The Traitor
Leila
LUNARIS ACADEMY
The golden letters displayed on the gate brought a piercing pain to my chest.
Today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. But the hefty guard behind me was a cruel reminder of the horrid reality I was stuck in.
I was supposed to be here with my parents, peppering me with kisses, and my brother, teasing me about tainting his popularity
My chest tightened again.
Neither of that could happen now. They couldn't wish me well when their bodies were cut open and dumped in a pit to rot away.
They certainly couldn't see me now when their eyes were covered with the sands of the forest.
I wasn't going to walk in here like an A-list student. No.
I was going to enter LUNARIS HIGH as the daughter of a traitor. The daughter of an Alpha who stole a pack and was subsequently humiliated and killed.
Tears stung my eyes.
It felt like I was stuck in a nightmare and the scene was fresh in my head playing like a loop.
I still couldn't understand how it happened.
One minute we were exchanging kisses and goodnights after a lovely celebratory dinner and the next we were invaded by wolves under the command of a certain Alpha Thorne Lockwood.
A man I knew absolutely nothing about.
I could see them every time I shut my eyes. My brother’s harsh orders to run away, my father's bleeding body, my mother's cries of agony as she was sexually violated over and over and over again.
I could hear them all and my mind didn't fail to produce vivid images of every scene. Each time, clearer than the first.
And it never ceased to hurt.
Sometimes, it felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. The nightmares were ten times more horrifying and all I wanted to do was jump out of my window and end it all.
Anything to make the pain stop. To reunite with my family. To be happy again.
“What are you waiting for bitch? Move!” The guard roughly shoved me forward, unconcerned that I tumbled forward and almost lost my footing.
I swallowed thickly and forced myself to move. The glares thrown at me as I walked into the school were just as obvious as my misery.
Everyone had the same thoughts running through their minds and I didn't dare look up. I couldn’t.
‘That’s her!’
‘She has some guts to walk in here after all that happened. Pathetic!’
‘I still don't understand why the new Alpha spared her. She barely looks useful to me.’
It was helpful that they didn't try to curb their whispers. Extremely welcoming that they didn't mind pointing fingers in my face.
“Make way, everyone!” The guard announced and I was somewhat relieved to get them out of my face but his next words made me want to disappear.
“You wouldn't want to scare the only surviving daughter of the deposed, spineless, Alpha Beaumont.”
Ripples of laughter and mocking comments broke out from the crowd and I flinched.
Bowing my head, I fixed my gaze on my shoes as the tears blurred my vision. This day would haunt me for a very long time. I knew that for sure.
‘Awww, look at the face. The little bitch wants to cry,’
‘Someone help her with some tissues.’
That was how they threw papers and wipes at me because apparently, it was funny to them that I was hurting over my parents death.
I couldn't wait to get to class and get this day over with.
The guard was kind enough to escort me to class but I couldn't be more happy to watch him leave. I hovered at the door, skeptical about entering the class when a voice called me in. It was the teacher.
“Hey, come in and kindly introduce yourself.
Her tone was nice so I suspected nothing. I believed I would be fine as long as I kept my eyes away from the students.
Sucking in a breath, I bashfully stepped in. “M-My name is Leila Beaumont. I am a junior from…” I started.
“Beaumont…” she interrupted with a drawl. “I knew you looked familiar. I heard your father was torn limb by limb by mere guards after colonising a pack that wasn't his.”
My fists clenched tightly against my dress as they laughed.
“It must be hard kicking off your first day with such a demeaning and disgraceful background eh? Class, can we show our sincerest sympathy to Miss Beaumont over here?” She said sweetly.
“Sorry, miss Beaumont…” they mocked.
“Go have a seat, dear.”
I fought back the tears in my eyes as they threw things at me again. I found an empty seat at the back and tried to quickly settle in so the teacher could begin teaching and get the attention off me but as soon as my bum rested on the chair, it gave out and I hit the floor in the thud.
Another round of laughter followed.
“Can you stop distracting my class, Miss Beaumont?” The teacher scolded.
The remaining classes were hell and all I wanted to do was sink into the floor and never surface again but one person came to mind.
The only one that could get my mind off things. My boyfriend, Mason.
He was one of the major reasons I wanted to get into LUNARIS HIGH. I haven't seen him since I arrived but it is no surprise because we're not in the same class.
Once the bell rang for recess, I went in search of him. I tried to avoid as many people as possible but luck wasn't on my side.
Not when a certain grey-eyed boy blocked my path, subsequently throwing juice all over me. Raphael.
He was one of Alpha Thorne’s sons. The most obnoxious of the triplets I’d come to know. A major contributor to the fire in this hell.
Since his father subdued and consequently took over our pack, he and his brothers took it upon themselves to torment my life.
Anger and hate coursed through my veins as I matched his mischievous eyes with my blazing ones.
I hated them. All of them. For taking my family and throwing me into this well of misery.
But my confidence soon faltered and the intensity of my glare lowered when his friends appeared behind him.
He pushed his jet-black hair and licked his lips.
“Leila…” a smirk played on his lips, as he fiddled idly with a juice box. “My bad, you'll have to deal with me now seeing as you left the castle without us this morning.”
I swallowed as he stepped closer. “I… I don't want trouble…”
“Of course, not. I don't like trouble either. It's just that we almost had a panic earlier. We only wanted to see how you're settling in but we couldn't find you in the servant's quarters.”
I didn't say a word. He was attracting an audience and the last thing I wanted was to be the centre of attraction again.
“How do you like your new room?” He asked. Without waiting for my response, he added, “You see my brothers and I had a hard time deciding whether to give you a room in the servant's quarters or the stables. Personally, I thought the pigsty was a better fitting.”
Chuckles erupted.
I would give anything to not be in this position now. Or at least stuff my shoe in his arrogant mouth.
“You shouldn't waste time on this loser, Raphael,” one of his friends said, even though he was obviously enjoying the whole exchange like the rest of them.
“True,” a glint of mischief flickered in his eyes. “Since you're going to wash anyways and I'm full…”
My mouth dropped as he turned the rest of the juice on me, before pushing past me with his gang.
Swallowing the embarrassment and shame I wiped my soaked dress with what was left of my dignity and hurried towards the bathroom. At this rate, I didn't know what to expect anymore. The day was going from bad to worse.
As I tried miserably to get the stain off my uniform, my teary eyes soon connected with the mirror. And the girl that stared back, she looked nothing like the happy girl from days ago.
I needed to find Mason before I lost my mind. I wiped the tears furiously and headed out of the bathroom.
I headed to the cafeteria but he wasn't there. The school field was my next guess.
I stood awkwardly at a corner searching for him with my eyes. Happiness and relief bubbled in my chest the minute I spotted him.
I hurried over, avoiding as many gazes as I could but the closer I got, the clearer the view became.
I froze in shock as I realized he wasn't alone. In fact, he was busy.
Very busy with lips on the blonde by his right and his hand buried under the skirt of a brunette on his other side.
Just like that, the remaining pieces of my heart shattered right before my eyes.
