Chapter 3

Three

KEERA

" W here's your paycheck, you useless bitch?" asked my dad, his spittle flying in my face. I could smell the alcohol on his breath already and worried if we would get home safely.

"It doesn't come until next Friday," I said quietly.

I stayed silent as my dad ranted and raved about how useless I was and that I was such a burden. The same old stuff.

"I'm sick and tired of driving you to work," said Dad, the car weaving off the road. I nearly had a heart attack. He was never this drunk while driving. Ever since Mom died, his drinking had gotten significantly worse. And my paychecks went to his gambling addiction. I had no idea how he paid the mortgage on the house or the bills. He wasn't the same dad at all from before Mom died.

Whenever I checked my bank account, it was always negative. Getting him off my bank account was impossible since the alpha guardian had the right to an omega's money. The bank would always listen to him. I had nowhere to go without money, and leaving Howl's Edge Island was out of question. I wouldn't know anyone and would be penniless if I had managed to sneak past the tight security. Howl's Edge officers were on every corner, watching who entered and left the island.

If I stayed out in the streets, I could be prey. The Wild Wolfmen who lived on the outskirts of town always prowled for an omega. Growing up, I heard that they used omegas for sacrificial purposes but they could just be stories. Then there were alphas in the streets dealing off omegas like we were commodities.

"Why don't you let me drive the car then?" I offered.

"Omegas don't drive, stupid."

I thought about Jade and how she was able to drive. My dad's mind was still trapped in the old days, refusing to see omegas succeed, or he just personally hated me. Just a property to alphas. But he also blamed me for Mom's death.

And I believed him.

The killer had come for me when I turned sixteen, and my scent had started to emerge. If I had known, I would have never left the house and put my mom in danger. I would have taken my scent blocker pills earlier. We could have sat in the house that day playing Monopoly. Anything besides taking the dreaded walk behind our house.

There were so many things I could have done.

Later, once we were home, my hands shook as I opened the heat suppressant bottle as my dad watched. He had a grim expression as I looked at the pill in my hand.

"I can't keep taking two of these a day. One is enough, " I said. "I'll never be able to have kids."

"Well, you don't need any kids," he growled, slapping my hand. The pill dropped to the ground as my hand stung. "Pick it up and eat it."

His face was twisted in fury, and I felt my pride dwindle as I picked up the pill, which I quickly downed. My stomach growled since I hadn't eaten, but he didn't care as he dragged me by the arm to my room. I was flung inside as he locked the door from outside. The only light that streamed into the room was the moonlight shining through the window.

There was no curtain, and no furnishing, except for a single thin mattress in the middle of the room. I was never allowed blankets in case it would trigger my nesting instinct, which would then cause me to go into heat. My dad was extra careful about that for some reason. Sometimes the heat suppressant pills weren't enough to keep an omega's heat at bay.

I stood at the window watching the moon as tears pricked my eyes.

Sometimes I would remember how my dad was when I was a child. Before Mom died, he was so loving and caring. But he became a completely different person after she died. A monster I couldn't handle. I stripped off my clothing, pulling on ripped-up cotton pants with a checkered black and white shirt that didn't match. I curled up on the mattress, feeling the hard ground on my side. It was always cold in here.

I regretted not having eaten at work. Even a fruit bar would've helped. It's not that my dad didn't allow me to eat, it was mainly because I didn't want to be around him while he watched television in the living room. The less time I had to spend with him, the better.

I yawned as the exhaustion from work set in. As I closed my eyes, I thought about the Omega Ball that would be happening tomorrow and envisioned wearing a pretty gown with all the alphas looking at me. The last thing that I thought of was twirling in the arms of the stranger with the silver hair and purple suit. Mr. Lustfur was his name. He was so full of himself, but something about his assuredness turned me on like no other alpha I've met.

I finally drifted off to sleep with thoughts of dancing in his arms while he whispered sweet nothings in my ear.

The next morning, I woke up to the alarm blaring early at seven-thirty am. I quickly shut it off and rubbed my eyes. I was still exhausted as usual from sleeping on the thin mattress. My skin was freezing from the lack of blankets, and my pajamas were torn again from stretching it over my skin for coverage to make up for the lack of sheets.

The door was unlocked. Usually, it was unlocked in the mornings so I could get ready for work, and I could smell my dad's coffee wafting upstairs. He was always in a better mood in the mornings, and there was no point in bringing up the night before. I didn't want to make him mad. After showering and pulling on my blue scrubs, I packed my best outfit for the dance in my backpack. A pair of jeans and a sparkly red v-neck shirt. I knew it wasn't a dress, but that was the best I had. The lavish gowns I daydreamed the night before was only a dream and nothing else.

I hesitantly went downstairs, nonchalantly slinging my briefcase over my shoulder.

