Dusk

Chapter 1

Maeve's P.O.V.

I held in my whimper. I knew that if I made a sound, it would be worse and he'd start over again.

Smack. Kick. Punch. Whack.

Over and over again.

1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... 6 ... 7 ... 8 ...

100 ... 99 ... 98 ... 97 ... 96 ... 95 ...

I counted to one hundred and back to distract me, to take me away, but my mind was already starting to fade to black.

Scars ran up and down my body, although only the places easily hidden by clothing. But sometimes, when he was too drunk to remember, the target was anywhere he could reach.

This was one of those times.

I cowered against the corner nook of the dinning room, shielding my body with my sore arms. He held up a fist and a beer bottle in his other hand. He swung, again and again, until his arm got tired. Then, when he finished his drink, he smashed the bottle against my face. I heard a crack, whether it was my jaw or the bottle, I wasn't sure, I had already started to lose feeling and the numbness set in. Soon after, I welcomed the darkness and lost myself in it as I had so many times before.

• • •

"Maeve. Maeve, are you okay? Maeve, come on, get up! I gotta check your wounds!" Jack said, "Multiple lacerations to the fore arms, side, and left thigh, possibly a fractured mandible and the ribs have sustained -"

"Stop your medical mumbo-jumbo and just help me get to my room," I growled out as I tried to sit up. I winced, I was pretty sure if he continued, he would have basically said my side was really jacked up and it'd take a while longer to heal than usual.

"Mae, just let me take you to a hospital, please," Jack begged.

"No," I stated firmly, "No hospitals, we've been over this!" I couldn't count the times we'd argued over this, but I couldn't take the chance. They never found her body, she could still be alive, and if I turned him in? They'd kill him for sure, it was pack law, and without having my mother here to reject him first to severe the bond, she'd die with him.

"Mae, please!" Jack pleaded, he'd begged before, but after years of dealing with my best friend's puppy dog face, I'd become immune.

"No," I mumbled as once again, the darkness took over.