Hungry Lion

Usually, after I was done with cooking for the Alpha’s family, I would dish the food unto the plates, and I would have to stand by whenever Alpha Barak and his family members were eating, and until the last person on the table finished their meal, I mustn’t leave the dining room. Menelik was a slow eater, I guess he often deliberately eat slowly, to make sure I wait on him for some extra minutes. 

It was crystal clear that Menelik was my biggest adversary.

When he was finally done with his meal, I heaved a sigh of relief and I started to pack the used plates and utensils onto a tray. 

Menelik was still seating on the dining table, slowly sipping water from the glass cup.

While I proceeded to the kitchen, I gaped at Menelik's face. His face was unreadable, but it seemed that he was up to something, I just couldn't pinpoint my speculation.

While I was still staring at his face, I missed my steps, and in a split second, I tripped and fell. The ceramic plates that I was carrying, also fell down, and they broke into pieces.

As the ceramic plates fell off my hands, “BANG!” they made a loud noise, upon landing on the ground, and broke into pieces. 

Almost immediately, I heard a loud growl, and I instantly knew that Menelik was coming to scold me, for either unintentionally breaking a plate; or probably for disturbing his peace. 

And I was right, seconds later Menelik was right before me. He raised me to my feet, dragging me by my two ears, and “GBAM! GBAM!” He landed two heavy knocks on my head. It seemed like, a hole was being dug, in my head, but I didn’t cry. I no longer cried, whenever he assaults me like this, I was already used to the beating. I guess it frustrates him and makes him want to hit me more, and that in turn makes me happy. 

“You, cursed bitch, destroy anything in this house again, and I would surely give you a mark on every part of your body.” He growled, with his mouth twisted up on one side. Fury spilled over inside him, like a pan of boiling milk, but I just stared at him, blankly.

“Look at how she’s staring at me, have I not told you not to look me in the eye whenever I’m talking.” He snarled, but I still maintained my strong eye contact with him, “you didn’t hear what I just said, right?" 

A violent red-hot solar flare of rage effortlessly streamed from Menelik, and he landed a heavy slap on my flushed cheeks, that left a mark of his five fingers as a souvenir.

He slapped me again, and this time, the slap sent me rolling on the ground. I fell on the broken pieces of the ceramic plate, and given the speed at which I landed, some pieces of the plate managed to pierce into my skin, and instantly gave me bruises all over my body.

Malik hurried into the scene. I gazed at his face, and with his grumpy frown, I could see dissatisfaction written boldly all over his face, but he couldn't do anything to stop Menelik from bending down, to violently hit my head on the broken pieces of ceramic plates. 

Menelik repeatedly jammed, my fragile head against the sharp ceramic particles, until I passed out.

****

I woke up, and I opened my eyes slowly, my vision was blurry and all I could see was white. I thought to myself, is this the afterlife, because if this is the afterlife I wouldn't mind staying here forever. 

In a few seconds, my vision got better, and when I saw the bright sky outside of the window, I could decipher that I was still alive.

I looked around, and I observed that I wasn't in the room, I was used to sleeping in. So, I wanted to stand up to observe my surroundings but I was too weak to stand, and it seemed like I had slept for so long.

 

I looked at the ground, and I was far from the ground, I was laid on a comfortable elevated structure and I was astonished because I was used to sleeping on a mat. It was a long long time ago, since when I last laid on a bed. So, I was happy to sleep on it. I pressed my back against it to feel the soft texture, again. 

I scanned the room, and I felt at ease with the state of things. I reassured myself that there was no need to panic. But I mentally pinched myself. I refused to believe that this was normal. This place has to be the afterlife, and if it's a dream I don't want to ever wake up.

I was still buried in my thoughts, when I suddenly saw a person wearing a light blue apparel, standing before me. I was shocked to the bone and marrow; I flinched, and I immediately sat up. The power, I thought I didn't have came from nowhere.

"Oh, did I scare you?" She asked, with a smile curved up on the corners of her mouth.

"Yes, you did," I responded, with my heart still pounding fast. Her smile made my mind to be at ease.

"I'm sorry. That was unintentional." She said. "I thought you saw me when I made my entrance."

