The Cursed Alpha's Omega

Chapter 1

Elle’s POV

“Elle, get your lazy, stupid self out of that bed!”

The voice rang out like a slap across my face—sharp, cruel, and far too loud for this early in the morning. I blinked my eyes open, already knowing who it was.

Lilian.

My stepmother. Or as I secretly called her in my head—the witch of this house.

She wasn’t always like this. When I was younger, she pretended to be kind, especially when my father was around. But ever since my dad, Alpha George, died in that tragic accident, her mask dropped. Now, she didn’t even bother pretending. She made it clear every single day that she hated me. And she had trained her daughter, Fiona, to hate me too.

I didn’t know what I had ever done to deserve it. I was just born—born to a father who loved me deeply, maybe too deeply for Lilian’s liking. That was my only crime.

Still, today wasn’t the day I’d let her ruin my mood. Not today.

I pushed the covers off and sat up slowly, ignoring the dull ache in my chest from years of holding in too much pain. My eyes found the small calendar on my wall, and my heart gave a hopeful flutter.

Today was my mating ceremony.

Today I was going to become the mate of the one person who had ever truly made me feel safe—John White. A rogue wolf with a mysterious past, but a heart that had always been gentle with me. He saved my life once during a rogue attack near our border. After that day, something changed in me. I believed he was my mate. I felt it in my soul.

I loved him.

I smiled just thinking about him. His soft brown eyes. His crooked smile. The way he held my hand when I felt like breaking down. He had promised me that after today, things would be better. I would no longer be the Omega everyone whispered about. I would be Luna.

I walked to the bathroom and stepped into the shower, letting the cold water run over my skin. It wasn’t warm, but I didn’t care. The excitement bubbling inside me was enough to keep me warm. I scrubbed myself clean, humming softly. I wanted everything to be perfect.

Once I was done, I wrapped myself in a towel and went to my closet.

I had picked the dress myself—a pale blue gown with silver threading along the hem and sleeves, delicate and soft like the moonlight. It was the one thing I had allowed myself to dream about in all the chaos. I saved up quietly, paid a seamstress in secret, and guarded it like a treasure. It was the one thing I could call mine.

I opened the closet door—and froze.

The hanger was there.

But my dress was gone.

In its place was another one—Fiona’s dress. A hideous thing. Bright red, wrinkled, with a neckline that didn’t suit me at all. My heart sank. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. I touched the empty hanger again, as if the dress would magically reappear.

But it didn’t.

Panic rose in my chest like a tide. My hands started shaking.

“Where is it?” I whispered to myself. “Where’s my dress?”

I stumbled out of the closet, my towel still clutched tightly around me.

And that’s when I saw her.

Fiona.

Standing in front of my mirror.

Wearing my dress.

My dress.

I couldn’t even speak at first. My breath caught in my throat. I just stood there, staring at her like she was a ghost.

She turned and looked at me with that smug smile she always wore when she knew she had the upper hand. “Oh. You're finally up,” she said sweetly, twirling in the mirror. The silver threads shimmered under the morning light. “Your dress is actually quite nice. Mine made me look fat.”

I blinked. “Why are you wearing my dress?” I asked, my voice quiet but shaking.

She rolled her eyes. “Because I wanted to.”

I stared at her. “You… you can’t. That dress is for my mating ceremony.”

She laughed. “Too bad. It looks better on me.”

I took a step forward. “Take it off.”

“No.”

“Fiona, I’m serious. Take it off. I picked that dress. I—”

Before I could finish, a hand wrapped tightly around my wrist, yanking me back.

Lilian.

Her grip was strong, and her nails dug into my skin like claws. I looked up at her in disbelief, but her cold eyes held no sympathy.

“She’s not taking it off,” she said flatly. “You have two choices, Elle. Wear the dress Fiona didn’t want…”—she picked up the red one from the bed and tossed it carelessly at me—“…or go to your mating ceremony naked.”

I stood there, frozen, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes.

“You wouldn’t—”

She yanked my hair back, hard. I winced, gasping in pain.

“Oh, I would,” she hissed. “This isn’t your house anymore. And Fiona deserves this dress more than you. She’s stronger. Better. Prettier. She’s everything you’re not.”

Fiona smirked behind her, adjusting my dress like she owned it.

Lilian threw the red dress at my feet and turned away. “Make your choice,” she said coldly. “And do it fast. You wouldn’t want to be late to your own ceremony.”

They walked out together, laughing like it was all some sick joke.

I stood there, shaking, the ugly red dress lying crumpled on the floor.

I sat down on the edge of my bed, slowly, feeling numb.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

I looked down at the floor, remembering how I used to sit here when my dad would come home from meetings, lifting me in his arms and calling me his “little star.”

But now he was gone.

And they had taken everything from me.

The moment he died, the pack changed. They didn’t believe an Omega could lead them, no matter who her father was. They looked at me like I was weak. Like I didn’t belong.

So I had stepped down. I gave the position to the one person I trusted most.

John.

And tonight, he would make me his mate, and I would become Luna.

I wiped my tears and stood up from the bed. My chest still hurt from what just happened, but I didn’t want to waste any more time crying. Today was supposed to be a happy day. My day. I couldn’t let them take everything from me. Not all of it.

I went back to my closet, even though my heart wasn’t in it anymore. I looked through the clothes I had left. Most of them were old or plain. Nothing came close to the beautiful silver-blue dress Fiona had stolen. That dress had meant so much to me. I had chosen it for this special day, dreamed of walking down the aisle in it. But now… that dream had been taken.

After a while, I found a light purple dress. It was simple, with no sparkles or fancy lace. Just a soft fabric with short sleeves. It didn’t fit perfectly, and it wasn’t the kind of dress a future Luna should wear. But I didn’t have any other choice. I held it close to my chest and let out a shaky breath.

“It’ll have to do,” I whispered to myself.

I put it on slowly and stood in front of the small mirror in my room. My hair was still damp, so I ran my fingers through it and tried to fix it as best as I could. I didn’t have any makeup, and my eyes were still red from crying. I looked tired. Broken. But I tried to smile anyway.

“He’ll still choose me,” I told myself. “He loves me. He promised.”

Just as I was adjusting the side of my dress, there was a soft knock on the door.

“Elle?” It was Mindy, one of the younger maids who sometimes helped me. “They’re ready for you. The ceremony is about to start.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “I’m coming,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Mindy walked me down to the ceremony hall. It was one of the biggest buildings in the pack house, decorated with white flowers and candles. I had always imagined walking in here on this day with everyone smiling at me. I had pictured John looking at me like I was the only girl in the world.

But the moment I stepped inside, I knew something was wrong.

The whole room was full, but no one smiled. Pack members turned to look at me, whispering quietly. Some had pity in their eyes, but most of them looked... amused. Cold. Like they were waiting for something.

I looked around, confused, but kept walking forward.

John was standing at the front, next to the altar. He looked sharp in his black suit, his hair neat and his posture tall. But he wasn’t smiling either.

His eyes met mine, but they were blank. No warmth. No love.