Maya's POV
Blood dripped onto my hands as I pressed the cloth against the warrior's torn shoulder. He screamed so loudly that the windows shook.
"Hold still!" I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady. "The silver is deep inside. If I don't get it out, you'll die."
Marcus, one of our best fighters, thrashed on the healing table. Three other wolves held him down while I worked. Silver poisoning was the worst thing that could happen to our kind. It burned us from the inside out.
My fingers found the sharp piece of silver buried in his muscle. I had to be fast. Every second it stayed inside him, it spread its poison deeper.
"Almost got it," I said, sweat running down my face.
The door to the treatment center burst open. Cold air rushed in, making me shiver. I didn't look up - I couldn't. One bad move and Marcus would be dead.
"What happened here?" a deep voice asked.
My heart stopped. I knew that voice. Everyone in the Thunder Ridge Pack knew that voice. Alpha Derek Stone.
"Rogue attack at the north border, Alpha," one of the warriors said quickly. "Marcus took a silver blade to the shoulder."
I kept working, my hands shaking now for a different reason. The Alpha was here. Actually here, in my tiny treatment center. In three years of working as the pack's omega doctor, he'd never set foot in this place.
"Got it!" I pulled the metal out with my tweezers. The metal hissed and smoked as it hit the air. Marcus's body went limp with relief.
"Thank the moon," he gasped. "Maya, you saved my life."
I smiled and started cleaning his wound. This was why I loved healing - the moment when pain turned to ease, when fear became hope.
"How did she do that so fast?" someone whispered.
"Maya's got magic hands," another warrior said. "Best healer we've had in years."
My cheeks burned with shame. I wasn't used to praise. As an omega, I was nearly invisible to most pack members. They only noticed me when they needed help, then forgot about me the moment they felt better.
I finally looked up to throw away the silver piece and froze. Alpha Derek Stone stood right behind me, his sharp blue eyes watching my every move. My breath caught in my throat.
He was even more beautiful up close. Dark hair, strong jaw, and those eyes - like looking into a winter sky. But it wasn't just his looks that made my heart race. Power rolled off him in waves, the kind of strength that made other dogs bow their heads.
"That was impressive," he said, his voice soft.
I dropped my gaze quickly. Omegas weren't supposed to stare at Alphas. "Just doing my job, Alpha."
"Look at me."
The order in his voice made me obey before I could think. Our eyes met again, and something strange happened. It felt like lightning struck me. My whole body tingled, and I couldn't breathe.
Derek's eyes widened. He felt it too. Whatever this was, it wasn't just me.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Maya Rivers, Alpha."
"Maya." The way he said my name made my knees weak. Like it was something valuable.
"Alpha," Marcus interrupted, sitting up on the table. "Maya's the best healer in three packs. Saved more lives than anyone can count."
Derek nodded but didn't take his eyes off me. "How long have you worked here, Maya?"
"Three years, Alpha."
His jaw tightened. "Three years, and we've never met."
The warriors traded glances. Everyone knew Alpha Derek. He knew every important person in the pack. But I wasn't important. I was just an omega who fixed people up when they got hurt.
"I... I stay busy," I said quietly.
"Too busy, it seems." Derek stepped closer. "I make it my job to know everyone in my pack. How did I miss you?"
Because nobody sees omegas unless they need us, I thought. But I couldn't say that to the Alpha.
"I don't know, Alpha."
Derek studied my face like he was trying to solve a problem. "You have a gift. Real healing skill. Why aren't you working with our head doctor instead of alone in this... small place?"
My heart sank. Of course he thought my healing center was too small, too plain. Everything about me was small and simple compared to what an Alpha was used to.
"This is where omegas work, Alpha," I said.
"Says who?"
The question caught me off guard. "It's... it's always been this way."
"Maybe it shouldn't be."
Before I could answer, another fighter burst through the door. "Alpha! Emergency at the main house. Luna Sarah has come early for the alliance meeting."
Derek's face changed quickly. The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by cold duty. "I have to go."
He headed for the door, then stopped and turned back. "Maya."
"Yes, Alpha?"
"I want to see you tomorrow night. Come to my office after dinner."
My heart nearly exploded. "Me? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
He left, taking all the warmth in the room with him. The soldiers followed, carrying Marcus between them. Suddenly, I was alone again.
I sank into my chair, my hands shaking. Alpha Derek wanted to see me. Me! A nobody omega who spent her days patching up injured fighters.
But then the warrior's words echoed in my mind. Luna Sarah.
Everyone knew about Luna Sarah Cross. She was the daughter of the neighboring pack's Alpha, beautiful and strong. There had been whispers for months about an alliance marriage between her and Derek.
My excitement crumbled into dust. Of course. Derek probably wanted to ask me about healing goods for the alliance ceremony. Or maybe he needed me to treat Luna Sarah for something. That's what omegas were for - serving the big wolves.
I was cleaning up my supplies when I found it. A piece of paper had dropped from Derek's pocket when he leaned over Marcus. I picked it up, planning to return it tomorrow.
But then I read the words written on it, and my blood turned to ice.
The marriage deal is final. Wedding service set for the Harvest Moon. Inform Sarah quickly.
The paper slipped from my numb fingers. Derek was getting married. To Luna Sarah.
So why had he asked to see me? Why had he looked at me like... like I mattered?
I heard footsteps outside and quickly shoved the paper into my apron pocket. The door opened, and Elder Rosa stepped in, her wise old eyes instantly finding mine.
"Child," she said softly, "you look like you've seen a ghost."
"I'm fine," I lied.
Rosa moved closer, her nostrils flaring slightly as she smelled the air. Her face went very still.
"Maya," she whispered, her voice full of fear and wonder, "what happened here? The Alpha's smell is all over you, but underneath it..." She grabbed my wrist, looking at me with wide eyes. "Child, do you know what this means?"
"What what means?"
Rosa's grip tightened. "You smell like... like a fated mate. But that's impossible. The Alpha is given to another, and you're just an omega, and—"
The door slammed open again. Derek stood there, his eyes wild and frantic.
"I forgot something," he said, his voice rough.
But he wasn't looking around for a lost item. He was looking straight at me, like he couldn't help himself.
And in that moment, I realized Elder Rosa was right. Something impossible was happening.
Something that could kill us all.