You never know how strong

you are until being strong is

your only choice

~ Bob Marley

Chapter 1.

Doesn't everyone hate Monday mornings?

It's the first day after the weekend, and you must wake up earlier to get ready and grab breakfast before rushing to school in time for the first period. After that, you'll spend half the day there and return home to deal with more homework.

If only things were that simple for me. I don't have a problem with school and assignments because I get distracted from the mess in my life, but what I have a problem with is juggling pack work with school. They're both demanding and usually, I'll have to settle with being behind on one of the two to make it. I don't have to tell you what I abandoned because you know my life. Choosing school would equal jumping off a cliff; it results in lots and lots of consequences.

To help you understand better what I mean, a typical Monday morning for me goes like this: I wake at five in the morning, barely awake, might I add, to get a headstart with breakfast before the pack awakens, wait to clean up and eat whatever scraps they have left before I can walk to school and spend approximately seven hours there. Afterward, I return to the packhouse to tackle more chores. Would you be able to manage everything, or is it only me that is struggling?

There's a twist to this week, though, to spice things up. Chase, the Alpha's son, is turning eighteen in two days, and the pack will host a massive ball in his honor to help him find his mate. Coincidentally, we share the same birthday. That means I'll spend these two days, plus my birthday, catering to Chase's needs. I can't lie and say that I love sharing my birthday with someone else, but sharing it with your tormentor is on another level. I have to withstand his abuse and watch him joke around with my brother as they do so. My brother hasn't hit me yet, but watching your best friend target your little sister and do nothing signals you're as guilty as he is. But I like telling myself that everything happens for a reason. A storm has to pass for the rainbow to appear. They'll get what's coming for them sooner or later.

Regarding my morning routine, nothing has changed. I'm standing behind the stove, flipping pancakes while frying bacon and sausages. Similar to previous days, I want to cheat and eat something, but I chicken out at the prospect of them catching me in the act. It's not impossible to happen if you consider Chase's habit of scaring me to make me cause a mess and then punish me.

Believe it or not, his parents have limited his abuse toward me, not because they like me, but because we go to school with kids from neighboring packs. If they catch a whiff of what's transpiring here, it'll reach the ears of the Alpha King and the Luna Queen. Since their daughter was abducted from her room in the middle of the night, they have become extra sensitive to abuse toward children. They won't be forgiving Chase or his parents or their pack easily. I've pondered opening about the abuse, but if it reaches the wrong ears, they will get rid of me. It will be my last resort if things go south with my mate.

"Why is there no food on the table? You were whoring around, weren't you?" Chase pops up out of nowhere, insulting me again.

I wasn't wrong. Chase was creeping up on me to scare me into making a mess. Apart from freezing in my spot and my eyes widening, I didn't give him what he was looking for, and he was furious. It's apparent from his tone, his posture, and the glare he's giving me.

"I'm sorry, Alpha. I'll be out with the breakfast right away." I hide my scowl with my hair as I tilt my head down.

"You better be," he scoffs and storms off. Good riddance!

I loosen up as soon as he's out of sight. If only I could get my hands on him, I'd beat him to a pulp. I may not be the strongest nor the quickest, but there's a lot of pent-up anger inside me, and Astra -my wolf- isn't here to play. I'll act like a fool to fool them until I can escape this prison.

I grab the tray to serve the breakfast in the dining room, avoiding eye contact with anyone seated at the table, especially Chase and his flavor of the month, Chelsea. She and I are at each other's throats. No, she is because I didn't serve directly after her boyfriend and proceeded to the Beta. She's been after me since then, but I've stayed clear of her. I place the last plate on the table, eager to escape to the kitchen, but Chase stops me.

"I want you in my room after breakfast." He orders as he feeds his girlfriend.

Is she a child or something? Then again, a child is cute and innocent, but she isn't.

I bow, "Yes, Alpha."

I sit on the counter with a direct view of the staircase, my gaze focused on spotting Chase when he heads to his room.

I won't eat anything today. By the time Chase says what he has to say, the rest of the Omegas will have cleaned up and scuffed what was left. We're not on good terms for them to keep anything for me.

Wait! He is done!

I jump up, hurrying after him before I'm late and punished.

'Hurry, Ava. You've got this, almost there!" Astra urges me to push further and arrive the moment the door closes.

I softly knock on the door and enter when Chase has replied yes. I stand in front of him, my eyes cast to the floor. "You requested to see me, Alpha?"

I received no answer. Should I look up?

It'd better to wait a few seconds if it happens and he's here.

Out of the blue, a cold hand grabs my chin harshly, yanking my face up, "Is my room clean?" Chase growls, yanking my head around.

It's not. It has anything you can imagine on the floor: clothes, shoes, food wraps, and even used condoms. Ew! What does he want me to say? What is the correct answer that gives me a free pass?

