Enchanted Worlds

Book 1 Chapter 1

“Wake the hell up!”

Oh Goddess, it’s her again. Every morning since I can remember, this woman’s screeches wake me. As usual, I get out of bed to get a move on it.

“I am awake madam” I replied. It is not my wish to be punished today. I have learned it is better if I reply. When she has to come into my “room”, it displeases her greatly and sets her off on a war path. If she gets mad at me, it lasts days. The last time I pissed her off, it lasted 11 days. The only reason she finally gave in was because the slave can’t work if she is dying. Madam hates that I require food to survive. If she had it her way, I wouldn’t ever eat. “It takes away from everyone else,” she is always ranting.

As I am accustomed to, my tiny space is freezing. The only warmth I get is when the oven is going in the kitchen. I have learned to avoid showers on days that it is too cold. As per my punishment for my last mess, she broke the handle on the hot water on the faucet on the sink.

Madam is the house supervisor. She’s a grouchy old lady with salt and pepper hair. It’s usually worn up in a tight bun. From what I have heard, her mate left her for a chosen mate years ago, and she has been miserable since.

I do not want to cause any problems today. It is my 17th birthday, and I want to be able to get my chores done, avoid Madam, and be able to go out into the forest for some peace. My favorite spot is the old ruins of the statue of the Goddess. I always find it uplifting. Sometimes, I can feel her presence, but I don’t dare tell anyone. I would be locked away in the cells with all the other crazies.

As I get stuck in my thoughts, I am on auto pilot. Throw some water on my face, put on the same old raggedy grey sweat shirt and black leggings. The leggings have too many holes, and sometimes I get my foot stuck as I try to get them on. My sweat shirt has holes in the arm pits, and some along the them seem to snagging on things. I won’t dare ask for a new or even used pair. Madam will have my head.

I am Rayne, but I am called slave by my pack. As an infant, I was found at the edge of the pack territory. Alpha Leo was going to have me killed but decided against it. I would become the perfect slave. At first, everyone thought I was human, but after a “mishap”, it was determined that I was not. My existence is the perfect scenario for Alpha. No record of me is in existence. Therefore, according to Wolfen law, I do not have any rights.

Werewolves get their wolf at 15, but that was not my case. Which further fueled the fire in the rumor mill. I got my wolf at 12. I smile as I remember the terrified faces of Madam, Alpha Leo, and Luna Jennica. It was a normal day, well semi-normal.

Flashback

I was at it again, screwing up, and Madam hit me with what I could only believe to be a thick wooden cutting board. I fell, but before my hands could even hit the floor, I let out a roar that could be heard by the whole pack.

“Do not touch me!” It was me, but it wasn’t me saying it. I was in the back seat of my own body. It was an exhilarating and terrifying experience all in one.

Madam moved towards me and my mouth, no ... my snout, released another roar. Now I knew I was going to be to be beaten to death. Today will be the day. I wish I knew what was happening.

“I am here with you,” said a voice. It was in my head, but it didn’t sound like me.

“You sure are a slow one. I am your wolf Nix.” To say I was shocked was an understatement. It was too soon! I glanced at the mirror, and I had only partially shifted. My face was that of Nix’s. My claws had come out. And my eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue I had ever seen. They were the color of a sapphire.

“I command you to stand down!” It was Alpha Leo. He was not happy with my display. The commotion had drawn a crowd to the packed house kitchen. When the Alpha gives a command, it is obeyed. Nix stepped back and allowed me to take control again.

As soon as I shifted back, I felt a sting in my neck. It started out as hot and grew hotter until it was melting my veins. I screamed as I was burned alive from the inside out. At some point, I lost consciousness.

When I finally awoke, I was in the cells. They smelled horrific. My body ached and was stiff from having curled in on itself. Alpha came in not long after and beat me with everything he could find: whips, belts, wooden boards, chains. It was pure torture. It lasted 3 days. No food, no water, no sun, and to make it worse, I was given wolfsbane to stop me from healing.

My smile had disappeared at this point. Many of my happy memories all took a bad turn not long after the event. I am not allowed to be happy. Since that day, I have been given a small dose of wolfsbane to keep my wolf at bay. What they don’t realize is that the wolfsbane stopped working years ago. I act like I am in pain when I take it. Alpha and Luna would make me take more if they knew.

Something really frightened Alpha Leo that day. He avoids me at all costs. When it comes to punishments, his Beta chooses. Beta Ash has always had it out for me. He doesn’t like me being around other people my age because he says I insist on fighting, chaos, and disrespect.

I bump into the wall, not realizing I had done it again. My mind had run off without me. It is a weekly occurrence that I am reprimanded for mentally disappearing.

Madam told me to make breakfast burritos for the pack this morning. I pride myself in being a decent cook. I can’t do anything crazy, but what I can make tastes amazing. That’s another reason why Madam hasn’t been allowed to kill me as of yet. At least I have that going for me.

“Your commentary is very boring, Rayne,” Nix says as she rolls over to stretch. I can feel her movements and hear her, but never once have I seen her in her full glory. “Is today that day you will finally let me out to play with her head?”

“Nix, we can’t have any of that. I am not old enough to leave the pack. In the human world, you have to be 18 to do anything. And until we are strong enough to run, we will be caught. Alpha would surely have us killed at that point.” I signed. This is the argument we have just about every morning.

