Broken omega, p.1
Broken Omega, page 1
Paulina Vasquez
Broken
Omega
Book 3 of the Broken Trilogy
Chapter 1 – Slave
“HURRY UP SLAVE! If you don’t get done in time, I’m going to be forced to beat you.” Beta Keaton growled at me as he yanked open my stall door.
The air is filled with excitement and happiness at Sapphire Moon pack. Everyone has been preparing for the mating and Luna ceremony of Alpha Jaxon and his mate this week. While most females my age are busy preparing for the festivities of this joyous occasion, I’m working to the brink of collapse. They’re worried about who’s attending and who they’re going to dance with, while I’m worried about just being fed. It’s been five days since I’ve had anything to eat and I’m a little sluggish this morning.
I’m Syble Martin and I was born into this pack eighteen years ago. My father was a warrior and was killed defending our Luna in a rogue attack eight years ago. Regrettably, he died in vain because our Luna was also killed. That was a day I’ll never forget, a day that still haunts my dreams.
Alpha Jaxson’s father, Alpha James, was our Alpha at the time. After losing his mate and Luna, he blamed my father for failing to protect her. As punishment for my father’s failure, Alpha James killed my mother. I was only ten years old and watched as the Alpha shifted into his black wolf and viciously ripped my mother’s limbs off her body. I’ve never been the same since.
I lost both of my parents on that day and became an orphan. They weren’t given a funeral or buried at our pack cemetery with my grandparents. Their remains were dishonorably burned with the rogue bodies. I was immediately made a pack slave, though I wish the Alpha had just killed me as well. It’s been eight long grueling years. I haven’t spoken a word since.
I’ve been reduced to the status of the lowest Omega in the pack, I’m a slave. I don’t really feel like a member of this pack, a wolf pack is supposed to take care of each other, work together as a community for the greater good of the pack. I’m treated like the lowest scum of the earth. When a wolf turns eighteen, they’re finally able to shift into their wolf who becomes a part of them. A wolf is also bound to the pack through a bond that allows them to communicate with each other through mind linking.
When a wolf turns eighteen, their scent becomes uniquely strong, which allows them to find their mate. A mate is the other half of your soul that completes you. A pairing especially made for you by the Moon Goddess, Selene. When I turned eighteen six months ago, I neither shifted into my wolf nor found my mate.
The whispers I hear about me from the other Omega maids, is that they believe I’m human. Some even think that my mother may have cheated on my father with a human. I hardly have a scent which confuses the wolves, though most days they complain that I smell like a dirty wild animal. I’ve never shifted, and no one has claimed me as a mate. Even if my mate was in this pack, I seriously doubt he’d want me or claim me. No one wants a broken and bruised mate.
I look terrible, sickly actually. My light brown hair is lifeless and pulled into a long ponytail. My hazel green eyes are emotionless with heavy bags. My cheeks are sunken in and my lips are cracked. I’m not even given a maid’s uniform, the only clothing I have is two ugly gray dresses that look more like dish rags.
I’m a hollow shell. I silently clean, scrub and wash anything the other Omegas tell me to. When I’m no longer needed, which is usually after the dinner dishes are cleaned and put away, I’m sometimes fed.
I’ve been living as quietly as possible; I try to stay as unnoticed as I can. I take orders and do my best not to displease anyone, because if I fail, I earn a beating. I was following behind Beta Keaton who escorted me to the front of the pack house. The sun had yet to rise, but here I was, ready for another day of exhausting labor.
“Alpha wants all of the outside stairs scrubbed clean before guests start arriving this afternoon.” He barked at me and I nodded my head.
I went to the back shed and grabbed my bucket, soap and bristled brush. I returned to the front of the house, which was more like a country mansion, and started scrubbing the stone steps. This was actually a good, peaceful time, to scrub the stairs. Most of the wolves leaving for patrol, coming back from patrol or going to early morning training, used the back stairs instead of the front stairs. The back stairs were closer to the kitchen and led out towards the forest tree line.
