Introductions
Kurt bangs the front door to our house in his usual angry way, and I shrink into my bed trying to make myself as small as possible. Most of the evenings he is in a bad mood and today is no exception. It wont end well for me if I give him any reason, no matter how insignificant, to punish me.
Kurt and Fran are my parents, or adoptive parents to be exact. Something they never fail to tell me while punishing me for existing and making sure I still show gratitude about living in their home.
This has been my life for almost 13 years. Actually my upcoming 18th birthday is not only the day I become grown up and might find my mate, it is also the day my so called parents wont have to take care of me anymore.
I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself properly. My name is Leya and I am 17, soon to be 18 and I live in a small town close to Stockholm, Sweden. I got adopted as a baby from Romania, so Kurt and Fran are the only family I have ever known. If you can call what we have a family that is. In just a few days I will no longer be a part of this household.
Turning 18 is extra important for people in my community. We are warewolfs you see, and the 18th birthday is also the first day of me being able to find my mate. A mate is kind of a humans husband or wife, but someone you are truly destined to be with. Someone you are incapable of hurting or live without if you have a choice. For me this means an opportunity to find someone who will actually want me for me. It is the last straw I am holding on to for survival. If the moon goddess lets me down im not sure how I will be able to go on much longer...
I stay in my room most of the days now. School is out for summer and warewolfs doesn't really do summer jobs. I don’t mind it. In school most students bullied me anyways knowing my parents loathes me just as much as they do. Since I’m a reject no one cares about what happens to me so im a safe target.
Kurt and Fran is actually quite high ranking in our community, or pack as it is more commonly called, but me being a reject puts me in the bottom of the warewolfs hierarchy. Technically it makes me an Omega, but even the “normal” Omegas looks down on me. Fun life, right?
There is no safe space for a reject like me. If I do not find my mate right away I will be forced in to some kind of hard physical labour. The kind no wolf with a choice wants to do. Like cleaning the toilets in the packhouse. The packhouse is where the leaders of the pack and most of the unmated younger wolves lives. I have never been there. I am not deemed worthy of the privilege of maybe seeing our Alpha Ray even in the distance.
I can hear Kurt and Fran talk downstairs. I have done my best to follow all the rules, finish all chores and stay out of Frans way all day. The tone of their voices still tells me I might be in trouble.
Suddenly Kurt’s heavy footsteps starts banging as he is coming up the stairs. Yeah I was right, I am in some kind of trouble but for what I have no idea. I duck under the bed covers trying to disappear before Kurt reaches my room.
“You stupid waste of space! Why can't you just behave without me being around?!”
Kurts voice booms thru the house. I have no idea what it is I am supposed to have done wrong, but I know better than to ask him. I try to make myself even smaller. I hear the door to my room being slammed open.
“Dont think you can hide like a rat Leya. I see you!”
He mocks me. Like I dont understand that he easily can spot me under my blanket. I wish I was no bigger than a pea and actually could hide in plain sight. But we all know I am not that kind of lucky girl, dont we? The real reason I am hiding is not to try to be invisible. It is only to postpone the pain a little and sometimes Kurt doesn't bother to take the blanket off me lessening the impact of his blows.
Today was not one of those days. The blanket is ripped of me and before I know it Kurt is staring me in the eyes with a firm, and painful, grip on the back of my head.
“Dont you ever dare talk back to Fran agan, do you hear me?”
Before I can answer or try to figure out when I have talked back to Fran I get a hit in the face from Kurts fist. The pain is blinding for a few seconds making any kind of answer impossible.
“No need to explain yourself, I already know everything.”
Everything what? Frans lies? I keep quiet to spare myself from more pain.
“Only 3 more days and then we will get rid of you. Thank goddess we are soon free of your useless presence. I can't wait to have you out of this house!”
Kurt drops me back on the bed making sure my head hits the wooden bedframe. He spins on the heel and leaves my room, closing the door behind me with a bang.
“NO DINNER FOR YOU TONIGHT!”
Kurt shouts as his heavy steps dissapears down the staircase. Like I would be able to eat with this pain anyway? Also, I am very used to a very meager diet. Rejects gets the crumbs from everyone else, and a lot of days no crumbs are left for me to eat.
3 more days Kurt said. Well we do agree on one thing and that is seeing my 18th birthday as a day of freedom.
