Bound by Lies

chapter 1

The rain was battering and icy, it felt like there were icy sharp needles hitting my skin with every drop freezing me to my bones. My whole body shook uncontrollably as I managed to huddle under the destroyed porch trying to keep my body warm. I felt my head become heavy, my throat was inflamed, and every breath to stay conscious was a struggle. I was so sick I thought I might pass out, but I wasn’t allowed inside.

I had begged my stepmother, Celeste, to let me come in sooner. She had opened the doors little but just enough to glare down at me, her face full of disgust.

“You’re filthy, Isla,” she hissed. “Stay outside where you belong, I bet the rain will clean you up.”

Tears stung my eyes. “Please Celeste, I am cold, I will be dead before tomorrow if you leave me here. Just let me in to get a bit of warmth."

She sneered at me. “You can join your mother for all I care". She laughed. “Finally getting rid of you and the memories of your mother”

Uncontrollable tears poured down from my eyes and I used up the strength I had to scramble on my knees "I… I…I'm sorry if I remind you of my mother” I stuttered with my icy cold blue lips… the cold was freezing me up from the inside

“I hate you and I despise your mother, she took everything from me… and you will always remind me of your mother you pathetic little wench!" she screamed at me.

I attempted to beg her some more and to make her understand that I was sick with a temperature and that I wished to be kept warm and in bed; however, she shut the door in my face before I could finish. The sound buzzed in my head, piercing and unkind, like every other utterance she had ever spoken to me.

Now I was out here, shivering in the rain, my dress clinging to my skin. It wasn’t even a proper dress. Just one of Lena's old ones… a hand me down, shabby and frayed in places. Everything I owned used to belong to my stepsister, Celeste’s perfect daughter. Clothes were always too tight or too loose, but Celeste didn't care. Piggybacking "It's good enough for a person like you," she would comment each time I asked for something fresh.

I drew my knees closer to my body and my stomach let out a hungry growl, but I did not care at all about that. Hunger wasn’t new to me and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a proper meal. Most days, I was lucky to get scraps from the kitchen after everyone else was done eating.

The worst part was that my father didn’t care. I used to think he loved me, but now I wasn’t so sure. Everytime I tried to tell him about how Celeste treated me, how Lena mocked me and stole my things, he shooed me away.

Don't gripe, Isla," he will bellow, voice listless, interest defeated. “Celeste is doing her best for this family. Be grateful that she treats you like a daughter even though she is not your mother.”

Grateful. What a joke. I had nothing to be grateful to them for. That word itched as I sat there in the rain. The porch wasn’t enough to save me from the violent and aggressive pattering of the rain. Why should I feel grateful when I was made out to be a weight, the nobody?

I had thought about running away once. It wasn’t long after Celeste came into our lives. By that point, she had already begun making my life a living hell, and I needed to stop it at any cost. I had packed a little bag with the little things I could own, a book my mother had given me, an old patched-up bedspread, and some bread I had stolen from the pantry.

I didn’t get far. Celeste took me before I could escape from the wolf pack territory.

“Running away? she sneered, grabbing my arm so hard it felt like it would snap. Care about an Omega like you there, do you wonder? You’re pathetic.”

When I tried to pull away, she shoved me to the ground and stepped on my leg, hard enough to make me scream. The pain was terrible, and just for a second, I thought it had been broken.

“Let this be a lesson,” she said coldly. “You don’t get to leave unless I say so. And if you try again, I’ll make sure you can’t walk at all.

That night, I cried myself to sleep, my leg throbbing and my heart aching. From then on, I knew there was no escape. I was stuck in this life, in this pack, with nobody to rescue me.

Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder brought me back to my present situation. The rain was falling even harder now and I was soaked to the core. I tried wrapping my arms around myself, trying to find some warmth, but it was useless. It was a physical marathon and the cold was unforgiving.

I then remembered my mother and the way she used to comfort me when I was scared. She would hum quietly while brushing my hair, her voice like a soft, cozy blanket that induced a sense of safety. I missed her so much it hurt in my chest.

“Why did you have to leave me?" I choked, my voice cracking. “Why did you have to go?”

Tears obscuring my vision mingled with the rain on my cheeks. I hated crying, but I couldn’t stop. I was so tired of being treated like I didn’t matter like I wasn’t a person with feelings.

The sound of the door opening startled me, and I looked up to see Lena standing there, smirking. She was wearing one of her expensive dresses, the kind Celeste bought for her every other week.

“Still out here?” she said mockingly. “You look awful. I bet even the rogues wouldn’t want you.”

I didn’t say anything. Talking back to Lena only made things worse.

She leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed. “If you weren't such an ugly baby, maybe Father would be interested in you. But look at you dirty, useless, weak. No wonder he ignores you.”

Her words cut deep, but I refused to let her see how much they hurt. I turned my head the other way, looking at the rain rather than her smug expression.

“Whatever,” she said after a moment when she noticed I wasn’t in the mood for her shenanigans. “Stay out here and rot for all I care. She slammed the door shut, and I was alone again.

I shut my eyes, hoping to ignore the pain and the numbness. I don’t know how much longer I could keep living like this. Each day was like a fight I couldn't win and I was exhausted.

But even as I sat there, soaked and shivering, a small spark of hope flickered inside me. It was a little, but it was just right to support me. Enough to convince me that things will be different, sometime. At some point, I may escape this nightmare.

For now, all I could do was survive.