Chapter 3: Scars Beneath Silence
884 Words
Anya hugged the twin assignments to her chest as she slipped out of her classroom and into the open courtyard of Blue Moon High. Morning sunlight filtered through the canopy above, painting dappled light across the stone benches. She scanned the area, searching for Damon or Ethan.
Her footsteps slowed when she caught sight of Damon near the far bench, lips locked with Celeste—the head cheerleader, as glittering and venomous as her reputation. They were tangled up in each other like they owned the whole world.
Anya hesitated. She didn’t want to be there. Didn’t want to interrupt. But the assignments were due before class started, and she didn’t want them using her lateness as another excuse to humiliate her.
She took a breath, walked over, and cleared her throat gently.
Damon tore his lips from Celeste and turned sharply. His dark eyes narrowed at the sight of her.
“What the hell, Omega?” he snapped. “Are you stalking me now?”
Anya flinched at the sudden anger in his voice. “I—I just came to give you your assignments. They're due first period…”
She held the papers out with both hands, not meeting his gaze.
Damon snatched them from her roughly. “Next time, don’t ruin my morning.”
Anya didn’t respond. She turned and ran toward the school hallway, the sting of his voice burning hotter than embarrassment.
Damon watched her go, the anger in his chest giving way to a strange hollowness. The girl had looked like a kicked pup.
Celeste reached for his arm again, pouting. “Where were we—?”
“Not in the mood anymore,” Damon muttered, brushing her off and walking away.
~
Lunchtime came and went. Most kids filled the cafeteria with chatter and laughter, but Anya had quietly slipped into the library. The old wolf librarian welcomed her with a soft nod before vanishing between shelves. Anya made her way to the back, where her favorite section awaited: healing and wolf anatomy.
She ran a finger along the spine of an aged book: Moon Herbs & Shifter Ailments. Nestled in the quiet, she opened to a chapter on muscle injuries, absorbing every word like it was sacred scripture.
She didn’t notice Ethan until a shadow fell across her page—and the book was suddenly gone.
“Still pretending to be useful?” Ethan sneered, flipping through the book without interest. “You’re not even training. Reading old crap doesn’t make you valuable.”
Anya looked up slowly. “I’m just—helping. Learning.”
Ethan leaned close, his smirk cruel. “After school, clean our chambers. Spotless. You miss a corner, you redo the whole floor.”
She nodded once. “Yes… Alpha-in-training.”
He laughed coldly, tossing the book onto the table and sauntering off.
~
After the final bell rang, Anya headed straight to the pack house. The stone halls of the Alpha residence felt colder than ever. She scrubbed the floors in the twins’ chambers, dusted the shelves, folded the laundry. Every corner gleamed.
As she gathered her cloth and bucket, the door creaked open again. Damon and Ethan strolled in, their arms around Celeste and two other girls.
“Well, well,” Celeste said mockingly. “Hope you didn’t steal anything, Omega. You people have sticky fingers.”
Anya blinked, stunned. “W-What? I would never—”
“Maybe she wants to trade her chores for something valuable,” Ethan added with a wicked grin. “What do you think she’d take? Jewelry? Perfume? A real life?”
“I didn’t steal anything,” Anya whispered, eyes wide, voice trembling.
Damon crossed his arms, watching her carefully but saying nothing.
Ethan stepped closer, suddenly gripping her wrist tightly. “Then why are you shaking?”
“Please,” she whimpered, pain blooming in her wrist. “Please let me go… I didn’t steal anything…”
He leaned in, enjoying the moment far too much—until the door opened again.
“Boys,” came a clear, elegant voice.
Luna Alyssa entered the room, graceful and composed. Her eyes swept over the scene with mild suspicion.
Ethan let go immediately, straightening up.
“Just checking on the Omega’s work,” he said casually.
Anya stepped back quickly, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her blouse. “It’s done. I’ll be leaving now…”
She slipped past them and hurried out, her heart pounding as she fled down the stairs and into the woods that led home.
~
That evening, under the pale light of dusk, Alex watched Anya glide through her stances with smooth, focused movements. The air was cool, the forest humming softly with life.
“You’re faster,” Alex noted. “Stronger, too. You’re remembering everything I taught you.”
Anya nodded, breath calm but eyes tired.
“Something happened today?” he asked.
“No,” she lied. “I’m okay.”
Alex studied her for a long moment but said nothing more. Instead, he stepped forward and shifted into his stance.
“Again. But this time—defend.”
Anya mirrored him and readied herself, her body responding with practiced instinct.
She was getting stronger.
And one day… she would need every ounce of it.
- Writer
