Chapter 1

Leena's POV

I'm taste-testing the pack meal to make sure it's to their liking. If it isn't, I may face another beating. I'm usually discreet about this task as I know that they don't like when I eat their food.

I grab a clean tablespoon and dip it slightly into the chili that I've made. It looks a little too chunky and I wonder if I overcooked the liquid out of it. I take a small bite and savor the flavor of the hearty meat and beans filling my senses. It tastes so good and I find myself taking another bite.

I close my eyes to focus on the taste. Savory, slight hints of tomato and other spices, but not overbearing as it was last time. It could use a bit more beef broth, but it would suffice this time.

Before I can open my eyes and proceed with the cornbread, a sudden sharp blow makes its way to my head. I fall back and catch myself before falling completely to the ground.

I feel sick from the impact, so I head through them familiar basement kitchen with my eyes shut and shove my way through the door and take a deep breath of fresh air.

As soon as I make it a few steps, I feel another sharp blow hit me from the back and I lose my footing, thudding hard on the dirt outside. I try to scramble up, but black out from the pain.

When I come to, I smell nothing but blood around me, but I can't see where it's coming from. I make an attempt to sit up, but my body is too limp to do so. Oh right, it's coming from me.

I've been attacked again. My vision is returning slowly, but everything is still a haze. I blink slowly through the blood and dirt caked on my face to see my brother, Silas, standing above me with one of the most malicious smiles I've ever seen on his face.

My hand goes to my throbbing head and I wince from the splitting pain that caused me to black out in the first place. He contorts his face harshly as he opens his mouth. "How many times do I have to tell you Lee? The food you make for the pack doesn't belong to you in any way. It's not like you need any to begin with. Just look at you, you filthy pig."

My speech comes out slurred, but I manage to croak out, "I'm sorry, Silas! I just wanted to make sure it was right. I swear!"

Tears begin to form in my eyes but I shake my head as if I'm shaking them back into their ducts. I struggle to speak further. He must have hit me pretty hard. I work on dragging my body back in towards the basement I have been forced to exist in.

Ever since I can remember, this has been my life. Anger always being directed at me over the smallest things. If I'm seen, I'm belittled. If I speak, I'm struck.

I don't know how much longer I can go through with this. I long for the day when I can finally escape, but that thought seems like a fantasy as I lay on the ground and bleeding out.

It isn't long before I hear thundering footsteps heading toward us. Someone must have heard the commotion. It would be too much hope to believe they would stop this.

The voice belonging to those footsteps chimes in, "Silas, what have I told you about doing this in the backyard where she can't be seen? You have to show your power in front of the rest of the pack. How will they respect you if they never see your discipline in person? If you want to become Alpha one day, you must heed my words boy."

I wince at that harsh, gravelly voice. It belongs to my father, Alpha Lancaster Mills. A cold chill ran down my spine. While the rest of the pack revered my father, I feared him. My entire life was spent tortured endlessly by this man.

There were stories of Lancaster once being a kind and loving man. It must be a myth made up to torture me further. I spent many days imagining have that past version be my father instead of this one.

Lancaster is the biggest reason why my wolf refuses to make itself known. I received her when I came of age. She speaks to me within my mind, but she refuses to shift. Without her shift, I'm nothing but a lowly human, weak and alone.

I feel Sheera, my wolf, deep down within, cowering, whimpering while he stares me down with disgust. His mouth, contorting into a thin sneer with sharp teeth protruding as his wolf makes its way to the surface.

"Leave us Silas, I will deal with this myself. You just take the food up to the pack. They're ravenous." Silas bows his head in respect for his Alpha and quickly leaves as my breath seems to leave my body out of pure terror.

"Leena, how many times do I have to keep doing this?" In an instant flash, fur came towards me, pinning me down to the ground. "I should have killed you the moment you were born. It's the least I could have done for your mother's sake."

My mother Aleena was a petite she-wolf. Her stature of 4'10" and extra small features made her seem like a child. That paired with Lancaster's enormous 6'7" body made for larger pups. The pack doctor knew this with my brother and was able to perform a cesarean to keep them both safe.

That wasn't the case for me. They measured me to be smaller than what I was, but even with the knowledge of how big Silas was, they didn't take that precaution. By the time the doctor realized, it was too late and my mother hemorrhaged internally, staying alive long enough to deliver me.

Even though it was the pack doctor's fault for not taking the proper steps, Lancaster blames me. After I was born, he couldn't stand the sight of me. I was a heavier baby and constantly crying from what I was told.

It wasn't long before he handed me off to the Beta's family to feed me as an infant as they had a pup around the same time. It wasn't much longer after that before his resentment sunk in and made itself known.

They claim this is where he went from that loving and charming Alpha to cruel and cold-hearted. While he still led his pack in compassion for them, I only saw the dark side of him. It had become commonly known amongst the pack that I was fair game for any mistreatment and everything was eventually blamed on me.

His wolf's breath is hot and moist as I hear a taunting growl come from its throat. I shut my eyes and brace myself for more pain. Lash after lash, I propel my body to the one place I hate within this pack--my basement.

I make it to just beyond the threshold before my father slams me on my back. I'm trying hard to protect myself, but pain is radiating from all parts of my body and I feel myself weaken.

A big part of me wishes this man were dead, him and Silas. It's bad enough that Lancaster treats me this way and blames me for mom, but to give Silas, my older brother the actual job description as my personal slave driver and punisher, well it's just unnecessarily cruel. If he keeps this up, I may actually succumb to my injuries this time.