The Luna Phoenix

Memories

Priscilla Matthews was having a nightmare about her past, when she would be regularly beaten for failing to do everything her parents would demand she do in a day. Every day it was the same thing, where she would work as hard as she could, and be whipped when evening came. From the time she could stand and walk she was always forced to do things her siblings never were, and they had every right to pile on to her massive workload whenever they wanted.

Until she was 10 years old she had never known what it felt like to have the sun shine on her skin, or what it meant to dance in the rain. Her parents had forbidden her from going anywhere out of the house, and the one time she broke this rule was when she was 7 and was whipped so badly she could not sit for half a month.

It wasn't until she was 10 years old and the school year had just started when the Alpha came to their home, and discovered that after her birth she had been hidden away.

The investigation showed that her parents had testing done on all of their children, and the doctors had informed them that while she had all the genetic markers of a Werewolf, she would never have a Wolf or be able to make the change. That was when Alpha Alexander forced her parents to enroll her in the Pack School, and she had to fight tooth and nail to catch up to the education level of the kids her own age.

Even school however was not a safe place for her, as her siblings ensured that all of the kids knew exactly what she was and why she had been hidden away. They however learned quickly that except for her siblings, she had no problem showing the other kids who could survive no matter what was thrown at her. The Alpha's oldest son had learned that lesson the hard way when he tried to say she couldn't hit him because of who he was, before she broke his nose because he was hitting her. Unlike the other children who had been taught to treat all of the Alpha's family with reverence, she had not, and because of it had no problem beating him soundly anytime he and his friends began torturing her.

By the time they had their first assessment at 14, she had already learned to fight multiple opponents and was put into the Advanced Combat Class with the others who were Naturals at fighting. She was glad as this would ensure she would never be in her father's class as Beta Daniel taught the Advanced Class until some of them would advance to the Expert level. Despite all of her achievements, it was not enough to end the bullying, just ensured when they tried to beat her up, they failed miserably.

That was when it shifted to her when she was 16, and the last one of the kids in the house as her older sister had just left for college, and her brothers had been gone for several years. The beatings at home became more sever until the day she began fighting back even against her father, and broke his jaw and arm for what he had been doing to her. Her body was already covered in scars, as he was careful not to mark anywhere she would expose to the world. He also knew not to whip her so badly she couldn't sit, as that would make the teachers wonder what had happened when she had no reported injuries.

Her eyes flew open during the last whipping she had ever received when she broke his restraints and caught the whip and turned it on him. She had no idea how long she had whipped him, but by the time she was finished he was a bloody mess and she couldn't lift her arm. It had been during the summer break from school, and it had taken nearly a month before he was able to perform his duties in the Pack.

It was also the last time either of her parents spoke to her, as when she ran from the house she had taken the whip with her. She had found a place to call her own in the Pack lands, and had kept it there along with the few valuable things she had. Despite it being what had caused all of her scars and a good deal of pain, she also knew it had provided her the small amount of Freedom she had now. Without what she had done that day, she knew her father would have continued to do whatever he wanted, no matter how much she paid for it, or what she did to avoid it.

Now she did the bare minimum of cooking, cleaning and laundry, making sure the house was always clean for any guests that might come over. The rest of her time she spent on homework and her own studies, especially her combat skills as she knew that was the whole key to her having the freedom to do what she wanted in the future. She had promised herself that no one would ever get the power he had over her, no matter what she had to do to prevent it.

It took her several minutes to calm down from the nightmare, and knew she would not be going back to sleep even though it was only two o'clock in the morning. So she did the one thing she could while she was in the basement. before she began making breakfast, and that was to train for the upcoming tournament. It would last all afternoon, and most likely into the evening as many of the Pack believed the future Alpha was the favorite to win the tournament.

Few of them knew however that she had easily beaten him and his friends for years, and that she had no intention of holding back today.

Her morning seemed to fly by as she was excited it was her last day of school, and her 18th birthday was just two days away when the full moon would be at its peak. So when she walked upstairs and was bathed in the waning light of the setting moon on its first day of fullness, she jumped when the voice first spoke to her.

'Shut the light off would ya, some of us need to rest.' it said as she used her enhanced vision to look around the dark main floor.

"Who's there?" she whispered to a light laugh in her mind.

'Not anyone out there silly girl, why in the world are you awake so early? It isn't even daylight yet.' the voice said again.

"Why do you care?" she hissed knowing she couldn't be loud or wake up her parents this early. They might not beat her anymore, but their punishments had become more sinister because of it.

'Because you aren't the only one living in here anymore, and some of us need our beauty sleep. I am Adira, your wolf stupid.' it said as her jaw fell open.

"I do not have a wolf." she hissed.

'No, I just couldn't come when you were younger because of some certain things. I have always been your Wolf, since the day you were born. Now it is finally time for us to be joined, and I for one am exhausted. However that is normal until the full moon, so don't expect me to be a great conversationalist until than." Adira said before Priscilla swore she could hear snoring in her mind as she began making breakfast.