Claimed By The Ruthless Alpha King

Lisa's POV

Being an omega, the weakest wolf rank in the pack, meant that I was treated like an outcast. Not just by other wolves my age, but by everyone-even my own family. There was no respect, no acknowledgment of my worth, nothing. I was a burden, a punching bag for the pack's frustrations and jokes. No one expected anything of me, and it seemed no one ever would.

"Lisa!" A sharp voice called from behind, snapping me from my thoughts.

I flinched at the sound recognizing the harsh tone instantly. My stepsister, Brenda emerged from the trees, her brows furrowed in irritation.

"What are you doing here?"

"I-I was just sitting," I replied quickly, standing up and brushing the dirt off my dress. I spoke quietly as I often did when speaking to anyone, especially her. "I needed a moment to think."

Brenda crossed her arms and scowled. "To think? About what? How useless you are?" Her words were biting, filled with the same disdain that the rest of the pack showed me. "The mating ceremony is about to start. What do you think you're doing hiding out here? Aren't you supposed to fix my hair and makeup or should I do them myself?"

I dropped my gaze to the ground and whispered. "I'm going to the mating ceremony this year. You should do your own hair and makeup yourself."

"Excuse me. I didn't ask for a dog's opinion," Brenda scoffed. Then she pinched her eyelids. "You want to go to the ceremony? For what? You never attend any of them."

"I–I'm going." I stuttered terribly.

Though I wasn't sure if that was entirely true. The mating ceremony was something I dreaded and longed for. It was the moment when the Moon Goddess would reveal everyone's destined mates, the one person they were meant to spend the rest of their lives with. I never had the opportunity to attend any mating ceremony. I'd always hide in the kitchen with the maids or my room in the attic. But this time, I was going to attend. For an omega like me, hope was a fragile thing, but it was one thing I clinged onto.

Brenda burst out in a mocking laugh. "You should be thankful if anyone even looks at you, Lisa. I doubt the Moon Goddess will waste her time pairing you with anyone decent. You'll probably end up with some other omega, or worse, alone."

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, trying to keep my emotions in check. This was nothing new. I had been hearing those same insults for as long as I can remember.

Brenda chuckled. "Oh, I know. She'll pair you with a loser. Isn't that match made in heaven?"

"I won't be paired with a loser." I clenched both my fists at my side.

"Are you talking to me like that?" Brenda threw me glare that sent a shiver down my spine.

She went on. "Ah... I see...she's finally growing some wings. Who taught you to talk like that? Your dead mother?"

I threw my gaze to the ground, tongue-tied. I knew Brenda's piercing gaze was fixed on me, enjoying me drowning in the misery she put me in.

"Aww, cat got your tongue," she mocked, stepping close to tower over me. When I couldn't respond, she grabbed my face, forcing me to look at her. "Next time, you want to talk back, remember who put the clothes on your back and a roof over your head, you ungrateful little bitch. If it weren't for my mother, you'd be nothing."

She chuckled. "Face it, Lisa. No one wants a weakling like you. The only thing you're good for is making me look better and you know it."

I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood, fighting the wave of tears threatening to spill. I told myself I wouldn't cry, not here, and definitely not in front of her.

"Don't waste your time daydreaming," she continued, her tone as cold as ever. "If I were you, I wouldn't even bother showing up to the ceremony as a candidate. Save yourself the embarrassment and join the maids in doing the dishes. That's a more fitting role for you."

Brenda shoved me backwards and I slipped on the mud. "Yeah. The mud. That's where things like you belong. Don't stay in the mud for too long. I know you like it. Hurry up and join the maids before the ceremony starts. I'll do my hair and makeup. Don't wanna get your dirty paws on it."

She turned on her heels and walked away.

I struggled to my feet, my eyes stinging with tears. I watched as Brenda's footsteps faded into the distance. I stood there like a fool, not moving. The weight of her words settled like stones in my stomach. She knew I was weak and she made it clear. I know I didn't fit in but I clung to the small, fragile hope that maybe, just maybe, the Moon Goddess had something better in store for me.

Later that evening, the pack gathered in the central clearing for the mating ceremony. The full moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the gathered wolves. Everyone was dressed in their best clothes, the air thick with excitement and anticipation.

I stood at the edge of the clearing, my arms wrapped around myself. I was doing my best to stay out of sight, hoping to avoid drawing any unwanted attention.

The other wolves stood in groups, laughing and talking animatedly as they speculated about who their mates might be.

"Look, who's here," a familiar voice sneered behind me and I froze, recognizing the voice instantly.

I turned around slowly and my heart sank. Just when I was trying my best to avoid Brenda, the universe sends her my way.

