Hated By All, Loved By Four

[TRIGGER WARNINGS: ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AND PARENTAL ABUSE] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ*:.:..:...VALERIA'S P.O.V...:..:..:*Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ There’s something so grand about being above the ground and watching how small the rest of the world is compared to you. The view from up here is bloody majestic. Gets my heart pounding, thumping like I’m off me rocker. And yeah, maybe I am. Bonkers to be turning eighteen today, and all I’m thinking about is chucking myself off and joining my ancestors in the bloody afterlife. I know that’s one heck of a shocking statement to give out, and some people might be confused. But let me tell you this right now—life is not worth living when you’ve been through what I have. I don’t give a rat’s if others have it worse. I’m done with this pack, and I’m bloody done with this life. I lock eyes on the rocky pavement below, music blaring in my ears, and my veins feel like they’re about to bloody burst. If I jump now, I’d hit the ground, and they’d find me in a few hours when the crowd thins out. It’d be my last “get stuffed” to my folks and to this godforsaken pack. Okay, some context might help you see my vision, so let me break it down. I wasn’t always a manic eighteen-year-old. In fact, two years ago, my life was very different. My name is Valeria Vanguard- a powerful name, I'm aware. I was once set to be second in command for the Creekwood pack, in Sydney, Australia. Do you know how amazing that is, mate? They don’t usually pick people like that until they turn twenty-one the age when the pack leader’s son starts his training to take over. It’s a bloody big deal. From the moment I was born, I was a gifted child. While most, if not everyone, unlocked their wolves at the age I’m at now, I discovered mine when I was six years old. I’d slipped off a slide and shifted to protect myself. The whole pack had been buzzing from that, and my folks couldn’t stop bragging. They put me through training straight away, took me to all the fancy events, and by fourteen, the pack leader had chosen me to be his son’s second in command. The beta of the pack if you want to get specific. I was a prodigy, a star child, everyone wanted to be my friend. Everyone wanted to be me, to have what I have. My older siblings couldn’t stand me because I was better than the rest of them. I never bragged though; just went along with what my parents set for me—which makes what happened next all the worse. Ruel Marcox is the pack leader’s son. We’d grown up best mates and even toyed with the idea that we might end up dating, being the first alpha-beta couple to run a pack. Then I turned sixteen and things changed for the worse. It was a windy day, quite like this one. I’d gone for a run. My routine—the routine my parents drilled into me—went something like this: Wake up at six a.m. Go for a run in the forest for two hours. Down a protein shake. Eat some fruit for brekkie. Shower, and get dressed. Go to school. Study during lunch at the canteen. Go to volleyball practice after class. The list was bloody endless. But they had one for me every single day. I worked my arse off for years trying to please them. But on that run, something happened. I was sharp, and vigilant, making sure I’d hear if anyone was coming. I was feeling pretty stoked, though a tad knackered from waking up so early. I was still not used to this bloody routine, even though it’s been years. Anyway, let me backtrack. I was running, stopping to do a few stretches, then running some more. I should’ve taken a sniff, you know? Should’ve been more on guard but I wasn't. I only knew something was off when I got tackled to the bloody ground. I went into defense mode, shifting, bringing my wolf out to make sure I could defend myself, but they counted on that, and I paid for it. I don’t know how they did it, but five of them held me down while one stabbed my wolf in the eye. The pain was deadly sharp; I thought I was a goner until I woke up alone hours later. I picked myself up and returned home feeling empty like something was twisted up inside. And after explaining to my parents, a check to the doctor confirmed my worst nightmare. They stole my bloody wolf. The doctor had a flabbergasted look on her face. She eyed me throughout the whole check like I was some tosser pulling off a lame prank. Who plays a prank like this? But losing my wolf ruined everything. I went from beloved, to the runt. I didn’t think it was possible. I thought my parents would comfort me, console me, that my mates would stick by me but it seems like they were all waiting for my downfall because they turned me into a f*****g slave. I mean tripping me, spitting on me, throwing things at me, attacking me, making me do their dirty work. My parents stopped