Fated To The Evil Viking

I hate daytime. The rise of the sun, which usually brings some level of joy to others, has only brought sadness to me. My suffering would usually begin with back-breaking chores as the sun rises and would go on and on while getting physically abused in the process, till late in the evening when most pack members finally retire to bed.

What makes it worse is that my body is not strong enough to withstand the magnitude of pain they inflict on me, and I don't heal as fast as a normal werewolf should. I feel the impact of every blow and kick they rained on me more than I would have felt if I had gotten my wolf.

I'm not a normal werewolf you see. I'm a very late bloomer. Normally, the shifting age for werewolves is fifteen years. Sixteen for late bloomers. When I didn't shift at even seventeen years, I became the omega freak who is the butt of every joke. The stress reliever for every frustrated and the punching bag for every aggressive pack member, most especially those that call themselves my family.

Now I'm almost eighteen and for as long as I can remember, I've been insulted and beaten so many times my body has kinda gotten used to it. It's as if they all want to know what it feels like to beat on the freak who smells like a shifter but just wouldn't shift. They want to find out how flat I can lie for them to trample on. How strong my body is compared to theirs and how much punishment my body can withstand before it finally begs for mercy.

But I refuse to beg. No matter how hard I am kicked and how much pain my body is going through, I have never cowered in fear, nor have I begged for mercy. That is what infuriates them the most about me and what makes me happy the most about them. Oh, how I love to see that look of frustration on their faces when they couldn't break me.

So, for me, pain is synonymous with daytime. But nighttime is different. Nighttime means peace and tranquility at last! It is the time I finally get to put my feet up, close my eyes, and forget for the moment all the physical, mental, and emotional abuse I suffered during the daytime.

It is the time I can relax enough so my body can be able to heal till I'm finally able to drift off to la-la land. Nighttime and sleep are my temporary escape from the cruelty that I face daily from my family and pack members.

My name is Ash...

No, not Asher. Not Ashley either. Just plain Ash. Like the powdery residue left after the burning of a substance...

Yeah, strange name for a girl, I know. I guess my parents hate me that much. I mean who named their only daughter Ash, made her drop out of school, and forced her to work as a maid!?

Ever since they made me drop out of school at sixteen, saying I needed to work and contribute to the housekeeping expenses. My mother forced me to work as a maid, the same work she does for a living. While she works at the Alpha's mansion. She made me work at the pack house, cooking for, and cleaning after so many people Most pack members, like my family, have their own houses, but only high-ranking officials stay in the pack house with their families if they so wish. And most of them do, who would pass on the opportunity of a free maid service?

Today's work is more hectic than usual. All pack officials and elders are gathered inside the pack's dining hall, waiting for the Alpha and his Luna before the day's meeting commences.

'This meeting must be important.' I think to myself, wondering what it is about. I know for sure that the Alpha doesn't necessarily involve the pack elders in a meeting unless it's important and he needs their opinion. Since I dropped out of school and every shifter avoided me like a plague, there's no way for me to keep track of pack matters anymore. Except for the tit-bit gossip that I pick up from my dad at the breakfast table that I'm not allowed to sit at.

I heard my father telling my brother and mom about the two Quinn brothers from the Silver Moon's pack, which is the biggest pack in North America. The brothers want to duel with each other to know who will be the next Alpha of their pack. And the Alpha of our pack thinks it's compulsory for all girls that have not been mated to attend the duel, who knows maybe the future Luna will be from our pack By all girls that have not been mated, I knew without being told that it doesn't include the Omega maid who hasn't even gotten her wolf yet. Well, I hope someone gets to meet their mate, even if it's none of the Quinn brothers.

After the officials and elders are done with their breakfast, I rush to the dining room to start clearing the dirty dishes off the dining table. I need to get the task done and get the coffee going, and it has to be ready before the Alpha and Luna's arrival; otherwise, the Beta won't be happy with me.

