He raises his hand, and before I can say a word, slaps me.
“Don’t run away when I’m calling you!”
I can feel the burn on my cheek and do my best to keep my eyes down. If I look him in the eyes, he will get even madder. He unleashes at me, his voice echoing with anger in the room.
“Why is the food not ready, huh? Everyone is waiting because of you! Do you feel you can make everyone wait? Are you happy to make us wait? You useless trash! The Alpha is mad at me because of you!”
The slaps keep coming before I even get a chance to talk back. He doesn’t care for my explanation. Why is it so unfair? It isn’t my fault! Rory and Bill came late with the groceries they were supposed to bring hours ago! I had to start later than planned, and despite that, I tried to get it done as fast as possible, I really did! But it was just an impossible task. Why do I get a beating?
My brother doesn’t care; he won’t listen to me. He is just a mad, angry beast. I can only try to cover my face with my arms as the blows keep coming.
“Brother, please, stop!” I beg as my tears run down.
“Who are you calling your brother? I have no useless trash sister like you!”
But I am his blood sister! How can he say that? His words are as painful as his hits. Alec used to care for me. He used to love me and play with me. But that was a long time ago, in our childhood. Everything changed for the worst when our parents died. He was twelve, and I was seven.
He found us late, on a stormy night, in a bloodbath. I remember it all. The horror on his face, the shock in his eyes, and how he ran away from the scene. His attitude changed completely after that.
He finally stops hitting me, out of breath, but still red from anger. It hurts so much. I keep my arms up around myself, just in case, but he steps back. “Hurry up! I’ll kill you if you don’t hurry! You useless thing!”
He leaves the room, and I slowly lower my arms, still shaking. I try not to cry, but I can feel tears filling my eyes. I get up, ignoring the pain. I need to resume cooking...
I try not to touch the painful areas. It hurts so badly. New bruises will add to the ones I already have. Sometimes it hurts for days, and the pain won’t let me sleep. Can I ever escape this? Sometimes I fear he will really end up killing me.
I finish cooking and bring the plates to the dining hall. Many pairs of eyes follow my every move. Some pack members smirk after me, and some pretend I don’t exist. I prefer the latter. I keep my eyes down and put one plate on the table after another, hoping no one is in the mood to mess with me today.
I’m almost done serving when I can feel something on my thigh. A big hand is gripping me! I get away from the disgusting touch with a shiver and realize it’s Marcus. He is more than twice my age and a real pervert. I can’t hold a squeak of disgust and step back hurriedly.
At the end of the table, our Alpha, Vince, hits the table with his fist as soon as he hears me, making me jump. “Nora! Shut up and get out of there! Who wants to see your face when we are about to eat! Get out!”
I run away from this room filled with looks of hate and disgust. Some members of the pack even smirk or whistle when I walk by them. I quickly cover my scar with my hair as I exit the room.
I can only breathe again when I finally reach the empty kitchen. Grabbing some leftovers from the fridge, I hurry downstairs. I don’t want to be there when everyone comes out of the dining room.
The basement of the main house is a large, dusty room, filled with overused furniture, broken things, and old stuff no one wants. And me.
I retreat to the yellowish rundown old couch and sit to eat my cold lasagna. This place is where I feel the safest. No one comes here, and no one knows I live here. Yes, this is my room. It has been for the past nine years... I tried to sort it to make it comfier, but I can never get used to it. It’s dusty, no matter how many times I try to clean it, and there is just one small window. It doesn’t have any heater. The winter nights are almost unbearable, even when I gather all the old clothing and blankets I can to cover myself.
Facing me, a large, broken mirror shows my shattered reflection.
The scolding from the Alpha comes back to me. I had forgotten about my scar. I must have put my hair behindmy ear without thinking while cooking. I don’t like it either. She runs from my eyebrow to my jaw in an irregular, vivid red line. I brush my hair with my fingers, trying to hide this hideous scar with my dark curls.
I find the girl in the mirror so pitiable... She’s scrawny, petite, and pale. I look like a sickly kid when I’m already seventeen. I envy the other girls from the pack. Girls like Jessica or Amber, with their feminine looks, curvy bodies, and confident attitude. They are the same age as me, but we are nothing alike. All I can do is try to live as quietly as possible, avoid my brother’s wrath, and the pack members’ mean looks. They all hate me.
Suddenly, I wake up, still on the couch. Oh, Moon Goddess, did I fall asleep here? My brother is going to kill me! I get up as quickly as I can and run up the stairs, but as I exit the basement, I can already hear him.
“Nora! Useless freak! Where are you hiding! Wait ‘till I get you!”
I freeze next to the basement stairs. What time is it? I try to think of something to explain my absence, but nothing comes to mind. Alec is yelling again, from outside. He must be looking for me, thinking I went to the forest. Our pack is on the outskirts of the city, making it easy for us to take a run whenever we want to. For those who can shapeshift...
I take a few steps in the kitchen, hesitating. Should I try to go to the dining room and start cleaning up like nothing happened? Or I could try going upstairs to hide in one of the rooms...
A wave of pain violently hits me from my scalp. My hair is violently grabbed from behind, and I lose balance as I’m forcefully pulled.
“Found her!” Says a feminine voice. “Alec, I got your bitch sister!”
It’s Amber, not letting me go no matter how I try to escape her. My brother storms in and hits me hard–so hard that I hit the floor.
