Jessica's POV
I was woken up by the morning roars.
The roars meant it was time for training which is always by six in the morning.
I opened my eyes to the darkness.
My room was a small basement beneath the Redwood mansion.
It was dark and cold.
I was used to the darkness, and the cold never really bothered me because of our kind.
I got up from the bed and felt something brush against my feet.
It was my neighbors, the rats.
I was already used to them too.
I remember the first day I was introduced to Richard, Ruby, Rebecca, and Luna Annie.
It was normal for the names of the children of the Alpha to bear the letter R to represent the Redwood Clan, but my name was Jessica.
I don't know why Dad, or should I say Alpha Raymond, didn't give me the right name. I wasn't allowed to call him Dad.
I was eight when I was brought to the Mansion.
Though I was a child, I could remember the glare that came from the siblings.
They hated me for coming into their life, and so did the Luna.
I remember hearing her and the Alpha arguing for days. I remember her hitting me and always supporting the twins Ruby and Richard when they were mean to me.
Rebecca was a year older than me.
She was the only one who wasn't mean to me, but she wasn't nice either.
Two years after I was brought to the Mansion I was moved to the basement.
The first month was torture.
The dark scared me, and the noises from the rats running around the room made me shed tears.
I would always climb the bed, draw my legs toward my chest, and wrap my hands around them just to feel safe.
It's been years now and the basement which was torture in the past became my hiding place away from the world outside.
I was still lost in thoughts when I heard banging coming from outside the basement door.
"Jessica! What the hell are you doing in there!" someone yelled.
"Skies!" I muttered. I had forgotten about the training.
I rushed to the door and threw it open only to get smacked on the face.
I looked to see that it was Beatrice.
She was in charge of helping in the mansion.
"I won't have you slacking on my watch, do you understand, girl?!" She growled as she glared at me.
"Yes Ma'am," I replied and walked passed her.
She grabbed me by the shoulder and slammed my back against the wall.
She pointed at me and said, "Let this be the last time you try to walk out on me, do you understand?"
I stared at her in the eyes.
Beatrice had no right to do that to me. I was Alpha Raymond's daughter.
But, I knew there was nothing I could do.
My status here had been reduced to that of a help.
The helps were made up of mostly rogues from other Clans seeking redemption, and Omegas who couldn't pass their training.
"What? Cat got your tongue? I said, do you understand?!" She yelled at me as her claws dug into the flesh on my shoulder.
"Yes Ma'am," I said as I stared down.
I couldn't challenge her.
She was a woman in her forties and a close friend to Luna Annie. So she never missed any opportunity to make my life a living hell
She let go of my shoulders and I headed straight for the stairs.
In a few minutes, I was in the kitchen.
The other helps were already busy in the kitchen.
When I came in, they glared at me.
I didn't care.
Today I was on cooking duty.
I walked straight to Rose, a woman in her sixties.
She sent me a weak smile the moment she saw me, knowing what had transpired downstairs. I couldn't help but send her an assuring one.
Rose was one of the few people who were nice to me in the pack.
Growing up, most times I was left to starve as a punishment by the Luna, but she would secretly give me something to eat, and defend me when she could.
"No child should be treated this way" She would always say.
But it never really mattered.
"You're late," she said to me.
"Sorry about that, was a bit distracted," I replied.
She smiled and pointed towards the vegetables on the counter.
"Well get down to work. Those veggies won't chop themselves or will they?" She asked.
We both chuckled.
I started chopping the carrots first.
It was over three hours before those who went for the training started coming in.
The food was already served in the main dining area, which also served as the pack's meeting area.
Seven huge long tables were arranged horizontally, which was where the normal pack members sat.
At the top was a longer and broader table, which was placed vertically.
This was where the family of the Alpha, Betas, and other Elite members of the pack sat.
Everyone was already in the dining room except for the Alpha's family.
When they came in, everyone stood up and bowed.
They remained standing until the Alpha signaled for everyone to sit, but as usual, he glanced around looking for someone, until his eyes met mine.
He never really treated me like his daughter because of his mate, but in the little moments like this, moments when he stared at me with those green eyes, when he stared at me with pity in his eyes, I knew.
I knew he cared about me.
At that moment I felt a shiver run down my spine, and I knew why. Luna Annie was also looking at me.
She wasn't just looking, she was glaring at me.
I took in a deep breath and walked out of the dining room. I wasn't allowed to eat there anyway.
Luna Annie was the person I feared the most in the pack.
She was the reason why I was treated like dirt. The reason why no one respected me, not even the rogues and the omegas.
I went into the kitchen, grabbed my breakfast, and left.
I was on my way to my room when I stopped in front of a mirror.
I stared at my reflection and hated who I saw.
A girl with green eyes like the Alpha's and untrimmed hair that got down to her waist.
Every bone in my body could be seen and traced from my skin.
I had never been cared for, never been loved, and yet, I was the daughter of one of the strongest Alphas who ever lived.