Fan cover created by dolly_nath95

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Acacia/Ciarán - Age 16

Silent tears fall down my cheeks as I sit on the shower floor with my back against the tiled wall. My chin rests on my knees while my blurry vision watches the way the water droplets pelt off the tile, my shoulders heaving up and down as another sob rakes through my body.

Under our parents' roof...

...in my bedroom.

Ciarán...

I release the shaky sob as I shake my head, biting my lower lip as I feel the soreness in my abdomen linger. When I finally stand to my feet, I glance down, and I see the dark bruises already forming on my waist and hip bones. The imprint of his hands and fingers remain...

After my shower, I throw on new clothes, drying my damp hair before braiding it over my shoulder. I'm silently slipping out into the hallway, knowing very well that I'll need another pill from Niles as not only do I now have a fear of Ciarán raping me...but he didn't use protection, and I'm worried he might get me pregnant...

I know the council meeting is over because I can hear voices coming from the living room and entryway of those that remain behind for a while. I know Grandpa Keir is here, along with Lars and Gabriel as their voices carry up above the rest...it sounds like they are still in a bit of a disagreement as to what arose during the meeting.

That's my fault...

Making my way toward the medical wing, I knock on the door before slowly opening it. Niles turns around in his chair from the desk he's working at, his eyes flickering away from the screen before he rests them on me.

"Acacia?" He asks as I step further into the room and close the door behind me.

"H-Hey, Niles," I slowly walk toward him while keeping my heart rate steady.

He furrows his brows when I come to a halt in front of him, trying not to nervously play with the stray thread on the seam of my pant leg. He asks me with confusion, "What do I owe the pleasure of this visit for?"

I can see it in his eyes because I'm never in here unless I've been hurt...

...but I try to refrain from showing any pain this time around and for the most part, it works rather well.

"I...I was wondering if I could..." it feels so awkward to ask though, and even Niles raises one of his brows with my hesitation until I'm finally able to get out, "...could I have another one of those morning pills?"

Niles' one raised eyebrow becomes two a moment later, and he exhales a small breath before he says, "Yes." My heart skips a beat when he so easily accepts my request, moving his chair back while he opens a cabinet and removes a small container. He opens it, and a few moments later, he closes and sets it back in the cabinet. As he is opening another cabinet, he removes six small packs and sets them on the desk. When I'm about to question him, Niles faces me again and holds out the pill before stating, "This is the morning after pill."

I take it from him and nod while replying, "Thank you."

Niles nods his recognition before he also mentions and moves the packs closer to me on the desk and says, "These are birth control pills," he pauses a moment while showing them to me and explaining, "if you've become sexually active, regardless of how protective your partner is, you'll still want to take precaution into your own hands."

"I..." my voice trails off as my eyes flicker with uncertainty, knowing there's no way I'm not going to get questioned if someone sees them...especially my parents.

"If you'd rather take a different route," Niles then decides to set a small ampule of liquid on the desk and informs me, "I can give you the Depo shot that will last for three months and then I can give you a few filled syringes for the Depo SubQ, which is a smaller needle that you can inject yourself while you're away."

That might be easier.

Nodding my head slowly, Niles explains and shows me how I'll be administering the shot in a few months time as I'll be away and at school so he won't be able to give me the Depo shot himself. When he is confident I'll be okay and can manage on my own, he packs two syringes on soft foam in a hard case, zipping it up and setting it on the desk. He then motions for me, lifting the sleeve of my shirt up before he rubs an alcohol pad against the flesh of my upper arm.

"It's going to hurt a bit as this one needs to penetrate into the muscle," Niles' eyes meet with mine before I nod and glance away, feeling the sting of the needle as he injects me with the shot.

When he is done and cleaning up, I turn to him and say, "Thank you..." though my voice holds uncertainty when I finally ask him, "Please...please don't tell..."

Niles glances to me, and I see his wolf coming forward as he chuckles and says, "Don't worry Acacia, this is strictly doctor-patient confidentiality. I won't say a word to your parents."

