeth chattered as my eyes trailed down from his jawline to his muscular arms and back to his face contorted in raw shock.
A bond between us, stronger than I had ever imagined, called my soul to him.
I gasped in realization.
The Alpha was my mate!
His face darkened and filled with disgust. "Leave. I can't mark you," he drawled, his tongue flickering between his sharp teeth, piercing my soul.
At that moment, it felt like I was standing on a cliff, holding a fragile balloon filled with hopes and dreams; then a gust of wind blew the balloon out of my grasp, and it drifted away.
My supposed mate was sending me to my grave?
Damien The moment I laid my eyes on my mate,my heart froze like a marble statue. Blinking rapidly to be sure I wasn't dreaming, there was only one thought on repeat in the back of my mind– “What have I done to deserve this from the moon goddess?” When I asked the girl to leave, or rather, when I was sending my fated mate to die, I didn't think about the consequences of my actions. "Are you insane?" My wolf yelled at me. "She's our one shot at happiness!" Sorrow and guilt ate away at me like cancer. In the back of my mind, my wolf screamed at me to do something, anything to save the girl. Though her skin was covered with boils, she was a slim, delicate beauty, with almost transparent crystal-blue eyes that were now glassy with tears. She shivered under my stare, whimpering in fear as she backed away. "Please help me." The weakness and brokenness of her voice made my wolf jump inside me, begging me to mark our territory. It was insane that the moon goddess paired an Alpha and
Katana When Alpha Damien asked me to leave, my heart somersaulted within my chest, causing me to gasp in fear. Firstly, never in my wildest imagination did I think the moon goddess would pair me with an Alpha, especially not one who seemed at ease watching his mate die. Knowing that he wasn't going to help me, I leaned against the wall for dear life, my trembling hands wrapped tightly around my stomach as tears fell down my cheeks at an unbearable speed. A cold breeze swept through my skin and I shuddered violently, wrapping both of my arms securely around myself. Even if the moon goddess walked into this warehouse and went on her knees, begging the Alpha, I was certain he would never agree to mark me With the last of my strength, I moved slowly through the aisles between the rows of shelves, heading towards the exit. But my wolf screamed hoarsely at me. "Have you lost your goddamn mind! Go back to your mate and beg for your life!'" I almost laughed at the irony. What mate
Damien's POV Leo watched me refill a golden liquid of scotch whiskey into my glass for the twentieth time. "Are you trying to drown yourself?" He asked incredulously, sitting with his arms crossed. "What if I am?" I responded coldly. "It's none of your business." The scent of the whiskey filled my nostrils, burned its way down my throat and to my toes. I wanted my dying omega mate out of my mind, but the more I drank, the more her face plastered in my brain. Those huge, sky-blue eyes filled with tears, begging for her life, begging me to do the most natural act between mates. Yet, I watched her go. "I'm sure the girl must be dead by now," Leo said, sounding unconcerned. I didn't answer, but my wolf almost burst out of me, wanting to strangle Leo to death. I focused my gaze on the golden liquid, taking a long, slow finish, with the flavors lingering on my tongue. "Imagine what the council members will do if you'd marked that girl," Leo continued, lighting a cigar, the smoke f
Katana's POV My body heat was enough to boil the pillow on the hospital bed. Shivering and dying from the unbearable pain of the angry red sores that covered my body including my tongue, I wanted peace. The medication and antibiotics made my vision blurry. Every movement felt like my skin was scraped raw and I couldn't breathe right through my nose without feeling immense pain. Shifting was impossible because my wolf was dying within me. We were trapped in this hell, at the mercy of these wretched sores that mocked me with their stubborn refusal to heal. "We're doing everything we can," the pack doctor's voice snapped at my mom. "Don't blame the hospital when she eventually dies" I wanted to yell at him for making my mum cry. The sadist didn't even wish me well, but I couldn't move my lips. I shut my eyes instead, begging for the pain to end. Physically and emotionally drained, I wasn't sure how much longer I could take. When the alpha brought me to the hospital, my tongue strug
Damien I refused to declare my beloved aunt dead. This was surely a nasty joke of the universe. A cruel prank from the moon goddess. I released a bitter laugh because nothing made sense. I shook her body, begging her to come alive, but she remained still, peaceful,as if to mock the agony in my heart. As if she was playing a prank on me from beyond. My trembling fingers shut her vacant eyes, shielding her from the harshness of the room's light and my arms cradled her delicate body. It was too much for me to bear. Rocking her back and forth, I hoped that somehow, moving her would jolt her back to life. My aunt was gone and her death was my fault. Hera never fell sick. She was a healthy and robust woman, who went about her activities peacefully. She never liked to burden others with her problems; instead, she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. I couldn't bear to lose her. She was my only remaining family after the loss of my parents. She had been a powerhouse of
Katana's POV Damien's car kicked up a dusty whirlwind, the exhaust shadowing behind, and a coolness ran down my backbone. My mum, in a panic, pinched her eyes shut and opened them. We exchanged silent looks watching the Alpha's car drive down the road, and gradually disappeared into the distance. "I'm not sure what to make of Damien's behavior," Mom trailed off, pulling on her scarf. "Do you think we're in trouble?" I shrugged, picking a smooth rock. "I don't know, Mum, but I have a feeling he's blaming me for his aunt's death, which is shocking, right?" My mum lowered her voice to a whisper. "What if it's true? Maybe your blood…" I flinched, uncomfortable with her statement. "She was sick when we came in, Mum. I can't believe you are agreeing with that foolish assumption," I grumbled, breathing out to calm my nerves. "You should be glad that I made it out alive and safe. Can we head to the tent?" My mum shot me a nasty look, shaking her hand in displeasure. "Child, you stink o
Katana The midnight fever descended on me, transporting me to another world full of scary ghosts, shadows, and a darkness that was just waiting to pounce upon me. This time around, I found myself in a forest haunted by ghosts of all ages, sizes, and types, kidnapping my mind and taking control of my body. I could hear their footsteps crunching over the ground behind me like a herd of hungry predators. My lungs constricted so tightly it felt as though they were going to explode A worrying dizziness almost knocked me to the ground and I realized with a shiver of panic that they were closer than I thought. Trembling at the haunting and fearful images of the moonlight casting shadows of skeletons that came to life, I screamed. The smell of death, chilled mist, and another strange smell my nose had no idea about rammed inside my nose, stinging and drowning my lungs. "Somebody help me!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. My voice echoed back and tall trees rose out of the earth, bru
Damien We gathered around Aunt Hera's final resting place, with a dark cloud of sorrow hanging above us. The cemetery was so quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind and occasional mournful sniffles. I stood at the front of the grave, feeling lost and alone. It was upsetting to see Aunt Hera inside the casket, lifeless. We each held bunches of flowers as we stood in silence, paying our final respects. Penelope, Aunt Hera's adopted daughter, wept uncontrollably. I wrapped an arm around her, trying to comfort her as best I could. The mourners were gloomy. Leo, Isadora, and Anysia stood beside me. Xena and her husband held each other, with Xena sniffing into her handkerchief. My heart ached with grief. I remembered all the good times I had with Aunt Hera – her warm smile and infectious laugh, her meals that filled me, and her words of encouragement. "Being an Alpha is a giant responsibility," she'd always say. "Always remember to keep your friends close and your enemies