Mated To The Blood Alpha

Esmeralda

Last night, I had walked into my cell feeling dejected, but this morning, I walked out of my cell the happiest person, causing confused eyes to turn in my direction, wondering the reason for my sudden happiness.

The Moon ball was today!

Forgetting my terrible backaches, I bounced out of my cell to the hall and collected the cleaning equipment from a senior servant who stood by the hallway with an unimpressed expression on her face.

"Good morning, ma'am." I greeted with the widest smile, expecting the same from her but she welcomed me with the most disgusting expression and dismissed me almost immediately.

I didn't let that get to me as I hurriedly collected the cleaning equipment from her and followed an older wolf who was followed by other pups. He was in charge of cleaning the hall that will be used for the Moon ball and he had other pups to assist him but more hands were needed as we were expecting lots of wolves from numerous packs, making them choose a few others help in cleaning, including me. I tread carefully, walking behind the pups to avoid being noticed and bullied. Getting bullied by those pups was a memory I would never forget.

"You Omega girl, follow me!" Mr Mason, the man in charge of cleaning suddenly stopped walking, turning to me, causing me to jump in fear, dropping the brush, mopping stick and the buckets that I was holding.

I knew I was an Omega, there was no need to remind me.

"She never does anything right."

"She is too weak that she jumps at the slightest sound."

"I hate her."

My shoulder slumped and my head inclined forward, as my eyes met my feet as those hurtful words flew from different directions, penetrating deep into my fragile heart. Complimented by those words daily, I should have been used to them by now, but somehow, I wasn't. I wanted to be showered with words of encouragement, words filled with love and hope.

I could only get that from one person, Selene.

I almost ran out of the hall as the threatening footsteps of Mr Mason resonated in my ears, sending goosebumps to my body that instant, I knew it meant trouble. Even if I couldn't see him, I knew he was the one.

What was my offence this time?

He didn't give me much time to think as he halted in front of me, pinching my soft ear, squeezing it before pulling me by my hurting ear forward in the presence of the other pups who seemed entertained by the show. I rubbed my throbbing ear the moment he let go of it, blinking hard to suppress my ears and biting my lips to stop any sound from escaping. One rule I learnt as an Omega was to be immune to pain, or pretend to be immune to pain as I could be punished for expressing my pain. I closed my eyes as I remembered those words.

Conceal. Don't feel. Don't make a sound.

"I have always told you to walk at the front, you weak idiot."

"I am sorry, Mr Mason." I bowed, preparing myself for the torture that followed but I was surprised as Mr Mason ignored me, It seemed he was in a good mood. I was grateful that walking beside him saved me from being bullied as the rest of the walk to the woods was quiet.

Concentration was far from me as one person got stuck in my mind.

Selene.

I kept scanning the crowd for her as we got closer to the venue. I hadn't seen her in days and it made me worried sick.

Had she been killed?

As much as I dreaded the thought, I knew it was something bound to happen. I and Selene lived every second of our lives in fear as we were not guaranteed if we would live to see the next day.

It was our fate and the earlier we accepted it, the better for us.

I snapped out of my thoughts as my gaze landed on Mr Mason who had stopped walking as he stopped in front of a large clearing with a solid concrete flooring, nodding slightly and muttering inaudible words to himself before turning to us.

"Listen up everyone." His commanding voice pierced through our ears, capturing our attention, "Normally, the Moon ball was held in the pack's event hall but today, it will be held...here." He smiled proudly, stretching his hands slowly to reveal an empty space with concrete flooring that ran through its length and breath.

"In the woods?" I couldn't help but ask as curiosity got the best of me. My sharp almond shaped eyes didn't leave him as they stared at him in disbelief.

"Yes, in the woods, it is the only place that can accommodate any amount of wolves. And it is left for the decoration team to beautify this place. What we are concerned with is cleaning the floor, spotlessly." Mr Mason said, emphasizing on the last word before he began to fumble with his pocket for some time till he brought out a white handkerchief and sneezed violently on it, slightly throwing his head back and gasping for breath, making me seize my breath for some seconds.

I always seize my breath whenever someone close to me coughed or sneezed.

"I am allergic to dust." He forced a smile at us before pocketing his slimy handkerchief.

Gross.

"I will be back soon and I expect this place to be spotlessly clean." His hoarse voice sounded more like a warning before leaving us alone in the woods. Leaving me to my fate in the hands of my bullies.

Someone save me.

I looked at the full moon with pleading eyes, expecting my saviour to come out of it, to save me from my bullies. What a fairytale.

Instead of believing in fairytales, I accepted reality, No one was coming for me. I was simply going to avoid them at all cost as much as they would avoid me.

"You Omega." A girl that I recognized as the ringleader walked up to me, her face expressing pure hatred. Her claws dug into my jaws as she yanked my hair so hard that my scalp began to hurt. She wanted an emotional response from me, but I knew better than voicing out my emotions.

"We have better things to do than to clean this godforsaken place, so, why don't you become useful for once and make this place spotlessly clean," she grinned wickedly, throwing a mop, a brush and some other cleaning equipment at me as I struggled to pick them before it fell to the ground.

"But he said we should do it together." I murmured under my breath, as my blood boiled in anger. I wouldn't let them toss me around.

How dare they order me to do the whole work while they lazy around, doing nothing?!

"How dare you challenge us!" She rushed at me, hitting me hard which sent me flying on the buckets as my back hit the wet grass, making me whimper in pain. As if that was not enough, they took turns with me, scratching me with their sharp claws, tearing my skin so that I felt the warmness of my blood, escaping from my wound.

