I’m six years old again, watching this scene unfold in my nightmares, but unable to stop myself from reliving it. This was the day I changed. The day they changed me.
Before we came here, Mama had always told me Wolves were bad; they’re dangerous and cruel.
I don’t understand why she brought us here. Now she spends every night with the Alpha while I play outside with Coal, the Alpha’s son, and his best friend Quil or spend the night sleeping in a barn with the animals since I’m not allowed to sleep in the Alpha’s house. I don’t mind that so much. I like animals.
It’s been a little while now, but things aren’t getting any better for me or Mama. I can tell the children of the Alpha’s Avowed are treated better than the other Human children but not by much. We’re still hit and screamed at but not as often. Not many times a day. Like today, I haven’tbeen hit at all, and I try not to let my anger show as a mean Wolf lady drags a Human girl by her hair as she cries.
If they know I’m angry, I’ll get hit lots. Quil sees me staring and shifts in front of me.
“Don’t look, Delilah. I don’t want them to hurt you too.” A dark look passes over my kind friend’s face as he watches the girl cry. “One day, I’ll be Beta. I’ll rip all their throats out.” His words make me gasp. I’ve never heard anyone say something like that before. Especially not Quil. He’s so nice.
“Shh,” I scold him, but he just smiles at me. It’s not a pleasant smile, but I’m not scared of Quil. He’s never hurt me, no matter how mad he’s gotten. He’s different from the other Wolves our age. Coal too.
“You should go hide in the barn,” Coal whispers, making me frown. He keeps looking over his shoulder at his house, and I wonder what it must be like to hear things that are far away.
“Too late,” Quil whispers, before trying to hide me from view, but it doesn’t matter.
Michael storms outside in a fit of rage. I don’t understand why he is so angry. He slaps Coal hard across the face, causing him to cry out, and I gasp. I want to kick the big mean man, but I know it will do no good. I’ll hurt myself, and he’ll just get angrier.
I look around for Mama but can’t see her. Does she know the Alpha is so angry?
Quil tries to be brave and hide me, but as soon as Michael goes after Coal again, I can tell Quil won’t be protecting me. He’s a good Wolf, but he will always pickCoal over me. They’ve always been best friends, and one day Quil will be Coal’s Beta. He has to choose him over me. I watch, tears running down my face, as more of Coal’s friends start to gather around us, laughing at the way Coal whimpers. Theother Wolves won’t play with me like Coal and Quil do, but I don’t mind. They’re all so mean; I don’t like playing with them anyway.
It makes me sad to see one of my only friends in pain, but I can’t protect him against the Alpha. He’d kill me, and then Mama would be all alone. I’ve seen him hurt other Humans before. He’s violent and vicious. Evil.
I can’t tell what the Alpha is saying to Coal, but my friend's bright blue eyes turn cold as he glares at me, his lip trembling.
I hate that the Alpha gets away with this. Coal is such a sweet Wolf, but every time Michael hurts him, something in him changes. Quil is starting to notice too, and the last few times Coal played with me, Michael punished him. Is it my fault my friend is hurting? What did I do wrong? Why is the Alpha so mad at me?
I’m sitting on the ground, frozen in place, watching my friends as they endure Michael and his abuse, helpless. This was one of the first times I truly felt powerless.
I watch the way my friend walks over to me, an angry, hurt look in his eyes. Coal’s hands are balled into fists that shake. When he reaches me, he closes his eyes, before kicking my shoulder hard enough that I fall backward. I hit my head on a rock and start crying. I don’t see the next hit coming, but it must have been from Coal, and I yelp in pain as his foot connects to my stomach.
“Yes! Show her what you are, Coal. Show her what she is to you! Teach her a lesson!”
Mama is right, Humans are not treated well in this world. This is the first time I truly understand my mother’s warnings. Why did she bring me here? These Wolves pretend to be your friend, and then they beat you! My first friend, and he’s kicking me into the dirt as his other friendslaugh.
“Quil! You’ll be Coal’s Beta. I expect better from you, boy!”
I close my eyes tightly, thinking of Mama, thinking of the red Wolf that I miss so much, and hoping that I heal from this. When Coal doesn’t hit me for a moment, I open my eyes, only to see Quil a second before he punches me hard in the ribs. He swipes away a tear from his cheek, and I gasp in pain.
When we left the Human compound, Mama said we weren’t safe there. She said, “The people in the Human compound know our secret and want to kill us.” But she won't tell me what the secret is. What could be so bad that she’d rather be here, where we’re beaten and treated worse than garbage?
“AHH!” I cry out as I’m pushed further down into the ground. Someone kicks me in the back at the same time as someone else shoves my face into the mud.
“Trash! Filthy Human!” I’m punched so hard in the back of the head, by a fist that’s much too large to be a child’s, that my vision goes black. The world spins, and I see stars.
The red Wolf wasn’t this unkind. He would nip my skin softly, rolling on the ground as I pet his belly. He made me feel safe… Why are these Wolves so different? I didn’t believe everything Mama said about them before, but now I do. Now I understand. Wolves are evil. When I look up, searching for my friends, I see Quil staring at me with so much hatred that it makes my heart ache. The Alpha’s hand is on his shoulder, his knuckles red from punching my head and beating Coal.
“Quil?” My voice breaks, and the hatred in his hazel eyes softens for just a moment, before hardening once again. Quil turns away from me and grabs Coal by the wrist, dragging him away. Everything goes black as I cry.
“Hey!” I hear someone scream, probably another Wolf. Idon’t know how long I’ve been lying here, but my body is cold, and I can’t move. “Oh jeez. Someone go get her mother.” She uses her foot to push me onto my back. I groan at the pain that seems to be radiating from every part of my body. The Alpha must have left, otherwise, no Wolf would dare help me.
“Delilah!” My mother pulls me into her arms, pushing the red strands of hair away from my bloodied face. “Oh baby, what have they done to you…” she coos, and I look up to see one of her eyes is swollen shut. She’s hurt too.
“Mama?” I groan, but she shushes me.
“Oh, Delilah. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault… It’s all my fault.” She says it over and over as she lifts me from the dirt and starts carrying me to our little shack home on the outskirts of pack lands.
