I try to be strong most of the time. I don't like showing weakness, no matter how weak my body proves itself to be.

The Moon Goddess decided to punish me.

Here in the Midnight Pack, I'm considered a freak.

My life took a turn the moment I shifted for the first time, and it's only grown sadder since — every insult, every look of contempt, every physical blow. My body is marked by the violence of those who think themselves superior. Being an omega is already no advantage, but being an omega without a wolf spirit is even more humiliating.

We omegas are at the bottom of the wolf hierarchy — the pack's workhorses, its weakest members. Right now I'm being woken by shouts and curses at my bedroom door, coming from the other omegas responsible for chores at the pack's main house.

"You stupid freak, can't you see you're already past your work hours?"

One of them shouts.

"You really think we're going to cover your share while you sleep?"

I don't have the energy to argue with any of them. I just ignore them and drag my aching body up — sore both from work and from the state of what passes as my bed. Nothing but a thin mattress lying practically on bare wood.

I wash my face with the icy tap water and rush through my hygiene routine before I earn a punishment this early in the day. I pull on an old, worn dress. I don't have anything better — they're all the same, old and threadbare — but it doesn't matter. I never cared much for vanity. I've always kept a simple style.

The sun is still rising, the first rays hitting my face as I cross the yard toward the main house.

I live in the staff dormitories at the back of the estate. I go straight in through the service entrance and collect my cleaning supplies. Keeping this place clean is my responsibility.

Breakfast is a luxury I can't afford. The smell of freshly brewed coffee invades my senses, but I know I'm not permitted to help myself. My stomach aches — I went through another night without dinner. A punishment for talking back to the omega cook.

Once I finally finish my tasks, I'll try to find something to quiet my hunger. I start cleaning. The house is enormous, and I push myself to work fast because the pack's Luna is extremely strict about cleanliness. Every last corner must be scrubbed thoroughly. My knees ache from spending so long on them, scourging the floors.

Hours pass, and without thinking I leave a small puddle of soapy water near the staircase. Isaac, the Alpha's son, comes down at that very moment and barely avoids slipping. I feel my body tense with dread at the punishment I'm about to receive.

"Incompetent. I could have fallen."

"I'm sorry, Alpha. It wasn't intentional."

I apologize without meeting his eyes. He isn't the Alpha yet, but everyone calls him that since he's next in line.

"Clean that up. You want my mother or my father to fall?"

"N-no..."

I wipe the floor clean quickly, and my reward is a kick to the ribs. I grunt in pain and nearly lose my breath, but I don't let him see how much it hurt. Isaac grabs my hair and forces me to look at him — something he does whenever he gets the chance, just to intimidate me.

"Next time I'll do worse. I don't like that cold look you give me."

He slaps me lightly across the face and releases me, noticing his father approaching.

This is my chance to get away from Isaac. I gather my things and leave immediately. The Alpha doesn't like looking at me any more than the others do.

I don't know why they still let me stay in this pack. Why they haven't banished me. I've started to think it must be out of gratitude to my parents.

I'm the adopted daughter of the former beta. He and my mother died in a confrontation with our rivals — the vampires. My birthday was close, so I barely had time to grieve before my first shift happened.

I finish my tasks late, and then I try to find something to eat by shifting into my wolf. It's the only way I can get food when it's denied to me.

I don't have a wolf spirit, but I can shift into a wolf form. All the wolf senses that should have come with it — keen hearing, accelerated healing — were all denied to me.

My wolf is small, her coat a honey-brown color. My paws move well enough, and I manage to catch a few small prey in the forest for my wolf, along with some fruit to keep me going.

After a few hours I decide to head back to the pack, but I hear loud growls and startle, breaking into a run to get back within the pack's protective border as quickly as possible.

The sigh of relief when I cross the boundary is genuine. I make my way to the tree where I left my dress and shift back to human form.

When I step out from behind the thick trunk, I hear laughter. A small group is watching me, and I take a step back.

"Scared, little mutt?"

Isabel's irritating voice cuts at me.

"Ha — you always surprise me with your insults."

Another member of the group speaks up, and Isaac laughs.

"Your wolf form is so depressing. I feel sorry for you."

Isabel again.

"I don't need your pity."

I answer back.

"Look at her — sharp tongue as always."

She walks toward me and slaps me across the face. I clench my fists but hold back from returning the blow.

"I told you not to talk back to me."

My cheek burns with pain, and the others with her laugh at me.

"Don't waste your time on this omega. We have a night to enjoy."