"Please, where am I?" I asked. Now that I could sense that she was not here to harm me, I wasn't interested in any other thing than to confirm if my assumption about my current location was true or false.

 

"You are at the Lakewood pack clinic." She replied.

"Damn." I yelped. I was immediately irritated when the harsh reality of waking up in Lakewood pack dawned on me. I guess my injury was so severe to the extent that I needed to be resuscitated and treated at the pack clinic.

"What's the problem?" she inquired.

"No-nothing," I replied, but my facial expression was saying the exact opposite of my statement.

"Hmm," She heaved a sigh. 

"I am Fiona, and I'm the nurse that's assigned to oversee you." She stated. She came closer to me, and examined my face, before continuing her speech, "The pack doctor carried out surgery on your face and head, he removed broken pieces of ceramic that were littered on your skin. The shards pierced deep into your facial skin was disfigured your face, thank Goddess that the shards did not penetrate your skull and get into your brain, if that had happened, it might have been another story entirely."

I listened attentively to Fiona, as she recounted what I looked like when I was brought to the clinic, I was unhappy, tears began to form on my face, and it only reminded me how it'll have been better to be dead than to go through hell every day.

When she talked about the moon Goddess, I look up to the ceiling and thought to myself, 'Wow she's even thanking the goddess for me, does the moon even goddess exist? If she does exist and she's as powerful as they say she is, then she wouldn't have allowed me to unintentionally murder my father, she wouldn’t have watched on while I was being bruised, persecuted, and battered for the villain I never... Well, if I rightfully deserve death, then so be it. Let me just go for fuck’s sake… Nah! I don’t believe it; the moon goddess doesn't exist.'

"She does exist, Calista," Fiona said, as she extended her hand to wipe the tears that were already streaming down my face.

"Did I say something?" I flinched; I didn't know that I was talking out loud. I was jolted back to reality by Fiona's Statement.

"Yes, and I heard everything you said." She retorted. "Look, I want you to dump the notion that the moon goddess doesn't exist. Anything you are going through right now would soon go away, it's just for a moment…"

"Just for a what?" I interrupted Fiona. "Do you know how long, how many years that I have suffered without a cause at the hands of these wicked…"

"I'm sorry dear. I totally understand where you're coming from, and what you are going through.” Fiona paused. She shook her head in pity, and said, "but I don't know why werewolves chose to be this wicked to each other. Well, I am going to give you some new threads to spice up your wardrobe. Right now, from your dress alone, anyone that sees you would be able to tell that you're not living the good life, but that needs to change, so the threads would come in handy."

"Thank you. I'm grateful for your concern." I beamed. 

"No, it's nothing. Don’t thank me, I am just doing my job." Fiona replied, she knew the gifts meant a lot to me. "So, they're going to bring you some food now. Make sure you eat, so you'll be strengthened, and your healing would be accelerated."

"Thank you, so much." I beamed again, but Fiona just smiled as she trotted out of the room.

When Fiona left, some of her words flashed in my head and I was left wondering if there was more to those words. Do they have some hidden meaning that I just can’t seem to grasp, because when I thanked her for promising to gift me some new threads, she replied saying, “I’m just doing my job” Was gifting severely injured werewolves’ new threads, her new job description?

Then it dawned on me that the gifts were from Malik, Menelik’s younger brother. He was probably responsible for bringing me to the pack clinic. If it was left to Menelik, he could have probably left me, to rot in pain with broken shards of ceramic stuffed into my cheeks. After all, I was a slave, an omega, wolfless and useless to the pack, except for being her slave.

I could see through Malik, and I know that he doesn’t support his brother’s brutal actions towards me, but he also doesn't do anything to stop it, to avoid looking soft and weak. Wondering how I knew? I overheard him beating himself for not always standing up for the Slaves when they were being wrongfully tortured. Whenever I’m sick or injured, he would secretly send medicine and food to help me heal fast, but now that I was hospitalized, he thought to help me in a greater dimension. I know he’s responsible for this, but I’m not sure that he knows that I know.

Moments later, an older woman came to serve me food. It was sumptuous vegetables with roasted beef and mashed potatoes. I sat up, with my leg touching the ground. I bounced on the meal and devoured it like a hungry lion.