"Let's go," my dad said, setting down his cup of coffee. He looked up. "You have to get to work bright and early for that money." That was all he cared about. I never even got to enjoy my money. I didn't know how it was to save and buy something of my own.

When he dropped me off at the hospital, I waited until he drove off before I snuck around to the back of the building. I was out of breath by the time I reached the parking lot in the back- where Jade and I agreed to meet. I didn't have a phone, so I couldn't exactly call her. My dad had the latest Eclipse Phone, while I had nothing.

I saw Jade standing by her silver car with a smile. Her hands were clasped in front of her and her black hair was done in curls around her face. She wore a simple outfit of jeans and a pink t-shirt. But I knew she was going to go all out later. She wasn't one to look simple for too long.

"Ahh, I can't believe you're coming with me this time!" said Jade. "All the other omegas are so snotty at the ball. And my family wants me to go every year, but no one wants a chubby omega."

"I'm sure you'll meet the right pack who'll love your curves," I said, wanting to get out of here as fast as possible before any co-worker saw me, or worse- the manager. I quickly got into the passenger seat and turned down the loud music she had been playing in the car.

"So what are you wearing to the ball?" Jade asked eagerly, her eyes on my dingy gray briefcase. I unzipped my bag and showed her my glittering red shirt and blue jeans. "Oh no, that won't work."

"I don't really care how I look," I protested.

"Let's go shopping. Get yourself a new dress."

Oh, shit .

"I forgot my card," I said quickly.

"How about you can pay me back after?" she offered as she put the car into gear. She started driving towards the mall and I realized I was suddenly stuck. I couldn't let her know I was broke and I couldn't back out of going with her the ball. I was a doctor, for fuck's sake. There was no way I'd let her know the truth of it all.

"Um, sure," I said.

The only solution was that I was going to find the cheapest dress there was.

But I soon realized that none of the dresses were cheap. We were at Moon Cloud Mall , and it was packed on a Saturday. It seemed as if every person on Howl's Edge was here. The beta cashiers looked overwhelmed, assisting long lines of shoppers.

I was looking through the dress rack, flipping through the dresses. My heart sank more and more as I browsed, unable to find something cheap enough. The cheaper it was, the more horrible it would look which was to be expected. I was going to just call it a day, and pretend I was too sick to go to the dance.

"How about this one?" asked Jade, holding out a pretty periwinkle blue dress.

"It's loud," I said, cringing at the dress. "I want something a little more lowkey."

I stopped rifling through the dress rack when I saw it. A dress that caught my eye.

It was a black sparkling dress with spaghetti straps and a low neckline. The waist was tight and flowed elegantly down. Running my hands down the fabric, it was made of satin and soft to the touch. Then, I looked at the dreaded price tag, $39.99. I didn't even have a dollar to my name. Scratch that, a penny to my name.

"Is that the one?" asked Jade, touching the dress.

"I want to try it on first," I said before giving her a definite answer. I had to absolutely love it before going into debt for it. The shopkeeper of the store led me to the fitting rooms. Removing my scrubs, I pulled the dress on carefully over my head, scared to rip it.

"Can I see it?" asked Jade.

"I need help zipping it up," I called, and Jade was waiting on the other side of the door when I opened it. She helped zip it up, and I took a long minute as I looked in the mirror. The black dress sparkled in all the right places, accentuating my waist and butt. I never felt so pretty in life and I shyly looked at the ground.

"It's stunning," said Jade. "With just the right amount of makeup and jewelry, you might snag a hunky alpha pack."

Excitement drummed in my chest as I stared into the mirror.

During the drive to the Omega Ball, Jade's older brother Jack sat in the back of the car, and I was getting tired of their bickering as I touched up my makeup in the mirror above me.

"I don't want to see any fishy business with the alphas," said Jack.

"We're doing whatever the hell we want," said Jade. I was starting to regret taking Jack with us. The rule was that an omega needed to have an alpha guardian with them, especially for an event like this. Security would never allow us in otherwise.

Jack looked similar to his sister with his big-boned structure. Jade had wide-set dark eyes, jet-black hair, and an olive skin tone. She had taken extra care in curling her hair, and her silver eyeshadow made her features pop. After shopping at Moon Cloud Mall, we had gotten ready at Jade's house. I was surprised to see how stable and lovely her family was. She had three alpha fathers who adored her omega mother. I enjoyed being there, especially when her mom helped me do my makeup. I almost burst into tears several times, thinking about my own mother.

I had such a good time that it was seven by the time we left, even though the ball started at six.

"Wow, the palace is huge," I said as Jade drove into the crowded parking space. The Omega Ball was hosted every year by the Royal Pack. I had never been to the palace. I stared wide-eyed at the giant building draped in purple and gold. It was so beautiful and majestic.

"Remember, we need to get back to the hospital by ten," I reminded Jade. Before my dad had to pick me up from there.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry," she said.

My heart beat faster with excitement the closer we got to the palace.