Rite of Power

“Wake up, Xena!” Someone whisper yells at me. I groan in pain, wondering who is waking me up. I was just able to get my body to allow me to sleep. 

Thanks to the most recent beating from what most people would consider my father, I can barely move.  I haven’t considered that man my father from the first time he laid his hands on me. 

That doesn’t seem to stop him from laying claim to me, when he needs to pretend that we’re the perfect family. 

The perfect daughter, that’s what I am.  Great grades, well behaved, and of course what’s most important to him, beautiful.

My long golden blonde hair flows to my butt, bright blue green eyes with a circle of bright, sparkling gold around my pupils, height of five five and skinny with curves in all the right places.  All things that I’m required to maintain, for fear of life.  Not sure how I’m supposed to maintain half of those, but it wouldn’t matter, I’d suffer the consequences if my body decided to grow an inch.  I mean literally, he checks my height monthly.

I look around in a daze, “Mom?”  I whisper, following her lead.  She scowls at me; I figure berating me for my stupid question. 

I manage to get myself into a sitting position on the bed, just as she throws me my hoodie from across the room. 

It lands on my face, blinding me for a second, when I grab it and pull it down.  Luckily my sperm donor never aims for the face, so it didn’t hit any bruises or cuts.  He would never hit my face and risk hurting the ‘according to him’ only good quality I have.

“Get dressed.  We have to go.”  She whispers again.  I start getting dressed as fast as I can, without hurting myself, while I watch her.  She’s going around my room throwing all my clothes in a suitcase. 

At this point, I’m at a complete loss with what’s happening. 

I gave up hope a long time ago that my mom would ever leave my sperm donor.  Once I realized the difference in the way they treated my brother, Alec, compared to me.  I knew that my mom loved him with all her heart.  My mom would never risk leaving and losing my brother, even if that meant sacrificing me.

My sperm donor would never allow my brother to leave.  Alec will be the next Alpha of the pack, so there wouldn’t be anywhere my mom could hide that he wouldn’t find her. 

That being said, I don’t really believe she wants to leave Heath, my sperm donor.  He is her mate and regardless of everything she seems to love him, and he her.  It’s really only me who got the short end of the stick, when it comes to love from Heath.  Maybe he just didn’t have anymore love to spare once I came along. 

I finish getting dressed and look over at my mom, “Where are we going?”  She looks at me for a minute, seemingly studying my face.  She shakes her head, as if berating herself for whatever thoughts she just had.  “Come on.  We need to go now.”  And with that as my answer, she makes her way to the door. 

Once she opens it, she looks both ways to make sure no ones there, I’m guessing. 

All this secrecy is scary, if we’re doing something against the Alpha’s wishes, I’m going to be the one punished for it, regardless of if I had any idea what was happening.

I huddle close to my mom, then she deems it all clear, and heads into the hallway.  I follow her closely as we make our way through the pack house and outside to the car, without anyone noticing us. 

Once we get to the car, my mom throws my suitcase into the backseat, then makes her way to the front as I get into the passenger side.  My mom takes a deep breath and then starts the car.

I watch out the window as we head down the road that goes through the woods and passed the pack boundaries. 

Once we make it passed the pack boundaries, I look over at my mom, I see the tension in her shoulders fall and then she looks over at me.  “I’m going to drop you off at the nearest bus station.”  My eyes widen.  “What?” I ask, louder than I intended. 

Her eyes soften just slightly when she looks over at me.  “I can’t do much to help you Xena, but I can hopefully get you away for a little bit.”  I just stare at her so confused, before she speaks again.  “You are to follow the bus route until you land in White Peak.  Then, ask for directions to the Turning Point summer camp in the White Peak territory.  I’m sure someone there will know and be able to route you there.  You’ll being staying there until fall.  Your father doesn’t know where I’m taking you, just that I’m getting you out of the pack for a little while.  After this last stunt you pulled, he doesn’t want to see your face for a while.”

I stare at her bewildered, because the ‘last stunt’ I pulled was eating an extra roll at dinner.  I knew I shouldn’t have, but the regime he has me on to ‘maintain’ my figure, is practically just starvation. 

Then I remember who I’m talking to.  The same woman that has allowed that man to beat and starve me for years, without saying a word in my defense. 

She really doesn’t deserve the title of mom either, but in a world that you have nobody, you have to hang onto even the smallest threads. 

We finally pull up to the bus station, and I stare at it for a while before she starts nudging me out.  She grabs my suitcase from the back and hands it over to me.  I’m waiting for some heartfelt goodbye, or something, anything, as I look into my mom’s eyes. 

She straightens, “Well, don’t forget about your regime.  You come home fat, you know what will happen.” Then hands me a purple folder.