Moon River

Sunlight was barely starting to peek into the small basement window when she woke from a restless sleep. She quickly gets up from her torn cot that was in the corner of the broom closet she called her room. She walks into her bathroom, a small room with just a toilet and shower stall. After doing her business, she walks back out into her room and sits on the cot. As she sits on the cot, she searches through a small cracked tote of clothing. She was only allowed second hand clothing considering that she was a slave of the pack house. All the clothing she owned was to big for her small 5’4” frame. After searching through the tote she let out a sigh, finding a pair of black leggings and a baggy red T-shirt. She pulls on the clothes, then brushes back her long soft raven hair into a ponytail showing her blue crystal stud earrings she had always had. After taking a quick glance in the cracked mirror that hung on her door, she walks out of her room into the dark, damp, dreary basement that was used as a laundry room that only had a single candle for light. While walking to the three large industrial size washers and dryers she looks over to see the baskets from the laundry shoots were completely full. “Oh no.” She whispers to herself. She immediately starts to do the laundry. After filling the washers, she glances up at the clock on the wall. Her eyes widen, she was late. Rushing over to the old stairs she ran up them the wooden boards creaking beneath her feet as she climbed to the kitchen. She swung the kitchen door open and frantically started to prepare breakfast for the ones who reside in the pack house. As she began to cook she heard the door from the dining room open, she immediately froze in place. “Katalina, breakfast should have been started ten minutes ago!” A man’s deep voice says harshly. Katalina turns to the man with her head bowed low. “I.. I’m sorry Alpha Gabriel, the baskets where over flowing with laundry and I just lost track of time. I.. it won’t happen again.” She replied in a meek shaky voice as she continued to stare down at her worn tattered shoes. He grunts with a deep raspy growl, then grasps her firmly under her chin wrenching her head up to force her to look at him. He was a large built man towering over her at 6’2” with dark brown hair and piercing gold eyes. His grip was still tight on her chin as he leans down, his face only inches from hers. “I don’t see what my mate saw in you. You are lucky I allowed you to stay here because you are nothing. Your own parents didn’t even want you. They left you alone in the forest to be eaten, perhaps I should of done the same.” Tears burn her hazel eyes threatening to fall, She knew he was right. Luna Rhea had found her when she was only four years old wandering alone near the border of the pack’s forest. The Luna was unable to have pups of her own, she begged and pleaded to Alpha Gabriel to allow her to keep the child. She wanted for them to raise her as their own. He angrily shouted that he refused to raise a child not of his Alpha blood or his pack, But in order to please his mate he reluctantly agreed to let her stay only as a slave in the pack house. That was thirteen years ago, Katalina was seventeen now. She nods sadly at his words as he lets go of her face. “Now, get breakfast finished and don’t be late again or I will throw you out with the trash where you belong.” He growls back at her as he leaves the kitchen with a slam of the door. She shudders as the door slams close, she quickly wipes the tears from her eyes then turns to finish breakfast. After the food was made she takes the plates to the dining room where the pack house members are impatiently waiting. Katalina places the dishes of pancakes, eggs and bacon on the table. Luna Rhea smiles at her and thanks her as she sits down her plate. When she places all the dishes she leaves the dining room to go back through the kitchen to the basement in order to work on the laundry. As she is putting the last load into the dryer she suddenly hears foot steps coming down the stairs. She feared it was Alpha Gabriel again though this time it was much worse. For the candle light gleamed off the terrifying face of Beta Marcus. His face retained deep scars from savage encounters with rogue wolves. He leisurely slides his fingers through his platinum blonde hair as an evil grin appears across his lips. He stares her down like a wolf stalking it’s prey with his mischievous icy blue eyes as he stalks towards her. She didn’t dare to move, she had learned it would only make it worse if she did. So she averted her eyes to the cold concrete floor, her body racked with dread as she tremors under his gaze. His voice hisses like a snake as he speaks. “I had a conversation with Alpha Gabriel just yesterday about letting me have you as my personal slave. Yet, Luna Rhea wouldn’t allow it. I assume she could sense my intentions.” He quickly grabs her arm and pulls he closer, she could feel the heat radiating off his body. “I will have you.” He whispers. Katalina shudders at his word and tries to pull out of his grasp but his hand held onto her arm firmly. “P..please Beta Marcus don’t hurt me aga..” Before she could finish her plea he had grabbed a fistful of her raven hair and yanked her head back. She cries out as panic start to creep in. He leans down to where his lips lightly brush against her tear streaked cheeks and whispers in a sinister tone. “Oh my dear Katalina you can not defy nor deny me from what I want. I am your superior, you are nothing but a slave and as the Beta of this pack I will do what I please with you and to you.” He tightens his grip on her hair and licks