When The Wolf Ran

Chapter 1 - Trials and Troubles

Rosalie - POV

What a day it had already been.

I had just finished ironing a mountain of clothes in the laundry room. Life at this pack was unpredictable if you were an omega like me. Yes, all you did during the day was back-breaking work, but you never knew when the next slap, kick or harassment would come.

The pack treated us omegas very poorly, and all we could do was stay hidden and out of the way as much as possible.

I folded up the big ironing board, grabbed my bucket and cleaning supplies, and headed upstairs to Alpha Sean's quarters. He lived on the third floor of the packhouse, while his beta, Beta Luka, lived on the second.

They had only recently taken over the pack, and I never thought anyone could be more cruel than their fathers.

But boy, was I wrong.

I always tried to clean as quickly as possible before Alpha Sean saw me. I had heard from the other omegas that the Alpha did not like to be disturbed or inconvenienced in any way. He would slap, kick, punch and even throw you into the dungeon if he was in a bad mood.

It was afternoon now, and he was supposed to be at training with the other warriors.

In our pack, you were only allowed to train if you were a ranked member. Omegas were not allowed to train at all. We weren't allowed to join in on any of the fun or festivities either. It was also strictly forbidden to look a ranked member in the eye.

Luna Celeste always said the same thing.

"Speak when you are spoken to."

I had just graduated high school the week before as valedictorian. I should have been proud of myself, and I was, but there was always a part of me that wondered what my life could have been like if I had been born into a different pack.

I was turning eighteen soon.

And with eighteen came the possibility of meeting my mate.

I dreamed about it more than I would ever admit.

Maybe my mate would come and take me away from this horrible place. Maybe I would finally have a home where I didn't have to be afraid.

But deep down, I knew the chances were slim to none.

Whenever we had guests in the pack, we were locked inside the omega quarters in the basement. No one was allowed to see us.

I gently pushed open the doors to Alpha Sean's suite.

The suite was beautiful. The walls were grey and black, and his king-sized bed always had black silky sheets on it. The bathroom was covered in gold and black tiles and reeked of opulence.

His walk-in closet was huge, filled with designer clothes, shoes and belts.

Sometimes I wondered what it must feel like to live like this. To have everything you wanted. To sleep in a huge bed and never have to worry about waking up with a sore back because you had spent the entire day cleaning.

I caught myself before my thoughts ran too far and started cleaning his bathroom.

I worked quickly but made sure to be thorough. His suite was messier than usual because he had been entertaining some female guests.

I looked away as I cleaned up the mess they had left behind.

I was almost finished when I heard the door open.

My heart immediately started racing.

Was it him?

It was too early for him to be back from training.

"Rose... It's me. Where are you?"

I relaxed when I heard the familiar voice.

"Zyphorah?"

Zyphorah was forty-seven years old. She had big blue eyes, ginger-auburn hair and a beautiful face. She was tall and slender and, despite everything she had been through, she still carried herself with grace.

She was the head omega of the pack and made sure everything ran according to the Luna's standards.

"I just brought Alpha's dry cleaning and clean laundry up," she said, placing the clothes down. "We wouldn't want him to... to cause a scene about it."

She said the last part sarcastically.

I giggled softly.

Zyphorah started humming as she packed away his clothes while I finished cleaning the bathroom.

"So..." she said after a while. "How do you feel about your eighteenth birthday approaching?"

She knew I didn't like talking about birthdays.

"You know... same old, same old," I said with a shrug.

I tried to sound nonchalant, but the truth was, I was looking forward to my birthday.

I was hoping I would meet my mate.

Maybe he would be the one to take me away from this dreadful place.

But I couldn't help thinking about all the reasons why he might not want me.

I was too skinny. My ribs showed. I was gaunt, and I didn't even own one nice outfit.

No wolf would want me.

At least, that's what I had convinced myself.

Zyphorah eventually left to start preparing supper with the other omegas.

I stripped Alpha Sean's bed and changed the sheets. Then I cleaned his side tables and threw away the rubbish.

"Mmm... mmm... everybody... rock your body..."

I sang softly to myself as I worked.

I was so immersed in what I was doing that I didn't realise I had an audience.

"Well, well, well. Who do we have here?"

I froze.

I slowly turned around.

Alpha Sean and Beta Luka stood in the doorway.

The way Alpha Sean looked at me made my stomach twist.

It wasn't the way a person looked at another person.

It was the way a predator looked at its prey.

"It's the little omega I told you about," Beta Luka said as he walked into the room and dropped onto the couch. "The one with the sweet ass."

Alpha Sean closed the door behind him.

My eyes immediately dropped to the floor.

I didn't know what to say.

Training wasn't finished yet.

Why were they here?

"Well..." Alpha Sean said. "We could have some fun with her. What do you think?"

"Why don't you have fun?" Beta Luka replied. "I want to watch. You know I love a good show."

"What is your name, little omega?"

"I'm... I'm Rosalie. Rosalie Winters, Alpha."

"Oh."

He stepped closer.

"I've heard that name. You're that smart omega, aren't you? The valedictorian from last week."

I nodded, keeping my eyes on the floor.

"Rosalie..."

His voice changed.

"Take off your clothes."

My entire body went cold.

I couldn't move.

Beta Luka laughed.

Alpha Sean grabbed me before I could get away.

"Alpha, no!"

I screamed and tried to pull away, but he was stronger than me.

Fear took over my entire body.

I screamed.

I begged.

I fought as hard as I could.

But I knew no one was coming.

No one ever came when an omega screamed.

And that was the worst part.

I had always imagined my first time being with my mate. Somewhere beautiful. Somewhere romantic. Somewhere I felt safe.

Never like this.

Never against my will.

Then, suddenly, Alpha Sean stopped.

"What the hell?" Beta Luka said.

They both looked towards the door.

"s**t. Let's go."

I didn't understand what had happened, but Alpha Sean stepped away from me.

He looked at me one last time.

"Little omega," he said coldly, "we'll finish what we started."

Then they left.

The door slammed behind them.

I stood there shaking.

For a few seconds, I couldn't breathe.

Then I slid down onto the floor and pulled my knees towards my chest.

Tears streamed down my face.

I had spent eighteen years telling myself that things would eventually get better.

That maybe my mate would come.

That maybe someone would save me.

But in that moment, something inside me changed.

I didn't want to wait anymore.

I didn't want to hope anymore.

I didn't want to die slowly in this pack.

I wanted to live.

And suddenly, I knew exactly what I had to do.

My eighteenth birthday was only days away.

I was going to run.

This time, I wasn't going to hesitate.

I was going to run for my life.