Omega's Submission

The sharp rustle of the branches brought me out of my trance. A deep inhale grounded me and reminded me where I was. While the entire pack was scared of the Nightwood forest, I have always found it to be calming in a way if I dared explain, would be considered horrendous. I took one last look at the deadly calm of the forest and took it in. I had declared this place as an inspiration for myself long ago. The dark and unsettling things beyond it made its terror inevitable. It might appear to be a gift of nature but the tales and incidents were enough for anyone to guess what lay beyond. I couldn't help but wonder at times, how was I found safe and sound as a newborn by my adoptive parents in there? It would have been considered nothing short of a miracle if I hadn't been found and adopted by the pack's omegas after being found in the Nightwood Forest. Yet every part of me was grateful to them and they gave me all that they could... or at least tried to until they passed away last year in a tragic attack from a rival pack. "Elara?" Zoe, my friend's concerned face stared back at me. Her blonde locks flew wildly in the cold wind, mimicking the motions of the trees ahead of us. "What is it?" She asked and I shrugged. "I can't believe that I was found in there all those years ago." The start of the new year would mark 18 years to that day, I was found as a baby in the Nightwood Forest by my adoptive parents. We never really knew when was my birthday and I had been waiting for my 18th birthday since my childhood. Unlike my other birthdays, this one would mean unlocking my inner wolf finally and I would figure out my birthday that way. However, there were only a few days left to the new year, which meant my birthday was near. Any day before New Year's Eve, I would turn 18 and find my mate. A tingling feeling erupted inside of me, thinking of all the things that would change and how I would finally be able to get away from my siblings. "If only it would have been Beta Karl to find you..." She trailed off, turning around and grabbing me with her. "Or maybe even the Alpha himself." I shrugged and began to walk alongside her, back into the town. "I should be grateful that I wasn't hunted by a rogue wolf." "As if you are any less hunted by those horrendous siblings of yours." Zoe rolled her eyes and I didn't even have to look at her to know that. The air blew some of my wavy hair onto my face and a part of me wanted to stay and feel the soothing flow of the cold wind and take the moment to myself which I would rarely get the chance to do. But I knew Willow wouldn't be happy about it and neither would the other two be. Despite their degrading behaviour towards me, I couldn't stop living with them or disobeying them. It was almost as if I owed them for keeping me sheltered in their house, while they too were omegas and poor. "I know what you're thinking." Zoe snapped as if warning me. "Ela." Her hand came around my arm turning my focus towards her. "You owe them nothing... at least not after how they have been treating you after Mr and Mrs Bartlett passed away." Bartlett. The name that was never given to me, no matter the fact that I was adopted by them. I was named Elara Nightwood, upon the deadly forest I was found in. Before I could reply Zoe, we were interrupted by a round of giggles from the side. Our attention immediately shifted as we spotted a herd of girls circling a tall boy. "Is that Darren Thorne? The Gamma's son?" I asked, eyes squinting as I tried to recognize him. No wonder the girls were drooling over him, he was a fine male and one who wasn't mated yet. Zoe heard it a few days back even that there was a bet going on among the girls as to who would be his destined mate. My best friend kept me updated with the gossip throughout and even we had our bets placed. One look at Zoe and she had me dragged towards them. "He must be out overlooking arrangements for the solstice tomorrow." She murmured almost talking to herself in a daze as she dragged me. "Here come the omegas." Someone called out and I paused. This was a bad idea. I pulled on my interconnected hand with Zoe and tried to pull her back but Zoe only shot a glare or two to whoever said that. It wasn't their fault. Omegas weren't supposed to be anywhere this near a wolf of such rank. "Zoe, I need to head back home," I said, gesturing to her to get out of the crowd. I could feel Darren's eyes on us but I couldn't dare meet his gaze. One last pleading look at her and she let go of me. I didn't bother to look back at them. I was not one of them and I would never become like them. I gripped the log bag tighter wrapped my old coat around myself tighter and made my way back home quietly. The walk home was short as our pack was not among the bigger ones and neither was our territory among any of the bigger ones. I walked in silence but it soon turned into dread when I noticed Finn, my adoptive brother and second eldest one followed by Sage who was the youngest. He was leaning against the rusted door of our gloomy cottage. The cynical expression on his face had me shaking. "Where were you?" He growled, spotting me. "The woods ran out hours ago. Have you any f*****g idea how freezing it is?" "The logs weren't prepared." "I don't care. Get in, Willow's waiting for you." He snapped and snatched the log bag from my hand before making his way to the chimney. Willow, being the eldest was far more worse and terrifying than Finn and despite having spent my entire life with them, my parents had made it clear to me that their biological children were far more important than I ever would be. Not to mention, how Willow took over control as the head of the house after their deaths. "You sure know how to make excuses." Her complaint greeted me as I entered the lounge. I bit my lip to ease the sting her words caused as if that would ease it. "I am sorry," I murmured. She was seated in the warm but old chair of our father and had a bottle of whiskey in her hand. Probably her solution to dealing with the cold while I was gone. We might be werewolves, with the tendency to survive in cold weather but in human skin, it was impossible to bear it. "Were you with that dumb friend of yours again?" She referred to Zoe. When I remained quiet, she stood up abruptly and grabbed my arm. A squeal resounded from me as I got dragged roughly. The shock had me choking and unable to make out any words. Where was she taking me? I watched in horror as she continued to drag me deeper into the house until we reached the basement door. "What-" I muttered but was cut off when she pushed me through the door and I stumbled down the stairs. "Willow!" I shouted for her through the dark, as I rolled down the stairs and into the cold pit of the basement. "Get a taste of your own medicine!" That was what she was doing. Locking me here, in the cold and darkest area of the house. The realization had a chill ripping up my spine as my back ached on the hard floor. "How cold of you Will." Finn peeked the corner with a sinister smile on his face. "She'll learn to be faster next time when she realizes how cold it can be when she's not quick enough." Her sharp voice echoed in the silence of the basement. I stumbled to my feet, ignoring the protesting pain in my back. "No! I am sorry please don't do this." But the door was already shut and darkness enveloped me completely. "Please let me out!" I screamed but was only greeted with the echo of my words. They were gone and she had locked me up in here. I gulped and in the darkness, nothing could be seen. I scrambled and searched for the staircase, the one I was pushed down. My hands found the steps and I crawled them one after another, the fear of the dark curling deep in my stomach. "Willow!" I banged on the door the moment my hands found them. The tears were already streaming from my eyes as the dread began to settle in. I was trapped and locked here. There was no way out and no one was coming to save me. Afraid, alone and a crying mess. These three words were enough to describe me as I curled in on myself on the cold floor. The cold was beginning to settle in as the night fell and my skin was itchy enough already. Willow didn't return to check on me or any of my other siblings. Tonight, maybe I would finally die from the cold and for once they would get rid of me like they had always wanted to do when they had no use for me. After a series of unsuccessful attempts at banging the door, I realized that it was no use. I was as weak as a human since I hadn't turned eighteen and neither did I have wolf skin yet to protect me from the cold. Conclusively, if somebody didn't come in here to get me out then I would be good as dead. I made one last attempt to shout their names and then collapsed to the floor as my feet gave up. I had lost track of how long has it been since they had dumped me here like a piece of trash. Yes, they have punished me before but none of the times had it been like this. "Moon Goddess..." A broken plea escaped my lips with a cold breath.