THE BROKEN LUNA

Chapter 6 : Thief?

Startled at the bold advice, Stella said, "That's not easy."

"Life isn't easy here either. You get beaten up, scolded and cursed each day. You got rejected too. And the man is still in this pack. He's a bully and they'll make your life a living hell this day forward. How will you survive? Leave the pack."

Stella calmly asked, "Leave and go where?"

The house was inexplicably silent. Nora had gone out to meet her friends and Nathan was out too. Titus was gone for work and Nancy to her friends group meeting to discuss the upcoming summit.

It was just Stella at home, closed off in the closet bedroom. Her small window indicated it was still morning and not in the afternoon.

A plate with two slices of stale bread was before her. They were about to go bad so they gave it to her. It's been a while since she ate.

Once the first bite went in, Stella couldn't stop. The hunger became a beast and devoured the bread within a few minutes. Leaving only minute crumbs on her fingers.

The stale bread tasted like a delicacy.

"Go anywhere. Becoming a rogue is better -"

"No. This is better." Stella countered immediately, "This is a lot better. They can abuse me, curse at me, beat me, but they cannot kill me. Not unless they can get away with it. A pack has certain rules. I may be an omega but I am a registered resident of this pack. As a rogue, these rules won't protect me. I can be killed off as soon as I step out of the borders. I need this security."

"They want to kill you!" Serena made a desperate attempt.

"They can hang me over the line of life and death but they will never have the confidence to push me off to the other side." Stella calmly explained.

Her hopes were pinned on the fact that a pack is an organised place. It won't be like rogues where they kill each other everyday and find a new victim the next day. Her father gave his life for her survival. Stella was determined to survive each day even if it meant coming close to death each day.

Rogues won't stop when she passes out. They'll kill her without hesitation. Stella wasn't strong enough to protect herself. She needed someone else to protect her. For the time being it was the Alpha. Unless she finds someone else for it, she wouldn't want the circumstances to change.

Serena was not a wolf without reason. She could feel what Stella was feeling. The suggestion of going rogue was one desperate attempt to leave the horrible environment of the house. However, Stella was right. It was far better than dying a gruesome death.

The days leading up to the Alpha summit were loud and exaggerated. The silver howl pack wasn't small by any means. It is situated on a vast expanse of land and houses more than a 1000 people.

Stella was able to see the preparations when she ventured out to get groceries. The store fronts were being cleaned, the pack house was being decorated and the pack hall was being prepared for gathering of the Alphas and pack members for the welcome party.

The weather was playing tricks recently. Although it should technically be the middle of winter, the air in the afternoon sun was hot and humid. The rain came unexpectedly in the evening and the night air was cold enough to freeze a person.

A couple of Alphas came early and were settled into the designated hotels. Some were on their way. Stella would get updates thanks to Titus and Nancy's obsession with the summit news.

It was always playing on the TV, giving them updates on who has arrived and who had not. They talked about who would be a better one for Nora, much to Nora's annoyance.

On the day of the summit most of the Alphas were already within the borders and so were the people who wanted to attend the summit. A large number of these people were those who worked closely with the Alpha and were involved in decision making for their own packs. The leading people in various industries were present. Some artists, professionals, business heads and what not. It was a huge event to say the least.

Stella was dusting the house on a stool when suddenly the TV came on in the living room and the sound of it took her by surprise. She managed to steady the stool, but it shook again.

Stella barely had the time to turn around and see Nathan pushing the stool before it went crashing down along with her.

It was a bad fall. The stool made a loud sound which attracted Nancy from her room. She was in the process of getting ready for the welcome party and was extremely pissed upon being disturbed.

"You can't do one thing right!" Nancy exclaimed. Her brown hair was puffed up in places and her makeup was half done. She resembled a villain.

Stella couldn't laugh though. Her leg and arm had crashed right into the floor and so had her head. She was severely injured a few days ago and now this. Her head spun in circles.

She was about to sit up and continue working when a sharp pain shot up her knees. It wasn't from the fall.

Nancy had grabbed a steel rod and hit her on the knees. Stella screamed, holding her knees and shielding them with her body. The steel rod then hit her back. The visible bones on her back were hit until Nancy was satisfied.

Heaving, she threw the rod away and pushed Stella out of the way. She went back to getting ready and also urged Nora to do so quickly.

Nathan kept watching the recent news as if nothing happened.

Stella was trembling. Her back hurts a lot. The fall itself was enough to make anyone want to rest for days. The steel rod added a lot more pain.

It still didn't compare to the pain of rejection. Stella told herself it was fine and stood up with the help of the wall. She picked up the stool and kept on dusting. This time being extra alert in case anyone tried to mess with her again.

Thankfully no one had the time to do it. Many pack members were invited to the welcome party and Titus managed to get an invite for his family.

Nancy threatened Stella to stay in her room without making a sound and left the house. Stella couldn't be happier to be left alone. Her entire body was throbbing with unimaginable pain. Not resting after getting hurt like that aggravated her injuries even more. As she got ready to shower and go to bed, she saw the bruises on her back.

Her entire back was colored black and blue, so were her arms and legs. There wasn't a single part of her body which didn't hurt.

Stella took a quick shower and returned to her small room. However, before she could close the door, she heard some strange sounds coming from above.

The bedrooms were closed, all the lights were switched off. Even the front door was locked by Nancy before leaving. No one should be at home except for Stella.

The sound was definitely coming from one of the bedrooms above. Stella hardened her heart and decided to check.

"Don't go. What if it's a burglar?"

"All the more reason I should check. They'll blame me for it too. The result will be unimaginable." Stella reasoned.

The stairs creaked as soon as she stepped on it. Stella kept her steps light and soon was in front of Nora's bedroom. The lights were off.

Stella placed her ear by the door and tried to listen. Short breath and a low creaking could be heard. It was hard to tell what the sound was.

Gulping down the nervousness, Stella decided to open the door and check when suddenly the sound stopped.

A low rustle came through and Stella was stunned. While she was still thinking about what to do, the door opened wide from inside. Stella's heart reached up to her throat.

Then she recognised the person as Nora. Stella was relieved. Ready to explain herself when she saw another figure behind her.

It was Austin.

Just seeing him brought back a large chunk of that pain back into her heart. It became so heavy that she much preferred it to beat out of her chest. Stella noticed their attire. As realisation dawned on her, she felt her cheeks hear up.

Nora was wearing a thin white shirt and nothing at the bottom. Austin was topless and wearing a pair of pants. The sounds suddenly had a meaning.