Rejecting The Future Moon Goddess [Amazon Edition]

Chapter 7 - Days, Years, Death is a wish

Chapter 7 – Days, Years, Death is a wish

I groan as every step leading to my room causes a wince of pain. I hate life! Is the thought that floats through my head while I slip out of my worn out clothes and into some plain comfortable black sweats and black long sleave. With Alex still helping me every now and then, protecting me from Beta Bastian and Miss Jasmine as best as he could is the only other ray of hope as my eighteenth birthday rolls closer. The thought that I would meet my mate, break free from Hidden Claws and never see this pack again after graduation and the eleven years of hell I have suffered makes me smile while I lock the door to my room and open the window. Its midnight and the moon shines down at me while the wind brings a much needed fresh breath of air. The leaves to the large sugar maple tree next to my window rustles in the breeze, bringing the delectable smell of maple inside. It's midnight, chores in the pack house are done and with the Beta couple most likely snuggled safely in their house now is a great time to relax and make my way to sanctuary. With a grin I silently slip out of the window and onto the sturdy branch that normally scrapes across the glass. This tree is a luxury, one Alex managed to convince the Betas I keep when they realized the room I was put in almost eleven years ago with the remark I was too terrified to try and sneak out and run away.
I remembered the first night it spent in the attic, the tapping on the glass and shadows casted by the sugar maple tree scaring me so badly I was unable to sleep. Curled up under the duvet cover shaking like a leaf in the wind until morning when I gained enough courage a seven year old could muster to pear outside and see the tree standing tall and proud with bright red leaves. Alex promptly taught me how to sneak out once brave enough using the window and the tree, Beta Bastian and Lady Jasmine none the wiser to their son teaching their disowned daughter how to climb in and out of the attic with the help of a seemingly useless tree. It took some practice every night, almost getting caught by patrols, but by age nine I had mastered sneaking out unnoticed.
With sure footing after sneaking out the window, I shimmy down the tree with deft movements and lant silently on the grass covered earth. Blending into the shadows, I look around and listen for a moment making sure no one is near nor awake and watching the pack grounds before sprinting towards the safety and cover the forest provides. At the pack house I may only have a few friends but outside deep in the hidden valley I have Lizaria and the Unicorns to keep me company.
With a wide grin hidden behind the mask I wear I make my way towards the river, keeping my foot steps light and body hidden in the shadows. With the calming sent of water and the sounds of the waterfall drawing nearer, I pick up speed letting the glow of the moon guide me. It'll be the harvest moon soon, my eighteenth birthday drawing close. Thoughts of being free from this place again brings a sort of giddiness inside my battered heart as I pass through the hidden entrance and into the tunnel. The magic in the air breathes life into me with each step until entering the meadow, the scene glowing with the moon light and wind bringing a sweet scent that washes over me.
"You're late." The musical voice of the Elf reaches me just in time for me to dodge to the right, reflexes having me back flipping away to a comfortable distance. Lizaria chuckles, her eyes holding mischief while the Elf and I stare at each other.
"Sorry about that but I am still here for training like always Liz." I answer, rushing forward and throwing a handful of loose soil into her face. This gives me an opening, jumping over the ancient one and quickly unsheathing the sword strap to Lizaria's back. Spinning around just in time to block the blow sent my way and the blades meeting with a clang, the two of us wait for an opening. My body is already sore from the punishment I received earlier this day and it's a struggle to keep my positions with the blades locked against each other and sweat building on my forehead. With a deep breath, I drop to the ground, bringing my right leg around and sweeping out the Elf's legs from under her and quickly dodging to the left while Lizaria lets out a surprised gasp behind me. But I am too slow as I spin around ready for the next attack and barely dodging the blade wielded by my mentor but not the bunch thrown to my left side. I gasp, my body flying backwards as the punch activates the pain from the large purple bruise made by Bastian himself.
"What took you so long to get here?" Lizaria questions, her slow steps walking towards me. Too focused on the pain, I ignore her question and curl my body in on itself, trying to breath through the pain and pleading for it to settle down.
"Gem?" The foot steps stop and the sound of a dull thud hitting the ground alerts me to the sword fight I am supposed to continue with Lizaria, but my body refuses to move. Even when I oh so wanted to keep practicing and fighting. I did not want to be weak anymore and Lizaria promised to make me stronger.
"Geminie, they beat you again didn't they?" By them, Lizaria meant the pack and the Beta couple. I was lucky today that Alex was on patrol when this happened or he would have been forced to watch and partake in handing out the punishment. Neither of us could refuse and order and a public beating where every wolf but an Omega could partake in is a fan favourite amongst the pack. Warm hands cup my cheeks and I look into the concerned eyes of my friend, her brows furrowed above me while I force myself to take slow, steady, deep breaths.
