chapter 4

Adrian’s room was the second room on the right, right next to his parents’ room. I stood in front of the door, the tray in hand trying not to lose my nerves. I took a deep breath then knocked.

“Enter freak.” A voice called out from inside. I recognized the voice; it was the Delta’s son, Cameron. I entered the room, and Adrian, Cameron, and two other boys whose names I did not know were seated in a circle on the floor. Bowing my head, I silently walked to the table, placed the tray on it, turned around, and started to walk out when Adrian used his Alpha energy to stop me.

“Stop right there. You’re not even going to greet us freak?” He asked lips curling into a smile.

I turned around, kept my head bowed, and said nothing. He frowned at that.

“He asked you a question, answer him,” Cameron said growling.

“Luna Marienne ordered to bring this to you and leave, that’s all I was told.”

“Well, aren’t you obedient?” Adrian responded sarcastically, “I think we deserve a greeting. What do you guys think?” He asked, turning to the boys and Cameron.

“Yeah. A wretched thing like her has to pay her respects to the future Alpha of this pack.” Boy 1 said chuckling.

“You hear that, pay your respects.” Boy 2 said.

I gripped my hands tightly, trying not to groan. I bent down in a curtsy and lowered my head, “Good evening future Alpha and future Alpha friends.”

“Don’t get smart with us,” Adrian growled, then he stood up and walked towards me getting in my space. He looked down at me and sneered. “Boys, why don’t we teach her a lesson. Beat her up and break her arm while you’re at it.” He said backing away.

With no hesitation, they gathered around me, the two boys held my arms, and Cameron punched me in the stomach. I bent over from the force of the hit, feeling bile rise up in my throat. They pushed me to the floor and one of them held my mouth down. My eyes widened in pleading. Cameron smiled down at me, eyes wide with delight and with glee, and with force, he stepped on my arm, snapping it.

My screams and cries were muffled, but the pain was terrible. I felt the bile rise up again, and I struggled against their hold, but they held me still, refusing to let me go.

“Oh calm down.” Adrian said from his place on the bed, “It’s a broken arm, it will heal. You’re a wolf, aren’t you? Like us.”

“Adrian, she can’t shift remember?” Cameron said, “So that must have hurt a lot and will take forever to heal. It will hurt like hell too.”

“Oh?” Adrian asked tilting his head like it was the first he’d heard of it, “I had no idea. You can let her go now.” The boys obliged, “Tell my mother I said thanks for the sandwiches.”

I got up, wincing at the pain in my arm; I cradled it and walked out of the room, their laughter trailing after me.

I went back downstairs to the kitchen, where she was waiting for me, arms crossed.

“What took you so long? I told you to drop the food and leave. Did you try to have a conversation with my son and his friends? You’re not worthy of such.” She said to me.

Still cradling my arm, my voice cracked as I said, “I need to go to the clinic. They broke my arm.”

“What did you do? Did you try seducing them? You slut.”

I was close to tears now from the pain and I forced out my next sentence, “I did as you asked me to. I delivered the food and was about to leave then they called me back. Adrian-“

Whack. My head whipped to the side from the force of her slap, “I don’t ever want to hear my son’s name from your filthy lips. You might curse him with the same bad luck that got your family killed. And regardless of whatever happened, I am sure you are in the wrong and my son disciplined you.”

Well, that stung, the slap, of course, not her words. I’d grown numb to such words a long time ago. I hung my head in silence eyes downcast and blurry from the tears forming in them.

“You’re not going to the clinic to fix that arm. It will heal as is. And for annoying my son you’ll also be going without dinner.” She huffed and turned back to setting the table.

I stood there, head bowed, tears dripping from my face. I sniffled, wiped my tears, and continued to assist her.

As everyone had dinner, I sat in my corner like a dog put on timeout, I watched them eat, laugh, and talk about their days. Every so often Adrian would glance in my direction and smirk like my plight was the most hilarious thing to have ever existed. Luna Marienne’s eyes were darting between us, and at some point, she frowned at me. Uh oh, I apparently have done something during the period where all I did was sit and nurse my arm and she was going to punish me later.

I saw her make eye contact with her husband and he turned to stare at me too. She must have told him something using their mind link. Mind links were such a convenient thing, imagine not having to move your mouth yet still be able to tell someone what you wanted telepathically. This was possible thanks to our wolf side, oops sorry their wolf side, I didn’t have a wolf so that nifty little ability was something I did not have, that and fast healing. My wounds healed terribly slowly, but it was still faster than an average human’s was, or so I’ve read. I haven’t actually met a human before because I haven’t ever left the pack, but I digress.

Dinner was over; the kitchen was quiet with only the echoes of their laughter remaining. Before I started on the dishes, I prepared to set my arm; due to necessity, I remembered everything my mother taught me on wounds, illnesses, and broken bones. It was thanks to this that I was able to have some sort of peace at the clinic and in the woods.

I felt around my arm, feeling where the joint disconnected, and gripping a piece of wood in my mouth, I pulled the arm back into the joint. My groans were muffled by the wood that I bit hard on, and I collapsed from the pain, breaking into a cold sweat. Breathing hard, I lay on the floor staring at the ceiling, trying to collect myself. Sighing, I pulled myself up, laying my back on the wall behind me, after confirming that my arm was set in its correct position, I stood up, reaching to start packing the plates, then I found the Alpha standing by the table, staring at me, fury evident in his face.

Oh, fuck I thought, what did I do now?