I sit on the edge of the bed in the silent room. So this is what twenty-five feels like. I wonder if a hundred and twenty-five will feel just as good. What about two hundred and twenty-five? I laugh to myself at the thought as I head into the bathroom. I look in the mirror and run a brush through my white hair. None of the sparkly gray came back when it grew in four and a half years ago. I examine the mirror closer. It looks like there are some more violet flecks in the light gray of my irises, but maybe that’s just me being hopeful. I still don’t have any abilities other than being able to shift and mind linking other pack members. I splash water on my face and brush my teeth. There will be time to shower later before the pack Summer Solstice party and pack run. I pick up some toys that made their way into the closet room and find a dark blue sundress to wear. Once I am changed, I look at myself in the full-length mirror and smile. When I get into the living room, Marco comes up an
Most people don't even remember the packhouse has a dungeon. I do though. I have a little room in the back that used to be a solitary confinement cell. It smells of old piss, vomit, and blood. You get used to it. I have a cot and an old tattered blanket to keep me warm. I even scored a lamp out of the trash. It still works, so I have light to do my homework. Home sweet home and all that jazz, right? I mean, at least I'm not a rogue. Oh yeah, I should introduce myself. My name is Iokaste Latmus, but I go by Kas. No one calls me Iokaste except for teachers on the first day of school. I'm a werewolf in the Silver Moon pack. Since I'm an orphan, I'm not completely sure how old I am, but pretty sure I'm sixteen. Also, I'm an omega which means I'm a servant. My job is to make the meals for the werewolves who live in the packhouse. Between making breakfast and dinner for over a hundred wolves, cleaning up after them, and restocking the pantries of the ranked members' apartments on the third
“Now, I sent the nurse downstairs to collect fresh clothes for you and she said there were none." He pauses, looking at me. look down at my fidgety hands again. I wear the same clothes every day. If I find a bar of old soap in the trash I wash my clothes and myself in the little sink in the back of the dungeon. There’s only cold water, but it was better than nothing. At least I'm not a rogue. My father was and look how he ended up. The nurse walks in with a duffle bag and places it at the end of the bed. “We got you a few things to wear. Nothing fancy, but they are clean and should fit.” “Thank you.” I smile back. “You’ll be here another two days. Stay in this room. No visitors until we find out who did this to you or you're fully healed, whichever comes first. Diane will let you know when you can leave.” The doctor orders and walks out. I look at the nurse who is staring at me. When she realizes I caught her, her eyes dart away. What's that about? Okay, lady. Rude. “I'll leav
I hear Alpha Graham's footsteps walk back down the hallway as he leaves the dungeon. Ryan tightens his grip on my neck, extending his wolf claws, making me yelp. As soon as the door slams, Ryan releases my neck and kneels in front of me. His face is contorted with anger. His eyes flicker black as his wolf, Dagger, comes to the surface. He grabs my shoulders, shaking me roughly, "What the Hell did you do to make him so mad?" Why isn't he beating me like he told Alpha Graham he would? I stiffen my whole body, avoiding eye contact with him. I'm shaking so badly, I can't even speak now. The thought of two people beating me regularly for the rest of my life... it just can't be real. Can it? How can the Goddess allow this to happen? I want to die. That's not an exaggeration. That's not me being dramatic. Please, Goddess, don't let this happen. Just let me die. I shake so badly that I fall to my knees. I start to sob hysterically and my brain shuts down from being able to think rationall
The next month and a half are the worst of my life. Any motivation I ever had is gone now. Instead of just breakfast and dinner, now I make lunch too, and I'm still on pantry duty. Every moment of my day is filled with work from the time I wake up until the time I crash in my bed. Thank Goddess for Lex. She keeps me going. Lex convinces me to enjoy the time that she and I get to spend together, which is when I'm cooking meals. I find I actually enjoy cooking while Lex is with me. No one comes to bother me, so we get to have great conversations without interruptions. In the end, I have created something people will enjoy. I even found a couple of recipe books in the back of one of the kitchen cupboards and taught myself some new techniques and dishes to make. Everything else in my life is complete shit. Alpha Graham allows pack members to hit me and verbally abuse me and they take full advantage at every opportunity. He comes to my room multiple times a week to beat me and berate me
***Trigger Warning - This chapter has sensitive content related to Sexual Assault.*** Sam scoots back on his backside away from me, wide-eyed, then clambers up and runs away as fast as he can. Suddenly, I'm thrust back into my normal state of mind and I fall back to the ground, exhausted. My hands are no longer glowing, but they feel like they are on fire and full of static electricity. "Lex! What was that?" I scold her, but mostly because it scared me. "I couldn't help it. He was threatening us." "Okay, but what was with the glowy purple, burny hands thing?! That's not normal!" "Kas, we've been through this. We are a child of the Moon Goddess. We are special. The 'glowy purple, burny hands thing' is a gift from our mother. There is more, too. You will see after we shift for the first time. Until then, I'm not strong enough to show you. Besides, it isn't like I hurt him; his wolf will heal him before he is back in his office." "I-I don-, wait, you mean the Moon Goddess is my a
I finish pantry duty, making sure everything is set in the guest rooms. I had Sam order bouquets for each of the suites as an extra touch. In the guest Alpha's suite, I also add a bottle of champagne. If this is the last thing I ever get to do, I want it to be something that makes someone else happy. It is almost one-thirty in the morning before I plop into bed, exhausted. It has been a shit day. If Luna Caroline has anything to do with it, it will probably be my last. Lex is exhausted too. She stops sulking long enough to tell me she needs me to shift, but I can't. I have no time or energy. I keep promising her I will, but I feel like I've broken that promise. I float off to sleep to the sounds of her whimpering in my head while I cry into the pillow. To my surprise, my alarm wakes me in the morning. Lex makes me promise to hang on for one more day. We go through the motions of the life I hate. While I'm getting ready, I look in the mirror to find my hair is completely silvery white
I make a four-course meal of Caesar salad, bacon-wrapped shrimp appetizers, beef wellington with braised Brussels sprouts for the main dish, and a key lime pie for dessert. I also make bruschetta, crostinis, tomato fritters, mini calzones, assorted veggie trays with dip, and chocolate truffles to serve for the party. I finished the desserts and veggie trays between breakfast and lunch so there was less for me to worry about now. I realize Lex's advice of finding happiness in cooking has helped me enjoy making this dinner. Maybe because I'm serving people other than my pack or maybe it's because I'm making special food, not just the regular stuff I make for the pack? Either way, I don't mind my work today. I feel a sense of pride in it. There are servers for dinner service since it's a formal event. I stay in the kitchen and make sure everything is plated and going out the door in perfect condition. I'm in the zone, as they say. I peek out from the kitchen after each course is served