An hour later, my hands had started to prune up and my knobby knees where sore and red. I was halfway through scrubbing the stairs when Alpha Jaxon walked out of the front door. I didn’t dare look at him, but I could see him from my peripheral vision. He came down the stairs and when he reached me, he kicked my bucket of soapy water at me, soaking me.
“Improving the foul human stench around here.” He snarled at me.
Alpha Jaxon is twenty-four years old. He was sixteen when his mother and my father died. He’s been brutal and cruel to me ever since. Every year, on his mother’s birthday in May and her death day in November, which she shares with both my parents; he finds me and beats me within an inch of my life. The thought of him standing over me with his fists clenched sends a shiver down my spine.
I keep my head down and wait for him to leave before I go to refill my bucket. My wet dress is sticking to me, but I have nothing to change into. I hand washed my other dress last night and it wasn’t dry yet.
I live in the barn with the other animals. I don’t have my own room, but I do have my own stall, with a bed of straw. My best friend is the horse who occupies the stall next to me. Domino is a black horse with white markings. He’s one of four pack horses that we have who are mostly taken out for pups and teens to ride since they don’t have their wolf yet. Domino is big and gentle, he’s also a messy eater. He doesn’t mind when I reach into his stall and eat the bits of fruits or vegetables he may drop.
My job is to clean the stalls, feed the horses and groom them regularly, before I report to the pack house for other duties. My other duties usually include the work that the regular maids don’t want to do; scrubbing floors, toilets and dishes. If I’m lucky, I get food before I’m dismissed to go back to the barn.
I use an old water trough in the corner of the barn to bathe myself with water from the hose. I have one torn towel and two sets of underwear I keep hidden in my stall. I’m allowed one bar of soap a month to wash myself, my hair and my clothes with. Sometimes, I use the horse shampoo to clean myself when my bar of soap is gone. The barn actually has a toilet closet and small sink which I’m thankful for. I’d hate to have to use a bush in the forest with so many wolves lurking around.
I never willingly go into the forest anymore. When I was fifteen I decided to try and sneak off one hot summer afternoon to the river to cool off. My father used to take me swimming in it when I was a pup. Alpha Jaxon and his friends stalked me as I unknowingly walked to the river. When they jumped on me, they tied me to a tree and stripped me naked. I spent the whole night in the forest, frightened and shaking, hearing noises and growls.
I’ve thought about running away, but that would mean being alone in the forest. Everything that goes bump in the night scares me. Since I’ve never shifted, I can’t outrun wolves so making it out of Sapphire Moon territory would be hard. I’ve considered taking Domino, but wolves can typically outrun a horse.
Our pack is in upstate New York, in the Adirondack Mountains. I wasn’t exactly sure where I would run off to, I don’t know anyone else. I don’t have anything, can’t hunt, and I’m starting to wonder if I am indeed human. No other pack would want such a pathetic human.
I finished scrubbing the stairs in the front of the pack house and also scrubbed the stairs in the back. When I finished it was mid-morning and I went back to the barn to clean out the horse stalls.
After I was done mucking out manure and laying down fresh shavings and straw in the horse stalls, I made my way to the pack house. I waited at the back door until one of the maids gave me a job to do. I wasn’t allowed in the pack house without permission. I could hear dishes clanking around and by the smell of things, lunch was being served.
“Are you done with the stables already?” Sandy the head maid asked, and I nodded my head.
“Good, the Alpha’s sister will be here this afternoon and will want to visit with her favorite horse. Make sure the rest of the stable is cleaned out and organized.” She instructed. “And for Goddess sake, you smell, wash yourself today. We don’t want the stables smelling like filthy animals.”
I returned to the barn and picked up the broom, I swept the walkways and around the feed bins. I gave each horse a couple of flakes of hay in their stall feeders. I placed all the tools in the corner by the supply closet. This was a very nice barn as far as barns go, and it was my home. I stopped and stroked Domino’s head and he nuzzled into me. He doesn’t seem to mind my stench.
