Chapter 1

Audrey’s POV

I put the last bowel in the cupboard glad that I was finally done with the dishes, immediately feeling a burning pain caused by me stretching my arms too high, I winced standing still for a few seconds scared that if I made any sudden movement the bleeding would start again, these wounds were still so throbbingly painful it felt like I had just gotten my beating.

Yesterday’s beating felt a bit more personal, ‘a shifter ’s motivation’ is what they call it, that is how they justify the cruel abuse they put me through and yesterday I had the honor of being ‘motivated’ by the alpha himself. Every landing whip felt like my skin was being ripped off and salt was being poured over the wound over and over again, as the thick leather cord made contact with my skin the pain that coursed through my veins felt like a thousand flaming needles were moving through my body headed straight for my heart, it hurt so bad I couldn’t recognize my own screams. I thought I’d gotten used to it but being whipped by the alpha felt like I was being whipped with a molten larva whip.

My name is Audrey, the lowest of the low ranking ware-wolfs to ever exist, why because I cannot shift and therefore am regarded useless, a good for nothing nobody who isn’t worth anyone’s time. Wednesdays are an exception though as that is the one time people take time off from their busy lives to watch me go through the humiliation called ‘motivation’.

I get tied naked to a pole while the alpha’s beta and my ex best friend’s mate gives me 22 lashes, this is to motivate me to shift , to get my wolf to come to the surface and finally show herself. I used to pray that she would, the first few months of the first year, I used to beg the moon goddess to end my suffering and grant me my wolf but that never happened.

A few teens ran in to get water bottles, their muddy shoes making a mess where I’d already cleaned, not that they felt sorry about it, no one regarded my presence here, to them I was just a tiny weakling of a human who was good for nothing but being a slave. I limped my way around making sure to clean up the mess, when I was done I prepared the table making sure everything was ready for lunch, it amazes me how everyone despises me but none of them seem to be afraid of eating the food prepared by me I ought to spit in their food.

I hated my existence and everything about it, I hated the moon goddess more because of the fate she chose for me, why would she bring me here only to have me suffer like this? The only good thing she has ever done for me was give me my brother Scott, that’s the one thing the goddess got right. I loved Scott with all my heart, we lost our parents when I was only three months old in a vampire attack, Scott was six years old at the time and he has been taking care of me since, he was lucky enough to get his wolf but he still hadn’t gotten his mate, he worked as one of the pack trainers, I hated having to put him through the humiliation of being the weakling’s brother.

When all the plates were set, I put the dishes on the self-service table looking at the clock to make sure that I was out of here before the pack members started flooding in for lunch, the alpha made it very clear that not only would he puke but he would also wring my neck if he ever caught me in the same room as him, Lunches were not big as people had to work, so just this one table and the self-service table sufficed. When I was done I left the house and headed out on my routine walk trying my best not to bump into any of the pack members.

Alpha Logan was a ruthless man very powerful too, our pack was the biggest most powerful pack under the Lycans, and I did not wish to step on his toes, any promise he made he fulfilled, he killed his own parents because he claimed they were too soft and made the pack appear weak. He absolutely despised weaklings, it’s a miracle he’s kept me alive this long, the man will literally kill his own warriors that come back injured from battles because according to him they are weak for even getting scathed, the injured warriors usually hide their wounds until they are healed which is not long because of their ability to heal themselves.

The wind blew through my hair alerting me that I was now in the open, I had gotten out of the pack house and was now walking through the town where people were sending me looks, I was used to ignoring the hateful, pitiful looks I got from the pack members as I walked the town, so it felt like I was all alone even though they were whispering. I smiled to myself thinking about how it would feel being in a totally different place where nobody knew me, maybe I could live among the humans since I was practically one, I would get a job get a nice place and forget all about this cursed place. Hills-view was a beautiful town it had a modern urban environment which almost had it looking like a city, it was surrounded by forests and lakes which allowed for the residents to explore and run around in their natural form, it was a very beautiful town however it was not good to me.

I looked at the time to see that it was lunchtime time by this time everyone should be flooding the pack house to go have lunch except for the people who worked in the town, I increased my pace taking a shortcut through the woods, I couldn’t help but sense a strange presence following me, the hairs at the back of my neck stood up and I wanted to look around and see what it was but it’s not like I would be able to defend myself, especially not in the state I was in, so I ignored it limping my way through until I got to the cottage, I hadn’t even caught my breath when the door crept open causing me to jump in fear.

“Oh Lord!!!”  I jumped my heart getting stuck in my throat.