1. The gaze that is hidden through the rough material of her trousers, the cold of the polished stone floor crept in, causing her knees to ache in a familiar, numbing way.
The brush was only an extension of Avery's will as her hands, which were raw and always chapped, moved steadily in a circular motion. She was a low, silent presence in the packhouse's enormous, reverberating common hall, which seemed to reach the sky with its lofty vaulted ceilings.
Light streamed down in long, golden shafts through a series of tall, arched windows, illuminating the dust motes that swirled and danced in the heavy air.
Her world was the smell of damp stone and lye, a sharp, ever-present reminder that she was an omega, the lowest member of their society, a workaholic and a slave.
Because of the innumerable humiliations that accompanied an elevated gaze, she had long since trained herself to maintain a downward gaze.
Looking up invited a sneer, a sharp word, or a reminder of her inconsequential status.
Today, however, there was a momentary, nearly imperceptible silence that replaced the rhythmic scrape of her brush.
A distinct sound had started to permeate the hall, a reverberation of strength and assured footsteps that belonged to an entirely different species.
For a brief moment, her storm-sky-colored eyes lifted, a transgression she was powerless to stop.
And there they were. All three of them. The triplets of Alpha. The sun appeared to bend to accommodate them.
They appeared to her as far away, almost ethereal figures, their shapes reflected in the afternoon's liquid gold. Knox, Jaxon, and Maverick.
The gods of her existence, the absolute rulers of this world. The eldest, Maverick, was a beast of sculpted muscle and raw, untamed power that moved with a silent, menacing grace.
His dark hair was swept back from a face full of predatory calm and sharp angles. With his sun-kissed hair and a smile that could stop people in their tracks, Jaxon exuded a charisma that was evident throughout the room.
The youngest, Knox, was a sulky storm of a man with a body that was a silent testament to unadulterated, coiled strength and a gaze as cold and piercing as a winter wind. Her own shape contrasted sharply and cruelly with theirs.
Even for a female wolf, Avery was a shadow, a wisp, with limbs that lacked the broad frame and dense muscle of the higher-ranking she-wolves.
Her scent, a delicate blend of wild herbs and subdued obedience, was easily overpowered by the noisy symphony of the pack, and her mousy brown fur never seemed to sit quite right.
She was a piece of an ecosystem that hardly recognized her, a ghost in the machine. Her chest tightened with a strong pain, a hint of a desire for a different life.
A life in which the dirt she wiped off the floor did not define her existence and she was not invisible.
A life that would not confine her to the shadows but allow her to walk in the light. The desire felt like a physical pain because it was so strong and aching.
From a world away, she watched with a hidden gaze as three senior she-wolves approached them, their laughter echoing through the hallway.
The Alpha triplets lived in their world of sunlit grandeur, where destiny was a glorious, predetermined path, and they belonged there.
eyes returned to the icy stone. She felt a single, silent question tighten in her chest, as sharp as any rebuke. It was a silent testament to a life spent in obscurity, a life that served as a persistent, nagging reminder of a straightforward, agonizing reality.
2. **The Destiny Whispers** The smell of old timber, dried herbs and the earthy perfume of root vegetables filled the still, heavy air of the storage house.
Avery knelt among grain sacks, her agile fingers sifting through the supplies with ease that she had practiced.
The quiet seclusion of the storage room was a welcome salve to her soul, even though the task was as routine as mopping floors.
She was anchored in her peaceful world by the simple tactile pleasure of feeling the soft grain shifting beneath her hands.
It was a world she created for herself, one in which she could live without the nagging, ever-present presence of criticism and in which she was allowed to think as she pleased. In this place, she had mastered the art of being a silent, nearly undetectable presence—a ghost.
Today, however, two she-wolves of a higher rank broke the silence with their high, lilting voices.
Like a triumphant herald, their scents preceded them, a fragrant blend of lilac and something sharp and dominant.
She froze, a motionless, silent figure with her hands still in the grain. She was not prepared to take the chance of making her presence known.
She was here out of necessity, not choice, and the storage house was a place of work, not idle chatter. But through the still air, their voices, light and full of the entitled's reckless joy, carried their secrets with reckless disregard.
One of them, a she-wolf with a bell-like laugh, remarked, "The Beta's daughter is so sure." "Believing she's the one, she bought new silks for the party." There was a hint of jealousy mixed with amusement in her voice. With a low, throaty purr, the other one sneered, "As if."
Everyone is aware that Luna will be the one to claim the Alpha triplets. Their connection is a strong, indisputable force that is essential to their survival. Her voice radiated a strong, unstoppable love that was profound and unwavering for the triplets.
Avery stopped moving her hands.
The words were like a physical blow because they were so carelessly spoken. Luna. The Alpha female of the pack.