It was my fault. I should have kept quiet knowing they wanted an opportunity to beat me up and I was foolish to give them.

"Serves you right, Omega," she smirked, as her chest rose and fell, feeling fulfilled that she had broken my face.

The name is Esmeralda! I screamed in my mind.

"We have to look good because the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack will be in attendance, seeking his mate." She adjusted her crop top and lifted her chin proudly.

"Who knows? I might be his Luna," she said in a melodious voice as she fanned herself with her hand.

"Your job is to clean and keep your mouth shut. Mr Mason must not know about this, or else, I will not hesitate to kill you," she threatened, as her melodious voice was replaced with a dangerous growl, making me flinch back in fear.

With teary eyes, I got up from the floor when I sensed their absence, dusting my stained wet dress as I picked up the items I will use for cleaning. I had to hurry before Mr Mason arrived, or else I would be dead.

I picked up the brush laying on the wet grass and hurriedly swept the spacious floor which brought nothing but pain to my aching back.

When I finished sweeping, I sat on the floor, trying to gather some strength before I resumed mopping. My back ached terribly like it was about to split into two as I had not recovered from the lashes.

I had barely sat for some minutes when I felt a hand covering my eyes from behind. I jumped instantly, screaming in fear, thinking the girls were back to punish me for taking a break when I still had a lot to do, but I was greeted by the only person my heart yearned for.

Selene.

I stared at her for some seconds before I crashed into her welcoming arms, wailing like a baby as I couldn't hold back my emotions. I tugged at her, hugging her tight as if my life depended on it. Selene was the only one I could reveal my emotions to without being judged. She had seen me broken, depressed, happy, sad. Selene was my confidant, my mother, the sister I never had, my family and most importantly;

My best friend forever.

"I thought..." I said when I found my voice as Selene shook her head. She was the only one that knew my thoughts even without saying them.

"I'm not dead. I am right here." Her soothing voice sent calmness to my troubled soul, easing the pain I felt earlier as I hugged her tighter, afraid that she would slip away.

"Ouch!" I hissed in pain when she embraced me in a bear hug, awakening the pain I felt in my back.

"What happened?" her voice shook as her Emerald-green eyes stared at me, demanding an explanation.

"I got whipped for trying to escape and asking for a more comfortable cell." I looked away, feeling guilty for attempting to escape without her.

Maybe I was selfish.

"So you tried to escape without me? Huh?"

"You know that I can't go anywhere without you. I love you." I cupped her face, planting a kiss on her forehead. I could feel some emotions flashing in her eyes but she gave me a gentle squeeze in return. I knew she was trying not to cry.

"How many lashes?" she demanded as she clenched her jaws, gritting her teeth as I could feel raw anger oozing out of her, causing her green eyes to glow brightly in the dark.

"You really need to control your powers before you get caught and by the way, it was fifteen," I walked away from her, sitting on the floor as the event flooded my memory.

The memory that reminded me of defeat

"Sorry about that." Selene gave me a worried look, placing her hand on shoulder while I mouthed 'thank you' to her.

"You need to get some rest while I relieve you of your burden. The decoration team will soon be here." Selene said as she resumed cleaning, starting from where I had stopped.

I had asked the moon goddess for a saviour and she gave me Selene. I was grateful to have her.

By the time the decoration team had finished decorating, the empty clearing had turned into a lovely sight to behold. Beautiful antique lanterns, covered with flowers lined up as they illuminated the darkness, leading further into the woods. A huge transparent canopy hung over the flooring, allowing people to have a clear view of the full moon. White flowers as well as coloured paper lanterns were attached to the top of the canopy, making the hall appear magically colourful.

I couldn't help but gasp at how beautiful lights and flowers cascaded down the canopy, making everywhere glow.

Flowers were everywhere.

Since it was themed romance, flowers were mandatory. I leaned on the canopy stand and let my hands feel the softness of the vines that were intertwined with the stand as I watched people walk in, sitting on chairs that had round glass tables with plethora of delicacies on it, making my stomach rumble.

"This is beautiful." I gasped as my eyes travelled around the canopy. I couldn't believe this was the empty space that I and Selene had cleaned a few hours ago.

I stood at the far end of the canopy, away from people, afraid that I might be spotted and looked down on or bullied because of my rank. I hugged my small frame as I began to shiver a little, the dress I wore wasn't helping matters.

Selene insisted that I had my bath and changed into a decent floral gown. It was shabby compared to the clothes worn by the rest of the pack, but I liked it. It was the most beautiful dress I possessed and I wore it with pride.

Speaking of Selene, I was running out of patience as I couldn't find her anywhere. She was supposed to be back by now.

I was almost on the verge of searching for her when a faint scent wafted my nose. It was no doubt the sweetest smell ever.

The scent of sandalwood, citrus and warm honey that made my mouth water.

It was very faint that I didn't know where it emanated from. I took a few steps from my hide-out, scanning the crowd to point out the source of the smell but I almost collapsed when a huge man towered me, pinning me down with his sharp gem-stone green eyes. His aura was so powerful that I bowed in submission before accessing much of his features, afraid to look him in the eye.

His aura was deadly.

Who was this man that made my stomach twist in knots? That made my legs turn jelly, refusing to support my weight? If I wasn't leaning on the tent stand for support, I would have fallen flat on the floor.

"Mate?" his deep husky voice sounded, filled with uncertainty, making me gasp in shock.

My heart thumped loudly in my chest as reality dawned on me. Does that mean he was my...mate?