chapter fourty

NATHANIEL POV

Fifteen years ago;

"Get out, you worthless child!" my mother shrieked, her voice dripping with venom as she hurled my clothes onto the frozen ground. Tears streamed down my face, mingling with the chill of the night air, as I wrapped my trembling arms around my shivering body.

"Mama, please," I begged, desperate, cracking my voice. "It's freezing outside, and Naomi is sick. She needs warmth and care." I clutched my seven-year-old sister tightly to my chest, trying to shield her from the cold and our mother's cruelty.

But my mother's expression twisted into a snarl, her eyes blazing with a drunken fury. She slammed the door shut, leaving us to face the unforgiving night alone.

This was our reality, a never-ending cycle of abuse and neglect. Whenever she indulged in her favorite poison, our home transformed into a battleground. The packmates, our supposed community, turned a blind eye to our suffering. They'd grown numb to our parents' toxic behavior, their indifferenc