A being who was a part of a sinister, old prophecy, a creature of unadulterated grace and strength. A creature that was a part of a long-standing, profound hatred. She was the Alpha triplets' predestined mate, the one who would win their affections and authority.
The destined partner of the triplets, a strong, unstoppable force. a force that was essential to their existence.
The heedlessly spoken voices of the she-wolves felt like a blow to the body. Luna was an entity of unadulterated elegance and strength, a part of a sinister, antiquated prophecy, and a part of a profound, enduring animosity.
She was the Alpha triplets' predestined mate, the one who would win their affections and authority.
The key to the triplets' survival was their fated mate, a strong, unstoppable force. The words served as a harsh, incisive reminder of her position. An omega. A creature of the shadows, a creature of toil and servitude.
A creature living in a world that hardly paid her any attention. She could feel the physical sting of a destiny that wasn't hers. An excruciating pain that went directly to her heart. In a world of vast, sweeping gestures, she was an unseen, silent presence.
Her life was a silent, unwritten tale that served as a persistent, nagging reminder of a straightforward, agonizing reality.
3. **A Minor Change** The typical sounds of the pack going to bed seemed muted and far away that night, when she was by herself in her tiny, Spartan room.
Her tiny room, which had only one window and one cot, was a world she had created for herself, one in which she could live free from the nagging, ever-present presence of criticism.
Long, silvery shadows were created on the exposed stone walls by the moonlight that came in through the window.
An unidentified, euphoric scent gradually overpowered the typical pack scents, a tapestry of musk, woodsmoke, and a hundred distinct individual aromas.
It was a scent that held the secret to a new and more dreadful foe, one that was a part of a sinister, old prophecy.
A smell that belonged to a long-standing, intense hatred. Her fur stood on end as the air, which had been heavy and motionless only moments before, began to hum with an odd electric current.
From the tips of her ears to the soles of her feet, she experienced a physical tingling that served as a key to a new and more terrifying foe.
The smell was a strong, evil force, a creature brimming with an unadulterated, primordial strength. One of the creatures from a dark, old prophecy.
Something that was a part of a long-standing, intense hatred.
Her heart, which had been a calm, still object only moments before, was now pounded in her chest in a frightened, frantic rhythm that served as a continual, gnawing reminder of a straightforward, agonizing reality.
This was a scent she had never experienced before, one that held the secret to a new and more terrifying foe, one that was a part of a sinister, old prophecy. A smell that belonged to a long-standing, intense hatred.
Her fur stood on end as the air, which had been heavy and motionless only moments before, began to hum with an odd electric current.
From the tips of her ears to the soles of her feet, she experienced a physical tingling that served as a key to a new and more terrifying foe. The smell was a strong, evil force, a creature brimming with an unadulterated, primordial strength. One of the creatures from a dark, old prophecy.
Something that was a part of a long-standing, intense hatred. Her heart, which had been a calm, still object only moments before, was now pounded in her chest in a frightened, frantic rhythm that served as a continual, gnawing reminder of a straightforward, agonizing reality.
This was a scent she had never experienced before, one that held the secret to a new and more terrifying foe, one that was a part of a sinister, old prophecy. A smell that belonged to a long-standing, intense hatred.
Her fur stood on end as the air, which had been heavy and motionless only moments before, began to hum with an odd electric current. From the tips of her ears to the soles of her feet, she experienced a physical tingling that served as a key to a new and more terrifying foe.
The smell was a strong, evil force, a creature brimming with an unadulterated, primordial strength.
One of the creatures from a dark, old prophecy. Something that was a part of a long-standing, intense hatred.
Her heart, which had been a calm, still object only moments before, was now pounded in her chest in a frightened, frantic rhythm that served as a continual, gnawing reminder of a straightforward, agonizing reality.
This was a scent she had never experienced before, one that held the secret to a new and more terrifying foe, one that was a part of a sinister, old prophecy. A smell that belonged to a long-standing, intense hatred.
Her fur stood on end as the air, which had been heavy and motionless only moments before, began to hum with an odd electric current.
From the tips of her ears to the soles of her feet, she experienced a physical tingling that served as a key to a new and more terrifying foe. The smell was a strong, evil force, a creature brimming with an unadulterated, primordial strength.
One of the creatures from a dark, old prophecy.
Something that was a part of a long-standing, intense hatred. Her heart, which had been a calm, still object only moments before, was now pounded in her chest in a frightened, frantic rhythm that served as a continual, gnawing reminder of a straightforward, agonizing reality.
This was a scent she had never experienced before, one that held the secret to a new and more terrifying foe, one that was a part of a sinister, old prophecy. A smell that belonged to a long-standing, intense hatred.