Scarred Alphas

Prologue.

"Mamma..."

She shivers as the cold water dances around her skin. But it does not compare to the coldness that she feels coming from her mother's stiff embrace.

"Mamma?"

She is asleep, she must be asleep. This is the thought of the child. But it perplexes her because she won't move, she won't talk and she won't kiss or hug her. So it is the child's thought that she must be asleep but...how does someone sleep with their eyes open?

Time passes. For the child, it seems like hours but it has only been less than one.

"Mama, time to wek up." Her little voice could warm anyone who hears it but there is no one around to hear her, at least not anyone alive. Her voice drowns with the roar of the violent river that threatens to take the child if the child should move further in.

The girl's tiny finger caresses her mother's lips.

"Bue." She says. "Pitty."

Blue and pretty is what she meant but there is no one there to correct the three-year-old.

The tiny thing shivers.

"Cold, mama. Itsh cold."

Her body's instincts kick in and her legs lead her out of the river's edge, tumbling through the river rocks that to a child seem massive and are painful on her little bare feet.

The girl looks back at her mother with worry that she will drift through the river as they had been doing but this time without her. However, she sees that the leather belt on her mother's wrist is tightly tied around the branch of the log that her mother so swiftly tied before they went on this adventure, as her mother so frantically called it when the fireworks started. The log is well lodged at the side of the river so the mother should be safe, right?

The little girl's eyes start to feel heavy and now she is not even feeling the cold, in fact, she can barely feel anything anymore. She can't even feel the searing burn on her chest that was there before. She clutches the necklace her mother gave her before they went on their journey. A necklace with letters that she is too young to read.

What comes next is a haze.

"What...Oh..."

A young woman approaches. It is someone the child does not recognize.

"Oh my, goddess!"

There is suddenly a warm embrace for the child.

The young woman watches the child slide into sleep but her eyes are captured by the necklace in the child's tiny little hand.

"C-Casseopea?" The young woman whispers and looks at the child. "How did this little thing end up here?"

***

Cass's POV.

I stare at the moon while I stand here naked. Not out of my own will. It is a bright full moon. I should be in the forest, running—as we werewolves like to do during full moons— but again I am punished instead.

I reminisce about a past long gone. A time when everything was better.

Another burning sting goes through my back as the whip comes down at me again. I hiss but I do not scream for I am used to this pain.

"That's enough." One of the guards says.

Here I am at twenty-three, and I have not learned my lesson they say. But what lesson is that? That I should stay quiet and accept insults, ridicule, and take abuse quietly? Never. I will never just take it. Let them whip me and punish me, I will not go quietly.

When the guards unshackle me from the poll I was chained to, I fall to my knees not having the strength to keep myself up.

"Let's go." They grab me by the arms and pull me up, between both of them, they carry me.

As my eyes begin to close, I see them taking me to the forest trail.

They'll probably drop me off at home like they always do.

I am in and out of consciousness as I try to hold on to my vision. When finally I see my sister, I let myself go and drift into sweet rest.

Flashback

"Give it back!" I screech.

"You can't be a weakling all of your life, Cass. Try to get it from me!"

"Colt! Give it back!"

"That should be Alpha Colt to you." Kayce says.

"He is thirteen! He is not Alpha! Give it back!" I try to jump but my little legs and arms can only reach so high and Colt dangles my raggy doll further up though he really doesn't have to since he is much bigger than I am.

"But he will be, so you should give him some respect." Kayce replies.

"No! Give me my doll back!"

"Say please." Colt says and gives a big smile.

I stop and look at him. His stupid smile suddenly enrages me. I pull my arm back and then swing it up his nose, punching him.

He immediately holds his nose and recoils back.

The other two gasp and then I am thrown on the ground and stomped on.

"Who the hell do you think you are!" They shout as they kick me on the muddy ground.

"Hey! Don't hit her! She's a little girl." Colt shouts.

"So?! She punched you! She can't do that and she is the Runt of the pack!" Ezra says.

Kaecy nods. "Yeah! No one likes her anyway! And this is what mom and dad would do to someone like her."

