{C4:Punishment or Salvation}

{ Roxellena POV}

I barely remembered how I got home after yesterday’s bloodbath. Jessica’s brother had been our saviour. The one who picked us up from the chaos and dropped each of us at our respective houses.

When I finally slipped through the front door, Rosa was already lounging on the couch like she owned the place.

“So you decided to show up,” she sneered, her lip curling in disgust. I quietly walked past her, jaw tight, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

If only she knew I had nearly been torn apart by rogue wolves while searching for “her”during the attack.

I had risked everything for someone who had never once shown me an ounce of care. There was no point telling her. She wouldn’t care. She never did.

“My mum wants to see you,” she called after me just as I reached the door to my cramped room under the stairs.

I retreated and changed direction, climbing the stairs and walking down the passage that led to step Mum’s room.

“Come in,” Lady Gerty’s sharp voice cut through the door before I could even knock. Of course she had heard me. She always did.

I stepped inside and immediately wished I hadn’t. They were in bed together, tangled under the silk sheets, flushed and half-dressed. The room smelled of perfume and sweat. Lady Gerty barely bothered to pull the blanket higher.

“We waited for you for twenty fucking minutes,” she snapped, eyes narrowing. “And you never showed up.”

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. .

“Liar” I said to myself

I had stood at the assembly ground for nearly forty minutes, scanning the crowd for them while the rogues tore through the school.

“Do you ever care about anyone but yourself, Rox?” she continued, voice dripping with venom. “Look at you. All you do is stuff your face and pile more weight onto that disgusting body of yours. Keep going like this and one day you’ll just explode. Maybe then this family can finally have some peace.”

Her words landed like punches to the gut. I stared at the floor, nails digging into my palms, fighting the burn behind my eyes. I wouldn’t cry. Not in front of her. Not ever. I had survived worse. I would survive this too.

Lady Gerty let out a dramatic sigh and stroked Dad’s shoulder possessively. “Anyway, I just wanted to inform you that you and Rosa will be attending a mandatory twelve-month training camp at Alpha Pascal’s compound. Try not to embarrass this family while you’re there. Though we both know you probably will.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “What do you say?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Thank you, Lady Gerty.”

As soon as she gestured for me to leave, I backed out and closed the door softly. Only when I reached the bottom of the stairs did I let a small, fierce smile break through. She thought she was punishing me ,sending the “fat, useless” stepdaughter away to fail spectacularly. But this was my escape. My chance. I would train harder than anyone. I would make the pack squad. And I would never come back to this hellhole again.

***

Later that night, I crept outside with the waste basket, the plastic handle digging into my fingers.

The cool night air brushed against my skin as I emptied it into the big drum across the street. I glanced back at the house windows , all dark. Good.

“What’s up, Roxellena?” Jess’s voice cut through the quiet. She rolled up on her skateboard, grinning wildly, with James and John flanking her.

“What took you so long?” John asked. He attempted a flashy spin, nearly smashing into the waste drum before grabbing the streetlight pole at the last second. His laugh was loud and reckless.

“I had to wait until they were all asleep,” I whispered, wearing the skate shoe James had pulled from his bag. The rubber felt solid under my shoes. “My stepmum just dropped some news on me. I’m actually excited for once.”

James steadied me on one side, his grip firm and brotherly. “Aren’t you guys pumped about this change?” I asked as we started rolling slowly down the dimly lit road.

“I’m in,” James said quietly, always the steady one. “Could be a real shot for us.”

“Same,” Jessica called from behind, her voice bright as she popped a clean mid-air trick. “Finally something different from this boring town.”

I turned to John, whose face stayed shadowed and serious. “What about you, John? You’re not excited?”

He shrugged, kicking off the ground harder. “Alpha Pascal should let us finish school first instead of dragging us into whatever chess game he’s playing. We don’t even know what we’re fighting for.”

“But it’s only twelve months,” Jess countered, spinning gracefully beside us. “School’s not cancelled forever.”

“One day is enough to get killed,” John muttered. “How do we know he didn’t send those rogues himself just to force everyone into his camp?”He had a point. Alpha Pascal was the oldest and most battle-hardened of the thirteen Alphas ,the only one still standing after the brutal decade-long war between the Twelve Packs and the Thirteen.

They said his valor alone had saved the Twelve from being wiped out. After victory, the Thirteen Pack vanished, but the rumours never died. They were still out there, hiding in the shadows, recruiting rogues, waiting to strike again.

“Roxellena!” The angry shout sliced through the night from the direction of my house.

“Shit!They’re awake.”

“Another time,” I said quickly. I quickly pulled off the skate and handed it to John before sprinting toward home.