Broken Souls

Chapter 6 ~ Present Day

~Ally's POV~

I was huddled in the far too familiar corner, the ragged duvet laying at my feet as my head rested on top of my knees. My arms hung loosely besides them as my fingers clasped each other hopelessly. The sun had risen long ago and yet I still sat here, it was the same sight each morning. With nightmares plaguing my sleep and only a silent hollowness filling my day, the corner was as much refuge as my own desolate mind.

It had been just over three weeks since Harrietta had kindly taken me in after the events of that frightful night. I knew the packs situation affected her just as much as everyone else but she was the only one that would willingly step within 10 metres of my presence, let alone care about what next happened to me. The memory of the night after they found me remains a blurry haze of shadows and torn emotions. For all I had known then the rouges could have taken me with them I would be none the wise for I had been in such a bleak state. 

After the pack had found out what had truly happened the consensus was to kill me there and then, and right now you don't know how much I wish that had been so. But my ever loyal friend was quick to step in, far unbeknown that her act of goodwill would actually cause me far greater pain than my death ever would have, a fact which the pack quickly cottoned on, the punishment being to live with the loss of my mate, the betrayal of my pack and the banishment I would ultimately face. My title had quickly been stripped and not even my father could bare to look at me, not that he had ever taken much interest in me before my mate.

The first two weeks has been spent solidly behind the four walls of this small room, the same shade of duck egg blue imprinted into the back of my mind as my gaze fell only to the cracked wooden floor or simply painted walls. Any previous decorations had been removed from sight, the walls now bare as I traced only the curvature of the plaster beneath my fingers. The floorboard beside me had been hacked away as each day I proceeded to pull single splinters of wood from its base. I didn't intend to cause the damage, but the focus of simply picking away at the wood provided a partial distraction and I guess in some way stopped my insanity. I knew Harrietta was only trying to help when she fought my corner to stay but how I wish she had just let the pack decide my fate.

From what I had heard in the snippets of conversation I actually tuned in to, the packs had still gathered the next day for the ceremony, only rubbing in further the shame and dishonour I had brought my pack, the destruction now on display to the rest of the near by packs that attended. All would hear of the event and all would gossip scornfully of the events, their only concern being that they too were not targeted for an attack. The Alpha's son had taken his place as the new leader and for a moment I had felt the joy reverberate through the pack link, but such an emotion was foreign to my mind and quickly cast out as a void of all attributes consumed it.

Only one thing proved to brighten and yet crush my day to the same extent, Harrietta had found her mate at that gathering and although she had tried to hide it from me such a bond was hard to mask, her happiness and apparent joy made some part of me almost delighted at the fact my friend had finally found what all of us searched for. But the inevitable pang of jealousy cut sharply into my stomach, spending my days seeing someone have something I could no longer lay claim to was not an easy task to reconcile with.

My figure was starting to wither, my eyes sunken into themselves as red rings permanently situated themselves there. The only food to pass my lips being the stuff Harrietta literally forced into my mouth and even then struggled to get me to swallow, the drive to eat, drink and simple exist was draining and with every moment that passed my hope that death may finally find me grew in magnitude.

However as the third week passed even I was starting to doubt the Gods wishes as although my body deteriorated and my soul remained fragmented beyond repair, my physical departure was not forthcoming. The day Harriett decided to forcefully remove me from the house in an effort to make me have some fresh air was the day I finally perfected my hollow mask, my bitterness and hatred now directed at my pack and those rouges simmering hotly underneath.

Although I was still technically part of the pack no one would ever view me as more than the traitor I was. But even if I was to accept that, what kind of life did I hold here? That day as I walked past the houses in the outskirts of our town I just snapped. I could handle the snide remarks on my behalf but the second someone commented on my 'filthy' mate I couldn't bite back my pent up rage any longer.

Right there I shifted, ignoring all orders that the alpha had originally held hold over me. I lunged for the group directly in front of me, my gaze fixed solely on the one who had voiced their opinion. Despite my malnourished condition they had been caught unaware and off guard, their human form feeble compared to the anger that drove my attack. Two fell to the ground dead whilst another three were seriously injured before people finally cottoned onto what was happening and decided to act. My gaze was a haze of red and settled only momentarily on my old friend, the regret a fleeting thought before I took off running for the boarders. I was an outcast, always had been, it was about time I started acting like one.

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Thank you to everyone still reading this and especially to those of you who have commented, its really uplifting to see that people are still enjoying my work and hopefully I shall start to regularly update this book again :)