"I don't care." Colt says. "It's not like it hurt that much."

"Dude, you are bleeding." Ezra points to his nose.

"It's fine." He throws the doll at me. "Here, you can have it back."

I look up with watery eyes but before I can clutch my doll, Ezra grabs it. "Waaa, she's going to go cry! Hahaha!"

Kayce laughs.

"Give it..." I say trying to hold in my cry.

"How about this? Kiss my feet, and I will give it back to you, Cassiopeia..." Ezra says but then mutters. "...what an ugly name...her mom must have been nuts when she named her."

"Grrr!" My hands turn into fists and I don't even think now. Getting up, I hurdle myself towards him and take him down. His stupid laugh is gone as I punch him over and over. He covers himself with his arms so I am not doing much damage but I feel satisfied, especially since everyone is seeing me kick one of the Alpha's son's ass.

These three brothers are bullies and if the other two younger ones weren't so little, I am sure they would be here right now too trying to mess with me.

"Cass..."

Stupid Alpha kids!

"CASS!"

"What?!" I say with a jittery jump coming back to the real world.

"What are you doing?" Lauren asks.

"Uhm..." I look around the field of vegetables. "Oh... sorry. I spaced out."

"Well don't. We have to finish this before the festival tonight."

Damn! I really spaced out. And why the hell was I thinking of that?

Looking at my nearly empty basket, I speed up as I collect some of the tomatoes.

I probably was thinking of that because of the festival. It is in his honor after all.

I was eight back then and was separated from Ezra by the Alpha of the pack himself. Needless to say, I got punished. I always get punished. I can't control my temper but I try. I have to because even though I am the one being bullied, I am still the one who gets in trouble. And all because the Luna—the Alpha's mate— dislikes me. I am the lowest rank and she is obsessed with the hierarchy of the pack. To her, I am garbage, and if I dare speak up, it gets me in a lot of trouble...but that doesn't stop me from fighting for myself.

I wiggle my shoulders as I feel the soreness on my back.

"How is that feeling for you?" She asks.

"Just like getting whipped."

She narrows her eyes at me.

"It's better. Healing pretty fast like always."

Our kind has unnatural fast healing.

She sighs. "I know there is no use to say this but I'll say it again, try to stay out of trouble. I always worry that they will not bring you back like they did yesterday."

"I'll be fine. I'm looking to make it a career out of getting whipped."

She looks at me with that serious stare of hers. "Did I ever tell you that you are not funny?" She takes in a deep breath and shakes her head. "You need to keep that temper of yours under control."

I nod.

It didn't use to be like this. After I got my wolf when I turned eighteen, things changed in me.

We werewolves get our powers at eighteen when the soul of our inner wolf emerges inside of us. When I turned eighteen, my anger peaked. I have to control it now or I lose it. And even though the punishments have gotten worse, I still don't learn my lesson. Most members who have gone through bullying like me tend to keep their mouths shut and lay low. Act like wounded animals. I can't. I will never be the broken shy little girl everyone wants me to be, who they can boss around and do what they like with. I rather take the beating that comes with standing up for myself. But I have had to learn to control my anger and the way I react. Not an easy thing to do but it minimizes the punishment.

"Look! They are back!" One of the other worker she-wolves says.

Many are excited to see the young warriors return but I am not one of them.

Putting a hand on my chocolate color unruly curly hair that flies everywhere, I look at the cars and vans that arrive in the distance.

I feel a hand on my shoulder. "I know this is going to be hard for you but please, control yourself. I am sorry that I even have to say that. I know it's not your fault but-"

"I know, Lauren. I know."

She gives me a small sad and apologetic smile.

My poor sister is afraid for me. I seem to have made a name for myself as the troublemaker of the pack and unfortunately, she sometimes has to deal with the consequences.

I am an angry soul. This is how I turned out throughout the years in this pack. I am only content and happy when I am alone.

Taking a deep breath, I go back to my task.

There are many jobs in a pack. I am a field worker, that is my job. We till the fields and tend to the crops. Usually the work for Omegas. As for my status, I am a Runt. The lowest anyone can be. I do not excel in much other than having a fighting spirit.

