Chapter 6

ANNA

I walked into my home, feeling happy and content after my date with Nico. However, my happiness was short-lived as my mother Estella appeared out of nowhere and grabbed me by my hair.

I cried out in pain as my mother pulled my hair, and I struggled to break free from her grasp. “Mother, stop! It’s painful! Did I do something wrong? Why are you hurting me?”

But Estella's response left me speechless. "You're a manwhore and a flirt, Anna!" my mother said with disgust. "You don't have any right to date a guy, you can’t have a mate! Bear that in your brainless mind!”

I was taken aback by my mother's words. I couldn't understand why my mother was so angry and why I wasn't allowed to have a mate. I am already 18. Other she-wolves the same age as me already found their wolf. I tried to explain to my mother that Nico was just my best friend, but my mother didn't believe me.

"You can't fool me, Anna!” Estella said. "I saw you with him, and I know what you're up to."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I knew I had never been close to my mother, but now it felt like she was a complete stranger. I didn't know what to do or say, so I just stood there and cried.

Estella continued to berate me, calling me names and accusing me of things I had never done. I felt like she was being attacked from all sides, and I couldn't take it anymore.

"Why can't I date, Mom?" I asked, tears streaming down my face. "Why can't I have a wolf like everyone else?"

Estella looked at me with disgust and shook her head. "You don't understand, Anna," she said. "You can't have a mate. Your life belongs to us. You have a debt to us. I give you clothes, feed you, give you a roof. You will work for us until the rest of your life. Our death is the only way you can escape from this hell life,” She smirked devilishly.

I didn't understand what my mother meant by that. “Mom…? I don’t understand at all…” I sobbed.

“Oh, I’m sure you know what I mean, Anna. Unless you are have no brains just a face,”

I had never heard anything like it before, and I didn't know how to respond. I tried to reason with my mother, but Estella was too angry to listen.

Instead, she dragged me to my bedroom and pulled out an old, faded big dress. "You should wear this instead," she said, throwing the dress at me. "And don't wear anything fitted when your father is around."

I was hurt and confused. I couldn't understand why my mother was so against it if someday I would find her wolf. She’s supposed to be happy, since there will be someone who will take care of me. Why was she trying to control what I wore? I couldn't believe that my own mother would treat me like this.

"You're doubting me and father?" I asked, my voice shaking. "You're doubting your own family, mother?”

Estella rolled her eyes and left me in my room, closing the door behind me. “You talk too much! Your voice is so irritating! Just wear this, or else, you’ll regret it,” I was left alone, feeling hurt and confused. I couldn't believe that my mother was so malicious, and I didn't know what to do.

As I looked at the faded dress in front of me, I realized that I was trapped. Trapped in a world where she couldn't be myself, where I couldn't love who I wanted, and where I couldn't be happy.

But despite all of this, I knew that I couldn't give up. I had to fight for what I believed in, and I had to stand up to my mother. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but she was determined to do whatever it takes to change my fate.

With that thought in mind, I wiped away my tears and put on the old, faded big dress. I knew it wasn't what I wanted to wear, but I didn't want to give my mother the satisfaction of breaking me.

I knew that she had a long road ahead of myself, but I was ready to face whatever came my way.

I made my way to the kitchen to prepare dinner, trying to push my mother's words out of my mind. But as I started cooking, I couldn't help but feel uneasy. My mother's accusations had left me feeling violated and exposed, and I couldn't shake the feeling of being hurt.

Minutes later, I was setting the table when I noticed my father standing behind me, smirking. I could feel his gaze on me, and it made me shiver with discomfort.

"I know your mother steals your money, you know," he said, his voice low and suggestive.

I didn't say anything, hoping he would just leave me alone. But he didn't.

As I was getting plates from the cabinet, I felt his hands on my arms, his fingers tracing up and down my skin in a way that made me sick to my stomach.

I knew this wasn't the touch of a father to his daughter. This was something else entirely, something twisted and wrong.

I tried to calm down, to ignore him and focus on the task at hand. But my father wasn't going to let it go.

"You're so beautiful, Anna," he said, his voice thick with desire. "You know that, right?"

I felt like I was going to be sick. This wasn't happening, not to me. Not in my our home.

But then my mother walked in, her eyes narrowing as she saw my father touching me. She was livid, her face twisted in anger.

"What the hell do you think you two are doing?" she spat at my father, her voice cold and menacing.

He backed away from me, his hands falling to his sides. But the damage had already been done.

I felt dirty, violated, and humiliated. My own father had touched me in a way that no father should ever touch their daughter, and I couldn't shake the feeling of disgust that washed over me.