I have my trolley filled to the brim with dirty dishes and ready to leave when the dining hall door pushes open. I freeze in my tracks and we all look towards the door to see if it's the Alpha and his Luna that just arrived. The thought of the Alpha arriving when everything has not been set and ready on the table frightens me. The Beta will surely have my head. I will be severely punished for being tardy The door opens all the way in, and it isn't the Alpha; thank the Moon goddess for that. A 3-tier trolley cart is slowly being pushed inside. On the trolley are a 55-cup stainless steel coffee urn, large bowls of sugar, a big creamer vessel, and several coffee mugs stacked face down. I turn white with fear when I see the person pushing the heavy-laden cart is Martha, the only person who loves and cares for me in this world.

Martha is of African-American descent. The seventy-six-year-old maid has been asked to retire due to a hip injury that happened as a result of a bad fall but she outrightly refused to because of me. She was afraid I would one day be beaten to death if she was no longer around to watch over me and plead on my behalf Martha is like the mother I never had. Even though I know she's just trying to help me out so I don't get punished for finishing late. Looking at her struggling with her bad hip to push a 3-tier trolley with so much stuff on it hurts my heart so bad. I'm angry at the system that refused to get more maids to assist me but would still punish me whenever I didn't finish my chores on time.

I immediately abandon my cart and rush forward to get the trolley from her

"Hey, freak!... This water pitcher is empty, go fill it up right this moment!" I hear the Gamma chief's voice call from behind me before I can get to Martha.

I know right then that I'm in deep shit.

This asshole!

I know what he's trying to do. He knows how much Martha means to me and wants to use her to punish me for constantly refusing his sexual advances.

I hesitate in my tracks for about three seconds, considering whether to go fill the water pitcher or help Martha with the trolley.

All the people in the dining room gasp when they see me continue towards Martha. Even Martha freezes. I can see how badly she's shaking when she lets go of the trolley and leans on the wall for support. She knows I will never deliberately disobey the Gamma chief. Why would I do that when I don't have a death wish?

The fact is, whether I fill the water pitcher or not, Mr asswipe Gamma Chief will still look for an excuse to punish me and punish me hard he will. He's had it in for me since yesterday when I kicked him hard in the nuts for trying to force himself on me. Since I know there's no escaping this one, I ignore his command and help Martha to a chair. Then I mentally ready my body for the blows and kicks that I know will soon come raining down on me.

After the Alpha, Luna, and Beta, the Gamma wolves are the next in command in a pack's chain of command. They are the supreme protectors of a pack which puts them among the high-ranking and most respected officials of a pack.

No wonder all the shifters inside the dining hall have shock written all over their faces when I don't rush to do as the Gamma chief had commanded. They're probably thinking I've gone crazy for having the guts to disobey a high-ranking officer of the pack I squat in front of Martha's chair instead and look into her eyes that has tears in them. Martha is not a shifter. She's human, yet she treats me better than my own kind. As if she's my mother.

"I told you I'll make the coffee, Martha! You could have hurt yourself! You don't even have your walking stick with you, what if you fall and break another bone?"

"I'm sorry child. I just wanted to help. When I saw you were already behind schedule... I–I was trying to help so you wouldn't get punished, instead, I made it worse... I'm sorry!... Oh, my lawd, Ash! He's coming behind you!" She cries. She fears for my life. I can even feel the hands she places on my cheeks shaking badly as she talks.

"Martha, please don't cry. C'mon, it's not your fault. I'll be okay, don't cry..." I continue to smile as I say in assurance. Behind me, I can hear the Gamma chief's heavy footsteps on the hardwood floor as they march toward me in anger. Even though I see the fear on Martha's face and feel the bastard's presence when he arrives at my back, I don't turn or flinch away from him.

"Well, aren't you a cocky bitch!?" He growls and grabs a fistful of my hair, dragging me on the floor with it.

God, that hurts! It feels as if I'm being scalped alive. I use my two hands to hold down my hair in a bid to reduce the pain and prevent my hair from getting ripped from the root.

