CHAPTER 1
~RAULA'S POV~
Worship the strong. Praise the wicked. Suffer the weak.
That's the catchphrase of this twisted game of chess called life and no matter how many times we try to override this unsaid rule humanity was born into, it wouldn't make a difference. Because Life can never be fair.
6 million years is how long the gods have let humanity be enslaved by this unspoken rule.
8,760 days, 210,240 hours, 12,614,400 minutes, and 756,864,000 seconds is how long I have lived in this wretched world.
8,030 days, 192,720 hours, 11,563,200 minutes, and 693,792,000 seconds is how long it's been since I learned the cruelty of life the hard way.
A loud pop rang out, pulling me from my train of thoughts as the heavy ends of the bullwhip came in contact with my back and a whimper fell from my lips. White hot pain ran through my body and blood spilled from the wounds that had just begun to heal.
Another pop was heard and an agonizing scream bounced off the walls of the hollow cell in volumes. I shrieked at the sound and it was only after the pain had intensified and the soreness in my throat deepened that it hit me.
That vile sound came from me.
I braced myself as heavy lashes rained down on my badly bruised back and more of my essence slipped to the floor. The shackles that held me in place were taken off and I fell face-first into the pool of blood beneath me.
"Next time you're reborn, do everything in your power to be anything but an Omega. Maybe then you wouldn't be treated the way you are."
His footsteps were the last thing I heard before the metal door slammed shut and I was left with a melodious silence. I don't know how long I sat there. In a pool of blood as red as my wavy hair. Maybe a couple of minutes. Maybe more. Time can't easily be measured when I'm in this hellhole. All I can do is wait for someone to get me out of here.
Just then the metal door cracked open and a beautiful blond with the greenest pair of eyes you have ever seen came into view. Morgana Lowell. My best friend. My only friend.
She walked up to me and crunched to my level. A look of disgust was boldly written over her face as she stared at me.
"You look miserable. I don't see a reason why you bother continuing with your life. If I were you I would have committed suicide by now."
I said nothing as she helped me to my wobbly feet. All I did was nod my head in agreement ignoring the sting her bitter words had provoked within my soul. She had always been like this. Morgana had always been like this. It's just her way of showing she cares for me.
At least that's what I made myself believe.
She led me out of the dungeon and into the busy streets of the Moonstone pack. A million smells flooded my broken nose and the urge to vomit crept in but one look from Morgana forced me to swallow the bile in my throat.
We were in the heart of the pack. The least I could do for her was to be less of an embarrassment to her. A million gazes were on us as we walked down the path and the emotions in their judging eyes spoke to me in magnitudes.
Anger. Disgust. Resentment. Lust. Envy. And many others. There is nothing new about the negativity of these emotions. For that's all I have ever known. From the moment I was abandoned at the border of this pack by my parents as a pup, all I have ever known was pain and suffering. All because I'm a bloody Omega, the weakest rank of a werewolf. All because I couldn't do half of what they do. All because–.
I was pulled out of my line of reasoning when I bumped into a hard frame with such force that I had my butt planted to the ground. A sharp pain ran through my back and a hiss left my lips before I could stop it.
"Raula! Get up right now!"
She tugged on my arm and pulled me to my feet ignoring how my face twisted in pain.
"I'm sorry she bumped into you, Erika."
Erika? I ran into Erika Biddle.
I lifted my head and stared at her face and angry brown eyes stared into my blue ones. She looks pissed. Before I could open my mouth to apologize, my head harshly fell to the side and it was only after I felt the aftershock running through my cheek did I realize what happened. She slapped me.
Morgana said nothing. I didn't expect her to. After all, what could she gain from defending a person whose only purpose in life was to be a glorified punching bag?
"I'm sorry," I whispered into the wind hoping that she could take pity on me and walk away without escalating the matter. But she didn't. Instead, she looked at me and spoke to Morgana in a neutral voice.
"Get this bitch of yours under control or the next person she bumps into might do that for you."
She didn't wait for Morgana to give a reply before walking in the direction she was headed, making sure to bump shoulders with me to show her authority. As if it wasn't obvious who the servant in this pack was.
The walk back to the cabin was laboriously quiet. The silence we shared was nerve-wracking and the weight it placed in my chest was too heavy to carry. Just when I couldn't bear the weight any longer, Morgana spoke.
"Listen, Raula," The ominous tone in her voice was enough to straighten my back, and every strand of hair on my body stood to attention. The dread that coursed through my veins didn't seem enough to match the look I received from the woman who stood by me at my darkest moments.
"You are a burden that I have chosen to carry on my shoulders. The litter that everyone tossed to the side but I picked up. You owe me, Raula. Never forget that."
I thought I knew pain. But little did I know that the clock would soon strike at my darkest hour.