Brenda was flanked by her two besties, Grace and Freya. She walked towards me with a cruel smile on her red lips. She really made an effort in looking good. Her blue mermaid tail gown really highlighted her ocean-blue eyes and her golden hair was styled elegantly in beautiful curls. She was beautiful.

"I'm surprised you even showed up despite my warning, Lisa. You've got nerves." she curled an eyebrow. When I tried to shrink back, she closed the distance between us.

Then she grabbed my arm, her sharp fingernails digging into my skin. "I figured you'd have the sense to stay in the kitchen, given that no one's going to want you."

Brenda's friends giggled, adding to my humiliation. I could feel my face burning in shame. There was no point in trying to defend myself. It would only make things worse. I was outnumbered.

"You know," Brenda continued, stepping close so that she was towering over me. The heels always did the trick seeing she was wearing one and I was not. "I heard Alpha Roman is supposed to find his mate tonight. Can you imagine it's me?"

She tossed her hair over her shoulder, looking smug and I almost threw up.

"I'd make the perfect Luna, wouldn't I?" she winked at me.

My stomach dropped at the mention of Alpha Roman. He was the most powerful wolf in the SilverMoon Pack, strong, dominant, and feared by everyone. If the Moon Goddess paired him with someone like Brenda, then... I couldn't afford to let my mind wander that path.

Brenda leaned in closer, lowering her voice as she whispered behind my ear. "And you? You'll be lucky if anyone would want to take you. I mean, who would want to be stuck with an Omega? Even you wouldn't want that to happen."

I clenched my fists at my side, my nails digging into my palms. It was getting harder and harder to hold back with Freya and Grace's cackling behind her their laughter and whispers swirling around me like a fog.

Before I could muster a response, the bell signaling the start of the ceremony rang out across the clearing, drawing everyone's attention. The noise around me died down and the pack's focus shifted to the front where Alpha Roman stood, his imposing figure silhouetted by the moonlight. His presence alone commanded everyone.

My heart pounded in my chest as I slowly moved to stand with the others.

The air around me shimmered with the Moon Goddess magic, signaling the sacred moment when mates would be revealed.

I closed my eyes, a silent prayer as I braced myself for whatever was to come.

The magic flowed through the clearing like a gentle breeze, touching every wolf, linking them to their fated mate.

A warm, tingling sensation began to spread through my body, wrapping me like a comforting embrace. I gasped in shock. There was a bond.

I looked up, my breath catching in my throat as my gaze locked with none other than Alpha Roman.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The world around me faded and all I could see was him. My mate. The Moon Goddess had chosen Alpha Roman to be my mate.

Lisa's POV

A flicker of hope bloomed in my chest.

This was the moment I had been waiting for. Maybe Roman would accept me, see me for who I was, and we could rise above the cruel whispers of the pack.

But as I stepped closer, Roman's expression twisted into something dark, something furious. His grey eyes, which had held a brief moment of shock, now blazed with anger.

He took a step forward, and my heart began to flutter.

"Hi, Alpha Roman," I beamed him a shy smile.

"No," he growled in response. "This can't be right."

My blood turned to ice in my veins. "Alpha Roman..."

I tried to reach out to him, but the words caught in my throat.

"You?" he spat with disgust. "The Moon Goddess paired me with you?"

He dragged his eyes from mine down to my feet and up again, as if he could barely stand the sight of me. "This has to be a mistake."

My heart shattered into a thousand pieces. The warm sensation of the bond had been comforting, now it feels like a chill in my spine.

"I won't accept this," Alpha Roman declared loudly, turning towards the gathered pack.

"I - I don't understand," I stammered in a weak voice. "I'm your mate."

"No! I, Alpha Roman, reject you, Lisa. You're nothing but a weak omega, and you'll never be my mate!"

The words hit me like a physical blow, knocking the breath out of my lungs. The crowd erupted in shocked murmurs, but there was an underlying note of satisfaction in the air, as if they'd been waiting for this moment.

"I can't believe the Moon Goddess would pair an Alpha with an Omega like her," someone muttered.

"She's always been pathetic," another voice added.

I stood frozen in place, my heart pounding in my chest as the words of rejection echoed in my ears.

"I, Alpha Roman, reject you, as my mate and Luna to my Pack," his voice repeated in my mind, the words replaying over and over. The air around me felt thick, suffocating, as if the entire world had closed in on me.

Roman's face remained hard, his disgust evident as he turned away from me as if I were something dirty that I couldn't bear to look at.

"You're nothing but a weak omega," he had declared to the crowd, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. The public humiliation was unbearable, and the eyes of the entire pack were on me, waiting to see how I would react.

