End of Innocence

Rejection doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough; it means other person failed to notice what you have to offer. I sat near the window watching birds. I smiled looking how happy they are with the freedom they have. Real happiness comes from doing things we love with people we care. I smiled sadly knowing I had last everything I had at the age of ten. All the happiness I had was faded away in to thin air leaving me with my dark thoughts and abusive future. I still remember that day like it happened yesterday. “I did it. I did it.” I squealed in my high pitch voice running around the field. My dad’s laugh echoed through the field watching my silly dance My dad was teaching me how to fight and protect from attack. He was teaching me how to escape from a firm grip when someone attacked you. He also told me how to escape when someone is holding you from the back side. I know he was going soft on me but I can’t help but feel excited for my first accomplishment. “Daddy one day I will fight like you” my dad nodded his head still smiling. “Of course, you will. After three years you will shift for the first time and we can practice more than this” I turned to him with more excitement. “Really?” he smiled seeing my excitement.  “Yup” my eyes lit as he said that. My dad is the warrior of our pack and good friend of Alpha. He is a great warrior. I want to be a warrior like him when I grow up. Everyone in our pack were inspired by him and wanted to be a great fighter like him. He stared somewhere concentrating which means he was speaking on pack link.  “Hey Alpha needs me now. Why don’t you go inside help mom to cook dinner?” he told me pointing to mom in the kitchen. She was chopping vegetables for salad watching us both with pride. I nodded and gave him kiss on his cheek. “Love you daddy” I told him. “Love you too princess” he kissed my temple and left. That was the last day I have seen him. Rogues had attacked our pack that day. It was a surprise attack and we weren’t prepared. My dad died in fight saving Alpha’s son Alex. After that our happy family changed in to ruined one. Mom got in to depression and started drinking. I thought she will never become normal but she did. She became better when she met Frank. He joined our pack when I was eleven one year after my dad died. Mom used to spend time with him all the time. After some time, they got married. It made huge commotion cause Frank already had mate and a kid. He left them for my mom. It was not accepted in the werewolf world which made our pack to hate my family. Frank love mom but he doesn’t like the fact she has a daughter. So, he always treats me like a slave. To add my misery my mom stopped caring about me. She doesn’t stop him or the pack members when they humiliate me or bully me. I got used to their behavior by now. “Jennifer Grant, Get down here now” I jumped up from my bed in surprise hitting my head on the bed headstand. I groaned at the pain and rubbed it with my hand slowly trying to ease the pain before making my way down stairs. “Have you prepared my breakfast?” the devil asked me with narrowed eyes. I gave him that nickname because he behaves like one and also, I don’t like calling him father. He won’t allow me to call him by his name so I came up with that. “It will be ready in ten minutes” I told him before skip into kitchen. If I stay there, I have to listen to his stupid words which I absolutely hate to. I started preparing pancakes. I got the required items out flour and milk. Only two eggs… I have to go to grocery shopping today. Almost all items are finished. Today is Friday. I don’t have much work either. I guess I will go to shopping tomorrow. “Is breakfast ready?” I looked at my mom who was rummaging through all the pots in the kitchen “No. I am preparing it now” I started stirring the mix. She just sighed mumbling how useless I became and went in to living room. I sighed knowing she doesn’t care anymore. I sometimes wonder where my mom is who used to be so loving and caring to me. I miss her. I prepared pancakes and placed it in two plates keeping it on the dining table. I don’t have much time to get ready so I have to skip breakfast. I went upstairs and got a quick shower. I am not beautiful but descent with my ocean blue eyes and black hair but I have been very pale and thin from last few years since I don’t eat much. I don’t know why I got blue eyes. I am short comparing to others. I am only five foot one. I don’t get much time for eating when I have to do all the cores and home works and can’t forget the training. No one allowed me to do the training with them. Alpha and his wife treat me as their own daughter because the fact my father was best friend to Alpha. Besides he saved their son too. So, they never treated me badly. But they don’t know about the things that are happening