A Scarred Human

Since then, I’ve become a human, a scarred one.

It's been two years since I lost my wolf. Rather than saying she died, it's more accurate to say she entered an indefinite slumber. I can sense her faint presence, but she can't make a sound.

Since that full moon night two years ago, my body stopped growing. I'm thin, with a flat chest and small hips that lack curves. My hair is dry, my skin is rough, and I have dark circles under my eyes. To make matters worse, I was left with a scar on the top of my head and no more hair grew there. I looked like I had a very serious illness. Many people thought I was under a curse.

During these two years, I endured countless injustices. The people in the tribe hated me. They loathed me for being a weak human. They loathe me for being an ominous person. They always made me do all sorts of menial jobs, and if I ever dare to protest, they would lock me up in a small dark room and beat me up. Without my wolf, I was no match for them. But I carried a small knife with me. If they push me too far, I won't hesitate to take them down with me.

My situation pains my mother greatly. She can do very little about it because my dad takes an indifferent stance on these matters.

 "I hate that man," I often confide in my mom. She always says that if not for my dad, I might not even be alive, and I should be grateful to him. Her words leave me speechless.

Why should I be thankful? Because he brought me into this endless hell? Because he's the reason I'm living a fate worse than death?

Since that night two years ago, I haven't spoken a word to him. The best thing to do is to ignore each other.

If there's something keeping me alive, it's Liam, Beta's son, my childhood sweetheart. He's tall, imposing, and handsome—a dream lover for women. We used to be the perfect couple in everyone's eyes, yet now, my looks, my power are completely unworthy of him. I'm grateful that he hasn't dumped me. Tomorrow is my eighteenth birthday. Please, Moon Goddess, let us be mates.

Carrying my backpack, I arrived at school. As I walked, people avoided me as if I were a plague. I had just walked over to my locker to get the textbooks I needed for this morning.

Nora, Alicia, and Liam walked towards me with their hands in their pockets and whistling. They surrounded me, blocking my path.

"Bitch, I remember tomorrow was your birthday." Alicia said maliciously, the scar I left two years ago was still faintly visible on her left cheek, "Whom do you expect to be your mate?"

"None of your business, please go away." I clutched my backpack against my chest, fearing they'd hit me.

"How dare you talk to us like that?" Nora yanked a handful of my thinning hair, causing me to squeal in pain, and then she asked Liam, "Do you think she'll have a mate?"

"I doubt it. It's hard to imagine anyone unlucky enough to be her mate," Liam jeered.

His words stung my heart. I wanted to ask him why he said something so hurtful, but I couldn't. He had demanded that I never reveal our relationship in front of others, or else I'd drag him down with me in the bullying.

　"Class is about to start, please get out of the way." I pleaded once more.

　"Sure thing," Nora said with a sly smile. I had a bad feeling—whenever she wore that expression, she was scheming something wicked.

　　I clutched my book bag and ran. Someone kicked me hard in the back and I fell on my back.

　　The sound of laughing came from behind me. Alicia came up and crouched beside me, slapping my face.

"Why are you in such a hurry? I haven't wished you an early happy birthday yet!" She said maliciously. Then, the three of them left.

After their footsteps disappeared, I finally got up from the ground. Brushing off the dust from my clothes and carrying my backpack, I didn't go to the classroom but headed for the restroom instead. It was already class time, and the restroom was empty. I put my backpack against the wall and sat down on the floor, breaking into tears. I wasn't crying over the fact that they were bullying me, I was used to being bullied and beaten, I was covered in scars and bruises. I was crying over Liam's words. Did he honestly think it was an unfortunate thing to be my mate?

I cried until my tears ran dry, until my head ached from crying too much. Standing up, I walked to the sink and stared at my reflection in the mirror – a thin and pale version of myself. There was a red scratch on the prominent cheekbone of my left side. I dampened a tissue with water and gently wiped away the dust from the scratch. It hurt, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

I stayed in the restroom until the first class was over, then quickly slipped out, avoiding the eyes of others. Taking advantage of the crowd, I sneaked into the classroom and sat in the last row, the far left corner. I placed my books and pen on the desk, pretending as if I had been there the whole time, though no one really cared whether I was present or not.

At 7 PM, Liam and I had a date in the forest. There were hardly any people around at night, so he didn't have to worry about being seen with me.

"Why did you say those things to me at school today? Do you really think I won't have a mate?" I angrily questioned him. His words from this morning had been bothering me all day. I wanted to hear him say he didn't mean it, and I hoped he'd tell me he was looking forward to being mates with me.

"I was just kidding. You know, at that time, I had to say something," he said indifferently, not taking it serious.

"I'm really hurt, Liam. I love you so much, I really hope we can be mates. But it seemed like you didn't care about whether we become mates or not," I held onto his hand, tears welling up in my eyes. He had joined the bullying team just to fit in. The harm he inflicted with a single sentence far outweighed all the injuries others had caused me.

"If my words hurt you so much, then I apologize," he patted my shoulder to comfort me, his tone still casual.

"Do you love me, Liam?" I choked out the question.

"If I didn't love you, why would I be with you? Look, you're not pretty, you're not strong, and people don't like you. Even though you're so pathetic, I'm still willing to be with you. What more could you ask for?" He sounded a bit impatient. His furrowed brow frightened me; I was scared he'd be angry with me.

"Thank you, you are so kind to me," I hugged him tightly.

"All right, don't overthink things. Let's get to the point. Waste no more time."

He patted me on the back and told me to turn my back to him, hold on to the tree trunk and pucker my ass. I heard the snapping sound of him undoing his belt and then he pulled down his pants and thrusted his manhood in my dry private part.

Ouch! It really hurt! Every time he did it, it hurt so much. He never does foreplay.

He grunted and gurgled and thrust, making mmmm noises from his mouth. And I'm a little out of it, unable to get into it at all.

"Liam. If we're mates, are you going to continue to hide our relationship?" I asked tentatively.

Snap! He slapped my ass hard and said in annoyance, "Do you have to be such a spoilsport?"

"I'm sorry," I said, a little lost, "can you come over to my house tomorrow morning for my birthday?"

"Yes, as long as you keep quiet for the rest of time." He grabbed me by the hair and opened up for one last hard stroke.