"You're not fit to stand by my side," Roman's voice cut through me again, though now he wasn't looking at me. He was focused on someone else.

Tears spilled down my cheeks when I turned my head slightly to see who Roman was speaking to. And there, standing at his side with a smug smile, was my stepsister, Brenda.

Brenda, who had spent years tormenting me, laughing at my weakness, now stood beside Roman, her eyes gleaming with triumph. The realization hit me like a punch in the gut. Roman had chosen Brenda.

"I chose Brenda as my mate!" Roman announced in a loud voice.

The crowd gasped and my heart clenched painfully in my chest.

Brenda stepped forward with a smirk, her arm wrapping possessively around Roman's.

She turned to me, her smile widening as she relished the pain on my face.

"Looks like I win, Lisa," She said with a mocking glare. "The Moon Goddess may have chosen you for Roman, but clearly, even she doesn't know what's best."

I couldn't respond when my voice was trapped in my throat. The betrayal, the rejection, the public humiliation. It was all too much. My legs felt weak, barely able to hold my weight as I struggled to remain standing. I wanted to disappear, to melt into the earth beneath my feet, to be anywhere but here.

Brenda leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper as though it was meant only for my ears. "You thought you had a chance, didn't you? Poor Little Lisa, always dreaming of something she could never have. It's pathetic."

I blinked rapidly, trying to push back to the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks.

"Go on, cry," Brenda continued, her voice low and cruel. "It's what you're best at. Everyone knows it's the only thing you're good for."

A ripple of laughter spread through the crowd, joining Brenda's cruel taunts.

Roman stood tall beside Brenda, his expression indifferent as the crowd laughed and jeered. To him, this was nothing more than a necessary act. He had rejected his fated mate in front of everyone and chosen someone more "worthy" of his position as Alpha. To him, I didn't matter. I never had.

Suddenly, a female voice called out. I let it all go to hell. The tears slipped down my cheeks when I saw it was Luna Bella, Roman's mother. She was seated among the pack elders with a smug look on her face.

Her beautiful face contorted in a mocking sneer as she stared at me. "Is she going to run away? Aww, the poor little omega can't take it."

Another voice chimed in. It was my step mother, Jeanine. "No wonder the Alpha rejected her. Who would want a mate like that?"

"Tell me about it." Even my father snorted a laugh.

The laughter grew louder, and I felt myself shrinking further into myself, trying to block out her mocking voices. I had been through so much, endured 18 years of being ridiculed, but this was different. This was worse. This was a rejection not just from a potential mate, but from my entire pack, from the life I had tried so hard to find my place in.

My breath hitched, the tears I had fought so hard to keep back now spilled down my cheeks. I couldn't do it. I couldn't stand here any longer, couldn't face their jeers and cruel words. My vision blurred as I turned in my heels, the sound of Brenda's triumphant laughter ringing in my ears.

"Run away, Lisa!" Roman called behind me, his voice carrying above the crowd. "Go cry in the woods where you belong!"

I didn't look back. I couldn't. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, pushing through the trees that lined the clearing.

The branches scratched at my skin, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to be far away from the pack, from the pain, from the humiliation that clung to me like a suffocating fog.

My breath came in ragged gasps as I stumbled deeper into the forest, the cool night air biting at my skin. The full moon hung high above me, casting long shadows across the first floor, but even its light felt cold and distant.

In a loud voice, I screamed at it, hoping the Moon Goddess would hear it. "It should've been a night of joy! You should've made it a night of celebration but you made it into my worst nightmare! Why!"

My response was my own echo and it infuriated me the most.

I continued my walk.

After what felt like hours, my legs finally gave out and I collapsed on the floor, my chest heaving with sobs.

I buried my face in my hands, the tears flowing feeling now, soaking the earth beneath me.

"How could this happen? Why would you do this to me?" I whispered to no one in my breaking voice.

"I had always believed in you, believed that you had a plan for every wolf. But now, it feels like you have something against me. Why would you pair me with someone who would reject me so brutally? Why would you let Brenda, my cruelest tormentor, win?!"

The sound of my screams filled the empty forest, the only company I had left.

I remained on the forest floor, crying until I had no more tears left.

The cold air chilled me to the bone. I had to find shelter real fast. I remembered there was a bar up ahead.

I got off the floor and dusted my gown, trudging slowly in the direction of the bar.

There was no point in me returning to the pack. I had nothing left. No pack, mate, no future. Maybe, the bar wouldn't make me feel lonely.

Lisa's POV

I got off the floor and dusted my gown, trudging slowly in the direction of the bar.

There was no point in me returning to the pack. I had nothing left. No pack, mate, no future. Maybe, the bar wouldn't make me feel lonely.