Nix lets out a huff and goes wandering off. I wish I knew where she wandered off, too. There isn’t that much room in there, right?

I decided to focus on my tasks at hand. I cut the potatoes, onions, and peppers. I cooked them with some seasonings and olive oil. Add in the eggs, bacon, and sausage after cooking each separately. Not yet have I perfected my homemade tortillas. So today, it will be store bought ones. I got them each, warmed up, and put them on plates for each pack member to pick up at the window.

The burrito insides were placed in big warming dishes and placed on the hot table. As is tradition and expectation, Luna Jennica served first, then Alpha Leo, Beta Ash, their children would follow suit, and then the other pack members. Even the Omegas ate before I. The days I got to eat were because some of the Omegas took pity on me and ate less and saved it. They had to be careful when they gave me food. They, too, will be punished for this offense.

Per the established pattern, Beta Ash’s son and daughter terrorized me all throughout breakfast. Tisha was the oldest of the two. Her birthday was actually two days before mine, on March 18th. She was the apple of her father’s eye. If someone were to ever get away with murder, it would be her. Tisha had long blond hair that reached her lower back. It flowed in waves. All the hair products she uses are why her hair always smells like coconuts and is an unnatural level of shiny. She was always wearing vibrant colors that helped her stand out.

Kerrick was the opposite. He had no desire to stand out. His hair was long and black. In my opinion, it was beautiful. His parents hated it, but I saw how it accented his face. Kerrick’s clothes were always black and baggy. He would prefer to lie up in his room playing video games than go out and be around people. Kerrick was favored by his mother.

Tisha looked exactly like her mother with hints of Beta Ash. Kerrick, however, looked exactly like his father. As with all men in the pack, Beta Ash was 6 foot 7 inches and was composed of pure muscle. His mate, Katrine, was a slim but lethal warrior. She stood a little shorter than I at around 6 feet.

Werewolf genes were dominant in every way. We are always taller, agile, built like a brick house, and our beauty is beyond comparison. This is the reason why we avoid the human world as much as possible. Too many times have we come across humans, and they are immediately obsessed.

Alpha Leo and Luna Jennica’s son, Jace, should be back soon from Alpha training. Jace is a year older than I. Once he returns, Alpha Leo will hand over the Alpha title and go into retirement. For this, a celebration will be held for 3 days, which means joyous amounts of work for myself and the omegas.

Jace is a self-entitled prick. He took great pleasure in torturing me. His favorite thing was to remind me that once he is Alpha, my life is forfeit. What he does not know is death, and I are close companions. We often talk. My life is not work. I have tried for years to push through, but there is no point.

I either find my mate prior to him becoming Alpha or the night of his party I will be ending my life.

“I hate that you won’t give mate more time to find us,” Nix piped in.

“It’s either we end it in a peaceful way, or Jace will have us tortured, raped, and left out for the dogs to feast upon.”

“I don’t like this plan one bit.”

Nix goes sulking back to the back of my mind.

I cleaned up from breakfast and now have to clean the dining room yet again after Tisha “spilled” her drink for the 4th time this morning. If she found someone else to torture, I wouldn’t mind it!

Four hours into my day, I was almost done. It was looking to be a very good day.

“Slave!” Oh Goddess! It’s Luna.

“Yes Luna?” I replied as I faced her and cast my eyes low. Looking her in, the eyes would be seen as a challenge and end with me getting my ass kicked straight to the Goddess.

“Your soon to be Alpha will be arriving this evening. I expect his room to be ready for him.” She began walking off but stopped and turned around. “Slave,” she says in a dangerous tone, “If his room is not perfect, I will end your life by removing your organs one by one.”

I gulp. She can be terrifying.

“Ha! I’d like to see her try. I shall remove that foul tongue of hers. What a self-righteous b***h. What is she so full of herself for?” Mockingly retorts, “Look at me, I am the Luna of the very pack that was nearly destroyed by the Goddess for our own idiocy!”

“Nix what do you know of the legend of Snow Wolf? You make a lot of commentary regarding the legends.” I headed down the hall to grab a laundry basket. His sheets are covered in dust and will need cleaning.

“Oh Rayne, I wish I could tell you, but Mother does not wish for you to know until the time is right. And that time is not now.”

“That’s cute, let’s be all mysterious and secretive. You keep your secrets and I will keep mine.”

Nix lets out a long laugh, “Secrets? I am you and I can hear you even when you think I am not listening. I know EVERYTHING!” At this point she is giving me the cheesiest of evil laughs. I had to smile. At least I had one soul on this earth that cared for me.

It didn’t take me long to get Jace’s room cleaned up and ready for him. I did some extra cleaning to ensure Luna wouldn’t have a reason to punish me or murder me.

Once completed, I checked around the packing house and found that everyone had gone. They were probably out getting ready for the young Alpha’s return. The perfect opportunity for me to escape for a bit.

I grabbed a tattered old jacket and put it on. It wasn’t by any means cold, but you never know how the weather will choose to change on the mountains.

The hike isn’t long and I find it calming. It gives me the opportunity to cleanse myself before I go before the Moon Goddess.