Maya's POV
The pot crashed to the floor, sending hot soup everywhere. I jumped back as the burning liquid splashed toward my feet, but I wasn't fast enough. Pain shot up my leg as the soup burned through my thin pants.
"Maya, you clumsy girl!" Head Cook Martha screamed, waving her wooden spoon like a weapon. "Look what you've done! That was for the Alpha's table!"
I bit my lip to stop from crying out. The burn hurt badly, but showing pain would only make things worse. Around me, the other kitchen workers stopped what they were doing to stare. Some looked sorry for me. Others seemed happy to see the "lucky" omega girl finally mess up.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, taking a towel to clean up the mess. "I'll make a new pot right away."
"You'll do more than that," Martha snapped. "You'll work extra hours tonight to pay for the wasted food. And you'll serve the Alpha's table yourself to apologize."
My heart jumped into my throat. Serve the Alpha's table? Omegas like me never went into the main eating room. We stayed hidden in the kitchen where we belonged.
"But Martha," I started to protest.
"No buts!" she yelled. "Maybe facing Alpha Drake will teach you to be more careful."
The other girls gasped. Even uttering the Alpha's name made everyone nervous. Drake Wolfstone was the most powerful wolf in our pack, and the most dangerous. Everyone said he was incredibly beautiful, but I'd only seen him from far away during pack meetings.
As I cleaned up the soup, my hands shook. Not from fear of the Alpha, but from something else. Today was my eighteenth birthday, though nobody remembered or cared. Eighteenth birthdays were supposed to be special for dogs. That's when we became adults and could find our mates.
But who would want an omega like me?
"Stop daydreaming and get back to work," Martha ordered, hitting my shoulder with her spoon. "The Alpha eats in one hour, and his soup better be perfect."
I hurried to start a new pot, trying to ignore the burn on my leg and the ache in my heart. This morning, I'd woken up hoping someone might remember my birthday. Maybe Marcus, the Beta's son who sometimes talked to me. Maybe even one of the other cooking girls.
But no one had said anything. No gifts, no wishes, nothing. Just another day of being unseen.
As I stirred the soup, I listened to the other girls chatter about tonight's pack party. There would be dancing, music, and lots of single wolves looking for mates. All the pretty beta girls would wear their best clothes, trying to catch Alpha Drake's eye.
"I heard he's finally going to pick someone tonight," whispered Jenny, a beta girl who helped in the kitchen sometimes. "My sister says he's been meeting with lots of families lately."
"Lucky girl, whoever she is," sighed Rose, another omega. "Can you picture being chosen by an Alpha? Never having to work again, living in the big house, having beautiful clothes..."
I stirred the soup harder, trying not to listen. Dreams like that weren't for girls like me. Omegas married other omegas and had omega children. We served the pack, we didn't lead it.
But sometimes, late at night, I let myself think what it would be like to be noticed by someone important. To be loved instead of ignored. To matter.
"Maya!" Martha's voice cut through my thoughts. "The soup's ready. Take it to the dining room now, and don't you dare drop it this time."
I carefully lifted the heavy pot and walked toward the dining room, my burned leg still aching. The hallway seemed longer than normal, and I could hear voices getting louder as I got closer to the Alpha's table.
When I pushed open the door, the talking stopped. Every eye in the room turned to look at me, and I wanted to sink into the floor. Alpha Drake sat at the head of the long table, surrounded by his Beta officers and their families.
I'd never been this close to him before. The reports were true - he was incredibly handsome, with dark hair and the most amazing silver-blue eyes I'd ever seen. But there was something cold about him too, something that made me shiver.
"Who is this?" Alpha Drake asked, his deep voice filling the quiet room.
"The kitchen girl, Alpha," said Marcus, who sat to Drake's right. Marcus gave me a small, encouraging smile. He was the only one who ever treated me like a real person instead of just a helper.
I walked carefully to the table and started serving the soup, trying to keep my hands steady. I could feel everyone watching me, waiting for me to mess up again.
"What's your name?" Alpha Drake asked quickly.
I nearly dropped the ladle. He was talking to me? "M-Maya, Alpha," I stammered.
"Maya," he repeated, like he was smelling my name. "How old are you, Maya?"
"Eighteen, Alpha. Today's my birthday." The words slipped out before I could stop them. Heat rushed to my cheeks. Why had I told him that?
Something changed in Alpha Drake's face. His eyes got darker, more intense. He leaned forward slightly, looking at me like he'd never seen me before.
"Eighteen," he said softly. "Today."
I nodded, not trusting my voice. Around the table, everyone else stayed quiet, but I could feel the tension building. Something was happening, but I didn't understand what.
Alpha Drake stood up suddenly, making his chair scrape loudly against the floor. He walked around the table toward me, and I froze like a scared rabbit.
He stopped right in front of me, so close I could smell his scent - like pine trees and danger and something wild that made my heart race.
"Look at me," he ordered gently.
I raised my eyes to meet his, and the world seemed to stop. For a moment, nothing else existed except his silver-blue eyes staring into mine.
Then Alpha Drake did something that changed my life forever.
He reached out and touched my face.
And I felt something inside me catch fire.