The relief that washes over my features carries through when I suddenly reach out and wrap my arms around him, and I'm even more at ease when he chuckles and hugs me back. He honestly has no idea that what he just did for me, saves one aspect of my mind and lets it rest slightly.

When I pull away from him, he hands me the case and a small smile makes its way onto my lips. I tell him again, "Thank you."

"All I want is for you to be safe and it's not my place to judge or ask questions," Niles nods and then he returns to his work, allowing me to head back toward the door of the medical wing and into the hallway. Closing the door behind me, I lean against it for a brief moment and release a hefty sigh from my lips.

I head back toward my room, thankful that everyone is keeping to themselves, though I'm sure eventually one of my parents is going to rear their heads in my direction about what happened at the council meeting. Making it back to my bedroom...

...sure enough, just as I'm about to close the door behind me, I hear my dad ask, "Little love?"

Shit.

Turning around, I hold the case down on my thigh, meeting my dad's gaze before I say, "I'm a little busy, dad."

"I just wanted to..." his voice trails off though, the second his gaze lands on the case. Keeping my calm, I turn away from him and head into my room, moving toward my bed before setting the case down next to the glass chess set. His footsteps echo as he follows me into my bedroom, his voice holding a questioning tone, "Acacia, what's that?"

I release a short exhale before turning around and saying, "It's none of your business."

He tilts his head to the side and states, "When you're under this roof, your business is my business."

Anger rushes through me as he says this, my hands clenching into fists as I fight down that rage...

...where the hell was he when my brother raped me under his roof?!

Slowly, I try to calm myself, and I allow the tension in my muscles to subside before stating, "It's nothing-"

"If it's nothing, then show me," dad crosses his arms in front of his chest.

"Dad-"

"Acacia," he cuts me off, narrowing his eyes as he sees the hesitation in my actions.

Shaking my head, I tell him, "You wouldn't understand, so please...just drop it..."

"What's in the case, Acacia?" dad takes a step forward, and I move slightly back, my hand resting on the top of the case.

"It's just something to help me when I'm back at school, okay?" I shake my head as he continues to go after me in regards to this.

Dad shakes his head and outstretches his arm before saying, "Give it to me."

"No," I hold the case in my hands now, gripping it tightly as if my life depends on it.

"Acacia, I'm only going to tell you one more time," he pauses as I see his frustration slowly rising, "give me the case."

"D-"

"Now!" He barks at me, and I flinch at his raised voice.

Shakily, I slowly outstretch my hand, handing over the case as my heart beats fast in my chest. Dad takes it from me, unzipping the sides until he opens it. His eyes narrow on the contents, and he snaps, "Are you doing drugs?"

"What?" I look at him in complete disbelief, "No! That's not what they're for!"

"Tell me right now," dad's eyes hold my gaze and for the first time...I honestly don't see any sense of him believing me...

Shaking my head, I tell him, "They're...it's...I-...it's birth control..."

The second I say those words, his eyes widen, and he begins to fire off questions like, "Who are you sleeping with? When did you start being sexually active? Why didn't you say anything or ask for help?" It goes on and on...but the one that gets me the most, is when he starts to figure out, "Niles gave you these, didn't he?"

"Yes, bu-"

"He has NO right to prescribe you this!" Dad is furious as he snaps the case shut and zips it up.

"D-D-Dad...h-he...I...j-just want to b-be safe," tears are in my eyes as I'm desperately trying to understand why he's so upset over this. If anything...I thought just maybe, just a fraction of a chance that he might be proud I'm trying to take responsible measures.

But no...

...he's flying off the handle irrationally.

Dad's eyes begin to shift as his anger rises and he states, "You are my daughter, Acacia and this should have been discussed before sneaking off to Niles and going behind our backs."

"It's my life! It's my choice!" I'm yelling right back at him, my temper coming forward and flying off the handle.

"You are still a child!" He snaps as he glares at me.

"Then why do you treat me like I should be an adult most of the time!" I argue right back, angry tears filling my eyes before my sight is becoming blurry.

