Fake Marriage with the Abused Omega

YSSA GRAHAM The room echoed with loud raucous laughter. “Lets cheer, everyone!” Gamma Will shouted, raising a glass of beer in his hand. A bundle of screams and laughter erupted in the room, almost making me jump by the loud noise. Instead, I kept myself upright as I passed through the numerous people in our house. Once again, members of the Redmoon Bear Pack are currently celebrating the success of their dealings with the humans and other bear packs. This has become a monthly festivity—sometimes weekly, depending on the success of the contracts that were signed. During the past months, it has been nothing but success after another. Another reason why this pack kept on flourishing despite being small in numbers. Larry, a burly beta and my husband, sat at the center of the celebration, surrounded by his fellow members of the pack—Delta Shawn, Gamma Will, Pack Warrior Nelson and Pedro, along with Jewel and Natalie. There were some others that I’m not familiar with, but the living room almost looked full. That being said, our house isn’t that massive. It was enough to serve a roof under Larry and I’s heads. We have a living room, a kitchen, one bathroom, and one bedroom. It’s sustainable, and we have lived here for two years already. On occasions like this, it’s usually Alpha Henri and Luna Desiree that’s not present. They have more important matters to take care of, and we’re all aware of that. The air in the room was thick with the pungent scent of cigarettes, and the bitter undertone of the beer. The flickering lights cast shadows on the walls, amplifying the rowdy atmosphere—signaling that it was time to have the bulb replaced. Nonetheless, it didn’t matter to anyone in the room. In the midst of the chaos happening, I moved silently through the room, my steps almost a whisper. My delicate frame moved gracefully, weaving between large and intimidating bear shifters as I served food and replenished their drinks. There was a forced smile lingering on my lips, masking the exhaustion settling in my body. Being an omega, the lowest rank in the pack, I knew my place—silent, server, and efficient. My husband watched my every move with a scrutinizing gaze. I could feel his eyes grazing my skin and in my peripheral vision, even though he had his attention on the celebration, he just couldn’t seem to stop watching me—seemingly waiting for me to make a mistake. Larry’s dominance radiated through the room, a palpable force that left no room for defiance. My heart raced as I tried to anticipate his demands, my body tense with the ever-present fear of his anger. Natalie sat beside him, gawking at my husband with pure admiration. One that wasn’t entirely known in my eyes, since she admitted to me before that she likes my husband. There were days when she was glued to him… always by his side, even if it was business-related. Since she’s Delta Shawn’s younger sister, she had the privilege to accompany them whenever she wanted. Larry never mentioned her to me, but the sight of them being close to one another still made my heart ache. “Drink more, Beta,” she offered her glass to him. Larry’s eyes remained on mine when he grabbed the glass from her, drinking the liquid in one drag. Despite the fact that I felt the fatigue and hungriness brewing in my system, I made no effort to show my discomfort. As far as I can remember, the last time that I ate something was in the morning. It’s already eight in the evening, and I haven’t had a taste of any food that I have served the guests. My body was slowly becoming sluggish as time passed by. I had to work three part-time jobs in the pack in order to get by, which explains my exhaustion. Even though Larry has a huge cut whenever dealings are made, I have to sustain it on my own. He barely gives me money for all the bills we pay. Aside from that, Larry is a big eater and big spender. He lavished on a lifestyle that, apparently, we do not have. Whenever there’s no food on the table, I depend on the free meal at my diner work. Though there are times when it wasn’t enough. I’m afraid that my savings will run dry if I’m the only one financially capable in this household. When things get hard financially, that’s the time that I have to beg Larry to give me some money for the expenses. His first reaction was to always deny my request. Telling me that I should also contribute. Unbeknownst to him, I'd pay for the majority of our needs. On the other hand, Larry would waste his money on alcohol and things we don’t need. I released a sigh, my fatigue was slowing me down. Gazing my eyes through the surroundings made me miss the life I had before. It’s not better, but it wasn’t as difficult as it is now. I was loved… deeply loved and cared for. A family that would always put my happiness before theirs. But it all went to drain when I was promised a bright future. It was all nothing but lies. As the night wore on, the pack remained energized with the alcohol in their system, oblivious to the quiet suffering that I was enduring. My stomach growled, a constant reminder that I have yet to eat. However, I still need to complete my duties as an omega and as a wife, or I might suffer a lot of intense repercussions. Trying to be sneaky, I carefully trudged my way to the kitchen area to look for something to feast on, but before I could fully vanish from their sight, a loud booming voice called out for me. “Yssa!” Larry beckoned, loud and commanding. Having no choice, I slowly pushed myself to walk near him, not wanting to prolong his