Chapter 1 Omega Daphne

Daphne's POV

"There's a spot there, scrub!" The voice of the head servant echoed in my ears. I sighed, grabbing the bucket and napkin before heading to the spot.

I squatted down, pressing the napkin to the stain, and began scrubbing as she had commanded.

"What is this? What is this?" she snapped, pointing at the floor. "Is this how to clean? Start all over!"

She stormed off before I could explain that the stain had come from her own muddy shoes.

I glared at her retreating back, muttering a curse under my breath. Taking the bucket, I moved from the royal living room and started mopping again. There were mopping sticks or vacuum cleaners to make the job easier, but those weren't for me. Easy jobs weren't for me.

I sighed and dropped to my knees, scrubbing from the beginning. As I worked, I grumbled under my breath, hissing at intervals. At least I was stronger than I used to be.

Years ago, my father had dressed me beautifully, pinning my hair with delicate hairpins; two of which I still kept among my few belongings-and told me we were going to see the Alpha. My mother had died a few weeks prior from a rare werewolf illness, and I had clung to my father's promise as if it were my last hope.

When he told me we were visiting the Alpha, I was ecstatic. My playmates spoke highly of him, even though none of them had ever met him. I boasted to my friends, and they had all wished they were in my place. At the time, I had wished that too.

But my excitement faded quickly.

I arrived at the royal pack house, waiting eagerly for my father to return for me. He had promised-promised he would come back that evening.

I waited.

And waited.

It has been ten years now. I was fifteen when I finally understood; my father had sold me to the Alpha to do whatever he wanted with me.

Alpha Merlin had been kind enough to let me live in his mansion, feeding and clothing me. The food wasn't as good as what was served at the royal table, but at least I ate daily.

For a while, I accepted my fate. But then Alpha Merlin died. And his son returned.

That was when my real suffering began.

I thought I had been treated badly before, but after Alpha Merlin's death, I learned the true depths of misery.

Kian had been away from the Ironstone Pack for years. As children, we had met a few times and had been friendly toward each other. But when he returned, he was a different man. I couldn't understand why people changed so easily.

The worst moment was when my wolf whispered that Kian was my mate. And worse still-he recognized it too.

A mere omega. A servant. A loser. What more could the goddess do to curse me?

Instead of claiming me, Kian's treatment of me only grew crueler. And with him, the rest of the pack followed.

The Queen Luna, Kian's mother, had always hated me-hated my presence, my scent, my very existence. But under Alpha Merlin's rule, she had kept it hidden. After his death, I saw death itself and came back to life again and again.

"Daphne."

Roxanne's voice pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up to see her watching me with concern.

"You've been scrubbing for over two hours. Are you done with your other chores?"

I knew what she meant. She had already finished her tasks and wanted to help me, as she often did.

"Mrs. Rein said I didn't clean it well enough and told me to start over."

"But... this is spotless already. Get up," she ordered.

I gave her a tired, apologetic smile before slowly rising to my feet.

"What else do we have left?" Roxanne asked, grabbing the bucket and napkin from me.

I listed off our remaining tasks, counting them on my fingers.

"This is ridiculous!" Roxanne fumed. "Why don't they divide the duties equally? There are plenty of us. We could finish faster if they just-"

I raised an eyebrow at her, waiting.

She always got angry about this, and I always had to remind her why.

"I am the Alpha's unwanted mate. What do you expect? Fair treatment?"

"Yes," she snapped, unbothered by my sarcasm.

She marched to the bathroom, dumping the dirty water into the toilet before rinsing the bucket and napkin. I trailed after her, exhaustion weighing down my limbs.

We had barely stepped into the hallway when a guard's voice cut through the air.

"You."

Roxanne and I froze.

The guard strode toward us, his face impassive. "The Alpha wants you in his chambers. Now."

We didn't need to ask who he meant.

Roxanne shot me a pitiful look before walking away, while I followed the guard, bracing myself for what was to come.

I should have been furious. Instead, my cursed wolf stirred with excitement.

From the moment we recognized each other as mates, I became nothing more than Alpha Kian's personal plaything. His hands never left my flesh, and despite the cruel way he treated me, the mate bond filled me with a want so overwhelming that I craved him against my will.

He refused to accept that the goddess had given him an omega as a mate. But he also refused to reject me. Instead, he threatened me-warned me never to tell a soul.

The only person who knew was Roxanne. She had been my best friend for six years. If I had tried to keep it from her, she would have figured it out anyway. My secret was safe with her.

The mate bond was stronger than anything I had ever known.

Sometimes, I wished Kian would just reject me.

Curse him.

Curse the mate bond. And yet, I still ache for him.