"Do you remember much of what happened?" My father asks, the tension in the air so thick that it feels like the walls are closing in on me. Cosmo and Eloise sit to the side on the small couch with tear-stained faces while my parents force me to stand. Today, we buried Alpha Artemis and Luna Everleigh, and the idea of dealing with my parents after everything that's happened in the last three days was not a good one. So, I kept my gaze towards the window, watching the drops pitter-patter on the glass.

"I don't remember much. We fell asleep watching the unicorns play. Madison woke me up because she heard something and then woke Eloise up," Cosmo answers, his voice wavering. I turn to look at the older boy to see my mother comforting him and sending her seething glare my way.

"Madison, if you woke them up, then why didn't you come get help!" It isn't a question; it's an accusation that my mother throws my way. I can feel her hatred from halfway across the room where I stand.

"I woke up and got Cosmo up right away, then Eloise. There were too many wolves, and if any one of us tried running, then we would have been caught and most likely killed too," I answer, meeting her gaze with a pleading look, hoping my own mother would listen to reason.

"That's just an excuse!" She snarls at me, standing protectively in front of the Alpha pups and staring at me with contempt, a look I know all too well.

"It's the truth. They killed the Alpha and Luna because they were looking for the Moon Goddess' lost pup and believed that they were hiding her in this pack. If we came out, we would have been in danger, and if I left Cosmo and Eloise there, they would have been in dan-" I stop mid-sentence, flinching as my father slams a fist onto his desk, causing me to jump in fear. Anger radiates off of him in waves, and my attention turns to him.

"Enough of your lies, Madison. You're the reason why our Alpha and Luna, Cosmo and Eloise's parents, are dead!" His voice bellows, the bookshelves rattling from the power. I stand frozen with shock and fear.

"Since Cosmo won't be of age to take over for another eleven years, I will be in charge as acting Alpha, and so will my wife. You, Madison, will be nothing but an Omega, a slave to this pack for your insolence and failure to protect our leaders," he continues, his words a finality on my fate in this pack. I turn to look at my friends, knowing that their words would help me keep my status as a Beta female, but Cosmo and Eloise glare at me with hatred before turning away. I know right there that in this room, I am alone. Alone, disowned, and an Omega.

Beta Caspian dismisses us, and my face now bears a bruise from the slap he gave me just minutes ago when I tried pleading my case and calling him "Father" one more time. An Omega with a car waits for me, his job is to drive me to the Beta's house, a place I can no longer call home, and leave me there to pack up whatever can fit into a single duffle bag. After that, I will have to find my own way back to the pack house and to the small room that will be assigned to me. The car ride is quiet, the Omega giving me a look of sympathy with his eyes too large for his sallow face.

"We know it's not your fault, Madison. The Omegas know what happened was a freak event. We believe you," he reassures me before we return to the quiet drive. It feels nice knowing that the Omegas have my back now that I will be one of them. I have a sinking feeling that Beta Caspian will make our lives worse.

The car stops in front of the house, and the Omega gives me an encouraging smile, telling me to be brave while handing me an empty duffle bag as I step out of the vehicle and head inside. The house feels cold and empty, a forbidden place for me now. Heading past the living room and up the stairs, I make my way to my bedroom and stop in the doorway when I see everything is gone—five duffle bags sitting on the bare mattress of what used to be my bed.

"Thank the Goddess you're okay, Maddie." Finn's voice sounds from behind me, and I turn to see him holding a bundle in his arms and pushing past me to fill another duffle bag.

"I heard them talking last night, Mom and Dad. They already planned to make you an Omega, and when they left me here after the funeral, I asked an omega to bring me a few bags to fill for you. I have everything, including your blankets and toys," he states, pulling me into a hug.

"Do you think I could become a Beta again?" I ask in a whisper, tears threatening to fall.

"I don't know, Maddie, but you have to be strong when they come back." I nod, giving my brother a reassuring smile and hand him the empty duffle bag I held. I helped him pack a few more items, taking some food from the kitchen and pantry. A car pulls into the driveway, and my heart skips a beat, thinking it's the Beta couple, but it's the Omega who dropped me off.

"Liam here said he would drive me to the pack house. They are on their way home now, and I texted them the excuse of checking up on Cosmo, and they bought it. Liam is going to help me take the bags we packed to your new room. Just pretend to finish packing up the last one I leave for you, okay?" I only nod at Finn, letting Liam into the house as he and Finn carry six of the seven bags down and into the car. I wave to them before rushing upstairs and double-checking to see if we left anything before doing my best to carry the bag downstairs just in time for Beta Caspian and Mrs. Piper burst through the door.

