My name is Celine, and I was born into slavery. I don't remember much about my parents, except that they were taken away from me when I was just a baby. From then on, I was raised in the slave quarters by a woman named Mary, who did her best to take care of me.
Life as a slave was hard, especially for a human like me in a world ruled by lycans. We were forced to work long hours in the fields and the mines, doing back-breaking labor in the hot sun. We were given little food and water, and the living conditions were cramped and unsanitary.
But despite all of that, I refused to give up hope. I clung to the belief that someday, somehow, things would get better. I dreamed of a world where humans and lycans could live together in peace and equality, where no one was forced to suffer because of the circumstances of their birth.
As an orphan, I had no family to turn to, no one to protect me. I was alone in a world that didn't care about me or my wellbeing. The other slaves didn't understand me, and often teased and bullied me for being different.
But I refused to let their cruelty break me. I held my head up high and worked hard every day, determined to prove to myself and to the world that I was more than just a slave. I was a survivor, and I would do whatever it took to make a better life for myself, no matter how hard the road might be.
Little did I know that my life was about to change in ways I could never have imagined.
I was working in the fields, trying to keep up with the other slaves, when I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. I turned around to see a group of lycan enforcers approaching, led by a tall, muscular man with piercing blue eyes. It was Gabriel, the enforcer I had met a few weeks before.
"What's going on here?" Gabriel demanded, his eyes scanning the field.
One of the other enforcers stepped forward, a sneer on his face. "One of the humans made a mistake. She dropped some of the crops and wasted them."
Gabriel's eyes flicked to me, and I could feel the weight of his gaze on me. I knew I had made a mistake, but I didn't think it was worth getting beaten for.
"Is that true?" Gabriel asked me, his voice low and dangerous.
I nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat. "I'm sorry, sir. It was an accident."
Gabriel didn't say anything for a moment, but I could see the anger building in his eyes. "You know what happens to slaves who make mistakes," he said finally.
The other enforcers stepped forward, grabbing me by the arms and holding me tightly. I struggled against them, but they were too strong.
Gabriel stepped closer, his fists clenched. "You will learn to be more careful in the future," he said, his voice cold.
And then he began to beat me, his fists raining down on me with brutal force. I cried out in pain, but the other enforcers held me steady, preventing me from falling to the ground.
"Why are you doing this?" I gasped, struggling to breathe.
"You need to learn your place," Gabriel said, his eyes cold and distant. "You're just a slave, Celine. You're nothing."
The beating seemed to go on forever, until finally, mercifully, Gabriel stopped. I lay on the ground, bloodied and broken, as the enforcers walked away, leaving me there to suffer in agony.
It was a long time before I could stand up again, my body aching and my spirit shattered. But even as I lay there, battered and broken, I refused to give up hope. Someday, somehow, I would find a way to escape this life of slavery and make a better life for myself.