Breaking Free - Claimed By The Alpha

As I lie on the cold ground, I gaze up at the vast expanse of the dark sky. The stars twinkle like distant diamonds. How I wish I could touch them. The air is so wet and cold it sends shivers through my bones, and somehow, I find a certain peace in such a solitude that warms my soul.

Tracing the patterns of the stars with my finger, the weight of the world dissolves. The moon casts a soft, silvery glow, and I envy the power it holds over the sky.

I sigh, and a cloud comes out of my mouth.

Then as quickly as it appears, it fades beneath my sight.

There I lie, lonely.

Because I indeed couldn't be any lonelier.

Not only unmated and wolfless.

But also parentless.

And if there was one thing worse than being a wolfless defect, it was not knowing who your real parents were on top of that.

"Belle!" A familiar scold echoes.

"Belle!" It gets louder as It reaches me, and I squeeze my eyes, wishing that was just a nightmare.

But that nightmare is my life. And the reminder comes quickly when a kick in my stomach makes me cough and curl in pain.

 My reality is even worse than any nightmare I could ever have.

Another kick follows, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe.

The second blow is stronger and almost makes me faint.

My father drags me up by abruptly pulling me by my hands, and I get up, almost losing my balance. 

I curl my foot onto the cold floor and tremble.

I finally meet his eyes cornered by furrowed, shaggy, dark eyebrows. Eyes full of anger, disappointment, disgust, and what else. 

"Mere girl! Stupid, pathetic girl you are! How many times did we tell you not to go out at night? Do you want to get killed by a wolf?"

I massage my stomach where he hit me and I manage to gather my breath.

I swallow down the lump in my throat, and with forthcoming tears, I take a deep breath.

What did I do to deserve this?

I doubt he would care if that happened; I manage to lift myself with an aching stomach. God knows how many more kicks would follow if I refuse to do so.

He would never understand how much I love looking at the sky full of stars. I doubt he would understand how those moments make me feel at peace. 

"God damn, next time I will let you out and lock the door so you will sleep outside. Maybe then you will understand the lesson." He says with a spiteful, angry voice.

And his creased eyes squeeze as I smell all the alcohol he poured down through his breath.

Disgusting.

I don't even remember how he looks like when sober. 

Yet, I remember quite well that he wasn't any better than how he is now. Maybe a little bit less harsh, but still unbearable as he is now.

So no, I don't blame it on the alcohol.

"You never speak, don't you!!? I Will Always hate the orphanage for having given me an idiot and useless girl. We are glad that the years after we adopted you, our son was born. Or we would be damned for eternity."

The words that fill my mind in that moment could make me resuscitate the Devil for all the curses I sent my father.

Yet, I learned how not to show my emotions through my face. And more importantly, how to swallow the harsh truths as if it is water.

His long cane rises, and I mentally prepare for another hit. I squeeze my eyes when the cold stick hits my face.

"I fucking hate you. Speak!"

It was so cold. It was like I was slapped by a piece of ice, and I can feel my skin burning horribly.

Another kick follows right when I am on my way to get up on my feet. It hits me with such strength that I fall to the ground and scrape my elbow.

I have to bite my tongue to repress the urge to scream for pain.

Until...

An odd noise of leaves rustling makes my heart skip a beat, and I swallow down.

My dad was indeed right; that place is dangerous. 

I swallow down, my heart reaches my throat. And for a second, I forget the pain I was in and lift myself, ready to escape.

I tremble in fear as I can hear the noise approaching faster and I meet my father's eyes.

That makes me realize we were in trouble.

My father grows pale, his eyes widen for fear. 

I can clearly see how scared he is.

He opens his mouth, ready to mimic something, but then decides not to do so and closes it again.

With all the courage in my body, I force myself to slowly turn.

And when I do so, I regret having gone to that place.

I even have the impression that all the stars turned off at that moment.

It was a wolf.

The biggest wolf I have ever seen in my entire life.