Isabel strides back to her group with her usual air of authority and kisses Isaac. Before he leaves, he throws me a look I can't quite read — something in my gut goes on alert, and a chill runs through my entire body.

I leave immediately.

Isaac and Isabel aren't fated mates. In this pack, few care about that.

I used to imagine with my mother what life would be like when I found my mate. That now seems impossible for me. No one will ever want me.

If I ever did meet him, I would reject him before he could reject me. In truth, I don't even know if it's possible for me to find my fated mate, given that I don't have a wolf spirit.

This flaw of mine has cost me so much. I've thought a few times about going after my ancestors and discovering my roots — but where would I even begin?

My parents found me lost in the forest when I was just a small child, and brought me here. I have no clue where I came from.

I was lucky enough to know what it felt like to be loved. My adoptive mother was unable to have children, so all the love she had was poured into me. My adoptive father was a great man too — a wonderful father, a good instructor and warrior. I still had the chance to be trained by him. Everything I know about self-defense came from him.

I miss them so much. My eyes fill with tears that blur my vision as I make my way back to my room. I wipe them away quickly before anyone can see — I rarely let my guard down around anyone, not that there's anyone here who would care.

I go straight to my room, my only refuge. The house where I lived for years was handed over to another pack member, and I've been living here in the dormitories ever since.

I pick up a photo of my parents and give myself permission to cry. Life without them has been so hard. And yet I think maybe it's better this way — I would have only shamed them by becoming what I've become.

My name is Sara Sinclair. I'm eighteen years old, and that is the only information I remember from my past. I have an amulet with my date of birth and my name engraved on it.

Days passed, the only difference being Isaac's persistence in targeting me. I've even started avoiding my walks in the forest — on a couple of occasions I felt someone watching me, and I'm nearly certain it was him.

My day began as usual. I completed my tasks and managed to eat a meal.

Today is a festival day in the Midnight Pack. Everyone gathers at every full moon to celebrate and enjoy themselves, because werewolves' powers grow stronger and more intense on these lunar nights.

Many take the opportunity to mate, since this is the period when everyone goes into heat and can produce new offspring. Wolves in heat tend to be somewhat violent. Unmarked females have to be very careful if they don't want to become victims on these moon nights, because the only ones who are untouchable are females already marked by their fated mates.

The day flew by, and tonight I retreat to my room as early as possible. Not that I think anyone has any interest in me — but I'm not going to be careless. The males seem wild and unhinged; their strength doubles during the full moon, and I would never be able to match any of them.

I don't feel the effects of the full moon. I'm empty. That leaves me a little frustrated, because in a way I really do wish I could be normal — not in terms of the heat, but in being able to feel a wolf spirit like everyone else and share in all its advantages.

I can hear the excitement of the other omegas in the dormitory hallway as they talk about their potential "passing romances." I find it amusing how different people's views are, because I'm the romantic type — I've always dreamed of finding my fated mate and living a beautiful love story. But that reality feels far away. So if I can't have a romance, I certainly won't let others use me just to satisfy their needs.

Hours pass and the moon is very close to its peak. I hear knocking at my door, and at the same moment my body reacts strangely. Who could be knocking on my room at this hour? I wonder in silence, not making a sound.

"I know you're in there, omega. Come out — the Alpha requests your presence!"

An omega's voice comes through the door. I ask myself why the Alpha would be requesting me.

"I won't say it again. He orders you to be in the east hall as quickly as possible."

I say nothing, and I hear her leave. Since it's the Alpha's order, I have to go even though every instinct tells me otherwise. I also have no pack bond, so I can't communicate by telepathy — the ability to exchange thoughts directly with another person without the use of physical senses.

Over my dress I pull on a coat. My pheromones aren't a problem — I don't go into heat like the others, so I won't attract attention. I'll pass unnoticed, unless someone has bad intentions toward me.

On the way I already see clusters of wolves, male and female. Some couples have clearly begun feeling the effects of the moon. Among our kind, what humans would call obscenity is simply normal, and it starts from something as basic as shifting and being unclothed.

I look up at the sky and can see the moon nearly at its fullest. I pick up my pace. I don't want to make the Alpha angry and give him a reason to punish me, especially under the full moon's influence.

I reach the entrance to the great hall and everything seems quiet. The streets outside are busy, but inside there doesn't seem to be anyone.

I push the door slowly, and the creak of the hinges sounds loud in the silence.

"Hello?"

I call out, and no one answers — which is strange, since I'm at the right address. Suddenly, half the lights come on and reveal who is behind all of this.

"Omega — what took you so long!"