The Run Before the Fall

The sound of paws were getting closer with every step she took. Her feet were hurting and so was her chest from the effort. If they catch her, she is definitely going to face the possibility of a thorough whipping before being sent to the elders.

“Leave me alone!” Elena screamed as she struggled on, despite her body threatening to collapse from exhaustion. “I won't do it…I don't care what your elders do or say!”

There was no response to her screaming, just an angry snarl and the continuous pounding of paws on the ground. She already knew who was leading the chase so diligently… Gideon, her older brother. He bullied her more than anyone else, and hunting her was one of his favorite hobbies, except it wasn't a game this time.

Caleb was definitely also with him. He was the quiet one, but had enough cruelty and evil in him to frighten a black witch.

She dodged a fallen tree, panting heavily as she struggled for breath. Her legs were already shaking, but she was too scared to stop… not with the fate that awaited her. The council had told her father that she was to be offered to Alpha Damon of the Nightshade pack, and like the Omega he was… he had no choice but to accept the decision.

But Elena wasn't her father, and being an Omega didn't mean she would allow herself to be traded off to a notorious bully of an Alpha like cheap commodity. She would rather die than allow herself to be forced into the hands of a monster.

Her thought was suddenly interrupted by a flash of fur to her right… Gideon.

“Oh no!” She exclaimed, trying to swerve to her left, only to see Caleb appearing from behind a huge tree with terrifying speed and running straight into her.

She hit the ground in pain, and everything blurred for a while as she tried to pull herself together. Before she could move, a heavy paw pinned her firmly to the ground.

“Are you done running?” Caleb mocked wickedly. “Come on, little sister. You'll run better if you can actually shift.”

“Get off! I said get off me!” Elena screamed, thrashing about under his weight.

As she got more angry, her entire body began to tremble, and a sudden heat started spreading all over her body. Her pulse increased rapidly, and her muscles began to spasm as if they were being pulled by an invisible string.

It was finally happening, and she could feel it. The power, the pull, and the stirring of her dormant wolf.

Gideon arrived just in time to see it too, and the mocking grin on his face vanished.

“Wait… is she…?”

Elena screamed again, much louder this time, and her body began to move on its own, as if a shift was forcing its way through her.

Her brothers stepped back in shock and fear as her body twisted and her nails began stretching. Something was happening, and it looked like Elena was about to finally awaken her wolf.

But it only lasted for a moment, and then… nothing.

She collapsed with a gasp, and the fire faded from her eyes just as quickly as it had come.

“No, no, no” she whispered desperately. “No, please…”

But it was no use. Her body was still human, and the power that had reared its head had simply retreated like a coward. She was still the same old Elena... Powerless, broken, wolfless.

Gideon began the laughter slowly, then Caleb joined in. Soon they were holding their stomachs like it was the funniest thing they had ever seen in their lives.

“Oh Moon above, I thought she was really about to do it this time!” Gideon said as he roared with laughter, grabbing her hair and forcefully dragging her to her feet. “Did you see her face? It was like she actually believed it was gonna happen!”

Elena pushed weakly at his hands, but Caleb quickly grabbed her hand and twisted it violently behind her back until she cried out in pain.

“You have always been a pathetic disgrace,” he hissed in disgust. “You should be happy an Alpha is actually willing to take you as his toy.”

They dragged her with them like a sack full of garbage, not even allowing her to walk. Elena stumbled behind them, tripping and falling multiple times, only for them to drag her up again without mercy.

By the time they got to their house in the Omega quarters of their packs estate, her body was completely drained of every single energy but the defiance never left her bruised face.

Her father was waiting for them, and the moment he set eyes on her, his eyes darkened like a storm cloud about to explode. He said nothing at first, just regarded her thoughtfully for a while before unleashing a backhand so hard it sent her crumbling to the ground with a split lip.

“You selfish little brat,” he roared. “Are you trying to get us all killed?”

But Elena was already sitting up weakly, still not ready to yield. “I'm not a slave…You had no right…”

The words were knocked out of her mouth with another savage blow, this time from her father's boot. She tried to rise again, but the pain in her body sent her back to the ground… bleeding.

Her mother was standing by the door, unmoved by the drama playing out in front of their house, focusing instead on the cigarette in her hand.

“Do you think anybody gives a shit about your feelings?” Her father roared again, stepping over her like she was a piece of filth. “Do you think any Omega has a say in the Alpha and Elder's decree? We raised you like every other wolf, exercised patience with you when your age-group wolves were shifting before they could even speak. And now that you're supposed to repay our efforts and have a chance to be something useful, you choose to shame us.”

“You're about to sell me off like cattle to a monster,” Elena shot back from the ground, her voice still stubborn despite the damages she had received.

“Shut your filthy mouth!” he snapped back at her. “We're only trying to do you a favor by giving you to someone who may actually find you useful as a breeder.”

“I never asked for your help!” She screamed at him.

Her father knelt down beside her and grabbed her jaw roughly. “Listen to me carefully, Elena. If you ever pull a stunt like that again before Alpha Damon's arrival, I'll do you the favor of cutting off your miserable head and presenting it to the elders instead. And believe me, the Alpha will thank me for the effort.”

Tears gathered in her eyes, but Elena pushed them back. She wasn't going to give her heartless father the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

But her father still wasn't done. “Damon Grey may not even find you worthy of mopping his floor, so you better hope he finds something about you tolerable, or else you'll be dinner for his dogs.

With that he was gone.

The only sound left behind was her labored breathing, and her brothers echoing laughter as they followed their father and mother inside.