Dad shakes his head and then tries to throw at me, "Like the way you decided to play games with Lars? Did you think that was a smart idea? You were just fine telling him what happened, but to go and do what you did, to force him into a corner that he knew he couldn't get out of, yet he already gave you information that was truthful..."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I'm crying and yelling at him, and I can hear footsteps in the hallway, "I thought you would be proud of me for showing that he is hiding something! I thought you'd be proud that I'm like you an-"

"Acacia, you are nothing like me!" When he says this, my heart stops in my chest, my muscles tensing as I stare at him while choking back a sob. He glares at me and continues, "Lars was telling the truth! You are so much smarter than what you accused him of, that I don't even think you understand what you did! All you have managed to do is cause a rift and strife to spark between members of the council! I. Am. Not. Proud. Of. That!"

My skin is so hot with anger because I know that he's right about many things...I know Lars didn't do it, but I thought he must see my points showed everything he taught me over the years...

Dad shakes his head while rubbing his forehead and states, "You proved yourself a liar...in front of every council member because what you don't understand and know, is that Keir has seen this happen before!"

"D-"

"No, I want you to listen good..." he cuts me off and takes a few steps toward me as I stand next to the bedside table, the connection I've always felt with my dad breaking piece by piece. He stands before me, his eyes staring down into mine as he informs me, "Don't ever make yourself look like a complete fool like that again because now your word is discredited until you can prove yourself to not just me, not just your mom and Dante...but to the entire council that you're supposed to be overseeing one day!"

Our eyes are locked in a deathlike gaze, my heart beating extremely fast as he tries to soften his features...he even attempts to try to resolve this between us by offering me a hug, beckoning me to come closer to him.

I don't though.

I'm angry...no...

...I'm beyond livid.

There is no safety in his arms as I now realize, he'll never believe me again.

My hand reaches out with such fluidity as I grasp the back part of the chessboard, and before dad can understand what I'm doing, I fling the chessboard and pieces outward...

...the chess set shatters.

Pieces fly everywhere when I throw it from the side table.

The sound of glass breaking echoes off the marble floor.

Dad stares at me with wide eyes as my features contort with anger and hurt as I scream at him, "You were WRONG! My mind is not the strongest weapon! You're a fucking liar to make me believe that it could make me overcome any physical task I wasn't prepared to handle!"

"Ac-"

"NO! HOW was my mind stronger than those who raped me?! I am NOTHING without physical strength and having a strong mind means NOTHING if I can't do anything to protect myself! You ALL hindered me from ever being prepared for this world, and I HATE YOU FOR IT!" I'm breathing hard as I scream at him, tears streaming down my cheeks as my gaze quickly flickers to the open door frame, catching glimpses of Grandpa Keir, mom, Dante, Marcus and even Nyx.

My chest is in immense pain, the feeling of how betrayed I feel, that my dad was someone I could always tell anything to and rely on to still be at my side...hell, I even believed he saw the truth in my eyes before he gave me grace by sending me to Elysium instead of Mercury...

...but I guess I was wrong.

"Acac-"

"I'm done!" I cut him right off, my shoulders heaving up and down as I turn on my heels, angry tears continuing to fall down my cheeks as I reach for one of my bags and begin to pack clothes. I can tell dad wants to say something, but he's holding his tongue, more than likely afraid he'll do more damage...

...what more can he do that hasn't already been done?

Grandpa Keir walks into the room and gently says, "Acacia can come and stay with me until everything is sorted."

"There's nothing to sort out!" I feel horrible in a way, snapping at my grandpa...but I'm so angry and hurt, he's in my pathway of destruction right now.

He calmly replies and states, "Everything heals with time."

Dante releases a sigh and agrees, "I'll have Etain gather her school work for the rest of the year, and she can complete the work at your pack," he informs Grandpa Keir.

"Cormac?" Mom asks, and I hesitate to turn around, but I do just as dad glances to mom when she questions him.

I'm quick to walk forward and snatch the hard case from his hand, causing dad to turn back around and stare at me. He doesn't make a move forward to take it from me, my angry glare set on my features as I won't change the way I feel. There's nothing between us...

...he doesn't love me.

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Song selected by embermarina for Cormac and Acacia
Hold on by Chord Overstreet

💫--To Be Continued--💫

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