3

  "Took you long enough to heal," Father snaps as I stand motionless in front of his desk.

   He stands up and moves to stand beside me. My body shivers uncomfortably and he growls.

  "The doctor said a week. You took two. Fucking pitiful," he growls lowly before punching me in the stomach.

  My body curls in on itself instantly and I cough as the wind gets pushed from my lungs.

  "Get in your cage," Rupert snaps, and I walk toward my silver bars quickly.

    He closes and latches the door behind me as I curl up into a ball. I wish I had stayed hurt. Better yet I wish I hadn't woken up.

  "Don't think you got out of training! You will be out there this afternoon," Father growls as he heads for the office door.

"Yes, Alpha," I whisper as the door clicks behind him.

*****

"This time I want to see if keeping you alive has been a waste. You aren't allowed to stop until one of your opponents either bleeds or forfeits," Father says and three of his men step onto the training mate.

  Kids my age and younger have been brought out to watch me fight this time. They are looking at me with a mixture of curiosity and hate. But I can't focus on them.

  "Go," Rupert orders and I try running at the male closest to me.

   He laughs and punches me in the face before I can lay a hand on him. As I hit the mat next to his feet I act. I kick his shin as hard as I can and surprisingly the bone snaps right in half. He screams as he falls to the ground clutching his leg and my other two opponents freeze. They look at their miserable friend and back at me as if we sprouted wings.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR GET HIM," Father yells, and the males instantly attack me.

  They pound my newly healed body into the mat until I am screaming for mercy. I can hear the pack kids crying over my screams and that only makes me more scared. Not for me but for them. Father hates kids who cry.

  "Stop," Rupert says slowly, and the blows halt.

  "Atticus, stand up," Father says, and I climb to my feet on trembling legs.

  "You aren't trying. You want to go back to that cozy bed in the clinic don't you," Father asks and I shake my head while I wipe my bleeding nose.

  He smirks at me before strolling toward a defeated looking female holding a baby.

   "You see this tiny baby, Atticus," Father asks as he strokes the infant's soft looking hair.

  I nod as my blood turns to ice.

"Her name is Adeline. She just turned a year old a few months ago. She looks just like you don't you think," Father says, and my heart squeezes in my chest as I realize the baby is another one of my sisters.

   He sees my terror and chuckles before lifting the infant into his arms.

  "You should fight hard my pathetic son... Because if you don't Adeline might get hurt," Father says, and the world around me slows.

   The beautiful girl in my father's hands turns her chubby face toward me and I see the face of my mother staring into my soul.

  I immediately turn around. I feel the fire burning through my veins as rage consumes me. I attack the first of my father's men with everything in me. I bite and scratch as he lands blows on my exposed head. I take one punch that makes me dizzy which scares me so I grab his nuts and yank. He screams bloody murder as the smell of iron fills the air.

  My father's last man runs and tackles me to the ground. His claws dig into my arms and his teeth elongate, but I ignore the obvious danger. I bite his forearm as hard as I can before kneeing him in the back. He arches slightly from the pain and I punch his Adams apple. He falls off of me coughing and I stand up as quickly as I can. I kick him in the side of the head and he falls to the mat unconscious. I breathe heavily as I realize I did it. I beat three of my father's men. I beat up grown males with wolves.

  "Well, would you look at that? Atticus only needed a little encouragement. KILL THE LOSERS. I don't need pathetic beasts who can't even win against a seven-year-old pup," Father shouts, and a few more of his guard run onto the mat.

They break the necks of the three men I barely managed to defeat and Rupert hands the baby back to the scarred female to the right of him.

   "I say you earned a trip to the lower level," Father says and I almost smile as I realize I will get to see Mother.

   He begins to walk and I follow him along with the scarred woman holding the baby. The trip to the lower level takes forever this time. But I remain quiet and keep my pace slow. I don't want Father to know how excited I am.

  When we finally arrive at the steel door that houses my mother Father halts. He turns back toward me and the females.

   "Give him the child... You have thirty minutes. Then it is time for your feeding," Rupert says and the scarred woman passes me Adeline instantly before disappearing.

  Father opens the steel door and I step into the twelve by twelve room my mother lives in. Her face instantly lights up as she sees me and Adeline standing there, but it darkens just as quickly when she spots my father behind us. 

  "You have thirty minutes, Mate. Don't get any ideas," Father growls before slamming the door closed.

  Mother wastes no time running across the room to scoop us into her arms.

  "Atticus! Adeline," she says as she cries and presses us into her bosom.

"Mother," I whisper happily as the warmth of her embrace soothes the new aches in my body.

  "I have missed you," Mother says after a few minutes.

She moves back to lay a small hand on my cheek and looks down at her daughter in my arms. She smiles sweetly which warms my fragile heart.

  "I see you finally met your little sister," Mother says as she lifts Adeline from my arms.

  I nod and watch her as she cuddles the small child against her chest.

  "I fell pregnant after your father last brought you... He wasn't pleased. I was frightened he would kill her, but so far he hasn't. But he has used her against me... I have two weaknesses now," Mother says softly and I move to her side.

  She takes my hand in hers and sits down on her bare mattress. She rotates between looking at me and Adeline every few seconds as if she can't decide who she wants to look at more.

"Mother... I killed someone," I whisper after a few minutes of silent observing.

Mother nods and looks at me but this time with sad eyes.

  "I know, Sweetheart. I heard. The males down here like to hurt us in more ways than one," Mother replies softly, and tears well up in my eyes.

  "She was my half-sister... I am a monster," I manage to choke out and Mother wraps her free arm around my head.

  She presses my face back into her bosom and quietly shushes me.

"It's okay, baby. It's okay. You freed her. She isn't down here anymore. Her spirit is free," Mother says gently as I cry into her shirt.

  "The men down here are evil. She wasn't living a good life. You freed her from the pain of this life," Mother says after I continue to cry for a few more minutes.

    Finally, I sit up and wipe my swollen face. She watches me with a small smile.

  "Whatever you end up having to do, Atticus remember you aren't him. You wouldn't do any of it if he wasn't making you," Mother says quietly and I nod.

   She nods back and gives me a megawatt smile.

  "So tell me, how is training? I see the bruises," Mother says and I touch my sore cheek 

  "I won today. I won for Adeline... He threatened to hurt her. I beat up three of his men," I say proudly as I look down at my baby sister now asleep in Mother's safe arms.

  "He... He threatened her," Mother asks and I nod.

  "Yes. He pointed out her resemblance to me and said she might get hurt if I lose," I answer softly, and mother grabs my hand, hard.

  I look up at her in surprise. She has never grabbed me harshly before.

  "Thank you, Atticus. Thank you for fighting to protect your sister... One day when I am gone you are going to be all she has. Protect her as best you can. She is your full sister. Your blood matches hers. You stay alive and you keep her alive, promise," Mother asks and I nod my head quickly.

"I promise, Mother. I will always protect her," I vow as the steel door begins to slide open.

I stand with my eyes locked on the two most important people in my life. My father doesn't exist as I walk toward him. Only my mother and sister exist to me now.