It was almost dinner time at the pack house, I didn’t expect anyone to come out to the barn. I was supposed to return to wash dinner dishes but if I wanted to be allowed inside, I should probably clean off first. I was also hoping to get fed after the dishes were done.
I filled up the water trough with water and poured a little horse shampoo into the water. It had a clean scent with a hint of lavender and produced lots of suds. I grabbed my towel and the other dress; it was dry now. I stripped off my clothes and dropped them in the trough with me to wash in the bath water. A shiver ran through me as I lowered myself in the cold water.
I started to quickly soap up my face, armpits and other lady bits. I dunked my head underwate
Chapter 2 – Visitor
I could feel his strong Alpha aura pulsing through the air from the opposite side of the barn. He stood at the door, fists clenched and ready to attack. Domino let out a snort and backed up in his stall uncomfortably. He wasn’t usually spooked so easily but this unknown visitor had us both nervous.
“WHAT IS YOUR NAME?” He asked. His voice was deep and rich.
I wasn’t sure what to do, the water was freezing and all I wanted was to get out of the bath. I didn’t dare stand up in front of him, I kept my eyes on the ground and sat still. I could see him from my peripheral vision and my heart was pounding.
“ARE YOU DEAF? I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!” He growled at me.
Okay, so he doesn’t exactly know who I am, and he’s definitely an Alpha. I might in fact be human, but even my ignorant human brain registered the sheer power and dominance of an Alpha, especially this one. The sound of his voice sent strange flutters through my stomach.
I continued to look down at the ground while he stared me down. I swallowed hard, unable to move. So many thoughts were running in my head. Who was he? What was he doing here? Why was he angry with me? Why did he want to know my name?
I heard the barn door open and close again. I looked up and he was gone. I grabbed the towel and wrapped it around my little body before I ran into my stall to get dressed. Domino neighed at me and I reached to stroke his head after I was dressed.
I walked back to the pack house and realized that the Alpha’s sister, Donnatella, and other guests had probably arrived this afternoon. Hopefully this means that extra food will be prepared in honor of the guests and I might actually get something to eat. I walked up the back stairs and stood at the side of the door waiting. The house was full of werewolves with sharp senses. I didn’t need to knock; they knew I was out here.
I had to wait while everyone finished eating. My stomach grumbled at me and I hung my head down. I continued to stand in the crisp night air, just waiting. The maids brought stacks of dirty plates into the kitchen and the door was pulled open. I didn’t need to be told what to do, I was only ever allowed into the kitchen to wash dishes or scrub the floors on my hands and knees.
Two hours later, every dish, bowl, glass, silverware, platter, pot and pan, was washed, dried and put away. My hands were pruned like little raisins, and I was exhausted.
“You may go now.” Sandy said to me. She was usually the one who gave me food a few times a week. I stood for a moment and dropped my eyes to the ground. Realizing I wasn’t going to get anything again tonight, I walked to the door.
“Oh, for Goddess sake Sandy, you want her to keep working, you’re going to have to feed her. She hasn’t eaten all week with all the commotion around here. Humans can’t go long without food.” Chef Millie said. She was an older and kind lady. On the few occasions when Sandy was gone, Millie had to feed me and was very generous with the amount of food she gave me.
“I can’t. Alpha didn’t tell me to.” Sandy replied. I kept my eyes on the floor and walked to the door. I could feel their eyes on me as I quietly left the kitchen and walked back to the barn. I was used to going with very little amounts of food, but five days was the longest. Tomorrow will be day five.
I walked into the barn and grabbed the wheelbarrow. I pushed it to the haystack and loaded eight large flakes into it and gave the horses their hay to graze on during the night. Just because I was starving, doesn’t mean the horses should too. I turned off the light and buried myself in my pile of straw inside my stall.
