In The Alpha's Ashes

Since I was young, fairy tales have seemed like nothing more than bedtime stories told to kids with stars in their eyes. There was no prince charming riding in on a white horse to rescue a damsel in distress, not in my world growing up, it was just me and mom against the world. Dad's death changed everything. Mom spiraled into a dark place marrying one irresponsible man after another. The first man was a hopeless drunk. The second one, a serial womanizer, and the last, well he was an outright abuser. Violence became a regular visitor in our home, a brutal reminder of the broken family we once were. When I turned 22, well I have had enough. I swiped the abuser's money and escaped with Mom, but the scars lingered, and it felt like I was the sole survivor of a shipwreck, even though Mom was physically there with me. Dad's death hit us hard, but I learned to soldier on. Mom, on the other hand, got stuck in the past. She was unable to move forward, and it was slowly killing her, both inside and out. Now, cancer had her in its grip, and I was left to fend for us. Juggling multiple jobs became my reality. My days were spent scanning groceries at the supermarkets, nights waiting tables at restaurants and weekends were a blur as I slung drinks in a club. The only day that I don't go to work is on Sundays but, every penny earned was a step closer to getting mom's lifesaving surgery. Luckily for us, the new pack we moved to welcomed us well….somehow. 'Isabel, are you zoning out?' Mercy, my colleague snapped me back to reality, waving her hands in front of my face. 'Sorry,' I stammered, pushing my tangled thoughts aside. Mercy informed me that we were running low on beer, and she gestured towards the store. 'Go on,' she said. 'Start filling up the trolley,' she instructed, looking at me with pitiful eyes. She could tell that I was exhausted and barely standing. I nodded at Mercy and went in search of a trolley. The continuous clinks of bottles offered me a brief escape from the harsh realities of what was waiting outside those supermarket walls. As I organized the bottles, a chill ran down my spine. The air shifted and I sensed Josh's unwelcomed presence before I saw him, my eyes rolled instinctively, for this wasn't the first time the married owner had crossed the line. 'Hey, Isabel you're looking good, as always.' he leered leaning against a shelf. I forced a tight-lipped smile, trying to avoid his eyes. 'Josh, we've talked about this. I'm not interested.' I relayed my tone was clear and firm. He chuckled dismissing my words, 'Common on Isabel, you know you deserve better. I am ready to give you a better life, I'm ready to give you more than these dead-end jobs.' I sighed, mustering the strength to stand my ground. 'Josh, I appreciate the job, but that's where it ends. I have enough on my plate and I most certainly don't want to deal with this please let me be.' He leaned in, his breath reeking of alcohol 'Oh for God's sake, Isabel you're a smart girl and I know you'll come around eventually.' With an exasperated sigh, I continued my work, hoping he'd get the message but Josh, persistent as ever invaded my personal space. His hot breath grazed the back of my neck, a shiver coursing through me reminding me of the dark days, the dark experiences I had with my mom's ex-boyfriend something no one knew about not even my mom. 'Stay the heck away from me, Josh.' I declared my voice firm and tinged with irritation. He chucked, the sound sending a chill down my spine 'Common Isabel, stop playing hard to get, I know you want this.' I clenched my jaw, frustration bubbling beneath the surface 'You have a wife and four kids for God's sake. Don't you even respect your family?' I asked furiously. His hand brushed against mine and I recoiled, resisting the urge to snap; the audacity of the man was alarming. 'Just one date Isabel, you won't regret it.' he persisted, his arrogance infuriating. My patience reached its limit whirling around, I shot him a glare that could freeze fire, and I said 'No Josh, I have told you countless times that I'm not interested in your advances. I'm only respecting you as my boss, I've got a whole lot of problems and I don't want to keep dealing with your shenanigans anymore. Now leave me the hell alone.' His grip tightened on my hair and before I could comprehend what was happening, his lips forcefully pressed against mine. I gasped, shocked by the sudden intrusion. His tongue forced its way into my mouth, carrying the lingering taste of his breakfast, bread, and alcohol. I recoiled, repulsed, and bit down hard on his lip, savoring the metallic taste of his blood. A twisted sense of satisfaction washed over me as he recoiled, anger blazing in his eyes. 'Don't you freaking touch me again!!!' I screamed in defiance, masking the fear bubbling within me. In response, he slapped me with a force that sent me reeling backward. My cheeks throbbed, but I refused to back down instead, I retaliated, delivering a swift kick to his legs. A string of profanities spilled from his lips as he clutched to his injured limbs yelling 'I'll freaking kill you, you stupid b***h!!!!' he spat venom, lacing his words. Fueled by adrenaline, I didn't let him regain control I landed another kick, this time at a more vulnerable spot which brought him to his knees in agony. 