My actions, however, don't stop him from taking a handful of my hair with him when he forcefully slams my head into the floor near the foot of the dining table. My vision immediately turns blurry before I lose consciousness. I come to, hearing Martha's cry for mercy and feeling the pain of his kicks everywhere as he continually screams...

"Yeah, that's what I thought! Stay down! Stay down where you belong! I will mop the floor with your ass, you ugly freak!" He screams on and on as he kicks me.

I roll myself into a ball, trying to prevent my face and stomach from making contact with his foot as much as I can.

"That's enough Mitch! What the hell do you think you're doing!" The Luna's voice mercifully says inside the room and the kicks immediately stop.

"Alpha! Luna!..." Except for me, who is struggling to pick myself up from the floor, every other shifter in the room stands and slightly bows their heads for the Alpha and Luna.

"What's going on here?" The Alpha asks walking past me like I'm invincible, to sit at the head of the table.

"It's nothing Alpha. The Omega was getting ahead of herself and needed to be reminded where she belongs." The Gamma chief replies, looking down in satisfaction towards where I'm still struggling to get up.

"Fuck you!" I whisper and smirk at him.

Now, I don't know what gave me the guts to say that to a Gamma chief. I must have been out of my mind and delirious with pain to care anymore. Nobody saw what I did except him and I see with satisfaction how the smile on his face quickly changes to a frown. Congratulations Ash, another round of beating loading.

"Well, somebody should help her up to the medic or wherever; let's get this meeting started." The Alpha says in dismissal.

I don't know how it's done in another pack but in this pack, such is the life of an Omega. I could have died and it would have been business as usual. That is why I won't be waiting another day longer. I will leave this pack and take Martha with me as soon as I turn eighteen. That is if I live to see my eighteenth birthday.

I just hope the moon goddess will afford me that opportunity. Even if she won't give me my wolf, then let me leave this pack alive. If not for my sake but for the sake of Martha that needs someone to take care of her in her old age. She doesn't have any family that I know of.

Even though the Alpha said someone should help me to the medic, nobody comes forward to help except for old Martha. Since I know she can't help me without falling over herself, I hold on to the edge of the table and manage to pull myself up, stifling a groan in the process because of the intense pain I'm feeling on my side.

I quickly limp to where the coffee trolley is and push it to the dining table. I'm about to arrange the cups in front of everyone when the Luna stops me "Leave it. I'll arrange for it to be done. You go take care of yourself at the medic"

My jaw nearly drops with surprise. I'm surprised to see she cares when I've always thought she was no different from the rest of her family members. I observe the Alpha is cold, aloof, and somewhat unfeeling. Miranda, their only child, is around my age. She is hungry for power and cruel, no two ways about it. She did a number on me once. According to her, I looked her straight in the eyes. Bitch nearly broke my arm for looking her straight in the eyes! So, so evil!

**

**

It's past one in the morning when I finally get off work. My body aches all over, especially my right side where I was kicked the previous morning. I wonder if the asshole had broken my ribs since it hurts so bad to breathe and move around. At that moment, I wish so badly that I have my wolf, and I wonder with sick feelings in my heart if I would ever.

I gingerly raise my shirt under the streetlight and swear softly when I see the angry colors of red, blue, and black on my left side. If I had just gone to the medic as the Luna had suggested maybe I wouldn't be feeling this much pain. On the other hand, would Martha have coped with the work if I had gone? I would rather go through pain than see Martha in pain.

I turn left, away from the street, and enter into the woods, which is the shortcut I take every day to my house. The night is perfect. Yeah, all nights are perfect to me but this is different. Warm and windy summer nights have always been my favorite time of the year.

I don't need to use my small flashlight that I always carry with me this night as the moon illuminates my path perfectly. As I limp deeper and deeper into the woods. I enjoy the coolness of the wind blowing on my hot skin and the silence of the night.

I stop walking with my head cocks to the side when something suddenly occurs to me. This night is different. It is far from being perfect. Something is certainly not right.