Stray Echo

Early Birthday Present

POV: Echo

“When I came to, he told me he’d given me my ‘early birthday present’. He said he made it so that no one would ever want me, not even my fated mate.” I swallowed the sobs as they surfaced, determined to tell them everything. “I eventually passed out from the pain and woke up to him and his Luna pouring wolfsbane-laced water on me. It was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life.” I hear the hiss of breath as Beta Travis winces. Something tells me he has experienced wolfsbane to an open wound before. Tala soothes me, giving my voice the strength to keep going.

“I passed out again, and when I woke up three days later, my back was bandaged, and he presented me with a full tray of breakfast. He told me that I am nothing more than his… his Little Doll and that he would do whatever he wants to me whenever he wants to.” I struggled to breathe, knowing what was coming.

“He cornered me in his room later that day when I went to strip the linen. When I fought his… his advances, he beat me before leaving me to finish stripping the room. My wolf, Tala, was able to heal me when she arrived after the new cook threw me down the stairs and locked me in… my room.” I hesitated as Travis’s growl almost made me stop, but Tala urged me to continue.

“The amount of healing I needed exhausted Tala completely. This morning, Alpha gave me this dress before demanding I fold multiple loads of laundry and be bathed and dressed before he returned. I managed to get most of it done, but didn’t get time to use soap on my hair. He smacked me hard enough that my face bounced off the wall.” I cringe, remembering the feeling of bouncing off of the wall.

“He l-liked that I didn’t let any blood get on the dress, so he cleaned the cuts…” I trailed off, my entire body beginning to shiver. “H-h-he… licked the blood from my cuts before he cleaned them. Then he allowed me to eat another nice breakfast, claiming it was a reward for being… for being his good Little Doll, and that my beating the day before was for disappointing him.” I felt dizzy, completely unable to take a proper breath.

Atlas hadn’t moved an inch since I’d mentioned what started when I was 18, and I was certain he was disgusted with me. I slowly untangled myself from his grasp and slipped to the floor, landing on my good foot.

“Luna! You shouldn’t be walking right now!” Cordelia gasped, moving to help me. I hold up my hand to stop her, and limp a few painful steps away, to where I know they can all see my back. My ankle hurt fiercely, but the stint made the pain bearable.

“I have to show you,” I whispered hoarsely. “This was his ‘early birthday present’” I gasped, slowly peeling my dress over my head and dropping it on the floor. The room exploded into a series of gasps, curses, growls, snarls, and an ear-splitting roar that shook the room.

Standing in nothing more than my worn-out bra and panties, trembling as tears streamed down my face, I was terrified of turning around and facing them. I could feel Beta Travis’s furious aura spread across the room, with another raging, but there was also a slightly weaker aura that I didn’t recognize. Their rage is potent, but it is nothing compared to the murderous fury of Atlas’s aura as it brings me to my knees with a defeated whimper.

I can only hope he is enraged enough to kill me himself, rather than handing me back to Alpha Brady. I sobbed uncontrollably as I felt the hot breath of a wolf on my back, inhaling my scent deeply before a gorgeous sandy-coloured wolf made its way to stand in front of me. My jaw dropped when the wolf dropped to his belly and whined, head down, neck out in submission. His dark eyes flashed green for just a second.

“Zev?” I whispered, and his ears perked up as he slowly raised his head. He bumps his damp nose against my hand, and I slowly ran my hand through his fur, marvelling at how soft he is. Seeing that I’m comfortable with him, he stands and leans into me, taking deep, even breaths, which I mimic as he helps me slow my breathing.

When my breathing evens out, he gently stands, whining, and walks around to my back. I can feel his damp nose on my back and ribs as he investigates my wounds. Whining and whimpering at each mark he finds. He avoids the raised letters carved into my skin and makes his way to the fresh claw marks across my lower back.

He slowly licks them clean, taking great care to ensure that he is as gentle as possible. Finally satisfied, he lays down beside me and puts his head in my lap, looking up at me through unshed tears. I looked down at him, confused. I don’t understand why he hasn’t rejected me.

‘Mate is hurting. He wishes he could have protected us. Atlas spent the last half of your story holding Zev back. He wanted to hunt down and kill Alpha Brady, but when they saw your back, they had to do something, anything, to take away even a little of our pain.’

‘He feels immense guilt for not having scooped you up and run out the door the moment he sensed you as his mate. They will not reject us, Echo. Mate loves us and wants to claim us as their Luna.’ Tala explained, speaking with Zev in a way that only wolves can connect.

“Is she telling the truth?” I whispered in wonder, “You’re not going to reject us, kill us, or worse, send us back to him?” Zev shook his head sharply, whining. I stared at him in disbelief. “How could you possibly want me as your Luna? I am nothing but a pack slave, property of another Alpha,” I sobbed, feeling completely worthless at that moment.

“You are more than the labels they have given you, my Luna.” Beta Travis says, moving to crouch beside me, draping a blanket over my shoulders to cover me. “You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for! I don’t know any other wolf who could have withstood the abuse you have and still get back on their feet!” He gently squeezes my shoulders in support before moving back a bit. I freeze as a stranger with black hair kneels next to Travis, showing his neck in submission.

“Luna, I am Delta Blaze. Believe me, when I say that, I don’t know many who could break their ankle and get back on their feet so quickly. Never mind breaking it twice and still getting back on their feet.” His gaze was steady, and his voice was sincere as he spoke. “I have seen fully trained warriors break from less, and you have endured this and more for ten whole years on your own. You are nothing short of amazing, Luna Echo, stronger than most of the wolves I know.” He stated, looking at me in awe.

My eyes filled with tears as I absorbed the words they said. These are two ranked wolves complimenting me and calling me strong for enduring the only life I knew. I had not experienced kind words such as these in the long years in my memory and I did not know how to react, how to feel.

“Thank you both. It means more than I can say,” I told them, my voice breaking.

“Luna Echo,” Cordelia’s soft voice floated down to me, as she came to kneel directly in front of me. “You have endured so much pain in this life. I can only hope that our pack can show you the joys life offers.” She leaned forward and wrapped me in a motherly hug, the first in my memory, ripping an unexpected wail of pain from me that caused her to grip me tightly until she had soothed the raw edges of my heart.

I didn’t realize Zev had moved until Cordelia pulled away, moving to the side, and he was before me, a sheet skillfully wrapped around his waist to cover himself. I looked up, meeting Atlas’s gorgeous green eyes, before dropping my head in shame, hiding behind my curtain of hair with a sniffle.