Lyra's arms ached as she scrubbed the kitchen floor for the third time today. Her knees hurt from kneeling on the hard tiles, but nobody seemed to notice or care. The pack house was huge, with twenty bedrooms and five bathrooms that she had to clean every day.
"Lyra! The floor in the main hall still has footprints on it!" Clara's sharp voice cut through the quiet kitchen.
Lyra looked up at her cousin and tried not to sigh. Clara stood in the doorway, perfect as always. Her long blonde hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Her blue eyes were cold as she stared down at Lyra.
"I'll clean it right away," Lyra said, pushing a strand of red hair behind her ear.
"Make sure you do. The Alpha's family is coming for dinner, and everything needs to be perfect." Clara smoothed her expensive dress and frowned. "And change into something less... ugly. You can't let people see you looking like that."
After Clara left, Lyra dumped her dirty water and prepared a fresh bucket. Her plain gray dress was the best she had. As an omega wolf, she didn't deserve nice things - at least that's what everyone told her.
The main hall was massive with a shiny wooden floor that showed every speck of dust. Lyra got down on her hands and knees again and started scrubbing.
"If I were Luna," she whispered to herself, "everyone would have nice clothes. Even the omegas."
Being Luna - the Alpha's wife and pack mother - was the highest honor a female wolf could have. Clara had been chosen since birth to marry Erik Varian, the pack's future Alpha. They would rule together, and Clara never let anyone forget it.
Lyra's dreams were much smaller. Maybe a tiny house of her own. Maybe a day off once in a while. Maybe someone who would look at her like she mattered.
"Dreaming again, little one?"
Lyra jumped at the kind voice. Madeline, the pack healer, smiled down at her. With her silver-streaked hair and warm eyes, Madeline was the only person who ever seemed to notice Lyra.
"Just thinking," Lyra said, scrubbing harder.
"Your thoughts are louder than you know." Madeline knelt beside her. "The moon has plans for all of us. Even you."
Lyra forced a smile. "My plan is to finish this floor before Clara yells at me again."
Madeline touched Lyra's cheek gently. "Things change when they're meant to. Watch for the signs."
Before Lyra could ask what she meant, Madeline walked away, her long skirt swishing across the wet floor.
Two hours later, Lyra rushed to her tiny room in the basement to change clothes. The sun was setting, and important guests would arrive soon. She pulled on her only other dress - a plain brown one with patches at the elbows - and tried to make her wild red curls behave.
The mirror showed a girl with bright green eyes, pale skin with a splash of freckles, and hair that refused to stay neat. At twenty-four, Lyra was small compared to other wolves. Nothing special, nothing remarkable. Just an omega who did what she was told.
Upstairs, the pack house buzzed with excitement. Wolves from all ranks hurried around, preparing for the Alpha's visit. Erik's father, Alpha Varian, rarely came to the pack house, preferring his private mansion on the other side of the territory.
Lyra slipped into the kitchen, where she was supposed to help serve food. The head cook, Martha, pointed to a tray of fancy little appetizers.
"Take these to the main living room and don't drop them," Martha ordered. "And don't speak unless someone asks you a direct question."
Lyra nodded and carefully picked up the heavy silver tray. She'd done this countless times before. Be invisible. Serve the food. Disappear.
The main living room was already full of important wolves. Beta wolves in nice clothes chatted in groups, while the few Alpha wolves commanded attention just by standing there. Lyra kept her eyes down as she offered the tray to each person, moving quietly around the room.
"She'll make a wonderful Luna," someone said loudly.
Lyra glanced up to see Clara twirling in a stunning blue dress that matched her eyes perfectly. She was showing off for a group of older women who seemed impressed. Eleanor, Clara's mother and the current Luna, watched with proud eyes.
"My daughter has been training for this role her entire life," Eleanor boasted. "When she marries Erik next month, she'll be the youngest Luna in pack history."
Lyra moved closer, curious despite herself. She had never seen Erik in person. The future Alpha was something of a mystery, known for his strength and good looks, but also for his habit of dating many women.
"Is the Alpha's son here yet?" someone asked.
"He's running late, as usual," Eleanor said with a tight smile. "But he promised to be here tonight. It's time he started taking his responsibilities seriously."
Lyra circled the room with her tray, now almost empty. As she passed Clara, her cousin stuck out her foot. Lyra tripped, stumbling forward and dropping the tray with a loud crash.
The room went silent. Every pair of eyes turned to stare at Lyra, who knelt on the floor beside the scattered food and broken glass.
"You clumsy omega!" Clara snapped, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Can't you do anything right?"
Lyra's cheeks burned with shame as she quickly gathered the broken pieces. No one moved to help her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her hands shaking.
"Sorry doesn't clean up the mess," Eleanor said coldly. "This is why omegas should stay in the background. They simply aren't capable of important tasks."
Lyra kept her head down as laughter rippled through the room. She wanted to disappear, to melt into the floor and never be seen again.
Suddenly, the front door opened. A blast of cold air swept into the room, and everything went quiet again.
"Starting the party without me?" a deep voice asked.
Lyra didn't look up, focusing on collecting the last pieces of broken glass. But she could feel a strange tension fill the room. The air felt different somehow, charged with energy.
"Erik! You came!" Clara's voice changed completely, becoming sweet and musical.
Lyra froze. Erik Varian was here? The future Alpha had finally arrived? Curiosity made her look up, just for a second.
She saw him standing in the doorway - tall and powerful, with broad shoulders and an air of authority that made everyone else seem smaller. His dark hair was slightly messy, as if he'd been running. His face was all sharp angles and strong features.
And he was looking right at her.
Their eyes met for just a moment - her green eyes locking with his intense gaze. Something strange happened in that second. A jolt, like electricity, shot through Lyra's body. The broken glass cut into her palm, but she barely noticed the pain.
Erik's eyes widened slightly. He took a half-step forward, then stopped himself. His nostrils flared, as if he was catching a scent.
"Erik, darling!" Clara called, breaking the moment. She rushed to his side and wrapped her arms around him. "We've been waiting for you."
Erik seemed to shake himself. He looked away from Lyra and smiled at Clara, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Sorry I'm late," he said, letting Clara lead him deeper into the room.
Lyra quickly finished cleaning up her mess and escaped to the kitchen, her heart pounding strangely in her chest. What was that feeling? And why had the future Alpha looked at her that way?
In the kitchen, she ran cold water over the cut on her palm and tried to calm down. It was nothing, she told herself. Just her imagination. A wolf like Erik would never notice an omega like her.
But as she wrapped a cloth around her bleeding hand, she couldn't forget the intensity of his gaze or the strange feeling that had passed between them.
"The moon has plans for all of us," Madeline had said. "Watch for the signs."
Lyra shook her head, trying to clear it. She was being silly. Tomorrow would be just like every other day - cleaning floors, serving food, and being invisible.
But as she headed back to help in the dining room, a strange tingle ran up her spine. For the first time in her life, Lyra felt something new stirring inside her.
Something like hope.