talking to me and so did Ruel. My freaking best mate. The one I trusted the most. Well, today they can get stuffed for all I bloody care. I’m done. I’m tired of being scared to speak, of my own siblings calling me a freak for losing my wolf. Like what was I supposed to do? I was attacked! I was attacked!!! And I fought back but not a single person asked how I was feeling. They blamed me because they finally got a chance to show their true colors. Ruel and I share a birthday and he’s getting a party while I wasn’t even invited. Well, I’m here on the roof of the pack leader's house, and my gift to him will be my dead body. So as you can see, I’m alright, mate. My head’s screwed on right. “VALERIA, WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING UP THERE?” I snapped out of my thoughts at the shrill sound of one of my sister’s voices. And a row of gasps that follow. “Piss off, Alea. I’m doing what you’ve all been suggesting.” everyone at the party is now out front watching me with horrid eyes. They’re mouths wide. What did they expect after tormenting me for two years? “Valeria, don’t be an attention seeker. Get down.” Ruel yells, anger fixed on his features. I tilt my head making sure to look like I'm taking his suggestion and then step off. I got to see his face for a split second as the anger morphed into pure fear. He hadn’t thought I’d do it. What an arse. My body slams into something packed with fur. I feel three of my ribs and my left shoulder blades snap out of place before my body meets the floor. I’m still alive which means someone saved me. Whoever it is, I hope you die in a forest fire. My vision darkens, and I feel a slight sense of peace as my consciousness fades away. When I come too- unfortunately- I’m at a hospital and Ruel's family, plus mine are there watching me. They all look angry. The same doctor who had inspected me after I lost my wolf is right here staring at me like I've lost some screws. I’m not a loony, I’m fine. Healthy. Perfectly sane. The next time I try, I won’t hesitate and waste time monologuing to myself. My mother steps forward and slaps me. I don’t flinch I'm on morphine.... I don't feel a thing. She glares, hard like her hate is supposed to do something to me. I’ve been dealing with this for two years. They need new material. “How dare you? You ruined Ruel’s birthday party for your own selfish reasons. If you wanted to die, you should have sat in a tub and slit your wrist.” I'm sorry, what?! Now that sends shock, and pain through my chest. I didn’t think I could be exhausted twice in one day but my parents have outdone themselves. “Noted, I’ll do that tonight,” I tell her bitterly. “You stupid child. The pack is done keeping you and your worthless wolfless self here. While you were rooted, we made a decision. You’re banished. We are done. Your father and I invested so much into you and you’ve turned into a f*****g failure. First losing your wolf, and now this? We’re done. You’re banned from this pack. As soon as you’re discharged, get the hell out.” Banished? That’s the punishment I get for everything they did to me. The beatings, the assaults, all the verbal abuse. Blaming me for something I can’t control? I should have taken the freedom while I was at home to do as my mother suggested and end my life. I don’t say anything to these arseholes. I only lean back and stare off. Then Ruel’s voice comes out. “We can’t banish her.” His father looks at him like he’s grown another head, and I share the same look. “What? Didn’t you see what she did? She-” “Banishing her would ruin us. If she’s picked by another pack, a rival pack she’ll tell them where those marks came from and our rivals will brand us as abusers. It would be a scandal. We wouldn’t be able to explain why a beta we once paraded everywhere is suddenly banished, and bruised. I suggest we wash our hands off her the way we were intended to. "What would suggest we do then? she can't stay here." He doesn't meet a beat as he answers. "We send her to that school in Osaka. They fix wolves, and if they can’t fix her we can only hope the rumors are true and they kill her.” What school is he talking about? Everyone stares at Ruel, the same question in all our minds. What he says next sends my heart into a frenzy, it’s beating so fast I think it might just burst. “The Calgary School for Broken Wolves.” “No, no, I’ll leave. I won’t tell a single soul. Don’t send me there. Wolves never come back the same. I'm eighteen, I can fend for myself. I'll never tell a single soul where I can from..” I ripped the drip out of my hand and rushed out of bed only to have Ruel and my brother intercept me. They push me back into the bed and the doctor brings a mask over my nose and mouth. I’m fighting my damn hardest. They can’t do this to me. They just can’t. I won’t let them ship me off to that school. I won’t. I....