A life of pain

LIA’S POV

“Where the hell is she?!”

My heart thunders in my chest as the sound of footsteps gets nearer. I move the porcelain dish from one trembling hand to another. If I break Aunt Maya’s plate, I can’t imagine the consequences. 

The door to the little kitchen bursts open, shaking the house, or maybe I’m the one shaking. 

“You!” She marches towards me, her face red, with fingers jabbing forward. I move back a step. 

“You slimy bitch! What did you say to Alpha Lucas?!” 

What? 

My eyes catch movement at the doorway, Elizabeth. Those sickly blue eyes meet mine, her lips pulled in a satisfying smirk. My heart drops. 

Aunt Maya raises her arm, but I don’t have enough time to brace myself before it comes down fast, on my face. I stagger backwards, my hands strambling to grip the counter. But trust my luck, my hand slips, the shattering sound of porcelain fills my ear before I hit the ground. 

I feel the shards cut into my skin, stinging, and my eyes fill with tears. But I don’t dare let them drop. It would only make matters worse. 

“Answer me!” She yells, standing over me with not an ounce of pity. 

“I… “ I swallow hard. “I have no idea what you are talking about.” I force out. 

“Liar!” Eliza snaps. “My Alpha Lucas won’t let me accompany him to the mating ball and that is only after someone saw you talking to him.” 

I try to stand, but this only worsens the pain. 

“I swear, I don’t know what you are talking about.”  

“You really think a worthless omega like you can take my daughter’s place?” Aunt Maya sneers.

My mouth opens before I can stop myself, “I am not an omega.” 

Her eyes darken, her tone turning scary, “What did you just say?”  

I don’t have the nerve to repeat myself, but the damage has already been done. A single tear drops as my eyelids close, my body welcomes the familiar pain of Aunt Maya’s foot. 

I remain as still as I possibly can as my mind drifts off to a time when I didn’t know the meaning of pain. 

“Papa! See!” My little feet kick through the snow as I rush to show Papa my newest treasure. 

He peeks at my fingers. “Woah!” He gasps dramatically, making me giggle. “A butterfly in the winter?!” 

“Yes, Papa!” I jump in excitement. “Can she become our new family? I want to be her mama!”

“Okay, princess, whatever you want.” 

“Yayyyy!” I run around in little circles with no worries in the world. “We will all live together forever and ever and ever, isn’t that right, Papa?” 

“Definitely, princess.” I squeal with joy as warm hands grab me and throw me in the air, warm hands that were always there to catch me. 

Until they weren’t there anymore. 

A hard kick to my stomach forces me back to the present, my eyeballs bulge, my mouth falling open in a silent gasp. She leans down, her cigarette breath hitting my face like another hard slap with a sting almost as sharp as the pain from my most likely bruised ribs. 

“You are nothing but a worthless omega and when my daughter becomes Luna. I  will make sure you are thrown out into the woods, just like you did to my brother, right, darling.” 

“Yes, mommy. I can’t wait. The omega stinks up the pack already.” Elizabeth sneers. 

“Bloody bitch. Broke my fucking plate.” With one black kick, she turns around and walks out of the kitchen, her daughter trailing after her. 

Only then do I let myself breathe. 

The sun has begun to set when I’m finally able to step out of the house, perfect since nighttime is my favourite part of the day. 

“Lia! Lia!” James, the son of a pack omega who happens to be my only friend, calls out from behind a heap of hay. 

I walk towards him, trying and failing to hide the new limp. 

“Why are you hiding?!” I ask. 

“Shhh, quiet.” He places a chubby finger on his lips and pulls me down beside him. I wince as a sharp pain shoots through my ribs. 

“Why are we whispering?” I whisper. 

“Because we have to be quiet, silly.” He giggles, his voice even louder than mine. 

“Why do we have to be quiet?” 

“My mama’s going to find me.” He says, “I don’t want her to make me go to the park house again.” 

James has always accompanied his mother to work at the park house, he tried to hide it, but I know he gets bullied too. 

I grab his hand, “Do you want to get out of here?” I whisper and he nods eagerly. 

“Come on.” I hide another wince as I stand. Pulling my hair to cover my face, I walk briskly towards the edge of the woods, James trailing behind. 

Unfortunately for me, unlike other werewolves, my body heals itself only a little faster than a human’s and my scars never disappear. 

“Isn’t that the Silver girl?” 

My stride falters at the sound of my name. 

“The girl whose father was killed by the hybrid?”  

The skin on my arm tingles, and I push my hair to cover even more of my face. But for some reason, my steps halt. My feet are unable to move, to save me from this, to save me from listening to my greatest pain reduced to casual gossip.

“Killed?” Someone scoffs, “More like butchered? I heard they found his body torn into several pieces deep inside the woods.”

“Is the hybrid even real?” 

“Of course it is! No other creature could have done that?” 

“What if he comes back for her? He can kill the entire pack.” 

“Shouldn’t she get kicked out or something? Her very presence here is endangering the entire pack.” 

The feeling of eyes burning into me gets even stronger, the contempt in their voices leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. My hand moves to my chest as my heart constricts, the pain far greater than any physical pain. My vision blurs as I try to hold myself upright. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

It’s nothing I’ve not heard before. 

The alpha let me stay in the pack as an omega— but what do I do if he changes his mind? 

No werewolf can survive alone in the wild. If I get kicked out, disconnected from the pack link, I’ll be lost forever. I will become what every wolf fears the most— a rogue. 

That is, if the hybrid doesn’t kill me first. 

I feel small, chubby fingers intertwining with mine, pulling me forward, grounding me, so I hold on to it, letting my ten-year-old only friend lead me to our favourite spot.  

Away from the voices, and everything is at peace.

For now.