Scarred By Fate

Chapter 1

Zahra's POV

My feet sink softly into the moss-covered ground, as I walk slowly through the sun-dappled trees. The air is filled with the sweet scent of honeysuckle, mingling with the earthy aroma of the forest. The birds swoop amongst the branches above my hair, weaving their songs in a delicate harmony that seems to guide my steps.

Each stride feels purposeful, as if an unseen force is gently pulling me forwards. I feel that something important is hidden just out of my line of sight, if I can just keep going…

Suddenly, a gentle breeze rustles the leaves overhead and causes my long dirty blonde hair to flutter around me like a halo. As I brush my hair out of my eyes, the whispering breeze carries my name, "Zahra," faintly through the trees.

I stop, straining my eyes through the shadowy thicket ahead of me, straining to catch that elusive voice while trying to suppress the shiver rolling down my spine. BEEEP! BEEEP! BEEEP!

I jump awake and snooze my alarm before it can wake the others.

My heart is pounding in my chest and I feel a sense of loss. What the hell was that? Why do I feel so crap? My dreams are never exciting, not that that one was particularly exciting, but that felt like it was MORE than a dream.

Weird!

I give myself a little shake and fling my covers back. I’ll think about the dream later. For now I need to get to training.

I get up and start rummaging through the clothes flung over the old chair in my room. I rummage around till I find a T-shirt and running shorts.

They are both massive on me and completely swamp my petit form.

I’m tiny. At 4ft10inch, I haven’t grown in ages, and although being small helps me stay out of trouble, I really hope I have some growing left to do, because it would completely suck to be this short forever.

My dad and my brother are both really tall, but being the Beta and future Beta of our pack, that’s to be expected. Fingers crossed I’m overdue a growth spurt.

I pull on my T-shirt, not bothering with a bra — I’m still underdeveloped in that area too, so still no need. I’d like to wear a tank top or something as an extra layer for training, but my only one got ripped last week at training and there is no way my dad will allow me to get a new one.

All my clothes are handy me-downs from my brother, and sadly, tank tops aren’t really his style.

I throw my waist-length hair up into a messy bun on the top of my head, and grab my school bag, I double-check my English essay is neatly in my folder, and my change of clothes for school is folded in the front pocket.

Then I slowly and quietly open the door and peer out of my room,

It's 4.15am, the cost is usually clear at this hour, but I never presume anything.

I c**k my head to one side and listen:

I can hear my dad grunt and then the sound of his bed squeaking slightly as he rolls over. In his room at the end of the hall.

And I can hear my brother quietly snoring away in the room across the hall from mine. There’s a second heart beat in his room. He must have brought a girl home after the party last night.

I shake my head as I tip toe down the dark hallway towards the stairs.

My Brother Zachary and I used to be close, but ever since he turned 14, he started training for the Beta position, and he doesn’t have any time for me anymore. He thinks I’m “an annoying child” and he barely speaks to me.

Since he turned 16, over a year ago, he and his friends have started hanging out with girls. They all seem to have a different one hanging off them every week. It's disgusting, and degrading, man whores the lot of them.

I roll my eyes as I carefully jump the squeaky step on my way downstairs.

I should have gone out my window — it would have been quicker and safer, but I skipped supper last night, and I’m starving, it wouldn’t be good to pass out at school again today.

Hurrying to the fridge, I pull out an apple, and then grab a granola bar from the cupboard. Stuffing them both in my bag as I head to the front door. I pull on my scruffy old tennis shoes — another relic of my brothers, and head out into the crisp early morning.

It’s my favorite kind of morning, dawn is still 30 mins away, so the sky is just tinged with the faint pink glow to the east. The air is fresh with a chill, and the grass is covered in a heavy dew. The birds are starting to wake in the trees around me, but the rest of the pack is silent. There is a slight scent of bluebells from the wood beyond the Alpha house. I love this time of year; Spring always seems so hopeful. I guess we will see.