from her neck up to her ear sending shivers up her spine. His lips linger at her ear as he whispers again. “And you already know what I will do.” With that statement he releases he hair and pulls his head away. Katalina’s eyes were red and puffy from sobbing, she slowly tilts her head back down trying to avoid looking into his dead cold eyes. She knew from the horrifying past experiences with the Beta what he had meant by those words. He was about to speak again when his eyes glaze over, which meant someone in the pack had mind-linked him. She takes the opportunity to put space between them as she quietly and cautiously backs away. As his eyes turn back to their icy blue shade he huffs annoyed. “It seems that I am needed at the border, But just remember what I have said Katalina. You got lucky this time.” He turns and walks back up the stairs closing the door to basement forcefully. She jumps at the sound of the door slamming shut and falls to her knees with her face in her hands crying uncontrollably. She knew he would return eventually and there was nothing she could do to stop him. After she cries for a moment she regains her composure wiping the tears away. She gets to her feet and focuses on getting the laundry done. It was nearly time for dinner when she had finished folding the last load of clothes. She hurriedly takes the clothes to the rooms they belong, then returns to the kitchen to start preparing the meal. She makes a massive meatloaf, buttery mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables and dinner rolls. The smell of the food makes her stomach growl. She was so hungry but she knew she had to wait for the members of the pack house to eat first. Being a slave the only food she was permitted to eat was scraps, leftovers from dinner. Which was very little to nothing majority of the time. She takes the plates to dining room and places them on the table. Most of the members look at her with disgust except Luna Rhea who always smiles sweetly and thanks her as she places her plate in front of her. Katalina notices that Alpha Gabriel and Beta Marcus both are not in attendance. “They must still be dealing with the issue at the border.” She thinks to herself as she lets out a sigh of relief. After everyone has their plates and she had placed the dinner dishes in center of the table, she retreats back to the kitchen to start cleaning up the mess. While she is wiping down the counter she hears the door from the dining room slowly open. She spins around quickly to face the door as anxiety creeps over her fearing the worse. She lets out a ragged breath that she didn’t know she had been holding when she sees Luna Rhea standing in the doorway. The Luna is a regal, beautiful woman that stands at 5’9” with long wavy auburn hair. Her emerald green eyes gentle and kind. She holds a plate in one hand as the other lets the door close softly behind her. When she spoke her voice was as soft as velvet. “Katalina, sweetheart dinner was delectable.” She gently placed the plate on the counter as she smiles softly. “I know you must be hungry my dear.” Katalina looks at the plate confused. “Ma’am I.. I can’t. Alpha Gabriel will be angry if he finds out I ate more then I’m aloud.” Luna Rhea raises her hand to stop her from talking. “Alpha Gabriel is not here now is he. Besides this is my plate from dinner and I myself hate ate plenty.” Katalina looks up into her eyes and relaxes a little. “Are you sure ma’am?” Luna Rhea chuckles “He didn’t see you eat it and since it’s leftovers from my plate it’s considered scraps.” She winks at her, then gives her a reassuring smile before she turns to leave the kitchen. Katalina smiles as she watches her leave the room, then turns her full attention to the plate of food on the counter in front of her. She slowly picks up a small piece of meatloaf and places it into her mouth. A soft moan escapes her lips as the taste of food on her tongue becomes euphoric. She eats as much of the food as her stomach will allow. Then cautiously and quickly wraps the remaining roll and meatloaf from the plate in a napkin and slides it into her pocket incase she got hungry later. She walks out of the kitchen into the dining room, gathers everything from the table then takes all the dishes to the kitchen and washes them. After all dishes were put away she sweeps and mops the dining room, wipes down the table then mops the kitchen. It was nearly nine o’clock when she finished everything, she was exhausted from the days work. She makes her way down the creaky basement stairs and into her tiny room. Katalina locks the door behind her, she hides the leftover food in a folded shirt at the bottom of the tote of clothes so it would be hidden from sight. She finds a clean pair of underwear and an oversized shirt, then places the clothes on her cot and goes into the bathroom to take a shower. She washes her slender fragile body and hair with a bar of soap. When finished she wraps an old holey towel around herself. She brushes her soft raven hair and goes back into her room to put on the clothes she had chosen. She slides the shirt over her head which was so long it came to her knees. Sighing heavily she lays down on the cot and covers herself with a tattered raggedy blanket that someone had thrown out years ago and stares at the ceiling. “Moon Goddess, if you can hear me, please save me from this place.” She whispers her prayer softly, then goes silent hoping to hear some kind of response but all she hears is silence. She sighs in defeat closing here eyes as tears begin to well up inside them. She turns over on her side holding the blanket close as she shivers and cries herself sleep.