I groan while going through the laundry, nearly gagging at the smell left on the sheets from a particular room while the heat of the dries in the brightly lit basement room intensifies the smell emanating off of this particular basket I am stuck with. Visitors from Forest Paw had just left and their Alpha, Alpha Leo, being the biggest sleaze I have ever met left a mess in the guest room that I had the unfortunate order to clean. He came for an alliance with our pack and I watched as Mika and Beta Bastian accepted this man openly while cleaning the foyer of the pack house. Alex managed to keep me as far away from the visiting Alpha as possible after the first night where I was forced to serve dinner. I could feel his eyes on me throughout the night, knowing that if he spoke one word to the Beta, he could have his way with me – a fourteen year old child. It wouldn’t be the first time the Beta tried to use my body for his own advantage but thankfully Alex has a friend in the medical wing that handed him a highly potent sleep drug and before anything could be done, Leo, the wolf in question, would be safely passed out in his room.
My hope to becoming a Beta Female again in this pack has all been dashed by the many bruises that paint my skin and the scars that linger from punishments that were unnecessary in my opinion. But at least I was not offered as a play thing to the visiting pack like some Omegas were for the last seven day.
“Someone got the raunchy sheets left by Alpha Leo.” Lilly fake gags as I throw the white sheets with bodily fluids I refused to think about into the soaking tub. I would rather incinerate them but if Beta Bastian finds one sheet missing by the end of the day then I would become the scape goat as usual.
“Honestly I am just glad Alex kept me in the cleaning rotations and not the serving rotations.” I groan out with relief, throwing the rubber gloves into the trash bin and washing my hands with scalding water and the strongest soap I could find. I felt dirty just touching anything of that nature and could feel the panic attack rising inside me. Mumbling to Misbah that I am going to get air I rush up the Omega staircase and burst into the garden, the cold winter wind a refreshing welcome to my lungs. I find a corner free of snow and take deep breaths, hugging my knees to my chest and do my best to keep the tears at bay. I found this spot thanks to Alex, a place to be weak between the walls to the pack house and the ever green shrubs that leaves a sharp pine scent in the air. No one comes to this part of the garden. After an hour passes and my panic has settled down, I make my way down to the basement and wear another pair of rubber gloves. The sheet in the soaker tub is gone and Lilly gives me a sympathetic glance while I go and fold the dry clothes. She is one of two people who knows what happened, knows the night that officially killed my hope of being a Beta Female again. I keep an eye on the time, working hard and keeping to the basement or the kitchen helping with meals for the day. When Lace comes in and explains the Omegas can finish for the day and enjoy the rest of the night off at seven thirty I sigh with relief, finish folding the laundry fresh from the dryer and hand it off to a waiting Omega for him to deliver to its respective room. Being the last to leave the laundry room and to climb the stairs closest to the pack kitchen, I take a deep breath at the top of the stairs and confirm that no one else is around. Many are most likely in the dining hall, the smell of freshly baked break, stew and cupcakes linger in the air. I see the goods sitting on the stove and counters, my stomach grumbling with hunger pains at the thought of being able to fill my stomach.
Since Beta Bastian and his wife took over, Omegas are nothing more than tools only deserving of enough food to live and nothing else. No extra food, no treats and no drinks other than water. I’ve spent countless nights trying to fill my stomach with water in hopes of calming down the hunger pains since my first week as an Omega. The tears that fell from my eyes as I cried from the cramps an empty stomach brought when Beta Bastian took away my food privileges for some reason or another. The days I spent trying to make it to when Alex would sneak me something small enough to eat and make it through another day. I learned quickly how to steal in order to keep on living in hopes of finding my own mate one day. With a deep breath, I scan the area for any lingering scent of pack members. Most seem to be in the dinning hall, so my scent will be gone by the time dinner is over. With a grin, I quickly grab the tote bag stashed earlier in the day from the small broom closet beside the basement stairs and quickly fill it with the bread, easy to story goods from the pantry and a thermos of the still hot soup. I leave the cupcakes with a reluctant gaze knowing that there is only enough made for those dining in the hall and quickly run up the stairs towards my room in the attic with my stolen goods.
Seven years has passed since being demoted to an Omega and in those seven years this small room with bare wooden walls, a day bed and a dresser slowly became home. A lock on the handle was newly added two years ago as well a dead bolt that I lock each and every night since that incident three years ago, a safety measure Alex put in place for me in case a visiting wolf needed a “Bribe” from Beta Bastian. Placing my stolen goods on the desk beside my laptop, I sigh and take a seat at the worn wooden furniture, the damp cold only associated with an attic seeping into my body causing goosebumps to form and shivers down my spine. Flicking my laptop open and waiting for it to power on, I reach into the bag of goodies and pull out the stew. With school still ever present in my daily life at fourteen, I have no choice but to comply and do the homework needed for the following Monday. Between bites of food and multiple assignments later, my tired eyes glance to the time and sigh. Twelve in the morning and I am finally done. With a groan and a final sip of the stew, I stash the remaining food I stole into an air tight container hidden in the walls and climb into the small bed for some much needed sleep.