Melody: Through Magic and Madness (The Empath Luna Series #3)

MELODY'S POV "Marshemellow-dy" "Goddess you're so fat!" "I'd f**k you if you weren't so big, your t**s are magnificent!" Some of the comments I had dealt with at school for the last four years. The first one was new, a nickname that combined something big and squidgy, with my name. Melody. Most of the time, I managed to keep under the radar, but for the last week, the Alpha's sons had really ramped it up for some reason. The insults, the name-calling. I brushed out my long auburn hair, pulling it into a ponytail and sighed at my reflection. As always, this was as good as it was going to get. I struggled to pull my t-shirt down over my stomach. I knew I hadn't gained weight, the t-shirt was too small. It had always been too small and strained over my breasts. Even at seventeen, my breasts were larger than most. My curvy figure certainly couldn't be called slim, but I wasn't obese. I wouldn't even call myself fat, although many other people did, including my stepfather. "MELODY!" His thunderous voice echoed up the stairs. "GET A MOVE ON! YOU WILL BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!" Another sigh as I zipped my jacket up over my figure and walked down the stairs. Since I was on the larger side, I had been moved up to the attic bedroom, which was two flights of stairs. My stepfather said it was so I could get more exercise. I believed there was a different reason for it. Once on the ground floor, I made straight towards the front door. I was hoping to get out before... "STOP!" I froze. My stepfather appeared before me and unzipped my jacket, pulling it down over my shoulders. "It's too warm for a jacket." He said, throwing it to one side. I looked up at him, feeling exposed in my t-shirt that was too small. "No, dad, please can I...." He merely raised his eyebrows at me. He didn't like to be questioned. "You don't need a jacket, so don't wear one." He said. "You look fine without it." He emphasized the word fine. His eyes wandered down my body and I shuddered inside. Ever since I had started developing my womanly curves, he hadn't let me pick my own clothes, forcing me to wear t-shirts that were too small or skirts that were too short. I hated it, but had no choice. I had nothing else to wear. "Off you go," my stepfather said, and I felt his eyes on me as I left the house. Once the door had closed behind me, I took a deep breath. The day was beautiful. The sun shone brightly and the breeze was gentle. Perfect weather, for anything else but school. I set off on my walk. There was a bus I could catch, but I preferred not to. I hate being in crowded places or around large groups of people. Ever since I was little I have started picking up on .... things. I started receiving the strongest emotions, but they were not related to anything I was feeling. They were not related to anything that was happening to me. I couldn't explain it. One moment I would be fine, then I would be flooded with an overwhelming feeling of sadness, so severe that I would burst into tears. Or I would be sitting in class, bored out of my mind and would need to run away, the feeling of fear being so powerful it terrified me. I hated it, but over the years, I have managed to exercise some control over the invading emotions. However, I still couldn't explain it. I tried to talk to my Mother and Stepfather about it and, well, let's just say that it didn't go well. My Mother looked at me terrified and my stepfather, Derek, looked at me with a mixture of disgust and.... something else. They banned me from talking about it with anyone, and so I never have. And since then, my Mother has distanced herself, almost entirely. Derek, however, had started moving closer. I never understood the change in my Mother. I mean, magic wasn't a new thing for us. We were werewolves, for crying out loud! We belonged to a large pack, ruled over by an Alpha and a Luna! Derek was a warrior and Mother was a healer! They both had active roles within the pack and saw all kinds of magic. All sorts of creatures came through our pack, both enemies and allies. But something about my revelation to my mother pushed her away from me. It did make me feel more lonely. Because I avoided people, I didn't have many friends at school. I didn't have many friends in general. I hoped that would change on my eighteenth birthday. Young werewolves usually meet their wolf spirit on their eighteenth birthday and may even meet their mate. The idea gave me a spark of excitement that I quickly squashed back down. Every wolf had a fated mate. Their one true love was chosen for them by the Moon Goddess herself. And that Mate would adore and worship them. I loved the idea of meeting my Mate and of my happily ever after. But every happy thought was tinged with a small amount of fear. Fear that my mate will reject me. Derek always said my Mate would reject me on sight, that they wouldn't want a fat, messed-up girl like me. I used