What We Deserve

Chapter One

(Echo's POV) - Language warning

    I clenched my jaw against a whimper as the thunderous sound of my alarm clock sounded from my bedside. Fear as my motivation, I reached my hand out to turn off the alarm, regretting it immediately. 

    My back was littered in streaks of red and white. Some scabs had formed overnight, making my attempts to silence my clock painful and pointless. 

    "TURN OFF THE f*****g ALARM!" someone shouted from downstairs moments later, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

    Adrenaline rushed through my veins. Acting as a painkiller, it gave me enough strength to slam my hand against the old clock and send it flying to the ground-dead silent. I sighed in relief, my ears thanking me.

    Heaving a sigh, I got out of bed and went to my bathroom. It was small with only the essentials. A shower, a toilet, a sink, and a cupboard. Opening the cupboard I grabbed the roll of bandages, noting how thin it was getting, before sitting in the tub. 

    Right next to the tub there was a metal pipe that was barely big enough for me to use. I placed it between my teeth and sucked in an anxious breath, slowly turning the water as cold as possible. 

    Pain, an all-too-familiar pain rushed through me as the now-red water drained. I sat there for about two minutes before turning off the water and dabbing myself dry with an old towel. My bandages were easy to do, a simple wrap from just above my chest to the lowest part of my waist. 

    Something caught my eye when I glanced in the mirror, a small droplet of water spilling from my eyes. They flowed down my face and onto my sink, only to disappear somewhere on the old stone. 

    I blinked, confused. The smell of fresh blood overpowered my sensitive nose, making me gag slightly. Glancing down, I quickly realized what had happened. 

    For the past few years, my mind has allowed me small escapes, only for me to wake up with stinging small cuts along my wrist. Each one was deep, the only reason I was alive was that my wolf managed to save me each time. 

    Unlike what you usually read, our wolves don't talk to us. We feel their emotions, and each time I wake from the trance I feel her sadness and hopeless acceptance of what I've done. 

    In an instant, I had the still-bleeding cuts covered by a thin layer of gauze and a sweatshirt, not to be recognized by anyone in my pack. At the time I belonged to the DawnStride pack; my parents were the alpha pair. 

    I was what you'd call the runt of the litter. My role in the alpha family was to be the binding piece, I was supposed to bring them together during violent moments. The alpha was angry? I'd be there to make him smile. The heir was angry? I'd be there to remind them of their strength. 

    I guess I still did that, but not in the way one would condone. If the alpha was angry, I'd see his grinning sneer as I passed out from pain after one of his brutal lashings. If my brother, the heir was angry, he'd take me to the basement and melt silver onto my skin, drip saltwater into my eyes, or just leave me there for weeks at a time. 

    The kitchen was spotless thanks to the other Omegas. Even they, the lowest rank of the pack, pitied me. As for my Mom? Well, when I was young I was playing with my older brother in the woods. We weren't supposed to be out there, especially that late. It got too dark and we traveled to an old area of the woods, one where the tree branches were delicately attached to their trunks. 

    I pushed him into a tree as our wolves battled for dominance, and a branch came toppling down. Trapped, my brother was crushed in a matter of minutes. I had been stuck under the branch on the other side, helpless as I watched his squirming body whine and go still. 

    My mother was devastated at the loss of her second youngest, and she withdrew from the world. As Luna, everyone noticed this change and blamed it on the only one who survived the incident. Me. 

    "Your breakfast, Alpha, Luna," I said quietly as I presented them their food first before serving the rest of the pack. I felt the presence of dozens of hateful gazes as I did so, each one sure that I, a 2-year-old-pup, murdered my brother. 

    "Daniel will be inheriting the Alpha title tonight," the Alpha said before I left, meaning he wanted me to hear what he had to say, "You'll be there to serve food, then you'll leave once the moon rises." 