behind their back. I don’t want to worry them with my problems. I do my training in woods alone on my own knowledge. My dad taught me few techniques and I watch pack training sessions so I can learn few things. I am not a great warrior but enough to protect myself. I am a fast learner which comes in handy sometimes. I dressed in black skinny jeans and a blue tank top with long sleeves. My hair is usually straight I let it that way. I wear a black jacket over my top and grabbed my bag. I don’t have a car so I have to walk all the way to the school. Sometimes Minah would give me lift but if any of the pack members see it. They would flip at her and punish me more. I pulled into school parking lot where all the popular crowd cars are parked. I can see small crowds here and there on the school grounds. I just take my bag and headed to my locker.  Walking down the hall way, I tried not to get noticed.  May be people hate me and bully me. But I am not a shy and lonely girl. I have friends too. “Hey Jen” I wave to my best friend Minah. Minah is a bubbly and cheerful girl. She is beautiful with her blonde hair and forest green eyes but no one looks at her. She is a wolf too. Her parents are lowest rank in the pack so no one care much about her. Her mom died when she was 13 but her dad is really nice guy. He always supported me whenever I need him. He is like second father to me. Most of my weekends, I stay in their house. Frank mostly stays out of the home because of his business. My mom doesn’t care where I am and what I am doing. So, I am free to do what I want. “Hey Minah what’s up” she walked along with me to my locker. “You know Alex didn’t find his mate” Alex is eighteen years old now and next in race of Alpha. He will make an amazing Alpha. He always cares for others needs and help them the best he can. He has a special attention being the Alpha but humans also respect him. His friends are my bullies. Even though my dad saved him he hates me. He bullies me along with others when not he just avoids me. I don’t know why. I guess I have lot of unanswered questions in my life. His best friend who is also his next beta Derek is my bully too. He prepared a team just to bully me. Which consists of his sister and few of his other friends. He always tries to humiliate me in front of everyone. Jiyeon is Derek sister who doesn’t leave a chance to pick up on me. Yesterday was his birthday but I wasn’t allowed to go. It’s not like I wish to be his mate. Poor guy he has to wait for his mate now. I already feel sympathy for the girl who is going to be his mate. She has to put up through his stupid things. “Oh, shoot I need to grab my books from locker before the class” I shook my head smiling “see you later” she is always in rush. She doesn’t remember things much funny girl. I locked my locker and turned to leave. But before I can leave, I saw Derek and Alex are coming with their friends in my way. I cursed myself for being careless and not observing my surroundings. “Hey loser” he always had a way to make me feel bad. I decided to ignore him. I opened my locker pulled books for my class. “Don’t you dare to avoid me” he pushed me into the locker. I controlled my pain and gave him a tight smile. “You are really pathetic. Why don’t you just leave the pack b***h” He punched me in the stomach and left. I grunted in pain from his punch. Jungkook is known for his strength in the pack. I stayed there to ease pain then picked my stuff and left to my class. I quickly walked to my fist class. AP History. I am lucky that my teacher has some liking towards me. He allowed me without detention. He is a human so he doesn’t favor my bullies much. I felt something different. My wolf Drina was nervous and kept mumbling words like she was nervous. I think she know something I don’t know. Are you okay Drina? Yeah I am good What got you in this mood? You will see Sometimes my wolf acts weird. “Hey are you alright?” my friend Hailey whispered to me. She is a human. Hailey is my friends along with Minah. I shook my head and smiled. She doesn’t know about wolves. We never told her but she always stuck to me. I small paper was on my desk. I looked at Hailey and read it. Why are you late?   