to cry when he said things like that. I don't cry anymore, at least not in front of Derek. But I did worry. I know that Mates can reject each other if they choose to. They risk never receiving a second chance Mate, those are rare. But some wolves would rather take a chosen mate, or live without one, than be with the person the moon goddess has chosen. I didn't understand that. If the Moon Goddess blessed me with a mate, I would worship the ground they walked on. I had a few more days to go before my eighteenth birthday. It was this Sunday, and I planned to spend it the way I spent every Sunday. Hiding away in my room reading. I would do that all weekend if I could, but on Saturday I had my part-time job at the local book store. Not that I was allowed to keep any of the money I earned for myself. Derek took it away immediately when my pay check came through, grumbling it wasn't enough. Thankfully, the book store owner let me borrow any books I wanted, as long as I returned them in pristine condition. He knew he could trust me to look after them. I just wish I could use some of the money to buy some clothes that fit me! "Hey, watch it fatso!" A voice shot at me as they whizzed by on a bicycle, nearly knocking me over. I looked around, realizing I had been in a world of my own, and mumbled "Sorry." I looked at the large building just down the street. My high school and it sucked! Thank the Moon Goddess, I was nearly done with this place. The large main building looked like a castle, with actual turrets and a large archway entrance. Made out of red stone and stained glass windows, it was very over the top in its extravagance. Clearly a representation of the wealth of the Pack. And we were the biggest pack on this side of the ocean! The only good thing about this place was the size of the library. I spent most of my time ensconced there, hiding in a corner. It was the quietest part of the school and where I came into contact with the least number of people. It was my haven. The librarian, Mr Woodfield, was really friendly as well, and made exceptional mochas and hot chocolates - treats I had been privileged to sample on many occasions. He always gave me a warm feeling and the other emotions I got from him were minimal. It made me feel safe. But I knew I would have at least two classes before I could escape to the library. I started climbing the stairs to the vast entrance doors, my eyes on my shoes and my arms wrapped around myself. I was trying to make myself as small and invisible as possible. It didn't work... "Oi!" The male voice echoed around the entrance. Half the students stopped walking. I didn't. I kept moving. "Hey I'm talking to you!" Head down, keep walking. Ignore it. Its probably not even aimed at me anyway. The strong hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. "I said I'm talking to you. What are you so fat it makes you deaf?" I sighed as I looked up into the dark eyes, the rugged face and the intentionally messed up hair. Behind him, were two other identical faces, all with the same smirk spread across them. The Alpha's sons. Three identical gorgeous triplets, each with their own individual chip on their shoulders about something. Sebastian, Nicholas and Joshua. Seb, Nick and Josh. All gorgeous, all charming and all complete douchecanoes! For some reason they hated me. And they made sure I knew it. For the most part I could avoid them, especially as they were not always together. And I could handle one at a time. But when they were all in the same place, it was f*****g awful. Seb had gripped my arm to stop me from leaving. Nick had moved to the other side of me and Josh hovered in the back, his eyes dark. I tried to release myself from Sebastian's grip. But he just smirked and gripped tighter. "Please let go," I said, but they just laughed. I tried to pull my arm away. Seb used that momentum to pull me closer to him. I felt my curves hit against his hard body and flinched. "Why the hell are you wearing this?" Seb said, pulling at the bottom of my t-shirt. "You may as well be wearing nothing!" Josh cried, his voice dripping with resentment. I cringed. I knew this would happen. That's why I wanted to be covered up. "Awww, she just wants us to see. She's doing it for us. Trying to seduce us." Nick said with a snigger. Seb pretended to vomit and the crowd fell about laughing. "I'd rather f**k a dog than her!" Josh shouted. More raucous laughter. I felt my eyes fill with tears but I refused to let them spill. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. The bell rang and the students started dispersing, not wanting to get in trouble for being late. "Come on Josh." I heard the sickly sweet female voice say. Madeline, Joshua's long-term girlfriend said, tugging at his arm. He gave me one last look of pure loathing, before slipping his arm around her shoulders and walking away. I sighed, tugged down my t-shirt in vain and climbed the stairs into the school. This was not a good start to the week.