Chapter 4 - Years of Agony
Fourteen Years OldI groan as the banging on my door continues to resound within my room. I knew it wasn’t Blue because he was on his business trip, and it couldn’t be Axel because he and Serena were also on said business trip. Today is also Saturday, so there is clearly nothing important for now. Even training is off for today since the Elite members of the pack were away. I just wanted to sleep all day. Finally, the banging stops and I find the comfort of my warm bed in the still silence. Soon, I return to blissful sleep.
I jerk awake, gasping for air as the chill of ice-cold water snaps me away from dreamland. My pyjamas stick to my skin while my eyes frantically search for the culprit until I see Mia snickering a few feet away, with Leo smirking beside her. One of their lackeys—a Hunter-in-training named Adam—stands at the foot of my bed laughing and clutching a bucket that I assumed the ice water came from.
‘Of course, they would start their shit.’ I cannot help but think.
“Get off your ass and start cleaning my damn car, bitch.” Mia yells, her hand grabbing my wrist in a vice grip as she drags me off of my bed and throws me onto the floor. The loud thud of my body hitting the hardwood floor seems to be the sign that signals their group, as more wolves soon crowd into my room and throw torn clothes and a chore list at me, threatening to beat me up or worse if I didn’t do it all on time. It was not fair that I had to be treated like their punching bag and errand girl the moment Blue and the Elite left. All I wanted was a quiet Saturday morning, sleeping in and watching movies.
“Did you hear what we said, you idiot!?” Claws rake against my face and bring me from my thoughts of depression as I stare at her with hate-filled eyes. I knew if I talked back, Mia would do worse than claws to the face. She has done worse in the past. I nod in response, waiting for her to smirk in satisfaction before the group leaves. For a moment, I sit in the now-empty room before getting dressed and stripping the wet sheets off my bed. If I did not start the list now, I would not be able to eat lunch.
…Fifteen Years OldI cry out in agony as the whip lashes at my back. The skin had already torn open five lashes ago as warm blood flows down my back. Two days ago, Blue and the others had to leave for another business trip. Yesterday the elders decided to take a trip to the hot springs. This left Leo, Zack, and Mia in charge, which meant I was left alone to fend for myself.
Another lash brings me from my thoughts, and tears stream down my face. My wrists were raw from the chains chafing against the skin. The chains were the only things holding me up as my legs had given out about seven lashes ago.
“Do you know your mistake now, you useless bitch!?” Leo asks, his hand grabbing my hair and forcing me to look at him. The mistake he was talking about was dropping the tray of nachos I had baked for him and his friends.
“Leo, let her go, for crying out loud. It wasn’t anything serious!” A voice pleads as my eyes drift to the wolf being restrained. Maverick Night, the future Alpha of Crest Haven and Leo’s cousin, looks at me with worry-filled eyes as the wolves our age mock and laugh at me. But Maverick was right. If this continues, I know that my end would be near. It has been two days since I last ate anything, and for a wolf with an insanely high metabolism, this is a really bad thing. I’m starving, and even training isn’t as hard as this torture.
“She is our slave when Alpha Blue is away. Any small mistake Amberle makes is a big deal, Maverick.” I could hear the seductive tone in Mia’s voice as she trails her fingers down his chest. That’s a big mistake on her end. Maverick makes quick work of getting free from the Hunters under Leo’s control and incapacitating them before grabbing Mia and snapping both her wrist and forearm. Darkness begins to slowly creep into my vision as the last of my strength is almost depleted. The worst part of all this is that it is my birthday.
“Amberle, hang in there.” The chains rattle, and the pain in my wrists burns just as badly as the wounds on my back. No sounds came from me as silent tears of pain stream down my face. Everything hurts, and all I want is the sweet release of sleep or death. At this point, I’m fine with either option.
“Oh my god, Amberle!” The familiar voice of Blue reaches me. His fury was one that has even me whimpering with fear and wanting to curl up into a ball. What if they told him I made a mistake? Would my punishment be worse than the whip lashing?
“Uncle, I tried to stop them.” Voices were starting to become muffled. I could feel the darkness finally overcome me while the strain on my wrist is released and my body is cushioned. Maybe I would not wake up in this hell hole anymore.
The sound of beeping slowly stirs me from the darkness, as every nerve ending sends burning pain through my body. Tears start flowing, lessening the heavy feeling in my body. I let my eyelids open, only for the harsh light to make me wince and whimper in pain.
“Shit! Sorry, Amberle, give me a moment.” Blue’s voice is low and is the only other sound other than the insistent beeping. The rustling sound of movement is picked up by my sensitive hearing as Blue’s steps slowly grow farther away, only for them to come closer again. Confusion swirls in my mind as I wonder what is happening right now. All I remember is being whipped by Leo and Mia and a furious Blue shouting before darkness took over.
