Cruel Fate

LEILA'S POV~

I hate myself. I hated this life as well. I hated that each day I woke up, I was in the same body, living the same life.

Standing in front of the large school gate, I felt my stomach knot. Firstly, I alone knew how this place was a place of hell for me, filled with ugly memories. Secondly, it was because three times now I've seen a strange man wait outside the school compound and his icy eyes piercing into mine, it always unnerved me. Tall, and extremely huge, had a black large cap that shielded his face and it was eerily.

I had no idea why a strange sensation always creeped into my skin, whenever he was near. I gulped hard before forcing my eyes away and my heavy legs into the school premises.

I bowed my head as I walked, trying to stay as invisible as possible. The class corridors were filled with lots of students, much to my horror, which made my heart sink. I hated every single second here.

The moment my sandals seemed to tap on the tiles of the large hall flooded with students, I had no idea if it was my scent or if they had mastered the sound of my faded sandals, because the next second, all eyes were on me.

Dread filled every fiber of me, and I found myself slowing my pace.

"Well... Well... Everyone! Look who's here, the rut! The useless wolfless girl with a wretched mother who committed suicide, who isn't fit to be amongst us!" The entire corridor turned silent as a chestnut brown-haired girl came into view, folding her arms, the diamond earring on her ears glittering. She was one of the people in school who made my life miserable.

I felt an instant pain squeeze through my heart at the mention of my dead mother, which made me almost wince, but I bit the insides of my cheeks and tried to pull my legs, which were beginning to turn to jelly because of fear.

I didn't want any trouble today. My plan was simple—attend the test and then leave. If I couldn't do that, I would've called in sick. But it seemed like trouble had a way of finding me.

"And where do you think you're going, you bitch?" The girl's voice cut through the air like a knife. Fear filled my eyes as I paused on my tracks while I was trying to escape, before turning back to face her.

"I-I'm sorry... I-I didn't mean to—" I stammered, my voice almost a whisper. My words instantly died on my lips as a resounding slap landed across my face, sending me crashing to the ground. Laughter erupted from the onlookers—students who seemed to be enjoying my torment.

"You stupid thing! Who asked you to go home yesterday? I told you to wash the toilet and make sure it was spotless, but you ran off! How dare you! You're the reason I went into detention and yet you didn't obey me!" Her voice was filled with fury as she threw a kick to my belly, making me cry out in pain. My lip was already bleeding, and for goodness' sake, the girl was an Alpha's daughter—her fists felt as hard as rocks. Pain shot through me, making my spine straighten.

"Grace! Michelle!" I heard her call out to her friends. "Let's pull this bitch to the toilet and make sure she washes it with her mouth this time."

Before I could try to stand, another blow landed straight on my eye, causing me to let out a blood-curdling scream. The girls were momentarily stunned but quickly regained their composure and lunged toward me, grabbing me by my long blonde hair as I thrashed about in terror.

I could barely see through the pain that shot from my eyes and the other parts of my body that had been hit. I couldn't understand why no teachers were coming out to investigate the loud noises the students were making.

Then, it hit me—the teachers were all moving to the new school site for a meeting. Horror struck me as I began to sob, realizing I was truly alone in my torment.

The girls continued to drag me by my hair as the other students cheered them on. My throat burned from crying, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. They pulled me into the toilet and forced my face towards the toilet, filled with urine and feces. My heart sank.

"Please, don't do this," I begged nervously, realizing they had intentionally made this mess to humiliate me. Every day, the cleaners ensured the school was spotless.

I hoped they'd show some mercy, but Stellina, their leader, pulled my hair and pushed my face into the toilet with her friends' help. I screamed as the disgusting liquid touched my face and nose, the stench of feces overwhelming.

"Stop, she's going to die!" a voice shouted, but Stellina was relentless.

"No, I want her to eat the feces before I let her go."

"The teacher is coming! Let's go!"

Their grip on my hair hurriedly loosened, and I gasped for air, slumping to the ground in tears.

"Say you're useless!" Stellina roared. "Say it now, or I'll beat you and push you back in!"

I quickly muttered, "Please, I'm useless. Forgive me," curling into a ball as nausea hit my guts.

Time seemed to lose its meaning as I lay on the ground, sobbing. The ringing of the school bell pierced the silence, signaling the start of classes. Everyone must have left.

Feeling utterly filthy, I rushed to the sink to wash my face, only to vomit from the intensity of the stench. I looked into the mirror and saw my eyes—puffy, red, and lifeless.

I hated my life. I hated being wolfless, powerless to defend myself or my mother when she was alive. I hated watching her die, watching her beg me to be strong, watching her ask me to take care of my younger sister because she knew who my father was—completely unable to raise us as good kids. I watched my father bring in another woman, on the same day of my mother's demise and fucked her, their sounds still vivid in my memory and I could do nothing to stop it.

This was the life I had grown up with—bullies, beatings, and harassment. There was no single day a smile crossed my features. If I ever smiled, it was just a pure smile of detest, mockery and disdain.

I longed for a normal, loving family that had each other's backs. But fate had dealt me a cruel hand, taking my mother and leaving me with a father who…

Just the thought of my father made me freeze in terror, my teeth chattering uncontrollably.

I had a psycho as a father, a man who always forced me to...to... Oh Goddess just the memories made my stomach heave. He forced me to put his penis in my mouth every day.

It was a miracle he hadn't disfigured any part of my body yet or had decided to kill me off. He always threatened to force my younger sister to suck him off instead, whenever I fought him and refused to do his cruel bidding. My younger sister was the only reason why I was still alive, I would have committed suicide long time ago from the beginning of my father's abuse, joining mother over the other side of life.

I couldn't speak up, I had no one to speak to, no friends to trust. My former best friend had once humiliated me alongside Stellina, so she could be one of Stellina's lackeys. My father had also threatened to kill my sister and I knew it was not an ordinary threat. My father was one of the powerful men across the pack with several dangerous connections. He loathed me because I was wolfless, and useless and had made me understand that by refusing to train me in school. I was only schooling because my mother had paid for all the years in college before her death because she knew the evil man she had married.

A sudden, overwhelming sensation jolted me from my despair. A scent—unlike anything I had ever experienced—invaded my nostrils. It was a heady mixture of earthy musk and fresh rain, with a hint of something undeniably masculine, which glued me to the spot. My heart raced as an unfamiliar warmth spread through my body, and I felt a strange pull, urging me to find the source of this intoxicating aroma.

I took a hesitant step forward, my nostrils flaring as I tried to discern the direction from which the scent was emanating. It seemed to be coming from the school hallway, growing stronger and more enticing with each step I took.

It was then that a shocking realization hit me—this was the scent of my mate.

The pull was irresistible, drawing me further down the empty hallway like a moth to a flame. I had never felt so alive, so connected to another being in my life. And just as I followed the scent several emotions warred within me.

Would he love me and accept me even when he gets to know I'm a rut—a wolfless female? Would he find me beautiful despite seeing the countless scars on my body?

And just before I could take another step, my eyes landed on a tall figure whose back was turned toward me, his hands on his pocket, his head darting from a corner to another as though he was in search of something.

“Mate!" I sounded stupid saying that, I shouldn't have. My eyes widened.

And when the tall figure turned to face me, his eyes widened as well as mine. But when I realized who my mate was, every blood on my face seemed to drain.