Alpha Markus

Chapter 1 - Celeste

Celeste P O V ~Present~

“Flourish and live” I hear the whisper in my head as I wake. I scoff, trying to clear the invisible cobwebs from my brain while I scrubbed my face. Well, 1 of 2 is the best I can do, Uncle Lucian. I look at my reflection carefully. I should be darker, but my skin had been deprived of sun for so long, I now looked pale and my skin looked washed out. I gather my unruly hair up into a bun and look at my pale reflection in the slab of metal I had used as a mirror for about 5 years after the Alpha’s daughter took mine.

Alpha’s daughter, I thought. Technically speaking, I was an Alpha’s daughter. The only daughter of the deceased Luna Bella and Alpha Cory. Once the rulers of the peaceful Sky Moon Pack. Alpha Geoff had been obsessed with my mother. He challenged my father for her. Although my father was a peaceful man, he’d fought valiantly to protect my pack and my mother. Despite his efforts, he was not strong enough to defeat the cruel and ruthless Alpha of Blood Moon Pack and so many of us were slaughtered. I still remember being found by the edge of the river. Being asked my name. My father’s gamma was not technically my uncle, but over time I’ve come to call him so. He was what saved me, I thought, remembering the conversation between the Alpha’s Beta and warriors as they carried me, thinking I was still asleep.

“This better be the damn child. I can’t believe we still haven’t found her. How hard is it to spot the Alpha’s pup? It will be a spoiled brat with 0 knowledge of the world.” The Beta hissed.

“I don’t know boss. This one doesn’t look like an Alpha pup. She’s small for a 10yr old. This looks like an Omega or something.”

When I went before the Blood Moon Alpha, I had to fight hard to control the anger as I stared at the monster that killed my parents.

“What’s your name pup,” he asked.

“Celeste Pierce”

“What rank are your parents and how old are you?” he asked. I looked down hoping he wouldn’t notice my eyes. I had my father’s deep blue eyes. Something in my head screamed at me that me he would make the connection if he stared at them long enough.

“I’m 7 yrs old. My daddy was Gamma Lucian Pierce,” I said quietly.

“I didn’t know the Gamma was mated” he growled

“My mommy died at childbirth,” I said. I didn’t know where that idea came from. It was as if I had someone whispering me the answers he wanted to hear.

“Take her to the Packhouse. She’ll be an Omega Servant. Maybe once she gets her tits, we can get something for her or at least have some fun” He smirked at his men. One of them dragged me over to a group of other children that were crying and holding each other. All of us orphans now. From here, I could still see my father and mother’s lifeless figures on the training arena. Hundreds of bodies littered everywhere around them. All men, male children and mated women. At the same time, I could hear the cries of the unmated females all around me along with many grunts of the men raping them. Claiming their prices. I heard one of the men howl in pain and then a scream of a woman as he beat her senseless.

“DON’T DAMAGE THE MERCHANDISE!!!” I heard the Beta scream.

They’d sent all of us little ones to work at the Packhouse. In the 11 years since, I’d had basically become a slave. Although legally speaking, they were no such thing as slaves, we were not paid, we were starved, beat, and molested. We had to cook and clean for the warriors and the Ranked families. But time was running out. Out of the 40 children that had been taken from the remains of my Pack and sent to the Packhouse, several had started to go missing as they reached 19. There were rumors of them being raped and murdered, or banished. It was always after the next full moon. The ones that found mates left the Packhouse, the ones that didn’t were the ones that disappeared. I had a feeling that once the Alpha was sure his warriors had a chance to get a mate, then he would cast them out to become rogues. They were never seen again.

I looked in the reflective surface. Thanks to the fact that they starved us, I was too thin and too small. It was easy for them to believe I was only 17. That I was yet to get my wolf. I had bought myself an extra year and half. I shifted in secret, letting Kara, my wolf, get strong.

Damn right we’re strong – Kara smirked in my head - We’re destined for greatness you know.

I would settle to be destined to live past next year. - I scoffed.

Soon Celeste, soon we will make them all bow down to us. I swear this to you.

Sure, sure. Let’s just keep practicing for that back up plan. We need to get out of here before they discover you or realize I’m not mated to anyone here. We need to get far away from here in case they kill us instead of turn us into rogue. – I said, placating her.

I wish you would have more faith in us and our gift. Maybe then, we would be able to control it. – Kara said as she went to the corner of my mind and lightly blocked me.

I sighed, I didn’t like it when she blocked me. She was my best friend. The only one that knew about my sight and how broken it was. I was never able to train it, so my premonitions would come only seconds before they came true and usually too late for me to stop them. It was frustrating, specially because they gave me splitting migraines after. Everyone thought I was weak and they weren’t really wrong. My “gift” could cripple me, but thankfully, being basically a slave, no one gave a crap and I was not allowed to go to the pack doctor to get it looked at, so my secret was safe.

I sighed again and tried to wash myself as well as I could. My small room was basically a half bath that no one used. My bed was under the sink and the toilet was on the other end of the “room”. The few changes of clothes and a wash rag were neatly hung from the side of the metal slab that I used as a mirror. The sink was broken, the tap hadn’t worked in years. So I used a pot of water for washing.

I fiddled with my raven black hair to make the bun secure and sighed, time to get to work.