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The pain that blooms on my cheek from the force of Todd slapping me, causing me to fall to the kitchen floor, has my eyes snapping up to meet his gaze. The way he’s looking at me has my stomach cramping. He’s full of glee because he’s hurt me.
“I asked you a fucking question, Serenity,” he spits out my name like it’s a curse and it sends a shiver down my spine.
I cup my face and feel the way my cheek is swelling slightly. I won’t get my wolf until I turn 18 and the abuse that I’ve endured over the last eight years has ensured that my body is weaker than most which causes me to heal slowly. I hope my wolf won’t be negatively affected by my weakened state, but I’ve learned that hope is hard won in my life.
I swallow hard and, not wanting to speak too loudly because that is another lesson I’ve learned, I whisper, “I wasn’t avoiding you, Alpha.”
Todd isn’t the Alpha yet, but I remember the lessons he’s beat into me. I’m no longer allowed to use his name or anyone’s name. I lower my eyes again, unsure whether I can get up yet or not. I hate being on the floor when he stands above me. Laughter coming from Kathy and Samuel twists my heart in my chest and I can’t help but look over at the two of them.
I want to scream and ask what the fuck I did to them to make them hate me so much, but I know I can’t. I won’t. It’ll only end in more pain.
Samuel notices me looking at him and glares at me. He doesn’t say anything, but he’s not the only one who notices. Kathy does as well and her low growl at my disobedience fills the kitchen.
“You need to learn your place, mutt,” she snarls the words. “You aren’t worthy of even looking at us.”
Todd scoffs, “Of course she’s not. She’s not even worthy of licking the ground we walk on.”
“Maybe she needs to be reminded of exactly how low she is,” Kathy taunts, riling up her brother who doesn’t need any help in that department as it is.
Todd chuckles, the sound making my body tense to prepare for what is to come. Even though I know how vicious he can be, I’m not ready for his foot to slam into my ribcage. I hear the snap of at least one of my ribs as a scream rips from me.
I try and stay silent when they beat me, not wanting to give them the satisfaction, but his kick felt like it had all his strength behind it. I whimper as I try and curl up into a ball and protect myself, but it’s not enough.
I feel every kick.
I feel every punch.
I feel every scratch, which tells me Kathy has gotten in on the fun. Yeah, so much fucking fun.
I feel every breath I take because my lungs are fighting me every step of the way.
I feel every tear I’m unable to hold back.
My mind blanks and I can almost feel the wind in my hair as I run through a forest I’ve never seen in real life, a place which only exists in my mind. I created this forest years ago because it was the only place where I could escape the pain. It never lasts and I’m always pulled back to reality.
Which is exactly what happens when I hear Alpha Thomas bark, “What is going on here?”
The first time I heard him ask that when he found me getting a beating, I thought he was going to come to my rescue. I learned quickly it would never happen. I whimper in pain and brace myself for more disappointment.
The Alpha is supposed to protect everyone in the pack, but that courtesy hasn’t extended to me in so long and I’ve given up hope for that changing. I peek up and find Alpha Thomas isn’t the only adult who has stepped into the kitchen. Did they come to investigate my screams of pain?
When I meet my mom’s eyes, the regret swimming there disappears before I can really latch onto it. It always does. What I don’t understand is why it’s there at all.
She hasn’t protected me in eight years. She sat back and allowed Dad to treat me worse than dirt. She’s never intervened when someone has hurt me. She might not hurt me physically, but the scars on my heart left from her inactivity are deep.
“We’re just having a little fun with the mutt,” Todd’s voice is calm and even as if what he’s saying is completely normal.
Because it is.
I glance at Dad who is looking at me with so much anger I have to look away. Luna Lori and Alpha Thomas are looking down at me with neutral expressions. I know none of them are my savior.
I push up into a sitting position, wincing in pain, but swallowing down the sounds I wish I could make. It’s a struggle to stand, but I manage. Barely.
Alpha Thomas looks practically fucking giddy at how difficult it is for me to get up. His indifference at my treatment and his happiness at my pain is like another slice against my heart. Normally I’m able to steel myself against it, but my heart is already raw and vulnerable because of the way my parents have discarded me and the looks on their faces.
I can’t do this anymore. I’m weak and the longer I stay, the weaker I will become.
“Go get yourself cleaned up, Serenity,” Alpha Thomas infuses his voice with his alpha command.