“The lights are turned down, so you can open your eyes now, sweetheart.” Blue’s voice is low and soothing, rebuilding my trust in him. I decide to believe him and open my eyes slowly. My vision is blurry at first, and the dimmed lights make it harder to focus on Blue, whose frame I can tell is just in front of me. Finally, my vision clears, and I’m able to see Blue clearly. His worried face and sleep-frazzled attire are the first things I notice. The next thing I notice is that my body is face-down with my back exposed to the air.
“Amberle, why did you let them do that to you? Why did you let them whip you?” His voice holds worry and exasperation as his hand takes mine. I could feel the tension in his body slowly release, causing me to wonder why he would be so stressed and wound up. I take a moment to think about what to say, but when I open my lips to speak, nothing comes out. My throat is dry and sore from screaming with pain. Every inch of my body still felt like fire was coursing through it.
“Just link me. You’ve been in a coma for four days, so speaking might be hard for you.” A straw fills my vision as Blue holds a glass up to me filled with what smelled like water, water that my throat and body openly welcomes as I gulp it down.
[They treat me like this all the time when you all leave for a business trip.] I answer truthfully, my eyes closing for a moment as the memories of every beating and lashing I’ve received between Mia and Leo.
“Show me what you mean, Amberle.” Blue pleads. My eyes open in realization that Blue was pleading to me, asking me to open up my mind and memories for him to see. So I do.
I flood the link between Blue and I with memories of all the beatings and punishments I received, on top of training and being starved. It was something I had become used to, and thought was normal. Only a select few wanted me in this pack. Most people either treat me indifferently or treat me like a slave when Blue and the other Elite members leave for a few days. Anger radiates off of Blue as I flinch from the memories, memories that cause the loneliness in me to grow into a bottomless abyss. The last memory I send is the incident before I ended up here, at what I realize is the pack hospital, as tears continued to flow down my face.
“Axel is on his way, but I need to leave and take care of the pack for what they have done to you. No one should have treated you like this, Amberle.” Blue whispers, fury radiating even stronger than before into the air as his Alpha instincts kick in. I could only slightly nod as he tucks a blanket around me and presses a button attached to the many IV tubes stuck into my body.
“Morphine. I know you are in extreme pain, and it will help you sleep. Rest well, Amberle, and get better soon. I will make things right and let the pack understand what happens after allowing the harm of a pack member behind my back. No one will hurt you now.” The burning pain in my body slowly calms down as drowsiness settles in. The door opens, and Axel walks in just before sleep overtakes me.
Chapter 5 - Three More DaysThe shrill sound of my alarm clock has me leaving my dreams to face a cruel reality ‘Another day in hell.’ I think as I fling back the covers and try my best to deal with the stupid alarm clock Blue gave me. When I hit ninth grade and started high school, he realized that I had a habit of sleeping past the ringing of my usual alarm clock and sleep in past my first class. It’s why he gifted me this amazing alarm clock—note the sarcasm. I hate this thing. In order to turn it off, I had to enter in a passcode, and my semi-awake mind rarely got it right on the first try. After what I assume to be three minutes and ten attempts at turning the device off, the stupid alarm stops, and the clock left me with silence. Did I mention that I hated this thing? With a sigh, I knew I had to start getting ready for school. Surprisingly, even though I slept in a lot during grade nine, I had managed to pass that year with an eighty percent average, and since then kept my
Chapter 6 - The Full Moon Rejection Wakey, wakey, Amber, and happy birthday, sweetie...The voice floats through the air as a remnant from my dream, and a soft smile graces my lips. The light from my window illuminates the picture of my parents on my desk, and I am reminded of my dream last night. In it, they were beside me as I blew out the candles of my cake, wishing me a wonderful birthday. I haven’t dreamt of them like that in years, and a small sadness settles in. But today is Monday. It also meant today is my birthday and that I’m now considered an adult. I could finally live my life my way without the worry of Mia and Zack trying to control me. Today will be a good day, and to top it all off, there will be a full moon tonight.The shrill of the stupid alarm rings, making me groan. I forgot that Monday also meant school. With a sigh, I sit up and fumble with the alarm clock. All I know is that when I graduate, the first thing I’m doing is smashing this thing with a s
