Chapter 2
MARINA’S POV
From what I had heard, both to my face and at my back, I had transformed into a cursed wolf, with dull brown and matted fur, and dull grey eyes.
They said I had looked more like a starving mongrel than a wolf.
Little wonder the Alpha had rejected me.
I had lost all hope for life. The fates must despise me to turn my life into such a cruel joke. It wasn’t fair. I hadn’t done anything to deserve it.
Contrary to what everybody said, I hadn’t killed my parents. The fire that had ravaged our house and killed them had nearly taken me too. Some days I wished it had, perhaps, I wouldn’t be hated this much.
I was too much of a coward to end my own life though, I could not even imagine hurting myself.
After Alpha Antonio had rejected me, someone had suggested that I be thrown out of the pack, which had me hyperventilate.
I wasn’t safe living as a stray, female, rogue. Best case scenario, I would die of hunger out there. Worst case scenario, some sick individual would take me and do stomach–turning things to me.
I had been relieved when Alpha Antonio had insisted on making me into a pack slave. The pack slaves were stray wolves that had been picked up by the pack or offspring of treacherous pack members. They were treated like shit and always looked like they had one foot in the grave.
We were made to wake up by 4 am for a full day of hard, menial tasks under the watchful eyes of cruel guards.
Each task not performed to the satisfaction or on time meant getting thrown into the pack dungeon and beaten for 3 straight hours. Imagine such severe punishments.
In just two weeks I had gotten so many bruises and whip marks that there was hardly a patch of unmarred skin left.
Tara, Alpha Antonio’s sister had taken a blunt scissors to my hair the first day, leaving my long, golden locks into brutally cut strands. I had cried for hours afterwards which had earned me a beating.
Tara’s hatred for me was so strong and absolute. She had accused me of using demonic powers to trick her brother into thinking we were mates.
She was bored, mean, and sadistic and I was her newly gifted punching bag. I had to leave this place, as soon as I could or she would most likely kill
- me.
I got my chance during one of the pack’s feasts. I knew that the day always brought about a level of chaos that meant that security was lax and a lot
went unseen.
I planned to use this to my advantage.
“You’ve been scrubbing that table so long, are you trying to avoid your other duties?” The familiar screech of Tara’s voice slid down my spine and left me shaking with terror.
“No, ma’am. I was asked to be thorough and-”
“You talk back now?” She grabbed me by the jaw and smashed my head into the surface of the solid metal table I had been scrubbing. My ears rang with force and my vision turned blur.
“I’ll give you two minutes to finish the cleaning. Not a second more,” she turned and stalked away.
I raised my aching head and met the pitying eyes of another pack slave, she quickly removed her eye and went back to her work.
As I reached for the brush, I staggered, I slipped, my body swayed, and my fingers made brief contact with the vase on the next table.
There was one second of silence then a loud boom as the vase fell and shattered into a hundred pieces.
I began to cry even before the guards hurled me downstairs.
There were holding cells downstairs designed specifically for Tara to mete out punishment to whomever she saw fit.
I had been here severally, but unlike previous times, I had no intention of cowering in a corner as I waited to accept my fate. As soon as the guards left, I sprung into action.
The last time I had cleaned this room, I had discovered something interesting. There was a hole in the corner covered expertly by a thin mattress and straws. It led to the back of the slaves‘ quarters.
Pushing the mattress aside, I crawled down the dark space till I reached the end. I peeked around to make sure there was nobody around before
1/2
BAUM
Chapter 2
climbing out.
From there, I began the heart–hammering act of escaping the pack grounds. Most members of the pack would be headed to the halls now for the celebration and so this area was deserted.
Thanking my good fortune, I took to my heels, running with all my might. This was my chance to escape and start a new life.
I had read about wolves that infiltrated human lands and lived quietly as one of them. I could do that. I looked unassuming and my wolf form wasn’t eager to be revealed.
I made it into the woods in one piece and tears of joy clung to my lashes. The first mistake I made was slowing my pace.
A false sense of safety descended upon me and I even stopped to rest. Fool as I was. There was a stream nearby where I stopped to drink water. I was drinking when I heard a low growl and the breaking of a twig.
I jumped to my feet and turned to run when suddenly a flash of black jumped out from the mask of trees and pinned me to the ground.
I screamed in frustration and anger at my failed escape, and fear as other wolves peeled out from the shadow of the trees.
Tara was at the forefront in her human form. She smirked at me. “Going somewhere little slave?” She laughed.
“Take her back. Tie her to the post. I’ll deal with our little runaway.”
This time around, they didn’t bother taking me to the holding cell. I was taken somewhere I had never been before.
As soon as I saw the poles staked to the ground I began to struggle. I knew what was coming next.
“Please. I’m sorry. I won’t run again.” I cried. “Oh Goddess, please.”
“Oh, I’m sure you won’t run again,” Tara grinned, white teeth shining. “When I’m done with you, you’ll never be able to run again.”
I was stripped down to my underwear and hung from a wooden crossbar. Even though I knew it was useless, I still begged and begged. A whip was handed to Tara.
“For running away, breaking my vase, escaping your initial punishment, and destroying Crystal Coast pack property by the hole you dug, you’ll get twenty–five lashes.
For disrupting today’s ceremony and making us pursue you, you’ll get an extra fifteen. Make sure you count. Any number you don’t count will gain you an extra. I would love that, but I’m sure you won’t.”
The first three were excruciating. The next few ones were somehow worse. At one point, I couldn’t even breathe. Fire licked through every inch of my skin where her whip landed.
I couldn’t even count to the end. I didn’t know at what point Tara stopped because by then, I had already passed out. My voice was hoarse from screaming and my body was broken beyond repair.