"It's not, Alpha."

"My room is a fucking landfill because of your incompetency! If my parents find out, you're dead!" He lowers his tone, threatening me.

"It's not my fault you're a pig! I cleaned yesterday, but you're incompetent to do one thing right!" I want to yell in his face. Instead, I say, "I'll have it cleaned by this afternoon."

"Uh, uh. I want it spotless by the time I arrive from school." He evilly grins, pushing me out of the room and slamming the door in my face.

If I go to school, will I manage to clean the bedroom? It'll require more than an hour. What do I do? And I was going to start decorating the ballroom! Should I skip school?

"No! You have a test that you studied so hard for, why throw it away because of that retard? You focus on performing well on the test, we'll figure out the rest later."

Astra is right! Why should I miss the test because of Chase and his atrocious habits? If they punish me, so be it. I'm being punished as it is!

I pop by my room to snatch my stuff from the makeshift bed before sprinting to make it to school in time.

_____________________________________________

Walking, or in this case, sprinting to school is a time for me to reflect on my life and see things with a calmer mind. Because it may not be obvious, but I'm a firecracker, I have always been one. I speak my mind without any regard for the consequences. I had to forcefully break off that habit, and thank God I had Astra with me to hold me back!

It's emotionally draining me because there is no place for me to run. My 'room' is accessible to anyone, and when I'm at school, Chase and his friends provoke and torture me. Because I'm in their bad books, the whole school -even teachers- keep a distance from me. One teacher has disobeyed the rule, and if it weren't for her mate's family, who is the Alpha of a different pack, she would have been slaughtered.

Mrs. Hart is a saint and the closest thing I have to a mother. When everyone was pushing me away, she sympathized and approached me. One day, she took me to her mate's diner, and they treated me to food. To this day, I haven't eaten as much as I did back then. They even offered me to work whenever I had time to earn money for college. They treated me like a child they hadn't had. They were my saving grace! And as I'm walking into Mrs. Hart's classroom, my eyes meet her warm ones. She smiles as she mouths good morning to me.

Because good things can't last forever, the class ends, and everyone hurried out of the room. "Ava, stay behind for a second."

I wait before everyone has exited the room before marching up to her desk. She says nothing as she pulls out a massive shopping bag and hands it to me. "Open it," she prompts me.

"You shouldn't have spent money on me, Mrs. Hart. I don't deserve it and I won't be able to pay it back."

She clasps her hand into mine, "I don't want any reimbursement. Consider it a gift from me and Morris for your birthday. We wish we could take you somewhere to celebrate but we know you have to attend the ball. That's why we figured this would be the best gift for you, a princess attire for the princess you are."

"I can't take it. They'll destroy it if they get their hands on it."

The bell rings, signaling the end of the recession.

"We'll have it at the diner. Come and grab it when you feel it's safest. Now, go. You'll miss the next class." She urges me.

"Thank you!" I express before rushing to the next period.

_____________________________________________

A few hours have passed, and I'm back at the scene, cleaning after Chase's mess. They usually skip school and hang out at a local diner for hours, not Mrs. Hart's. Based on that, I believe I have a couple of hours.

I pick up the laundry basket filled with Chase's now clean clothes that I washed, carrying up the stairs and to his room. But the Alpha, his father, calls for me from down the stairs. I place the basket on the step and hurry to meet him.

"The ball is in less than two days. Why haven't you done anything?" He sneers, stepping forward and forcing me to back into the staircase railing.

"I'm finishing cleaning the Alpha's room before I get to the preparations," I whisper.

I flinch back as he raises his hand, but he forms a fist with it and returns it to the side.

"Unless you want an early birthday gift, have it ready by tomorrow."

I nod and wait for him to leave. When he does, I exhale and hold onto the railing for support. I thought he was going to hit me. I don't know why he didn't, but I think he knows I won't escape it for long, and I'm not sure either. There's no humane way I'll make it in time.

Why does he have to throw a ball? A simple party with only the pack would have sufficed. The most prominent candidate for the Luna role is Chelsea. Chase likes his women as thin, silicone Barbie dolls, and she's like that. She comes from a wealthy background, and their personalities and goals match. They're doing this to show off to other packs. Show off what, though? They have nothing: no power, wealth, or dignity.

I finish the chores and move toward the kitchen to get help from other Omegas. I find Melanie and Nina, but they don't acknowledge my presence.

"Can either of you help me out with the ballroom?"

They stare at me in distaste and simultaneously say, "No!"

Breathe in, breathe out.

Without a word, I begrudgingly pick up my cleaning supplies and stride to the final destination. No matter how much I want to cuss them out, it's a waste. Get going, Ava. You have a long road ahead of you.

Edited: 05/10/2023

Word count: 2132