Chapter 7 - Time Slowly HealsThe smell of freshly cooked pasta slowly fills the kitchen and extends into my living room as I pull a dish out of the oven and scoop a generous heap onto my plate. I do a once-over of the kitchen, making sure the oven and stovetop were off and that the dishes were in the dishwasher, ready to be cleaned when I’m done eating. I grab a bottle of water from my fridge and make my way into the living room. With a plate of food in one hand and the TV remote in the other, I settle into the plush sofa and surf Netflix, trying to find something entertaining to watch with my meal.It has been three months since I left my old pack—a decision I do not regret—and I had been lucky enough to find a house that the realtor described as a “mini-mansion” just inside neutral territory but hours away from Forest Paw. The best part about this place is the large greenhouse that I began using right away to grow fruit trees and vegetables. Since being rejected and becoming a rogu
Chapter 8 - Dealing with Beasts The night is eerily silent while my feet carry me through the tree canopy. Nocturnal animals were hidden away, causing dread to swell inside me. With how quiet it was, it meant the situation with the Soulless is worse than I thought. As I cross the northern border to the Blood Moon Pack territory once again for the night, the signs of struggle slowly grow below me with my eyes scanning the forest floor. You could usually sniff out the foul stench of a Soulless before you see them. Carefully sniffing the air, the scent of decay and rot reach my nose, causing me to feel woozy. I couldn’t help but use my black scarf to cover up my mouth and nose to rid of the stench I breathe in, stopping to lean on a trunk for support. I hated this stench.The sounds of growling reach my ears, indicating that I am close. I continue forward, making sure that the stench is filtered so as not to get sick off the scent of the Soulless, and continue to keep an eye
Chapter 9 - Saving an AlphaI waited for the next wave of attacks as the three Hunters circled around me. The leader of the Soulless group waited patiently in the background as large snarls are directed at me. I thought the Hunters would be the easiest to deal with, but it’s clear I was dead wrong. The Hunters were far more organized than the Trackers. Clearly, they had planned out their attack on how to wear me down. I hated it.The next wave starts, and I grin, this time prepared for their attack. I watched each wolf carefully, waiting to see who would go first. It seemed like everyone’s patience is wearing thin. The first one to make a move is the black wolf to my left. He leaps at me, his body high in the sky and I drop to my knees, my throwing knife cutting deep into his belly. He hits the ground dead, black blood pooling around his corpse.The second one runs at me, her fury escalating from the sight of the dead Hunter behind me. I guess those two were close. As the she-wolf get
Chapter 10 - Fateful EncounterThe warm sunlight surrounds me as I stare at the lake in front of me. The sound of waves gently crashing against the shore washes a sense of calmness over me as the soft breeze ruffles my long hair and pink sundress. Today, I am nineteen years old, and it has been one year since becoming a rogue. My heart still feels broken, but I am happy instead of feeling a shattering pain from the rejection. As pups, we are told that the first year after being rejected is the most difficult to overcome. Your sanity could shatter, or the pain of the rejection could physically kill you. If the mate that rejected you was selfish, they could cause more harm to you by having sex with other wolves after the rejection. I knew that pain all too well.But somehow, I managed to keep my sanity, even when I felt like giving in to the pain. I managed to survive a year alone as a rogue and even killed plenty of Soulless in the process. You might think that I’m cruel for killing an
Chapter 11 - Training Blood Moon Wolves “Seriously, guys, it’s only been an hour, and you’re all out of breath. Ten kilometres should be a warm-up for Trackers.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the scene before me as I casually lean against the sturdy maple tree behind me. An hour ago, Dominic had called all of the Trackers and Trackers-in-training to the training field and introduced me to all of them as the Head Tracker candidate. At first, some questioned his decision to bring a rogue into the territory, but when he mentioned my name and the fact I owned Fire Heart Bakery and Gift Shop, they soon quieted down and gave me the respect of an Elite wolf.Some wolves groan and fall to the ground as they try their hardest to catch their breath, while others start to puke whatever they had eaten for breakfast this morning. All I could say is how sad this sorry bunch of wolves looked with just a simple run that should have been a walk in the park for them. Clearly, this ans
Chapter 12 - Worst Nightmare Comes to Life "H.T. Amber." A voice calls out to me as I step out of my Mustang, the cold winter air nipping at any exposed skin not covered by my winter gear. I turn around to catch a Tracker jogging her way towards me, her warm breath fogging in the winter air and blonde ponytail bouncing up and down."Hi Lease, want to give me a hand with these?" I close the driver-side door and make my way to the back seat, revealing boxes upon boxes from my store’s bakery, my logo proudly showing."Sure, as long as I get some to snack on some too!" I chuckle when Lease’s stomach growls to punctuate her statement. I bend over to pick up a few cake boxes and hand them to her. These were some treats that I had made in advance for the pack while at my store. Business has boomed incredibly in the last year and a half after agreeing to Dominic’s request. Today has been busy, and all I wanted was to go home and sleep, but first, I have to make my usual appearance