Amara's hands shook as she brought a silver tray of wine glasses into the great hall. The full moon party was in full swing.
Music played, wolves laughed, and the smell of roasted meat filled the air.
"Don't drop anything," Mrs. Bellows hissed as she pushed Amara toward the Alpha's table.
Amara nodded, heart beating. The blue dress felt strange against her skin after years of rough servant clothes. She kept her eyes down as she approached the main table.
"Wine, sir?" she whispered, offering the tray to a beta she didn't know. As she moved around the table, she felt it again – that strange pull inside her chest. Her wolf was restless tonight, more awake than ever before. Then she reached Alpha Kade.
"Wine, Alpha?" Amara asked, her voice barely heard over the music. Alpha Kade looked up from his talk. Their eyes locked. The room seemed to fade away.
"Yes," he said, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine. As he reached for a glass, his fingers brushed against hers. A jolt of electricity shot through Amara's body. She gasped, nearly dropping the tray. Alpha Kade's eyes widened. He'd felt it too.
For a moment, neither moved. Then someone called his name, breaking the spell.
"That will be all," he said roughly, turning away. Amara hurried back to the kitchen, her face burning. What was happening to her?
"You look flushed," said Lina, taking more bread for the tables. "Are you okay?"
"I need air," Amara whispered, slipping out the side door into the yard. The cool night breeze felt good against her hot skin. The full moon hung huge and bright overhead, soaking everything in silver light. Amara took deep breaths, trying to slow her racing heart. Her wolf whined inside her, pushing her to... what? Run? Howl? She'd never felt her wolf this strongly before.
"You shouldn't be out here alone." Amara spun around. Alpha Kade stood in the dark, watching her.
"I'm sorry, Alpha," she stammered, bowing her head. "I just needed a moment..."
"Look at me," he ordered, just like earlier that day.
Slowly, Amara raised her eyes to meet his. In the moonlight, his face looked different – less harsh, more interested.
"What are you?" he asked, moving closer. Amara frowned, confused.
"An omega, sir." Kade shook his head.
"No ordinary omega smells like you." He moved closer, looming over her. Amara should have been scared, but she wasn't. Instead, her wolf practically purred.
"Your scent..." he murmured, leaning down. "It's calling to me."
Amara's breath caught in her throat. "I don't understand."
"Neither do I," Kade admitted, his voice strangely weak. "I've never reacted to anyone like this."
He reached out, gently touching a strand of her hair that had left her braid. "Tonight is your first full moon as an adult wolf, isn't it?"
Amara nodded. "I turned twenty last week." Something flashed in Kade's eyes. "That explains it. Your adult smell is emerging."
The garden seemed to shrink around them. The moon's glow increased, casting strange shadows. Amara felt dizzy with a new kind of hunger.
"You should fear me," Kade whispered, his face inches from hers. "Everyone else does."
"Should I?" Amara asked, surprising herself with her confidence. A smile – the first she'd ever seen from him – curved Kade's lips.
"Yes. Because I want things I shouldn't want."
Before Amara could reply, howls erupted from the great hall. The midnight moon ceremony was starting.
"I have to go back," Kade said, sadness in his voice.
"They're waiting for their Alpha."
Amara nodded, stepping back. "Of course, Alpha."
"Kade," he corrected. "When we're alone, call me Kade." Her heart skipped.
"Yes... Kade." He turned to leave, then stopped.
"Meet me here tomorrow night. After your duties." It wasn't a request. It was an order.
"But why would you want to meet me?" Amara asked, her voice small.
Kade's eyes glowed slightly in the darkness. "Because I can't stop thinking about your smell. And I need to understand why."
Then he was gone, striding back toward the party. Amara leaned against a tree, legs weak. What had just happened? Alphas didn't notice omegas. They certainly didn't ask to meet them individually. Yet the pull she felt toward him was undeniable. Her wolf was practically dancing inside her.
When she finally returned to the kitchen, Mrs. Bellows glared at her. "Where have you been? The Alpha's wine glass is empty!"
"Sorry," Amara mumbled, grabbing a wine pitcher. As she reached the main table again, she kept her eyes down. But she could feel Kade watching her, tracking her every move. When she poured his wine, he leaned close and whispered,
"Tomorrow night. Don't forget."
A beautiful woman in a red dress at Kade's side frowned. "Is this servant bothering you, Alpha?"
"Not at all, Celina," Kade answered coolly. Amara recognized her then – Celina Duskbane, daughter of the allied pack's master. Rumors said she would soon be Kade's mate. Jealousy, sharp and surprising, twisted in Amara's stomach. Her wolf growled.
Celina's eyes narrowed as she looked at Amara. "What's that smell?"
Kade stiffened. "Nothing important."
"No, there's definitely something..." Celina leaned closer to Amara, sniffing. "How strange. This omega has an unusual smell."
"Leave her be," Kade said sharply. "She's just a servant."
The words shouldn't have hurt, but they did. Amara quickly walked away, blinking back tears. For the rest of the night, she avoided the main table. Her mind was a storm of confusion.
One moment Kade treated her like she was important, the next he dismissed her as "just a servant." As the celebration finished and Amara helped clean up, she caught sight of Alpha Kade leaving with Celina on his arm. The beautiful woman was laughing, her hand possessively on his arm.
Amara's wolf howled in anger inside her. Later, curled in her small bed, Amara stared at the ceiling. Should she meet him tomorrow night? It could be dangerous. Omegas who caught an Alpha's attention rarely did well. Yet she knew she would go. Something strong was pulling them together, something neither could explain.
As she fell to sleep, Amara dreamed of storm-gray eyes and a voice that called to her soul. Little did she know that across the castle, in his luxury bedroom, Alpha Kade Blackthorn paced like a caged animal. He'd sent away three different women tonight – something he'd never done before. Because none of them smelled like her.
None of them were Amara. And as the full moon's light streamed through his window, Kade realized with rising horror what it might mean. The one thing he'd sworn would never happen to him.
A mate bond.
With an omega.