Chapter 1

It has only been a week since we buried my parents and I became a slave to my pack, but it feels like a year. Luna Kate is awful! I am only allowed to eat once a day, as long as I’m good. I only get what ever is left after everyone else in the pack has eaten. I’m okay with that. Luna Kate looks for reasons to hit me. Even if one of the omegas drops something, I get hit for it. There is one omega, Ayame, who takes too much pleasure in seeing me get hit. She purposely drops and breaks dishes loudly so Luna Kate will run in and slap me so hard, I fall to the floor. I have kept my promise though. I do not cry in front of them. I refuse to show weakness. They will not break me.

After a month, I have bruises all over my body and my ribs hurt. Luna Kate started kicking my stomach and sides after she had slapped me to the floor. When Gabrielle came to get me early this morning, I was already awake and dressed. My face was swollen and bruised, but I was not going to let any of my injuries stop me from doing what I’m supposed to do. Gabrielle looked on me with pity, “I’m so sorry they are hurting you so much.” I shrugged, “I don’t expect it to stop, no matter how badly they hurt me. I’ve made up my mind that they will not break me.” Gabrielle smiled, “How are you so smart and so brave?” I shrugged, “No clue. My mom and dad never babied me. They always talked to me like I was an adult. My mom started teaching me to read as soon as I could talk.” Gabriella smiled, “I’m anxious to see what grade the school puts you in. You might test to be a genius.” I smiled then groaned as I held my cheek, “Ow. That hurts.” She chuckled, “I’ll try not to make you laugh anymore. We need to get to the kitchen to start breakfast.”

When I made it to the kitchen, there were two other omegas, Annie and Brian preparing to start cooking. I washed my hands and stood on my stool to start cracking eggs to scramble into a bowl. I kept my head down and worked in silence to keep from getting hit again. When breakfast was cooked and I had all of the food on the table, people started walking downstairs. The table was soon filled with people and I could hear nothing but utensils hitting plates as I stood in a corner of the dining room, head down and hands folded, waiting for someone to summon me.

Almost everyone was done eating when Alpha Ben yelled, “Isabel!” I walked to him, wanting to tell him he doesn’t have to yell, “Yes, Alpha?” He asked, “Why haven’t the plates been cleared?” I looked around the table and all the plates were cleared, “Alpha? May I take your plate?” He nodded, “Please do.” I reached to take his plate and he grabbed my wrist. He pulled me closer to him and sneered, “I want my plate taken away as soon as I’m done eating. Got it?” He started twisting my wrist as I squeaked, “Yes, Alpha.” I heard a sickening crack and I grabbed his plate with my other hand. I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I was holding his plate in my good hand, but I had no grip in my other hand. All I could do was let it hang limply as my wrist was broken. I walked into the kitchen, and looked for the first aid kit. As soon as I found it, I saw a wrist brace and slipped it onto my broken wrist. Gabrielle held my wrist gently, “We should take you to the doctor. That needs to be set.”

As we walked past Alpha Ben, Gabrielle informed him, “I’m taking Isabel to the pack doctor. Her wrist needs to be set.” Alpha Ben nodded in acknowledgement and we walked to the clinic. As soon as we were out of the room, she sighed, “I’m so sorry they are so mean to you.” I shook my head, “It’s not your fault. I just need to try harder to keep them from getting mad. I just don’t know how.” She muttered, “I don’t think there is a way to avoid that. They look for reasons to get angry.” We walked quietly as we approached the clinic. When we walked in, the doctor, Doctor Miller, greeted us, “Hello. Who do we have here?” Gabrielle answered, “This is Alpha Ben’s and Luna Kate’s new slave, Isabel.” I lowered my gaze, “Hello, Doctor Miller.” I held up my hand, “I think my wrist is broken. I heard it crack.” He shook his head, “I’m so sorry. Let’s have a look. He led us to an exam room and brought a portable x-ray machine into the room. He removed the brace and watched as my hand went limp and I cried in pain. He tried to hold my hand and wrist steady and placed an imaging plate under my wrist and guided the imaging tube over my wrist. I heard the x-ray machine click and he looked at the screen, “Oh my. You have a very bad break. We are going to have to put a cast on it.” He went to get the materials, then came back and put the cast on my hand and wrist. When he was done, he continued, “You won’t be able to get it wet for a couple days. I will need you to come back in five days so I can x-ray it again. If you eat three meals a day for the next five days and drink milk with them, it should be healed enough to take the cast off.” I mumbled, “I doubt that will happen.” He furrowed his brows, “What do you mean?” I answered, “I’m lucky to get one meal a day. I’m not allowed to eat with everyone else and I only get what is left over.” He winked at me, “Then make a little extra for each meal. I will eat with everyone else and make sure you eat.” I panicked, “If you step in, they will get mad.” He shook his head, “They can’t get mad at me. I’m the only doctor in the pack.” I shrugged, “Okay.”

I got down from the exam table and winced as I held my ribs. Doctor Miller asked, “What’s going on with your ribs, little one?” I replied, “This happened yesterday.” I raised my shirt and he could see where it was bruised. Doctor Miller started gently pressing on my side and when I yelped in pain, he winced, “I’m sorry. It was necessary. It looks like you have two broken ribs. We need to be careful that you don’t puncture a lung. I’m going to tell Alpha Ben that you can’t work for three days.” I gasped, “I can’t do that. Luna Kate will make the beating ten times worse when I am better.” He sighed, “You have to be careful, Isabel. Be careful how you turn. You need to baby your ribs. Okay?” I nodded, “I will.” We walked out of the office and Gabrielle took me back to the pack house.

When we returned, Luna Kate was waiting for us, furious. She growled, “You think you are getting out of work?” I shook my head, “NO! I’m not trying to get out of work! I’m sorry, Luna.” She grabbed my good wrist and started dragging me to the dungeon! She took me to a cell and threw me into it. I hit the wall, then slid down it, landing on the cot. She yelled, “You can stay in here while I decide what to do with you.” She left me there while I sat on that cot, crying. As the tears continued to fall, I fell asleep grabbing my ribs in pain.

It felt like I was only asleep for a few minutes when a squeaking noise woke me up. I looked around and found a mouse in a sitting up position staring at me from the floor. I looked at it with curiosity and reached my hand with the cast on it and the mouse sniffed my bare fingers, then jumped up on my hand. I smiled and mumbled, “Looks like I have a pet. Little pet, would you help me when she comes down to beat me?” I smiled at it, petting it with my good hand. I was surprised that it hadn’t run from me and it was letting me touch it. I smiled, “You are so cute.”

That was when I heard the door open so violently it hit the wall behind it with a loud thud.