The Curse of Seventeen
Chapter One – The Curse of Seventeen
The clang of iron against stone startled Alicia from her half-sleep. She jerked upright from the damp straw mat, her heart racing. For a moment, she thought it was a dream—the same one she had endured every night of her life in the palace of the Moon Pack: the whiplash of orders, the sting of contempt, the weight of chains that only she seemed to wear.
But this morning was different.
The omega slave quarters, tucked beneath the eastern wing of Alpha King Bob’s palace, always smelled of mold, sweat, and despair. Alicia pulled the thin gray tunic tighter around her shoulders, shivering against the dawn’s chill seeping through the cracks in the stone walls. Yet beneath the cold, a fire simmered low in her chest. It was her seventeenth birthday.
Her day of Awakening.
She had overheard the whispers among the servants—today, her wolf would rise. Today, she would finally feel the sacred bond to the Moon Goddess, the gift that had been denied to her all these years.
The thought sent shivers down her spine—not entirely of joy. Wolves were expected to awaken into strength, into belonging. But Alicia belonged nowhere. She was beautiful, yes—so much so that the palace women seethed with jealousy, and the men eyed her as though she were prey. But beauty meant nothing when one was branded an outcast.
“Get up, slave!”
The voice was Diana’s, sharp as a whip. Alicia flinched before the Beta’s daughter even appeared. Diana swept into the dingy room in a gown of crimson silk, her golden hair tumbling down her shoulders. Even in the shadows, she glittered like a jewel among coal.
“You’ll be late for the prince’s feast, and we can’t have you embarrassing the pack on such an… important day.”
Diana’s lips curved in a mocking smile. She didn’t need to say the words; her eyes screamed them: You don’t belong. You never will.
Alicia bowed her head, swallowing the bitterness. “Yes, Beta Diana.”
She scurried to her feet, the hem of her tattered dress brushing against Diana’s jeweled slippers.
“Remember,” Diana leaned closer, her perfume stinging Alicia’s nose, “when Alpha Max takes me as his mate, you’ll be scrubbing my chamber floors until your knees bleed. That is, if the Alpha King doesn’t finally tire of your pitiful existence and send you to the rogues.”
Alicia’s chest tightened. She had learned long ago that silence was her only weapon. With trembling hands, she slipped past Diana, climbing the long stone stairway that led to the great hall.
The palace thrummed with celebration. Wolves in fine silks and leather poured into the feasting hall, the scent of roasted boar and sweet mead filling the air. At the head of the long banquet table sat Alpha King Bob, his massive frame draped in furs, a crown of iron and bone resting on his brow. His son, Alpha Max, stood beside him.
The heir. The predator.
Max was handsome in a way that unsettled Alicia—broad shoulders, dark hair, eyes like a storm at sea. But it was his smirk, that cruel curve of his lips, that reminded her of every lash of the whip she had endured under the Moon Pack’s scorn.
And yet, the moment their gazes collided, Alicia’s entire body trembled.
Her chest heaved. A strange warmth rushed through her veins, searing, consuming. Her vision blurred at the edges as a voice, soft but powerful, whispered inside her mind for the very first time.
Flo. I am Flo. We are one now.
Her wolf. Her soul had finally awakened.
But before Alicia could comprehend the wonder of it, Flo gasped within her. Mate!
The word exploded like thunder.
Alicia’s knees nearly gave way as her gaze locked with Max’s again. Her breath hitched, her heart hammering in disbelief. Max. The ruthless prince. The Alpha heir. He was hers.
And she… was his.
For a fleeting heartbeat, something flickered in his eyes—shock, recognition, the same magnetic pull that bound their souls together. His wolf had felt it too.
Inside Max’s mind, a furious snarl rose. Mate. She is ours.
It was Tawny, his wolf, pacing with wild energy. The Goddess has chosen her. You will accept her. Touch her. Claim her now before the whole pack.
Max clenched his jaw. No. She’s nothing but a filthy omega.
She is ours! Tawny roared, the force of it rattling through Max’s chest. Her scent burns us alive. Her soul fits ours. Reject her and you will regret it. I swear it!
Max’s fists curled. For the first time in years, he felt his control slipping under his wolf’s rage. The pull toward Alicia was intoxicating—her wide hazel eyes, the tremor of her lips, the scent of fresh wildflowers clinging to her skin. Desire threatened to unravel him, but he crushed it beneath the weight of his pride.
I will not mate with a slave.
And then, aloud, before the entire hall, he snarled:
“No. This is a mistake. The Goddess mocks me.”
A hush fell over the hall.
Alicia’s chest constricted. Her wolf whimpered in anguish.
Max’s voice was venom. “I, Alpha Max of the Moon Pack, reject you, Alicia the omega slave, as my mate.”
The words tore through her like claws. Pain shot through every nerve, burning, suffocating, as though her very soul were being ripped apart. She staggered, clutching her chest. Flo howled in agony inside her, the sound echoing endlessly in her mind.
Tawny’s fury was deafening. You fool! You damn fool! You’ve cursed us both!
Tears blurred her vision. “No…” she whispered.
But Max had already turned away, his arm slipping possessively around Diana’s waist. “I choose her. Diana will be my mate, not some pitiful scrap of a slave.”
The hall erupted with laughter, cruel and sharp. Some looked at her with pity, most with scorn.
King Bob’s booming laugh silenced them all. “So be it. My son has spoken.”
Alicia crumpled to the floor, her heart shattering into pieces sharp enough to draw blood.
But the humiliation had only begun.
That very night, Alpha King Bob decreed that a mating ceremony would be held between Max and Diana—despite the whispers among elders who had seen the mate bond flare in Max’s eyes. The decision was final.
The grand hall was transformed. Silver lanterns hung from the rafters, and silk banners in the Moon Pack’s colors fluttered proudly. Wolves filled every seat, their voices rising in celebration. At the far end, beneath the carved emblem of the crescent moon, Max stood stiffly in ceremonial armor. Diana, glowing in a gown of white, preened like a queen.
Alicia, forced to serve at the banquet, stood in the shadows carrying trays of wine, every nerve raw and burning. Flo whimpered inside her, clawing at the walls of her mind.
Tawny is not there, Flo whispered. He hides. He does not want this.
Indeed, across the hall, Max’s face was unreadable, his jaw tight, his gaze dark. He moved like a man carrying chains.
“Do you, Alpha Max, accept Diana of the Beta bloodline as your mate?” the priest intoned.
“I do,” Max said, though the words came like stones dragged from his throat.
Inside, Tawny snarled with such ferocity that Max’s body shuddered. Liar! She is not ours! Ours is there—in the shadows, broken because of you!
Max clenched his fists. His wolf’s resistance clawed at his skin, begging to surface. For a moment, his eyes flashed golden, his aura rippling dangerously.
Diana tightened her grip on his arm, mistaking his inner turmoil for passion.
“And do you, Diana, accept Alpha Max as your mate?”
“I do,” Diana purred, casting Alicia a victorious glare.
The priest raised his hands. “Then by the Moon Goddess, your bond is sealed.”
The hall roared with approval. Goblets clashed, music swelled, laughter echoed.
But Alicia felt only the suffocating weight of betrayal. Her mate had chosen another. Her wolf howled in misery, her body burned with rejection and heat. And in the shadows of the hall, she swore through clenched teeth, her tears hardening into steel.
They think I am weak. They think I am nothing. But they will all learn—Max most of all—that rejection has a price.