2. Silent Night

After the Alpha, Luna, and Beta, the Gamma wolves are the next in command in a pack's chain of command. They are the supreme protectors of a pack which puts them among the high-ranking and most respected officials of a pack. No wonder all the shifters inside the dining hall had shock written all over their faces when I didn't rush to do as the Gamma chief had commanded. They thought I'd gone crazy for having the guts to disobey a high-ranking officer of the pack

I squat in front of Martha's chair instead and look into her eyes that has tears in them. Martha is not a shifter. She's human, yet she treats me better than my own kind. As if she's my mother.

"I told you I'll make the coffee, Martha. You could have hurt yourself! You didn't even have your walking stick with you, what if you fall and break another bone?"

"I'm sorry child. I just wanted to help. When I saw you were already behind schedule... I - I was trying to help so you wouldn't get punished, instead, I made it worse... I'm sorry!... Oh, Lawd, Ash! He's coming behind you" Martha warned. She feared for my life. I can feel the hands she places on my cheeks shaking badly as she talks

"It's not your fault Martha. I'll be okay, c'mon don't cry..." I say and smile in assurance. Behind me, I can hear the Gamma chief's heavy footsteps on the hardwood floor as they march toward me in anger. Even though I see the fear on Martha's face and feel the bastard's presence when he arrives at my back, I didn't turn or flinch away from him

"Well, aren't you a cocky bitch!?" He growls and grabs a fistful of my hair, dragging me on the floor with it. God, that hurts! It feels as if I'm

being scalp alive. I use my two hands to hold down my hair in a bid to reduce the pain and prevent my hair from getting ripped from the root.

My actions couldn't stop him from taking a handful of my hair with him when he forcefully slam my head into the floor near the foot of the dining table. My vision first went sort of blurry before I lost consciousness. I came to, feeling the pain of his kicks everywhere as he continually scream...

"Yeah, that's what I thought! Stay down! Stay down where you belong! I will mop the floor with your ass, you ugly freak!" He screams on and on as he kicks me.

I roll into a ball trying to prevent my face and stomach from making contact with his foot as much as I could.

"That's enough Mitch! What the hell do you think you're doing!" The Luna's voice mercifully sounded inside the room and the kicks immediately stopped.

"Alpha!..." Except for me, who is struggling to get up, every other shifter in the room stands and slightly bows their heads with respect to the Alpha and Luna.

"What's going on here?" The Alpha asks walking past me like I'm invincible, to sit at the head of the table.

"It's nothing Alpha. The Omega was getting ahead of herself and needed to be reminded where she belonged." The Gamma chief replied, looking down in satisfaction towards where I'm still struggling to get up.

"Fuck you!" I say in a whisper and smirk

back at him. I don't know what gave me the guts to say that to a Gamma chief. I must have been out of my mind and delirious with pain to care anymore. Nobody saw what I did except him and I saw with satisfaction how the smile on his face quickly change to a frown. Congratulations Ash, another round of beating loading.

"Well somebody should help her up to the medic or wherever, let's get this meeting started." The Alpha said in dismissal.

I don't know how it's done in another pack but in this pack, such is the life of an Omega. I could have died and it would have been business as usual. That is why I wouldn't be waiting another day longer. I would leave this pack and take Martha with me as soon as I turn eighteen. That is if I live to see my eighteenth birthday.

I just hope the moon goddess would afford me that opportunity. Even if she wouldn't give me my wolf, then let me leave this pack alive. If not for my sake but for the sake of Martha. She didn't have any family that I know of and needed someone to take care of her in her old age.

Even though the Alpha said someone should help me to the medic, nobody came forward to help except for old Martha. Since I know Martha couldn't help me without falling over herself, I hold on to the edge of the table and manage to pull myself up, stifling a groan in the process because of the intense pain I'm feeling on my side.

I quickly limp to where the coffee trolley is and push it to the dining table. I'm about to arrange the cups in front of everyone when the Luna stops me

"Leave it. I'll arrange for it to be done. You go take care of yourself at the medic"

My jaw nearly dropped with surprise...

'She cares!?' I thought to myself, surprised by her behavior when I've always thought she was no different from the rest of her family. I observe the Alpha is cold, aloof, and somewhat unfeeling and Miranda, their only child is around my age. Miranda is hungry for power and cruel, no two ways about it. She did a number on me once. According to her, 'I looked her straight in the eyes.' Bitch nearly broke my arm for looking her straight in the eyes! So, so evil!

.

.

It was past one in the morning that I finally get off work. My body aches all over, especially my right side where I was kicked the previous morning. I wonder if the asshole had broken my ribs since It hurts so bad to breathe and move around. At that moment I wish so badly that I have my wolf and I wonder with sick feelings in my heart if I would ever.

I gingerly raise my shirt under the streetlight and swears softly when I see the angry color of red, blue, and black on my left side. If I had just gone to the medic as the Luna had suggested maybe I wouldn't be feeling this much pain. On the other hand, would Martha have coped with the work if I had gone? I would rather go through the pain than Martha.

I turn left, away from the street, and enter into the woods, which is the shortcut I take every day to my house...

The night is perfect. Yeah, all nights are perfect to me but this is different. Warm and windy summer nights have always been my favorite time of the year. I don't need to use my small flashlight that I always carry with me this night as the moon illuminates my path perfectly.

As I limp deeper and deeper into the woods. I enjoy the coolness of the wind blowing on my hot skin and the silence of the night.

I stop walking with my head cocked to the side when something occurs to me. This night is different. It is far from being perfect. Something is certainly not right!