3
1089 Words
PAMELA'S POV
I barely packed anything. I realized I didn't even have much holding me back. With my cloak and a few clothes in a bag, I kissed my son's head.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I watched him. My feet felt like they were rooted to the ground.
If I stayed another second, I would not leave at all.
If I did, I feared that I would go back. Because of the festival, everyone was asleep. Even if they had seen me, I doubted anyone would report it. No one cared enough to stop me.
And even if they did, I wasn't sure they would stop me.
No one valued me in the pack. It had taken me so many years and humiliation for me to realize that the place I worked so hard for never accepted me.
I resisted the mate bond that was tugging me back home to Darius. This betrayal cut deep. He didn't even care that he had been caught. He replaced me.
I walked for hours and hours until I found an inn. I wanted to keep going but I was exhausted. It was already dawn when I paid and checked into a room. I was going to rest there for a while and find a way to another town.
I needed to get far away from the Blackstone pack.
By the next evening, I was several towns away- far enough that even the mate bond felt like a distant ache instead of a chain around my throat.
I decided that I was far enough. I could start over here.
But, if I was going to survive in this new town, I needed to find a new job and fast.
Everywhere I went, I was rejected. I didn't have any formal education or skills and they didn't want me.
It hurt. My family had rejected me and now, even strangers.
Maybe they had all been right about me.
“Get out of here!” a voice yelled, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I looked up to see two men stepping out of a bar. The bigger man shoved the other man away from the bar. “You're fired. And give me that apron!”
He snatched the apron around the younger man's waist and turned to walk back in, hurling cusses in another language. The moment he spotted me, he paused.
I saw him study me. He took in what I was wearing, the look on my face and the job posters I'd gotten in my hand.
“Hey, you,” he called.
I looked around and then pointed at myself.
“Of course, you. There's no one else there. Do you need a job?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Well, come in. I'm short of staff,” he said, walking back in. He didn't check to see if I was following him.
I followed him through the back door, the kitchen and then his office. He offered me a seat and made me fill out a form.
“My name's Marc. I run this place,” he introduced himself after I was done. “What's your name?”
“Pamela,” I replied and then winced. I didn't even realize when I'd said it. I wanted to use another name since I wanted to start a new life.
“Ella. That sounds better. The name felt strange- lighter, like it belonged to someone who had not spent years being humiliated.
Come in around 6pm for your shift,” the man said, looking down at the single sheet of paper I had given him.
“You got the job,” he said, looking at me like I was supposed to understand.
I smiled. “Thank you, thank you.” It dawned on me what he had said. “6pm?”
“This is a bar, in case you're forgetting. You're working the evening shift this week and then you'll switch to the morning next week. Don't be late,” he said it with a finality that meant he was done asking questions.
I quickly stood to my feet. “I won't be late.” I told him.
He waved me out of his office. Instead of leaving, I found a quiet corner nearby and waited, afraid that if I left, the opportunity would disappear with me.
I didn't want to return to my inn and then have to come out here again.
An hour into my shift, Marc came out and spotted me. “Since you're here already, you can start getting used to how everything is. Remember, there are cards under the counter for making different drinks. Sadie will teach you everything else.”
Sadie was another employee. She was in charge of the simple meals that the bar served.
She was excited to work with another girl. Before I knew it, I was taking drink orders and taking them to the bartender. I made a few drinks and by the time I was done, it was past midnight.
Marc paid me in cash and told me he would see me tomorrow. I put the money in my bag, pleased with the huge tips that I'd received.
There weren't any buses running so I began to walk, finding my way back to the inn.
As I passed by an alley, I noticed three shadows smoking and loitering by the corner. I tried to make myself smaller, to disappear, but it didn't work. They whistled at me and catcalled me.
I ignored them, walking faster.
“Where are you going, pretty lady?” One of them grabbed my shoulders to stop me.
I swung my back, forcing him to stumble backwards in order to dodge me. “Stay back,” I warned, faking authority even though my voice was shaking.
“Relax,” the other said, his eyes roaming from the top of my head to my feet. “We just want to walk you home. It's a little late for you to be outside, isn't it? We'll keep you safe.”
Everything about them screamed danger— the smell of alcohol, sweat, and predatory intent.
All my senses were ringing. These men were dangerous.
“Please, I don't want any trouble,” I pleaded, hugging my bag to my chest and taking a step back.
The last one who hadn't spoken sniffed the air and chuckled, “You’re a Luna and yet… you have no wolf.”
The other grabbed my wrist.
“You’re not going anywhere tonight.”
- Writer