“I was right all along. I know you’re a flirt. A bitch. A prostitute. Anna, you deserve this!” Before I could dodge it, my own mother, Estella, slapped me so hard that my vision went blurry. I couldn't believe what was happening. I was accused of flirting with my own father, Philip. My own mother called me a flirt and a bitch. I couldn't wrap my head around it. How could she think that of me?

“Mother, no. You’re wrong—” Before I could even defend myself, Estella slapped me hard again across the face. The sound echoed through the room, and I could feel the sting of it on my cheek. I tried to back away, but she grabbed me by the arm and pulled me towards her.

"You think you can just walk around here and seduce my husband while I’m away? You're nothing but a dirty little flirt," she spat at me, her face twisted with anger.

I could feel the tears starting to well up in my eyes, and I tried to protest, but my mother wasn't listening. She kept hitting me, over and over again, and all I could do was beg for her to stop. I pleaded with her, begged her to listen to me, but she was too blinded by her rage.

“Mother, please stop! It’s painful! I’m telling the truth, please!” I begged my heart out.

“You’re not content with that young boy. And now, you wanted to try it with your father? How low can you get, huh?” She pulled my scalp and put my face on the ground.

Philip, for his part, just stood there like an innocent sheep, pretending like he had nothing to do with any of it. 

“Honey, I’m not doing anything. It was Anna who went to me and touched me. She even pressed her body against me,” He said in a very innocent tone.

Damn! My father is even trying  to convince Estella that it was me who was trying to seduce him, but I knew that was a lie. Just thinking of seducing my own father throws me up.

As Estella continued to beat me, I could feel my strength starting to give out. I was begging and crying for help, begging her to stop, but she just kept hitting me. I even called out for my mother, hoping that she would come and help me, but it was my father who touched my arm.

"Estella, that's enough," Philip said, trying to pull her away from me. But she just shook him off and kept hitting me, her rage boiling over.

It wasn't until I passed out that she finally stopped. When I came to, I was lying on the ground, my head pounding and my face bruised and swollen. I could hear Estella and Philip arguing in the background, but I didn't have the strength to move.

It wasn't until later that I found out the full extent of the damage. I had a concussion, several broken ribs, and a fractured cheekbone. They didn’t even bring me to a Hospital. They just kept me in my bedroom and I received lots of bad words for not being able to get work. I was barely able to move, while Estella tried to justify her actions to anyone who would listen.

But I knew the truth. I knew that I had done nothing wrong, that I was just a victim of her jealousy and rage. And even though it took me a long time to recover, I never forgot what had happened to me. I never forgot the way that my parents had treated me, and I made sure that someday, my life will change. 

It had been ten days since the incident with my mother and father. Ten days of being bedridden, trying to recover from the injuries that they had inflicted upon me. But now, I was finally well enough to return to work at Mrs. Chad's home.

I was nervous as I approached the gate, wondering what Mrs. Chad would say when she saw me. But I never expected her to be so cruel.

As soon as she saw me, she started mocking me and degrading me. She told me that I was already fired and that I couldn't expect to still have a job after being gone for ten days. I tried to explain that I was sick, but she just smirked and said that she knew the real reason for my absence.

"You think I don't know what happened?" she said, her voice dripping with disdain. "Your mother beat you for flirting with your own father. And now you come crawling back here, expecting me to take you back?"

I tried to clear my name, but Mrs. Chad wasn't interested in hearing my side of the story. She closed the metal gate, cutting me off from the outside world.

"I won't accept someone who would also flirt with my husband. Now, go. I never want to see your face ever again, you understand? Shooo!” she said, her voice cold and final.

I was stunned. How could she think such a thing? I had never even looked at her husband in that way. But Mrs. Chad seemed convinced of my guilt.

I left their house, tears streaming down my face. I couldn't believe what had just happened. Not only had I lost my job, but now Mrs. Chad had tainted my reputation as well. And I knew what would happen when I got home.

My parents would be furious that I had lost my job. They would see it as yet another failure on my part. And they would probably beat me again, just like they had before.

As I walked home, I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I didn't know how I was going to survive without a job. I didn't know how I was going to face my parents again.

But I knew one thing for sure: I would never be able to work for Mrs. Chad again. Not after the way she had treated me. I would have to find another job, somehow. And I would have to do it quickly, before my parents found out that I was jobless.

I didn't know what the future held for me. But I knew that I couldn't let my parents or Mrs. Chad get the best of me. I would have to be strong and persevere, no matter what. And I would have to do it alone.