The Alpha's Abused Mate

Beep beep beep I groaned as I hit the top of my alarm to turn it off. It was 5:45 am, meaning I had to get ready for the day and cook breakfast for my family before they woke up. Slowly, I pushed the blankets off of my small body and stood up. Across my room stood my full-length mirror that had cracks spidering up from the bottom. I took a moment to stare at my reflection and take myself in once again. My ginger hair flowed past my butt ain messy waves. My skin was extremely pale, which was unique as most of the wolfs in my pack have an olive skin tone. My eyes stood out against my skin drastically, as they were an emerald green. If I lived another life, I would believe myself to be quite pretty. But with healing bruises and scars littering my tiny frame, I was anything but. I was as broken as my mirror was.  I tore my eyes away from my reflection and walked to my tiny closet. Inside there were a few items that I owned, most of which being hoodies, jeans, and t-shirts, some of which were given to me from my slightly younger half-brother, Chayton, and others from cheap thrift stores. I grabbed the first pair of jeans I found and a baggy, navy blue hoodie before stripping out of the tank top and shorts I wore to bed. I quickly put on my underwear and bra before sliding into my clothes.  Once again, I looked at myself in the mirror as I grabbed my hairbrush and pulled through the knots that formed in my sleep. I then threw my long hair into a messy bun at the top of my head before caking my visible scars and bruises with some makeup. To finish, I put on some natural eyeshadow and mascara. Once I was at least semi satisfied with my appearance I quietly opened my bedroom door and snuck downstairs and into the kitchen.  In the fridge, I found some eggs, bacon, and milk. With this all pulled out, I turned on the stove and started cooking. It took me about half an hour to finish breakfast, which consisted of eggs, bacon, and waffles. I quickly glanced at the time and saw it was 6:58 am, meaning my family would be waking up in a couple of minutes.  Before they made their way down, I set the table and put all of the food in the middle. My stomach rumbled slightly as I did, but I knew I was not to eat with everyone else. So, I grabbed a granola bar from the cupboard and exited from the back door of the house.  I sat down on the porch and ate my breakfast quickly while I listened to what was going on within the house. My brother Chayton was the first to wander down and begin wolfing down the food I laid out. Soon he was followed by other younger brothers, Dayni and Daymi, the twins. They all are while chatting about the Mating Ball, the ceremony where all of the packs within the Eastern half of the country would attend to find their mates.  This year would be the first that Chayton and I would be able to attend as we both are 18. At 18 wolfs are required to attend the ceremony until the time they find their mates. The oldest members of a pack to attend have been 36 before they finally found their other half. So, potentially a person could attend for years without being successful.  Personally, I did not expect to find my mate at the ceremony, and if I did I would assume that they would reject me. After all, I was an unranked wolf with low strength and confidence. Plus, if my mate were to be someone from my own pack, they would never accept me due to the reputation that I have been given.  We will find out mate. I can sense him. My wolf growled inside my head.  I let out an audible sigh, If we do find him, do you think he would want to deal with me? An unranked wolf who is nothing special? I argued with Ayita.  Ayita did not respond, but I can sense that she was angry with my pessimism.  "Aliya! I heard my father shout my name.  I mentally groaned before getting up and walking into the house once again. Once I was in, I was face to face with the man who abused and hated me for all of these years. He looked down at me with a sickly grin.  "Caries for you this for the ball tomorrow," he growled at my before shoving a dress bag into my hand, "she figured that allowing you to look presentable would increase the slim chance of your mate not rejecting you. After all, the idea of you leaving for good sounds like a dream come true." He glared.  I looked down at the bag in my hand. This is not what I expected at all. I guess my family could be nice at times, but only when it benefits them.  "Aren't you going to thank your mother for her kindness?" My father growled at me before gripping my chin roughly with his fingers.  I nodded fearfully and looked around before spotting Natalia, "t-thank you for the dress and being so kind.," I barely choked out. My father nodded before releasing my chin and leaving a small tingle. I knew his rough grip must have left a small bruise, but I ignored the thought. Tomorrow is the Mating Ball, so my father has been careful not to leave large noticeable bruises on my body for the past week, but that doesn't mean he hasn't given me marks that he knew would heal quickly.