Isabella
I walked out of the woods feeling a little lighter, clinging to the hope that today would be a good day. I wanted to honor my mother's memory by holding onto that small spark of peace. But the universe, as always, had other plans for me.
"Where were you?"
The sharp voice of my stepsister, Sofia, cut through the crisp morning air as I approached the dilapidated structure I called home. She was leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed, a smug smirk plastered across her face.
This place—a small, rickety building that once stored chicken eggs—had been my home for nearly ten years. When Sofia and her mother Maria arrived, I was banished from the pack house. My father didn't know what to do with me, the abomination of an omega he despised, so he sent me here, far away from the life I once knew.
"Daddy was looking for you," Sofia continued, her smirk deepening. "Oh wait, it's Alpha Lucian for you."
Her words stung, but they weren't new. Sofia was treated like the alpha's real daughter, free to call him daddy while I, his biological child, was forbidden from using anything but his title. She was a beta, powerful and promising in my father's eyes. I was just a mistake—a useless omega who could never meet his impossible expectations.
As I hesitated, lost in thought, Sofia flashed forward with a speed I couldn't match. Before I could react, her foot connected with my abdomen, and I was sent flying backward.
I crashed into a pile of wood outside the house, pain exploding through my body. My back throbbed where I hit the sharp edges of the logs, and a burning ache spread from my abdomen.
"Argh," I groaned, my eyes squeezed shut as I clutched my stomach. Nothing felt broken, but the pain was enough to make me wonder if I'd fractured something.
"Can't you see I'm talking to you? What, are you dumb and deaf now?" Sofia sneered, her voice dripping with malice.
I forced myself to sit up, gritting my teeth against the pain. Her insults were nothing new. For nearly a decade, she had tormented me daily, using me as her personal punching bag both physically and emotionally.
"If I'm dumb, then you must be beyond help," I muttered under my breath, struggling to stand.
Her eyes narrowed, catching the edge of my defiance. I knew I'd struck a nerve. Despite everything, there was one thing I excelled at: academics. We both attended Malvin High School, a small institution that allowed a handful of humans alongside wolves. This year was our senior year, and Sofia's lack of intelligence was a sore spot.
"What did you just say, you outcast? I dare you to repeat that," she shrieked, her voice grating like nails on a chalkboard.
I opened my mouth to respond, but she cut me off.
"Oh, and before you get smart with me, remember who you're talking to. One word from me, and Daddy will 'teach' you some manners. You wouldn't want to go back to that, would you?"
Her words hit me like a thunderclap. My body froze, my chest tightened, and my legs began to tremble. Memories I'd buried deep came rushing back, dragging me into a spiral of fear.
When I was six, my father had tortured me, trying to uncover some hidden strength the prophecy had promised him. He would peel back my skin with a razor, layer by layer, while I screamed for mercy. He drained my blood with needles, searching for the "power" he believed was locked within me. The pack healer would patch me up, only for it to begin again the next day.
My knees buckled, and I crumpled to the ground, hugging myself as phantom pain washed over me. My chest heaved, and I struggled to breathe, drowning in the vivid memories of his cold, merciless hands.
Sofia crouched beside me, her voice a venomous whisper. "That's right. Stay down, you pathetic excuse for a wolf. No matter how smart you think you are, nothing will ever put you in Daddy's good graces. You'll always be an abomination."
She grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the ground. Stars exploded in my vision, and a sharp pain lanced through my skull.
"Remember this, Isabella," she hissed. "Mess with me again, and I'll make sure you regret it."
As darkness crept into the edges of my vision, I vaguely heard her final words.
"Oh, and by the way, Daddy's waiting for you in the meeting room. Better not keep him waiting."
With that, I gave in to the pain, letting unconsciousness take me.