Her Faded Memories

Chapter Three

Elodie

I naturally woke up a few moments before my alarm went off at 3.30 AM. My routine involved waking up at the same time daily, getting into my cleaning clothes, and going to the pack house with my mother. I stood up from my tiny bed, and pain shot through my ribs. I held onto my ribs until the pain faded away. Then, I slowly removed my nightdress and uncovered a huge, black and blue bruise that had suddenly materialised during the night. Glancing at my body in the salvaged cracked mirror, I took a moment to reflect. The mirror in my room, with its gold floral detail, was the object I loved the most. I analysed the aftermath of Sierra’s actions and expected my mother’s inevitable confrontation with Luna regarding the dress.

The walk to the pack house began on a delightful spring morning with a refreshing chill in the air. Each time the morning light touched the grass, it glistened because of the cold evening’s dew. I adored mornings like this, peacefully walking alongside my mother, enjoying the birds’ morning serenade and the soft rustling of the bushes. It was a peaceful feeling, completely different from the life my mother and I knew. It’s beyond me why we’re treated differently compared to other Omegas. When I inquired about it with my mother, she disregarded my questions and would become upset if I pressed further. I halted my inquiries and embraced the life we were currently living. Life that is perfectly terrible.

I hope to separate ourselves from the pack, establish a life in human territory, find employment, and never reminisce. Ever since I discovered I was wolfless, like my mother, it has been a dream of mine. Upon entering the kitchen, the sight of Luna Gwen greeted us sitting at the breakfast table holding a cup of coffee.

She took a quick look at her watch.

“You two are early,”

“Mum and I are always early Luna,”

She comes over to us and delivers a slap to my mother’s face. With a sudden motion, my mother’s face turned sharply, her hand gripping her cheek. On the verge of tears, yet she stayed composed. Among everyone, Luna Gwen held the strongest hatred towards us. Had my mother or I done anything improper, she would have disciplined us severely. While Luna cared about her pack as she was supposed to, she didn’t consider us to be part of that pack. That’s the reason we lived so distant from the pack. Alpha Damon showed compassion towards us outcasts instead of making us rogues.

“You should inform your mother that both of your salaries will cover the funds for Sierra’s dress.”

I looked at our Luna in disbelief.

“But Luna, we will not have any money for the rest of the month.” I blurted out.

Without hesitation, she came up to us and smirked directly at us.

“You should have thought about that before you ruined the dress.” She snapped at me.

I could only nod and tightly grip my fists at my side.

“Get to work. I don’t pay you to stand around.”

And just like that, she exited the room. I embraced my mother until she became calm again. I gaze at her and communicate the weekly promise through sign language. When I reach eighteen, we’ll move away from this pack. Just like she always does, my mother gives me a warm smile and affectionately taps my cheek.

After completing my chores, I returned home, took a shower, and prepared for school. This morning, I decided to wait until 8 am before leaving. I had a feeling he would show up again. He steps away from the tree and approaches me, casually draping his arm around my shoulder.

“Good morning! You smell just as amazing as you did yesterday.”

As he intertwines his fingers in my hair, I flinch and attempt to pull away, but he tightens his grip.

“Please leave me alone.” Trying my best attempt to sound harsh, I failed miserably.

“Nah, I don’t think so. You’ve become my new obsession.” He whispers in my ear. I can feel his lips brushing against me, making me all jittery.

He loosens his grip on my hair, gives it a gentle stroke, and then moves away from me. His head tilts, and a ghost of a smirk appears on his face as he looks at me.

“See you at school. I heard you’ve been a naughty girl.”

Kai gives me a wink, then laughs as he looks away.

Once I arrived at school and turned the corner, I saw them right there in the school quad. I saw Kai seated on the table with Sierra standing beside him. With a smile on his face, he saw me and got off the table. As I headed back the way I came, I accidentally bumped into Jacob, who happens to be Kai’s best friend.

Oh no.

“Where are we off to?” Jacob said, looking down at me with a smile on his face.

I looked down at the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with him. I needed to get away fast.

“I’m off to class,” I said, which was barely even a whisper. If Jacob wasn’t a werewolf, he wouldn’t have heard what I had said.

I tried to move around him, and he moved straight in front of me.

“Oh dumpling, Kai only wants to talk to you. Come sit with us,” he sneered at me.

Before I could do or say anything, a hand gripped my shoulder and dread turned in my stomach.

I knew exactly who it was.

Kai.

My body began shaking as soon as I saw Kai behind me. Kai displayed a different side when he was with his minions, and his morning revelation made me feel nauseous about what he had in mind to say or do. With no wolf’s senses, I became adept at deciphering people’s emotions through their faces. Kai was impossible to read. The fact that I never knew what he truly thought scared me immensely.

With a sadistic smile, he glanced down at me and tightened his grip on my shoulder.

“Hey, dumpling, our spot is over there.”

Gripping onto my arm. He forcefully brought me to the rest of his group and forcefully pushed me against the table.

“Did I hear correctly that you messed up Sierra’s pretty dress?” Kai questioned me.

That’s what he was referring to this morning. I chose not to speak and shifted my focus to the ground. That choice ended up being a mistake. Just seconds later, he roughly clasped my chin, ensuring I faced him. He applied pressure to my cheeks, causing them to ache, and he leaned his face closer to me.

“Oi, I’m talking to you, don’t f*****g ignore me,”

As the pain pulsed through my face, my eyes watered. I observed Sierra smirking at me, clearly finding the altercation amusing.

“Don’t cry, little dumpling, I just want an apology,” she sneered at me.

As soon as the first bell rang, panic set in.

“I apologised to you yesterday, Sie-”

Sierra’s punch to the bruise she created resulted in a piercing pain shooting through my ribs. Additional tears cascaded down my cheeks.

“Please, I’ll be late for class,”

With each passing moment, Kai’s hold on my face grew stronger, never releasing. I caught a smirk from him just as the second bell chimed.

“Now, apologise,” he said.

I observed Sierra, who was visibly delighted by the performance.

“I’m sorry” I cried.

“Good girl,” I could hear his hushed voice in my ear. He relinquished his grasp on my aching face and softly tapped my cheek twice.

“Now run along, little dumpling.”

Rapidly, I manoeuvred out of the way and made a dash for the school doors as I heard Kai’s forceful reminder for Sierra to never strike me without his approval. Crying, I pressed against the lockers, longing for this never-ending nightmare to end.

********

Following a terrible morning, I found solace under my beloved blossom tree, closing my eyes and relishing the tranquillity. Other wolves did not view Omegas as equals, as they held the lowest rank in the pack. The omega category didn’t even include my mother and me. Being outcasts meant that they regarded us as the lowest and most undesirable individuals. My only wish was for them to leave me in peace. They subjected me to unwarranted abuse day after day. Unpredictably, a tear slid down my cheek as thoughts of Kai flooded my mind, creating the impression that he will never leave me alone.

“Are you okay, little wolf?”

Shielding my eyes from the sun, I looked up and spotted a massive figure—a handsome young man with naturally wavy, golden blonde hair. I could not understand the look on his face, though. Is there a possibility of concern? My gaze shifted downward, and I suddenly realised he was shirtless, proudly displaying his muscles, while his shorts sat lower than they should, exposing a deep V. I blushed, averted my eyes, wiped away my tears, then mustered a smile as I looked back at him.

“Yes, I’m okay,” I said, slightly lower than I wanted. It was more like a whisper than anything else, I believe.

Who was this wolf?

It was the first time I laid eyes on him.