I will explain in the lunch I turned the paper wrote my answer. I gave it to her when teacher was explaining something on the board. She sighed and crumbled the paper before throwing it out of the window. Typical Hailey. Soon bell rang indicating class had finished. Hailey went to her locker which was in the other end of the hallway along with Minah. I put all my books in my bag and went to my locker. When I was taking out my books from my locker someone pushed it shut. My hand was stuck in locker door. I yelped in pain. I looked up to see angry looking Jiyeon and her minions there. Jiyeon is the most popular girl in the pack due to her looks and her brother Jungkook. She is really pretty in looks I wish her personality was good too. “Don’t you dare to look at Alex. He is mine” she just pushed me on the floor and left. I looked at my hand which was starting to turn red indicating bruises. I just closed the locker and turned to see people around me. Why would I see Alex anyway? She was just using it as exception to hit me. I turned to head to cafeteria but I stopped in my track when I saw Derek and Alex were watching me with their friends. They watched it all. Most of them laughed at me. But what irked me is Alex was mad. I don’t know why. Is it because I am hurt or about Jiyeon? Definitely it would be about Jiyeon. Why would he care about me? God…. It was definitely a bad day. First, I got bullied by Jungkook and now humiliated by his sister. Time to get back on them. **At lunch** “Hey girls and Charlie” I went and sat beside Hayley. Our canteen has booth tables. Minah and Hailey sat across us. Hailey is mature girl who know almost everything and know how to handle any situation. She is beautiful with her black hair and brown eyes. Her mother is from Asia. Her parents own lot of businesses in Asia and often travel countries. She is the only child. “Well here is the Juliet” Hailey sing sang looking at auburn hair girl. Her name is Leah. She is a year younger than us and Charlie is so much interested in her. But he always chickens out before asking her out. “Go and ask her to sit with you for lunch” I whispered poking his side. His eyes widened in his surprise “what no way” we all chuckled at his words. He will never man up and tell her. We have to do something to get them together. “Why were you late in the morning?” I looked at Hailey cursing her under breath. I shuffled in my seat thinking about excuse. Before I can say anything Minah spoke “I heard Jiyeon and Derek again troubled you?” I gave a stern look. Minah doesn’t know when to say and when to shut up. “What? I am going to kill them” Hayley clenched her fists and got up. Like I said she doesn’t know they are wolves. They can kill her within seconds and I don’t want anything happen to her because of me. I pulled her down. Lucky me. She is a human so I have more strength than him. “I have a perfect plan to punish them” I said with an evil smile. They gave me curious glances.   “What if they know it was me. They will kill me Jen” Minah is freaking out about my prank. I know they have chemistry class with her. I am very good with chemicals. Minah covered me while I mixed the water with a bit of diluted acid. It won’t harm physically since it is diluted but the mixture will give unique color when you mix sulphuric acid to it. (I know it won’t happen. Just imagine it will) It will create a little explosion and their faces will blow right away. I stirred the combination and put it on their table. All they have to do is pour some acid in it. It will blow right away. My work is finished here. This is my free period and I am supposed to do my homework in library but I can’t miss the fun show here. So, I hid beside the wall near window to see their faces when it happens. Hailey and Charlie have calculus class now. Minah has Derek, Alex, Jiyeon and some of his friends. They were all popular jerks. They all sat according to their partners. Minah was with Jaxon. She sat few seats away from Derek knowing my little trick. To my luck Derek and Jiyeon were partners. Ha time for blast I thought in my mind. They opened their books and put them on counter and started pouring chemicals. Just in second’s BOOM. Everyone was looking at them trying to control their laugh. But it’s hard. Jiyeon was covered in full blue color from her hair to toe whereas Derek was painted blue all over his face. I bit my lip to control my laugh. I couldn’t hold anymore. I burst out laughing until someone pulled me by my arm. I haven’t noticed someone’s out of the class. I felt tingles all over my body like magic. MATE my wolf screamed. I looked up to see my mate. Alex was my mate. Out of all people he is my mate. I don’t even know that should I be happy? Or worry? I looked up to see his face for any reaction. What I saw broke my heart. He looked at me in complete disgust. He took my wrist harshly and pulled us into the janitor closet. “You won’t tell anyone that you are my mate. I don’t want you. I deserve someone who will be amazing Luna not an immature and stupid girl like you. I Alex Scott reject you Jennifer Grant as my mate” with that he left me there alone in my own world. I didn’t cry. My wolf didn’t say anything. I stood there shocked until bell rings indicating next period has started. My heart was crushed. It felt like someone squeezing it. I placed my hand over my heart, tried to rub the pain away. It didn’t go away. My whole body feels numb except the pain in my heart. I just sat there until I felt I am ok.