Eventually, I found myself standing outside a high-end bar called PICK ME UP.

I stared at the door, feeling a pang of hesitation. I'd never set foot in a place like this before.

With one last shaky breath, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The bar was dimly lit, reeking of alcohol and something else I couldn't quite place.

A few patrons sat scattered across the room, their faces shadowed. No one paid any attention to me as I walked to the bar, slipping onto a stool.

The bartender barely glanced my way. "What'll it be?"

"I don't care," I muttered, my voice barely a whisper. "Whatever's strong."

He shrugged and slid a glass in front of me.

I took a long swig, wincing as the alcohol burned down my throat. It was awful, but it worked. The numbness I craved began to settle over me, dulling the sharp edges of my thoughts.

"You look like you could use another."

I turned my head and blinked. A man sat beside me, watching me with a curious expression. His golden eyes gleamed in the low light, and there was something unsettling calm about him.

His dark hair was long and fell below his shoulder in frizzles. I had never seen a man with hair that long before. There was a tattoo of the moon in a shade of black and red on his exposed left upper arm.

"Does it show that much?" I asked, my voice laced with bitter humor.

"Just a little," he replied, leaning back casually. "Bad night?"

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You could say that."

He didn't ask the questions I expected. Instead, he gestured to the bartender. "Another drink for the lady."

"I don't need... " I started to pretest, but he cut me off.

"Trust me. You'll want it."

I sighed, taking the fresh drink.

"What's your deal?" I asked, turning to face him. "Why are you being so...nice?"

He flashed me a grin. "Call it a bad habit. I have a thing for helping people who look like they're drowning."

I snorted, lifting my glass. "Well, cheers to drowning."

We sat in silence for a moment, the quiet hum of the bar filling this space between us.

My thoughts drifted to the ceremony, the disappointment on everyone's faces when I wasn't claimed. I could still hear the murmurs, the whispers of pity and disdain.

The stranger's voice cut through my thoughts. "You want to talk about it?"

"No," I replied quickly, taking another drink. "I just want to forget."

He nodded, not pushing any further. There was a comfort in his presence, in the fact that he wasn't boring or judging. I could just exist for a while without explaining myself to anyone. The alcohol was starting to buy my senses, and I welcomed the numbness.

Before I knew it, we were laughing about what, I wasn't even sure.

The night blurred into a haze of drinks and slurred words, and for a brief moment, I didn't feel like the failure I knew I was. I felt free.

I turned to him, probably thinking this was the worst decision I had ever made in my life, I cupped his cheeks and smacked my lips against his.

At first he was frozen, taken aback by my brazen action. Just when I was about to pull away, he pulled me closer, returning the kiss.

His kisses were raw with passion and one other emotion I couldn't give a name. When I moaned into his mouth, he growled in response. It made my senses reel.

We pulled away briefly to catch our breath, our eyes meeting each other's.

"Let's get out of here, somewhere quieter." I whispered behind his ears.

The next thing I knew, his hands were wrapped around my waist, steadying me as we stumbled out of the bar.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my words thick with drunkenness.

"Somewhere quieter like you suggested," he replied, his voice low. "Unless you'd rather stay here."

I didn't protest. It wasn't like I had anywhere else to go. Besides, I wasn't thinking clearly, not with the alcohol clouding my mind and the overwhelming need to forget everything weighing on me.

We ended up in an expensive motel nearby. The details were fuzzy, but I remembered his hands on me, his touch warm and fleeting.

It was reckless and stupid, and I knew it, but at that moment, I didn't care. I let myself get lost in the haze of it all.

His kisses trailed gently from my neck to my chest. I felt my skin was on fire from his touch. He teased and punished me with his tongue. I felt all the joys of heavens and hell all at once.

Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, he towered over me. His golden eyes burned into mine in an intense gaze.

Suddenly, I felt embarrassed. Here, I was naked before a man I don't know.

He leaned closer, burying his face in the nook of my neck he had made. "You are simply divine."

My cheeks turned pink and I bit my lower lip. Heat pooled in my stomach and down there too.

As if reading my body, he reached his fingers down to where my panties were. "I want them off."

And just like that, he climbed over me and we rocked our way to the highest ecstasy anyone would ever experience. Pain riddled my body as he slid up and down but the pleasure numbed it all. The pleasure set me free.

I awoke the next morning with a throbbing headache. My mouth felt like cotton and the lower part of my body ached terribly.

I blinked against the harsh morning light streaming through the window, trying to piece together what had happened when I realised I was alone.

There was no one on the bed with me. The stranger from the bar was gone. No note, no trace. It was like he had never been there.

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. What have I done?