    "B-but it's a tradition for the entire pack to run with-" 

    "Did I say you could f*****g talk?" it was a mistake I rarely made. A sharp sting exploded all over the side of my face, followed by harsh throbbing, "You're lucky I'm in a good mood, you see soon it'll be Daniel who gets to decide what to do with you and I won't have to deal with your filthy face anymore."

    "Leave her alone," said a sharp, high voice. Sam, the second oldest of us and my sister, had finally gotten to the table, "I'm sure she'll get exactly what she deserves." 

    "I hope you banish her Danny, Alpha Roman couldn't because she was too young but when you become Alpha..." the to-be Beta, Xander, chuckled, "But since you guys share a birthday..."

    That's right. That night and that day was my 17th birthday, Daniel's 21st. At 17, your wolf is considered an adult and ready to mate, fight, and take on an official role. 

    "W-why do..." the table looked at me, "it wasn't my fault..." 

    "Not your fault?" taking a small glance up, I saw Sam get on her feet and stalk toward me, "Jeremy died because of you."

    "I-"

    "Listen here, runt," Daniel piped in, a growl mixed in with his usual fury-filled tone, "No matter how much you deny what you've done, you're still a murderer. Tonight, you can run with us. As bait, and the first wolf to find you, gets to do whatever they want with you, they can f*****g kill you if they want. As long as you pay for what you've done." 

    "I didn't do ANYTHING," with as much energy as I could muster, I took a strong step forward and stared the alpha and heir directly in the eyes, "I wasn't the one who made us leave the house, I wasn't the one who told us to go to the west end-" 

    "How DARE YOU try to blame a pack member?" Daniel roared, darting forward and slamming me into the wall, hands on my shirt collar. Blood poured out of the wounds on my back, my wolf letting out howls of panic as the wounds grew to be too much for her to heal. 

    "DANIEL!" the scent of chocolate engulfed me as my brother was pulled off of me, a new wolf standing in his place. 

    His arms were loose around me, his face buried in the crook of my neck. 

    "What's going on?" my brother stuttered, "What are you doing dude?"

    "She's my mate," I recognized his voice as Leon, one of the best healers apprenticed in the pack, "I-" 

    "Leon..." my sister said, taking a step forward, "You're mates? Really?" 

    "Really," he confirmed, "She smells like lilac and cinnamon." 

    "I see," Daniel muttered, shocked, "Sorry, I can't believe you're mated with her."

    I half expected him to defend me, to at least glare at my brother or his breathing to hitch. Instead, I felt his arms disappear, and my mates angry face appear in front of mine. 

    "So am I," he said, looking me up and down, "I don't want a slutty murderer as my mate." 

    "L-Leon, I never!"

    "Quiet!" Sam yelled, her authority silencing the singers which had erupted at the table, "Let Leon speak."

    "I, Leon Harrison, reject Echo Sorren as my mate," his eyes blazed with confidence, "I hope the Moon Goddess sends you the pits of the Sun Kings prison, so you can burn with the rest of the worlds trash." 

    "...ACCEPT!" I winced when the Alpha yelled, his power shocking me to and through my bones. 

    "I, E-echo Sorren, accept Leon Harrison's rejection," I stuttered, shrinking back, desperately wiping away the tears from my eyes.

    "Good," Sam chuckled, "Now, I think she needs punishment for ruining the alpha family's breakfast." 

    "P-please,"

    Words were useless as the highest-ranked members of the pack converged on me in an endless barrage of fists and feet. Each hit jolted my lashes, making them sting and letting more of my blood escape my body. They didn't touch my face in case of surprise visits from royal embassies of even the royal family. The DawnStride pack was known for its strength, so visits from royals weren't uncommon. 

    As minutes passed I let myself slip back into the dark, my wolf watching through my eyes with a depressing confusion. Why did they blame us? Why did they hate us so much if we didn't even want to go out in the first place? Why did they hate me, if it was the alpha who told us to duel on the west side?