"You should have been gone by now," Beta Caspian growls out. I keep my head down, looking to the floor, but I hide my fear.

"I was just leaving, sir," I answer quietly, staying in my spot and waiting for the two wolves to walk past me. Instead, a hand grabs my hair, and I cry out from the pain, Beta Caspian's face inches from mine.

"Well, get the fuck out, you stupid pup," he screams at me, dragging me to the door and throwing me off of the front porch and into the mud-soaked lawn. Mrs. Piper just smirks at this, her arms crossed over her chest.

"You know the way to the pack house, you bitch, so make your way there." With that, Beta Caspian growls again, turning and slamming the door, leaving me all alone. As the rain cascaded down in a symphony of silver droplets, I stood alone, drenched and vulnerable in the midst of the storm. The world around me seemed to mirror the turmoil within my heart, the uncertainty of what lay ahead as I approached the pack house.

And then, as if in response to my inner turmoil, a magical transformation began to unfold in the skies above. The rain, which had fallen relentlessly, suddenly ceased its assault, leaving a hushed stillness in its wake. The heavy clouds that had obscured the heavens started to part, revealing a canvas of deep, inky blue velvet sprinkled with stars that blinked like distant lanterns.

I groan as I go through the laundry, nearly gagging at the smell left on the sheets from a particular room, while the heat of the dryer in the brightly lit basement room intensifies the odors emanating from this particular basket I'm stuck with. Visitors from Forest Paw had just left, and their Alpha, Alpha Leo, being the biggest sleaze I have ever met, left a mess in the guest room that I had the unfortunate task to clean. He came for an alliance with our pack, and I watched as Cosmo and Beta Caspian accepted this man openly while cleaning the foyer of the pack house. Finn managed to keep me as far away from the visiting Alpha as possible after the first night when I was forced to serve dinner. I could feel his eyes on me throughout the night, knowing that if he spoke one word to the Beta, he could have his way with me - a fourteen-year-old child. It wouldn't be the first time the Beta tried to use my body for his own advantage, but thankfully, Finn has a friend in the medical wing that handed him a highly potent sleep drug. Before anything could be done, the wolf in question would be safely passed out in his room.

My hope of becoming a Beta Female again in this pack has been dashed by the many bruises that paint my skin and the scars that linger from punishments that were unnecessary, in my opinion. But at least I was not offered as a plaything to the visiting pack like some Omegas were for the last seven days.

"Someone got the raunchy sheets left by Alpha Leo," Lilly fake gags as I throw the soiled sheets into the soaking tub. I would rather incinerate them, but if Beta Caspian finds one sheet missing by the end of the day, then I would become the scapegoat, as usual.

"Honestly, I am just glad Finn kept me in the cleaning rotations and not the serving rotations," I groan out with relief, throwing the rubber gloves into the trash bin and washing my hands with scalding water and the strongest soap I could find. I feel dirty just touching anything of that nature and can feel the panic attack rising inside me.

Mumbling to Misbah that I am going to get air, I rush up the Omega staircase and burst into the garden, the cold winter wind a refreshing welcome to my lungs. I find a corner free of snow and take deep breaths, hugging my knees to my chest and doing my best to keep the tears at bay. I found this spot thanks to Finn, a place to be weak between the walls of the pack house and the evergreen shrubs that leave a sharp pine scent in the air. No one comes to this part of the garden.

After an hour passes and my panic has settled down, I make my way back down to the basement and put on another pair of rubber gloves. The sheet in the soaker tub is gone, and Lilly gives me a sympathetic glance while I go and fold the dry clothes. She is one of two people who know what happened, knows the night that officially killed my hope of being a Beta Female again.

With steadfast determination, I keep an eye on the time, working hard and sticking to the basement or the kitchen, helping with meals for the day. When Eloise comes in and explains that the Omegas can finish for the day and enjoy the rest of the night off at seven thirty, I sigh with relief, finish folding the laundry fresh from the dryer, and hand it off to a waiting Omega for him to deliver to its respective room. y dedication keeps me focused, dedicated to the tasks at hand, whether it's sorting through laundry in the basement or assisting with the preparation of meals that would sustain the pack for the day.