orders. The loud chatter and music in the house would make it hard for me to hear him clearly, so I needed to be closer to him. “Come here, quickly!” he added, as I had a hard time maneuvering through the crowd. Wasting no time, I was beside Larry in a flash. “Yes, Beta?” I inquired, staring directly at his eyes. “Go get the bottle of whiskey and vodka in the kitchen’s drawer. We need more drinks,” he ordered sternly. No hint of asking for a favor in his tone of voice—just purely commanding me on what I needed to do. “Okay, let me get it.” “Quickly!” he yelled. As I slid inside the kitchen, I reached for one slice of bread and quickly stuffed it in my mouth, just to suffice my hunger. Then I reached for the two bottles of alcohol in the hanging cabinet. It was hard to hold both even in each hand because the bottles were too big to carry. Despite that, I tried my best as I exited the kitchen and trotted to where Larry was seated. However, it seemed as though misfortune was always on my side. The bottles slipped from my grasp when I collided with the pack members dancing around the house, crashing to the floor and shattering into pieces of glass shards. The room fell momentarily silent, all eyes turning to me. I was only a few feet away from Larry when it happened, and it happened so fast. I stay rooted in my place. It felt as though a bucket of cold water was splashed on my entire being. Averting my gaze to my husband, I saw how Larry’s expression twisted into a snarl, his temper flaring like a storm. In an instant, his hand connected to my cheek, the force of the blow sending me stumbling backward. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as my lip split under the impact. Collected laughter erupted from the pack, the loudness drowned out the soft whimper of pain that I let out. To them, it was a mere spectacle—a show of dominance over the weakest link in their hierarchy. “You useless mutt!” Larry spat, his voice cutting through the mockery. “You never do anything right!” The pain in me intensified. I wanted to argue with him, but I chose to make my mouth shut. Nothing comes good with arguing with him, especially when he’s furious. But I wanted him to realize that this party wouldn’t even be happening right now if I didn’t wake up early to buy all the ingredients needed for the food. Aside from that, I did all the cooking and even cleaned the house since we were expecting guests. There were a lot of things I had to sacrifice today so that this party would happen, but one simple mistake—something that was unintentional and not my entire fault; I became useless. “I-I’m s-sorry,” I coaxed, trying to fix the situation. “Let me clean it up.” When I was about to move to grab a broomstick, Larry grabbed me by the wrist harshly. “Go buy another bottle of alcohol!” he bellowed, knowing that’s the last two alcoholic drinks we have in the house. “Don’t ever come home without a new one!” “B-But… I don’t have any money.” I pleaded for understanding as my voice was like a fragile whisper. His eyes narrowed. “You broke it? You will pay for it! Now get the f***k out!” I hesitated for a moment, my gaze darting between the shattered glass and Larry’s furious eyes. The pack watched everything unfold in front of their eyes. No one dared to stop Beta Larry from what he did to me. No one dared to stop the commotion. They all just let it happen. As an outcast and an omega, my mere status isolated me from the rest of the pack. Their loyalty to their own kind left me vulnerable and defenseless. With a defeated nod, I turned and left the room, my frail figure disappearing into the shadows. The pack resumed partying, the echoes of their laughter mingling with the distant sound of my footsteps. I clutched a hand over my aching chest, and the other on my swollen cheek. Sadness loomed over me. I was way past the humiliation that I’d received—I experienced it most of the time I’d lived here. However, the thought of my own husband hurting me in front of dozens of eyes gave me excruciating pain. This wasn’t the first time he had done it, but the pain was still the same. Just weeks after being married to Larry and moving into his pack, he began to show his true colors. Gone was the sweet, caring, and loving man I thought I knew. The abuse began in just the blink of an eye. Back then, I thought it was just a one-time thing—that his emotions just got a hold of him. At first, he would apologize for hurting me… told me that he didn’t mean it. However, it happened again. Once. Twice. Thrice. I even lost count with my fingers. The more that happened, the less he apologized. For him, it became a routine. For me, it became a torment. During the days when he’s calm, I crave for the day not to end. I crave for the abuse to stop. And I crave for the love I truly deserve. However, it was short-lived. Since then, Larry’s abuse became daily. I tried fighting back.. I did the best I could do, but the man was bigger and stronger than I was. He is the beta of the pack. The Alpha’s second in command. The man knew how to fight like it'd been ingrained in his mind since he was young—which in this case, was true. I’m no match against him. So I accepted my fate. I accepted the beatings… the harsh words… the nonconsensual abuse. All of it. Living with him, I was always on the edge. Always cautious. Always anxious. Always terrified. One wrong move, and it might cost me my life. At the back of my mind, I feel like this was what I deserved after leaving the life I had before meeting him. This was my karma. Larry is my karma.