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This story is dark. Atticus Kinciad suffered abuse all his life. Please remember this story is strictly fictional. No one was harmed and I created all these characters using my imagination. Please read The Omega's Stand to understand Atticus's story.

7yrs old.

  I sniffle quietly as I try to shift my body around into a more comfortable position. I wish I had something soft to push under my aching bottom, but I don't. I could take off my tattered shirt, but then the silver would have access to more of my raw skin.

  "Stop moving around so much! I can't think for two seconds without you interrupting me," Rupert growls and I freeze.

    My father, Rupert Kincaid, hates when I make noise and he is quick to punish me when annoyed.

  "Sorry, Alpha," I whisper to please the large man sitting behind his desk.

    He grunts lowly to indicate he heard my apology and I almost smile. He didn't hit me or call me names. I must have made him happy with my submission. I go back to counting my breathes and watching the second hand tick on the clock.

  Suddenly there is a knock on father's office door. I turn and face the wall as I have been trained to do. I am not permitted to see all of father's visitors. He has to approve me looking at them for me to face the room.

  "Alpha, the girl. She failed. I have brought her as ordered," a male voice says and I can hear a tone of excitement in his raspy voice.

   My stomach twists with dread almost instantly. My father's men only get excited about vile things that make me sick or scare me.

  I close my eyes and try to think about my mother. It's been over a month since father permitted me a visit to her cell. I miss her.

  "Come," Rupert orders cruelly and I bite my lip hard enough to draw blood.

  I try to focus on the pain. I push the room behind me as far away as possible. Rupert is never nice to the females he brings into his office. He hurts them. I don't want to hear more cries or pleas for mercy. I want to hear my mother's voice talking about the sky and wildlife she misses.

  "ATTICUS," Rupert snarls and I realize I ignored my father.

  I snap around with my head bowed.

  "Yes, Alpha," I say robotically before the latch on my cage rattles.

  "I have a job for you. You are getting older and your training is just around the corner. You need to be ready to handle anything. I won't have some pathetic weak male as a son," Rupert snarls and my ears prick as his insults pierce my sensitive heart.

  "What do you require of me, Alpha," I ask dreading what comes next.

  The last time father made me participate in a females torture he made me cut her. I hated it. He enjoyed it. When I was finished he let me visit mom.

  "Kill this runt. I am tired of feeding her. She has failed her first strength test and I don't have the patience to tolerate such failure," Rupert orders and I lift my head.

   My eyes immediately land on the tiny girl my father has deemed disposable. She looks as if she is barely out of diapers. Definitely not big enough for strength training. I look at my father clearly confused.

  "Father, she is a baby," I say quietly and within milliseconds my father slaps me across the face.

  My cheek and lip split open. My ear rings and my head falls.

"I am your Alpha! Kill her," he says darkly and my body snaps to do as it is told obediently.

I am used to my body jumping to listen to my Father. He terrifies me. My brain is probably listening so I live.

I grab the knife from my father's desk and step behind the silent toddler. She doesn't cry and I don't hesitate before sliding the silver across her neck. She falls soundlessly and rich burgundy saturates the floors around my bare feet. Sadness and shame twists through my body as I look down upon the little girl that will never smile or laugh again.

  "Don't look like that. Your pathetic half sister would never have been anything more than a slave in my house. She had none of the qualities I am after," Rupert says before sitting back down behind his desk.

   Shock slaps me in the face harder than my father did minutes earlier. Tears well up inside of my eyes and I hurry to my cage before my father can see. Weakness is not allowed. Tears are not allowed. Alphas do not cry!

  I sit down like a zombie as my hot tears trail down my face. I keep myself silent as I stare at the dark wall. Now that father points it out I saw some similarities on the girls face. She had father's nose and eyes. She didn't have his coloring, but it was clear she was his. I bite my lip again to distract myself from the terrible crime I just committed as another knock sounds on the office door.

  "Yes," Rupert states and the wood creaks a little.

  "The whore has attacked Garth. She is demanding to see the girl," my father's lackey says and I wrench as my stomach tries to vomit.

  "That's humorous. Well there's the girl. Let's take her to her mother. ATTICUS GET UP. Follow me," Father orders and I stand.

  My feet follow behind his big boots without my brain telling them to. Hate for myself is consuming my person. I want to die. I want to trade places with the little girl dangling limplessly in the gruff man's arms. I want her mom to kill me for killing her baby. I deserve to die. I didn't even try to stop myself. I just killed her. All it took was one slap and I murderered a tiny girl.

   The chains rattle as they draw back to open the door that leads to the bottom floor. My father says it's the floor that houses all the females worthy of breeding. It's where he keeps my mom. His mate...

   "I am disappointed the bitch was able to attack. Are you incapable of handling females," Rupert says suddenly as he rounds a corner.

  The male carrying the baby sighs. He sounds reluctant to answer my father, but no one ignores Rupert Kincaid.

   "Garth got ahead of himself. He figured since the girl failed you wouldn't be keeping the female to yourself anymore. He wanted a taste and she got in a few quick jabs," the male explains and father gives a rough chuckle as he comes to a halt.

  My feet stop and I timidly look up. The dark cell is open to the hallway, but separated by thick bars. A shiny toilet and sink are the only fixtures within it's concrete walls and the only things I can make out.  

  "NO," a female I didn't spot screams as her arms shoot from behind the bars.

  She grabs at the child I killed without pause and my throat practically closes as guilt chokes me. I look back down at the floor unable to look into the face of the mother I hurt.

  "She was a runt. I said so when she was born. I had such high hopes for you. I even passed on an opportunity to breed a neighboring Luna and you birthed me a female. What did you expect," Rupert asks sounding bored and my heart thumps rapidly.

  "YOU HAVE A SON! EVERY PUP AFTER HIM WILL BE FEMALE," the woman shouts hysterically.

   Father growls.

  "My son is imperfect. He isn't 100% Kincaid. He is mixed... He. I am the last true Kincaid," my father snarls before I hear the familiar crunch of breaking bone.

  The female's body falls to the ground with a thud and Father sighs.

  "Second only to my mate... I had high hopes. I should have known. Pitiful," Rupert mumbles and I close my eyes.

   So many powerful emotions are threatening to pull me under. I want to sleep. I want to forget. I want to go numb. I don't want to feel the pain in my chest. I want to be free like the birds my mother talks about.

  "Tomorrow, you go to the training mats. I am actually proud of your resolve today. I expected you to cry like the weak child you are, but you held strong," father says as he places a hand on my shoulder.

   I look up at him to see his eyes examining my face.

  "If only you were what I needed. But no matter, I will restore the house of Kincaid," father whispers and confusion clouds my shaken mind.