Whispers Of The Wild

The weakest link

It was a wet morning in Shadow-fang pack and the surrounding territories. The dawn after the downpour of the previous night. Something did feel refreshing about the sunlight, something new and liberating as opposed to the dense forest of thick trees that flank the pack on all sides. As the morning sun spewed her sunlight into the houses in the territory, it cast a special glow on the pack house sitting like a majestic lord in the center. The six-story mansion served as a house to the families of the Alpha, the Beta, and the gamma of the pack. Omegas flood the building, ready to serve their leader and his family-their sole purpose in Shadow-Fang.

Sighing for the umpteenth time, Nia Everhart glided her wrists across the glass table before her, wiping every trace of dirt from the surface. For her, it was another gloomy day- warm sunlight, or not. Soon after, the transparent furniture sparkles. Mentally ticking off this particular chore on the invisible to-do list in her brain, she turned and shuffled to the kitchen where the cook would need her help. Soon, the Alpha and his beta would come down for breakfast with their respective families and she would serve them as always. Like she has always done.

Nia was just not an omega. She was weaker than the weakest of them all for she lacked an inner wolf. Her failure to shift came with the stigma of being called human. Being the weakest in the pack meant being a slave to the Alpha and his family. Even her fellow Omegas bullied and taunted her regularly. Once, Lyra, the Alpha’s daughter had even spat on her face and pushed her down the stairs. It took her a month to heal the bruises on her sides- another punishment for being without a wolf.

On getting to the big kitchen, she quickly washed her hands and prepared to lay out the table in time for breakfast. Failure to do so would earn her yet another slap from Lyra- a gift she was not ready to receive so early in the morning. Being a servant in the pack house had never been easy and it took its toll on her mental and physical health. Yet, she remained dutiful and obedient as ever. Living as an invincible being has given her the strength to keep going against all odds. However, it has not kept her out of trouble with the higher-ups and their cubs. The Alpha’s children loved to bully and taunt her regularly. Once, they had tried to drown her. At another time, they locked her in an abandoned vehicle and set it on fire. Let’s see if she will shift. She’s a werewolf after all. They jested.

Soon, the shuffling of feet carried its way downstairs, preceding their owners and as Nia guessed, Lyra and her brother filed into the dining room. The Beta’s kids were close on their heels and they all shared the condescending smirk they had used to regard her all this while. As usual, Nia bowed her head in greeting and turned to leave but Lyra tripped her. The room erupted in laughter as Nia crashed onto the tiled floor, bruising her knee. She bit her lower lip to prevent her tears from falling for she would never give them the satisfaction of watching her cry.

“Are you blind now?” Lyra smacked Nia on the back of her head.

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” Nia winced as she tried to rise to her feet; her bruised knee shooting daggers of pain to the rest of her leg.

“Hurry along, human. You stink.” Jaxon, the Alpha’s son, and future Alpha spoke up. Nia hurried back to the kitchen amid the taunting laughs echoing in the dining room. There is nothing as condescending as calling a wolf a human and this insult tore at Nia’s heart mercilessly. Deep down she longed for her revenge and power to make them pay for the ridicule but there was nothing she could do. A few minutes later, the brats were joined by their parents and breakfast began. Nia took her spot in the corner of the room; her head remained bowed. She was to be on standby while the higher-ups ate.

This enabled her to be at their beck and call during meal times. Nia silently prayed to the goddess for a smooth morning so she could hurry to the academy and begin her lectures-thanks to the alpha’s generosity. Sadly, her prayers were not answered as a tumbler flew across the room and landed square on her forehead. The glass shattered to pieces, leaving cuts on her face. Nia had been too preoccupied with her thoughts to see the oncoming cup. As she doubled over in pain and shock, a vicious blow landed on her side followed by kicks and slaps. This time, it was Jaxon. The glass Nia had used to serve his juice was not clean to his satisfaction. All Nia could do was shield her face from the blows while the Alpha, Luna, Beta, and Gamma looked on with interest.

As if the violence was not enough, Jaxon yanked Nia up by her hair and landed a blow on her stomach

“Haven’t I told you to use clean cups for me?” he yelled in her face and gifted her yet another blow.

“I washed it thoroughly” Nia sputtered. This time, her tears fell. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted Lyra giggling. A slap sent stars of different colors her way. Another slap came with more pulling of hair. Nia was certain that by the end of the ordeal, she would have a bald scalp.

“Do you mean to say I am lying?” Jaxon bellowed. The other servants in the room shivered, thanks to the Alpha blood running in his veins.

“I’m sorry. Please stop. It won't happen again.” Nia pleaded. She knew that if he kept on hitting her, she would pass out or even die. But, all her pleas fell on deaf ears as Jaxon began stomping on her. Some seconds later, Alpha Talon clears his throat.

“Son, come with me to the office. We need to discuss the issue of invading rouges. Lyra, head over to the academy. You mustn't be late.”

Within seconds, breakfast came to an abrupt end with the Alpha’s order. Even Jaxon left Nia alone but not before slamming her head on the wall with a note of finality. Warm blood streamed from her head and seeped into her mouth. Her body ached all over and it felt like a thousand elephants were trampling her already battered body. Nia dragged her body up with great difficulty and proceeded to sweep the shattered glass on the floor. She also wiped the drops of blood that stained the floor. School would be a hassle today, no doubt. Nia thought to herself. To avoid further embarrassment at the academy, she decided to go home to her mother instead.

Their cabin is situated close to the border and the thick trees. It is quite small and can barely fit Nia and her mother but, that was what was assigned to her mother on her arrival at Shadow Fang. A story that her mother had refused to explain. Why did her mother run to Shadow Fang for safety? Where was she coming from? Where and who was her father? These and many more questions had been running through Nia’s mind the minute she was old enough to reason. But, Kira, Nia's mother had kept her lips tightly sealed when it came to providing answers to those questions and Nia refused to bug her about them.

“What happened to you?” Kira exclaimed the minute she set her eyes on her daughter’s battered body. She hurried to help Nia lower herself onto the couch.

“I fell down the stairs at the pack house.” Nia lied as she winced in pain.

“You fell?” Kira asked in disbelief. “How is that possible? Or you got into a fight with the other kids?”

“No. Mother, I fell.” Nia hated to make her mother worry. Life had dealt the woman many heavy blows and Nia did not want to be one of them.

“You should be more careful.” Kira patted her daughter’s forehead and tucked a strand of stray black hair behind her ears. “It pains me to see you hurt”

Nia’s green eyes went dull with sadness. She hated to see lines of worry etched on her mother’s face but she felt powerless against the forces of the universe and how they directed her fate. As her mother set about to clean her wounds, Nia thought about the upcoming full moon ceremony which co-incised with her birthday. Since her birth, her mother had kept her away from the festival for reasons best known to her. Nia remembered the feeling of being left out of all the fun but with time and her inability to shift into her wolf, she preferred to stay in the quiet crevices of her cramped room and listen to the howls of her pack members from afar. This time, however, she wanted to have an intimate birthday celebration with only her mother by her side for that was the only thing that mattered.