Ivy's Pov.
I was nothing.
Just a weak, pathetic omega. A servant. Someone to be ignored, laughed at, or used as a punching bag when higher ranks needed entertainment. I had learned to keep my head down, to move quickly and quietly, to accept the insults and humiliation like they were part of my skin.
That was my life. That was all I would ever be.
I had grown used to it, used to waking up every day knowing that nothing would change. Until today.
But I didn't know that yet.
I woke up to the sound of voices outside my small room in the omega quarters. The walls were thin, and I could hear the other omegas moving around, getting ready for the day. I pushed off my thin blanket, feeling the morning chill bite at my skin. The small window above my bed let in only a sliver of light, barely enough to see by.
I dressed quickly in my usual uniform-a plain black dress that reached my knees, marking me as an omega worker. My hands trembled slightly as I laced up my worn boots, knowing what today was. My eighteenth birthday.
Not that it mattered.
Omegas didn't get birthday celebrations. There would be no feast, no gifts, no pack members lining up to congratulate me. If anything, today would be worse than usual.
Because today, I would find my mate.
And I already knew what that meant.
Omegas never mated with higher ranks. We were too weak, too unworthy. I would be paired with another omega, someone like Caleb or Mason, and we would live out our lives as nobodies. That was the way of the pack. That was how it worked.
I forced the thought away as I left my room, heading to the kitchens. The large stone room was already filled with other omegas, all moving around in a frantic rush to prepare breakfast for the pack. I grabbed a knife and started chopping fruit, keeping my head down, my movements quick and precise.
"Move faster, you useless omega," a sharp voice snapped behind me.
I tensed before turning slightly to see Selene standing there, arms crossed, a cruel smirk on her lips.
Selene, the Beta's daughter. The future Luna.
She was beautiful, with long golden hair and piercing green eyes, the kind of beauty that turned heads the moment she walked into a room. She was strong, confident, everything I wasn't.
And she hated me.
She always had.
"Yes, Selene," I said quietly, bowing my head.
Her smirk widened as she stepped closer, grabbing one of the freshly cut apple slices from the tray in front of me. She popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly, watching me like I was nothing more than dirt under her shoe.
"You look even worse than usual today," she said, tilting her head. "Is that why you're keeping your head down? Trying to hide that ugly face?"
I swallowed hard. "I'm just working."
Selene let out a mocking laugh. "Of course you are. That's all omegas are good for."
I gripped the knife tighter, my knuckles turning white. I knew better than to respond. Any argument, any defiance, would only make things worse.
Selene leaned in, lowering her voice so only I could hear. "You know, I almost feel bad for whoever gets stuck with you as a mate. Imagine waking up next to this face every morning." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "What a nightmare."
My chest ached, but I didn't react. I couldn't.
Selene had been tormenting me for years. She enjoyed it. It was a game to her.
She watched me for a moment longer before finally stepping back, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Hurry up, foolish girl. The triplets will be here soon, and they expect perfection."
The triplets.
Ronan, Kieran, and Elias.
The future Alphas.
I swallowed back the wave of anxiety that hit me at the thought of them. If Selene was cruel, they were worse.
They didn't see me as a person. To them, I was a joke, a punching bag, something to be used and discarded. I had spent years enduring their taunts, their mocking laughter, their sharp words that cut deeper than any wound.
I had hoped that as they got older, they would grow out of it. But they hadn't.