My stomach pains left me restless and my sleep always seemed to haunt me. I moved my arms to pile more straw on top of me for warmth. The night was still young, but when you wake up before dawn, it was bedtime. I closed my eyes and stirred awake when I heard the sound of the barn door creak open. I heard the clacking of heels and another set of heavy footsteps as the light flickered on.
“Oh, there’s my sweet boy.” I didn’t need to see her to know exactly who that was. It was Donnatella, Alpha Jaxon’s sister.
“Did you miss me? I’ve brought you treats.” She cooed at Domino.
I laid still, practically holding my breath. Something inside of me was stirring, a need that was pulling me to make my presence known, to see who was with her. Donnatella was never nice to me and like her brother, she somehow blamed me for the death of her mother because my father had failed as a warrior. She’s been in Italy studying fashion and modeling these last few years and has returned for her brothers mating ceremony.
I could smell something different in the air, like sweet vanilla and an earthy spice. For a brief moment, I felt a strange stirring inside of me again; and then my stomach growled. I prayed they didn’t hear that, but I knew they did. Damn these wolves and their super hearing, I bitterly thought to myself.
“We may have a mouse problem in the barn, I’ll have to let the stall keeper know.” Donnatella said trying to dismiss me. She knew I lived in the barn and probably didn’t want whoever was with her to bother with the slave.
“I hear breathing inside of this stall, is there a pup hiding in the straw?” The husky voice said.
I heard the stall door open and was suddenly yanked out from under the straw with my foot. I squealed like a mouse. My dress was riding up my thigh from being dragged, which exposed my cuts, bruises and scars. It was him again, the visiting Alpha. I could see him from my peripheral vision but couldn’t bring myself to look up at his face. Higher ranked wolves saw this as a sign of disrespect, a challenge, and looking a higher up in the eyes could earn you a punishment.
I could feel his eyes on me, and my hands instantly moved to adjust my dress and hide my legs. He let go of my foot and I instinctively scooted back on my ass into the corner of the stall. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them as I shivered.
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be home with your parents, pup?” He spoke to me as if he was talking to a child who got caught doing something naughty.
I shook my head no and kept my eyes on the ground.
He stepped closer to me and leaned down, the power radiating off of him was suffocating. It was stronger than Alpha Jaxon and his father, Alpha James, combined. I kept my head down, his close proximity to me was making me nervous. I could just imagine what a pathetic, beat up mess I looked like. I could feel his repulsion in the air. He took a deep breath and I realized he was trying to smell me. He was scenting me!
“Darling, she’s my father’s prisoner. A human mute who cares for the animals.” Donnatella told the visitor who I assume may be her mate.
Of course, Donnatella would be mated to an Alpha, she is Alpha born as well. Something inside of me desperately wanted to look at him, to see his face, to look into his eyes. I could tell he had raven black thick hair, broad shoulders and bulging muscles. He smelled delicious and from what I could see, he was well dressed.
“A human mute? I think not.” He sneered.
“Her parents are responsible for my mother’s death.” She told him.
“Why is she still alive?” The jackass Alpha asked. I felt a whimper bubble up inside of me, his words seemed to squeeze my heart. He was clearly a good match for the ice queen, I thought to myself.
“She was a pup when father took her in. Pathetic really. She’s lucky to still be alive to clean these stalls. Let’s not waste any more time on her, they’re waiting for us at the house.”
He stood up and stalked off back to Donnatella. She gave him a kiss and dropped another apple in Domino’s feeder. They walked towards the barn door and I waited until they were gone before I crawled over to check the area under Domino’s feeder. I was hoping to find a few chunks of apple that may have fallen when he chewed but had no luck today.
I pushed my straw back in a pile and turned off the lights before I curled back down in the straw. I sat quietly wondering what fresh hell tomorrow would bring. More guests will be arriving for the ceremony that will take place the following day. Hopefully no one else notices me or questions why I’m still alive. Even though I often wondered why I was still alive, hearing him ask stung me for some reason and I couldn’t explain it.