"I spilt water while in a rush to serve dinner. The beat me in the middle of the dining room as punishment then made me drag myself out to the foyer while everyone else ate and chatted away like nothing happened." I start, tears forming in my eyes at the pain I felt while fifty wolves surrounded me after Beta Bastien grabbed my hair and dragged me to the middle of the room. His steal toed boots connecting with my rib cage as he screams at me for being a clumsy, useless idiot that could do nothing right. How everyone mocked me and laugh while I rolled into a ball and covered my head, silent tear streaming down my face. I learned long ago not to make a sound, that the crowd looses interest when the wolf being beaten as punishment is quiet and accepts reality.
"When Lilly and Misbah rushed to my side and helped me to clean and bandage my wounds it was late and it took a little longer to finish chores. It's why I was late." I continued, feeling my friend take the sword still grasped in my had and throwing it behind her.
"You don't have to explain everything to me little wolf. Just cry it out." And with her words, I cry. My sobs fill the air while Lizaria cradle's my body to her, hands clutching at the pastel pink tunic she wears while her hands removes the hood from my head and runs through my curls. She hums a lullaby while my heart twists with pain and grief. Almost everyone in my pack hates me, blaming me for the death of Alpha Sorus and Luna Reena. And being a weak wolf who never shifted at age six-teen like the rest of my peers, I became an easy target for their abuse. It's why Lizaria agreed to train me the Elven way, as a way to protect myself against any sneak attack unjustly thrown my way inside the pack house. Between my exhaustion, tears and pain in my heart and body, my sobs turned into sniffles soon, the little energy I had left leaving me even more weak. I hated this feeling. The feeling of weakness and helplessness. My life revolved around this feeling since that day eleven years ago.
"Feel better?" Lizaria asks, worry still evident in her voice. All I manage is a nod, her calming scent wrapping around me, making me drowsy. I felt safe in her arms, something akin to motherly love from her.
"Come on Geminie, lets get you into the hot springs to heal Little Wolf" She sighs out, pulling away and giving me a soft smile. She helps me to my feet, her arms wrapping around me to while I lean on her six foot frame for support. The hot springs located fifteen metres away from the entrance are surrounded by moon flowers, the magic within a welcoming warmth. Lizaria frowns as she helps me to undress, leaving only my undergarments on and the multitude of bruises and scars littering my worn out body to her view. She stays silent, her forest green eyes giving me a once over before helping me crawl into the shallow basin and laying me down gently. A comfortable feeling washes through every pore of my body as the healing effect of the water takes hold quickly. My prism coloured hair floating out around me as I stare at the silver white moon above. I did not heal the same as normal wolves. Being unable to shift when I turned sixteen effectively left me as a strong human, an even more disappointment in the pack. I had no wolf form meaning the quick healing every wolf is born with never took effect for me leaving my curvy body littered with bruising and scaring that took days, sometimes weeks or months to heal. If I could get to Lizaria and the hot springs, then my body would be blemished free. Sometimes that took days or weeks to happen if my punishment is severe.
"Gem, when will you leave the pack? We both know you are not safe there Little Wolf." I look to Lizaria, her statement filled with sadness and her eyes shinning with unshed tears for me. At three thousand and some odd years old, Lizaria looked no older than thirty. Her lithe body filled with muscle meant for fighting and long hair that splayed out around her made many envious. If it weren't for her long pointed ears, she could be a model in the human realm.
"My high school graduation is tomorrow. So is my eighteenth birthday. If I find my mate then, I'll stay. If not then I...I will leave." Lizaria is right, I spent eleven years being abused for a situation out of my control. One of these days I will end up dead without knowing how If I stay here. The problem is leaving Lizaria and the Unicorns behind. It's the only reason I was hesitant to leave in the past. But once I graduate I have no more ties keeping me here. Alex already stated he would leave and so would Lilly and Misbah. If I could convince Lizaria, then we could find a place to settle down outside pack territory where the Unicorns would be safe.
"I wish I could watch you walk across that stage tomorrow Gem but I have to stay here and protect the Unicorns." Lizaria sighs out, holding a towel up for me. I smile at my friend and accept the towel, wrapping it around my body and sitting on the edge of the hot spring as we stare up at the moon.
"If it weren't for the school being shut down for renovations after exams, I would have walked across the stage already." I chuckle out. Lizaria would be busy with both protecting the unicorns as well as dealing with the magic the harvest moon will provide. Even if I asked my friend to join me for my graduation, being isolated from the world for hundreds of years will bring a culture shock to the Elf. An hour of just chatting and with a final sigh, I dress in my black clothing and bid farewell to Lizaria and the unicorns before making my way back to the pack house before anyone can notice my disappearance.