ARIA

The bucket of ice water hit me before I even opened my eyes.

I gasped and sat up fast on the cold stone floor. My thin nightgown stuck to my skin. My teeth chattered as I blinked water from my eyes.

Selene stood over me with an empty bucket in her perfectly done hand. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders like spun gold. Her cruel smile made my stomach turn.

"Get up, little rat. Mother wants the breakfast hall ready in twenty minutes." She dropped the bucket. It crashed near my head. "And you smell. Wash yourself properly this time."

I kept my eyes down. My wolf instincts screamed to submit even though I had no wolf. At least, that's what everyone believed.

"Yes, Selene."

She kicked my shin hard enough to bruise. "That's 'Yes, Miss Selene' to you. Just because your father was stupid enough to die for this pack doesn't mean you've earned respect."

My jaw tightened, but I kept my face blank. Twelve years of this. Twelve years since my mother supposedly died from grief, leaving me with Bryson Cole as a stepfather. Twelve years of pretending I was nothing.

Selene finally left, her expensive perfume hanging in the air like poison.

I stood slowly. My body ached from sleeping on stone again. They'd taken my bed last week, saying I didn't deserve it. The other servants got cots at least. But me? I was below even them.

The daughter of a hero, reduced to this.

I grabbed my washing bucket and slipped into the bathing room before the other servants woke. The water was freezing. Hot water was for pack members, not wolfless mistakes. But I scrubbed quickly. I'd learned to be invisible, to take up no space, to ask for nothing.

But every night for the past four years, I'd run through the forest on four silver paws, my wolf stretching under the moon.

My secret. My only freedom.

I couldn't risk anyone knowing. Bryson would sell me to the highest bidder the moment he found out I had a wolf, especially a silver one. Legends said silver wolves were blessed by the Moon Goddess herself, with powers that made Alphas look weak.

I had seen my eyes glow in the moonlight. Felt the power humming under my skin. Whatever I was, it was dangerous enough that staying hidden kept me alive.

I dressed in the plain grey dress they gave me and braided my black hair tight against my head. My reflection in the cracked mirror showed a girl who looked older than twenty-two. Dark circles shadowed my green eyes. My cheekbones were too sharp from skipped meals. The scar on my shoulder from Derek's "training accident" last year showed above my neckline.

But I was alive. That was enough.

The breakfast hall was chaos when I arrived. Omegas rushed between tables, serving pack members who sat around like royalty. I kept my head down and worked quickly, setting plates and pouring drinks without making eye contact.

"Heard the Culling starts in three days," one warrior said, his voice carrying across the hall. "King Lycan is finally gonna choose a Luna this time, they say."

"Doubt it," his friend laughed. "He's been doing this for fifteen years. He never picks anyone. The thing is just a power play."

"Selene thinks she's got a shot."

More laughter. "That spoiled bitch? She'd last five minutes before he ripped her throat out."

I let myself smile a little as I refilled their cups. At least I wasn't the only one who couldn't stand her.

"What are you smiling at, mutt?"

My blood turned to ice. Derek stood behind me with his arms crossed over his broad chest. He was twenty-five, the Alpha's heir through and through, and he enjoyed making me suffer almost as much as his sister did.

"Nothing, sir. Just pleased to serve."

His hand shot out, grabbing my braid and yanking my head back. Pain exploded through my scalp, but I didn't make a sound. Showing pain only made it worse.

"You should be grateful we keep you around," he breathed in my ear. "A wolfless Omega is worth less than dirt. But Father has a soft heart. He remembers your pathetic dead father and lets you live here out of pity."

My nails dug into my palms. One day, I'd make him regret every word. Every touch. Every moment of humiliation.

But not today.

"Thank you for your family's generosity," I whispered.

He shoved me forward. I caught myself on the table, but the water pitcher I'd been holding crashed to the floor and shattered. The hall went silent.

Bryson Cole rose from his seat at the head table. Alpha power rolled off him in waves, making every wolf in the room lower their heads.

Everyone except me. I had no wolf to submit.

His cold blue eyes locked on me. "Clumsy as always, Aria. Clean it up. Then report to my office. We need to discuss your contribution to this household."

Dread pooled in my stomach. Nothing good ever came from meetings in his office.

I knelt and gathered the broken glass, ignoring the snickers and whispers around me. Blood welled from a cut on my palm, but I didn't stop until every piece was collected.

When I finally stood, Selene was watching me with a strange expression. Almost satisfied. Like she knew something I didn't.

The walk to Bryson's office felt like a march to execution.

He sat behind his massive oak desk with his fingers pressed together under his chin. The morning light through the window cast shadows across his face, making him look older than forty-five.

"Sit."

I sat on the edge of the chair across from him, my back straight, my hands folded.

"The Culling is in three days," he began. "Every unmated female between eighteen and twenty-five must attend. Including you."

My heart skipped. "But I'm—"

"Wolfless. Yes, I'm aware." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "However, the law is clear. Every female must be presented to the Lycan King. Failure to comply results in pack punishment. I can't have that."

Relief and confusion fought inside me. "Of course. I'll attend."

"You'll also make sure to stay far away from Selene during the ceremony. She's worked too hard for this opportunity. I won't have you embarrassing our family with your presence."

There it was. The real reason for this meeting. "I understand."

"Good." He leaned back in his chair. "You'll wear something appropriate. Grey, nothing that draws attention. You'll stand in the back with the other servants. You'll keep your eyes down. And when the ceremony ends and Selene is chosen as Luna, you'll return here and continue your duties. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly clear."

"Dismissed."

I stood and turned toward the door, my mind already racing. The Culling. I'd heard stories my whole life. Thousands of wolves gathered in one place, all competing for the attention of a King who never chose anyone.

I'd be safe. No one noticed wolfless Omegas. I'd stand in the back, survive the ceremony, and come home. Nothing would change.

"Oh, and Aria?" Bryson's voice stopped me at the door. "The suppressant herbs you've been stealing from the kitchen stores? I'd be more careful if I were you. Wouldn't want anyone to wonder why a wolfless girl needs scent suppressants."

Ice flooded my veins.

He knew.

I turned slowly, but his expression gave nothing away. "I don't know what you mean."

"Of course you don't." His smile was razor sharp. "Just remember secrets have a way of coming out at the worst possible moments. Three days, Aria. Try not to do anything stupid."

I left before my shaking hands could give me away.

He knew. Maybe not everything, but enough to be dangerous. Which meant the Culling just became far more complicated than surviving a ceremony.

It became a matter of survival itself.