The sharp scent of polished wood and perfumed roses hung heavy in the air, a cruel mockery of the life Aria would never belong to. She stood at the edge of the ballroom, invisible in her plain black uniform, a tray of sparkling champagne flutes in her trembling hands. Beyond the grand archways, the Alphas and Betas of the kingdom swirled in a sea of fine silk and gilded masks, their laughter rising above the soft strains of the orchestra. Each one here for a single purpose: to find their mate that the Moon Goddess designed for them.
But not Aria. Never her.
Omegas like Aria were never given mates by the Moon Goddess. Omegas never ascended beyond the shadowy corners of this palace where servants scurried like ghosts, their faces forgotten before the next order was barked. But tonight, even among the glittering assembly of dominance and beauty, one presence towered above them all.
The Lycan King.
The air shifted as though the world itself bent to accommodate his arrival. Conversation died in ripples, and wolves bowed their heads, some out of respect, others out of fear. Aria froze, her gaze drawn toward the grand staircase like a moth to flame. He descended with the easy grace of a predator, his black formal attire tailored to perfection but unable to hide the raw power thrumming beneath his skin. He was the most beautiful man Aria had ever seen. He stood four inches over six feet. The crystal chandliers above cast halos of light on his dark hair. The sharp, angular features of his face seemed carved from the coldest stone. His tawny skin was covered with a light five o'clock shadow.
King Kael. The most powerful lycan in existence— and the one least likely to notice her. But as his piercing black eyes scanned the room, their weight grazing over every bowing head, Aria felt a chill skate down her spine, a primal warning that she didn't need to be noticed by him. His gaze was a weapon, and to fall under its scrutiny was a danger she couldn't afford.
"Stop staring," warned one of the other maids. "You do not want to be noticed by him." Aria swallowed hard and ducked her head, gripping the tray tighter. She had a job to do, and that job was to be invisible. To serve and then disappear before anyone noticed her existence. "Keep moving," she muttered to herself., her voice barely above a whisper. She stepped forward weaving between the guests with practiced precision, her heart pounding in her chest. The king wouldn't notice her. He wouldn't notice—
"Watch your step, Omega!" The sharp voice of Lady Dena, a noblewoman with beauty as cold as her venomous words, snapped Aria out of her trance. Aria hesitated, realizing too late that she'd veered too close to Dena's sweeping gown. "Apologies, Lady Dena," murmured Aria, stepping back quickly, the apology automatic and hollow.
Dena's lip curled, her voice cutting through the air. "I suppose even the palace can't keep the filth out entirely. Be sure to keep your distance, Omega. The king doesn't need your stench ruining the evening."
Heat flushed Aria's cheeks, but she kept her gaze fixed on the polished marble floor, biting back the retort that burned on her tongue. This was her place. She knew that. But Lady Dena's words stung all the same.
The night dragged on in a haze of music and swirling colors, and Aria began to lose herself in the rhythm of her duties. Serve, retreat, repeat. Her tray grew lighter as the wolves indulged in champagne, and for a moment, she allowed herself to breathe. But then, it happened.
The moment that would ruin everything.
It wasn't a grand catastrophe. Not at first. Just a slight shift in the room— a guest brushing against her elbow too quickly, causing her to stumble. Her fingers lost their grip on the tray. The world seemed to slow as the silver platter tipped forward, sending its contents flying.
A cascade of liquid gold splashed across the black jacket of the man in her path. Time snapped back into place, and the ballroom fell silent. Aria's heart stopped.
Not just a man.
Him.
The Lycan King stood before her, his broad shoulders tense, his onyx eyes locked onto hers. The spilled champagne gleamed against the stark black of his attire, each droplet a damning mark of her clumsiness. Aria's knees went weak, and she couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't do anything but stare at the predator in front of her.
"I'm so— " she began, her voice breaking. Kael raised a hand silencing her with a single motion. The weight of his gaze pinned her in place, a thousand unspoken words crackling in the air between them. It wasn't just anger— though that simmered beneath the surface, promising consequences she didn't want to imagine. There was something else. Something that made the hair on the back of her neck rise, her wolf stirring in restless unease.
Kael stepped closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over her trembling form. "What," he said, his voice low and razor sharp, "is your name?" Aria's mouth went dry. He shouldn't' have cared. The Lycan King didn't ask for names of servants. He didn't notice people like her. And yet, here he was, demanding the one thing that could tether her to this moment forever.
"Aria," she whispered, her voice barely audible. The moment the name left her lips, Kael's eyes darkened, a golden ring began to glow around his irises, and they gleamed with something primal, something that sent a shiver racing down her spine.
It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible. And yet, the bond snapped into place with brutal, unforgiving finality.
Kael's lips curled, not into a smile, but a snarl. "An Omega," he growled, the words laced with disdain. "The Moon Goddess must have a twisted sense of humor."
Aria's wolf howled inside her, the bond sparking like fire through her veins. She couldn't comprehend it— couldn't understand how someone like him could be tied to someone like her. But Kael's next words shattered any illusion she might have had.
"You will report to my chambers," he said coldly, his voice devoid of any tenderness. "Now." Her blood turned to ice, her tray clattering to the floor as the room erupted in whispers. Aria felt the world closing in around her, every eye in the room fixed on her trembling form.
And as Kael turned on his heel and strode away, leaving her to pick up the pieces of her shattered night, one thought consumed her. She wasn't safe anymore.
Not from the King.
Not from the bond.
And not from the cruel twist of fate that had bound her to the most dangerous man in the kingdom.
Aria stood frozen in the ballroom, her heart pounding as the Lycan King disappeared through the grand doors. The whispers of the crowd buzzed in her ears, but all she could hear was her own panicked heartbeat.
And then, from the shadows, a voice she didn't recognize murmured behind her: "Be careful, little Omega. Some bonds are better left broken."