'You freaking b***h' he hissed, crumpling in pain. 'I warned you but you didn't listen, don't you ever in your f****d-up life raise your filthy hands on me again.' Josh still reeling from the pain, glared at me with so much hatred and yelled 'Get out of my damn supermarket you stupid bitch.' His face was twisted in pain, I shot him a sweet smile, a smile that said a lot about my victory and how his words didn't have any effect on me. I yanked off the supermarket apron and hurled it at his stupid face, stepping over his sorry self, I made my exit. Mercy must have heard the rumble because as soon as she saw me, her heart went out to me. 'Are you alright?' she asked with concern written over her face, she knew how much of a jerk Josh was. I flashed her a bright smile, a façade I had perfected over the years 'I'm okay' She eyed me skeptically 'Really?' she asked again. I nodded, pointing towards the jerk, still fuming inside 'I'll be back to get my pay Dickhead.' 'What if he screws you over on that?' she asked. I chuckled in a low but threatening way 'He better not hold my freaking pay unless he wants my fist in his face. Bye Mercy' I said as I gathered my belongings and smiled at Mercy who was waving at me. I made my way out into the cool night evening air. The realization that I was now jobless during the day settled in, all thanks to that repulsive pervert. But as I walked away, I couldn't shake off the empowering feeling of standing up for myself. The city sprawled before me, its distant lights flickering like distant promises. My mind raced contemplating the next step in this tumultuous journey. I couldn't wait to tell Jasmine my best friend all that happened today, she would be so proud of me. I embraced a newfound determination, refusing to let a guy like Josh call the shots in my life. I kicked the door of my apartment open as soon as I got inside, I sighed and dropped on the sorry excuse for a couch that was in the room. I was very tired and worn out as it was, working 16-hour shifts every day just to earn money to take care of myself and my sick mother. I needed all the money I could get to settle my enormous debts and my mother's hospital bills. And after what happened today between me and Josh, I needed to get a new job since Josh the f*****g prick fired me. Right now, my mother was the only thing I had in the world aside from my boyfriend Mark, Mark who I was deeply in love with; to think I a lowlife wolf-less girl with hormonal acne, a very not-pretty face and a large pair of eyes could be able to capture the heart of a guy like Alpha Mark who came from a very very wealthy and respected home was insane. Alpha Mark was insanely good-looking, most of the females in the pack were always drooling over him and his gorgeous body whenever he visited the park. Most times, I would laugh at them cause, what they didn't know was that, Alpha Mark was already mine. Mark wasn't a member of the pack, he only came to the park to visit some of his friends and it was during one of his visits that we both ran into each other. Our relationship wasn't known of course to anybody aside from Jasmine my only friend who I made her promise to take the secret to her grave because Alpha Mark told me that we would need to keep our relationship secret for now until when the time was right. I didn't argue because, I love him and as soon as he declared to me that I was his mate and that I was going to be his Luna, I gave him my heart, soul, and body. As I sat on the couch, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes briefly, my whole body ached but, as soon as I remembered that I was to meet Alpha Mark at our usual secret spot soon, I jumped up from the couch and ran to the bathroom to clean myself up a little and look nice for my mate my one true love. I had never imagined myself to be good-looking, I had always felt that I wasn't favored by the goddess in my looks which was why as soon as the Alpha declared interest in me, I couldn't believe it and I hurriedly said yes to him. I was a girl people saw as ugly, stubborn, rude you name it. I didn't mind being identified as such cause, that was the only way I could survive. But, when Mark came into my life, I melted. I didn't treat him rashly or insult him the way I always do instead, I allowed him into my heart. I could remember our first night, how he took me into his arms and made sweet love to me in so many ways, how I arched in need to his touch, how his voice eased the pain a little. Looking at myself at the small cracked mirror in the room, I wasn't pleased with my appearance. I wished I could look more beautiful like Dana the most beautiful girl in the park who has never failed to show how my presence irritated her. I checked the time and I realized that I would be late if I spent more time to dress up and look good. I hated to keep my mate waiting so I dropped the mirror and went to check on my mom fortunately, she was asleep so I planted a kiss on her forehead and ran to meet the man who I was sure was already waiting for me.