My attention goes back to the vans and the warriors that just arrived. I see people gathering around to greet them.

These are men who have been out for months at the fort camps. A territory that is away from the pack. This is where they train the young pack members when they turn eighteen and they spend years there.

Omegas and the Runts like myself are not allowed to join. We are what they call a liability because we are weak. To the ones in charge, we are suited for the lesser jobs around the pack.

"Ignore it. Let's just finish here." Lauren says.

I nod and do as she says.

When our baskets are full, we head to the kitchen to hand the vegetables to the cooking staff.

I pat my clothes trying to rid them of dirt. I have a white shirt on with a knee-high dress jumper in a khaki color that honestly looks more like a potato sack to me. It was a hammy down from one of Lauren's friends.

As we walk towards the kitchen, we can see the courtyard where rogue prisoners are on display.

Rogues, packless werewolves who have no honor. I stop and look at the men strapped to logs that stand erected from the ground. They have wounds with fresh blood. It is torture if they fall asleep, they get whipped.

Even though they are rogues and most people in the pack hate them, I feel sympathy for them. We Omegas are not treated any better. We are met with harsh punishments if we step out of line.

"I am hot, are you hot?" Lauren suddenly asks.

I shake my head. "No."

"Maybe I'm horny." She says.

I gasp. "Lauren! Stop! I don't need to know that!"

She laughs. "You are going to have to stay away from the house when James gets back."

"Gladly!" I shout at her as she continues to laugh.

Another werewolf trait, especially when you already have your mate. You want no one else but them, your body craves them and you want to live for them and only them.

I think it is all bullshit. My mate turned out to be quite different but it is the last thing I want to think about right now.

I look at her with my eyebrows knit together in disgust but she continues to laugh.

Lauren is good at telling me to control my anger as if it was that easy but she can't control her own tongue! This woman and her shameless mouth!

I follow Lauren with the basket filled with tomatoes in my hand.

"What a beauty! These look so ripe and perfect!" Matilda—the older lady who is in charge of the kitchen—says as she takes my basket. "You have all done such wonderful jobs growing and tending to these!"

Lauren gives her a prideful smile.

Suddenly, the Luna walks into the kitchen.

We all slip back into rows and lower our heads. She starts to slowly walk around the kitchen looking at everything the cooks have been preparing.

"Matilda, no leek soup tonight. I am tired of it. Make something else." She says.

"Yes, Luna." Matilda replies, lowering her head.

I take a peek and see two huge pots that contain this soup. This means that they will throw most of it out and have to spend hours making up for all that work.

My eyes land on the Luna.

In most packs, the Alpha is a symbol of strength and command while the Luna is a symbol of kindness and nurturing.

But not this Luna.

She is hard on us and just as ruthless as the Alpha. However, the Luna is the one that deals with the pack while the Alpha deals with the war. This means that she is the one who oversees all our punishments. All of my punishments have been because of her. To her, her children can do no wrong. Everyone else is the villain in her eyes. She has no compassion for anyone else and thinks that everyone else who is not part of the Alpha family is beneath her, especially the lowest of them all, me.

The memory comes back and it is just as fresh as the day it happened. Just like this morning in the field.

After my fight with Colt, Kayce, and Ezra, all I can remember is her.

The sound of the whip hitting my flesh is what has stuck with me the most. Even more than the pain I felt as the whip made contact with my skin.

I remember the Luna standing on the sidelines with a pack member holding an umbrella over her as rain poured down and a glass of wine in her hand, watching what was being done to me on her command and her "angelic" children nowhere to be found.

It was the first time I had been whipped. I was just eight.

I screamed for the torment to stop but it felt like the end would never come.

My eyes threaten to water as the memory surges. I am distracted by this until the Luna stops in front of me. I look up at her and her look of contempt makes me want to lower my eyes but I don't.

She hates me even more because I am not compliant like everyone else is. I challenge her just by the way I look at her even now while everyone else has their eyes cast down out of fear.

She leans in. "Cause any trouble tonight, I will strike you myself."

I stay quiet as she backs away and leaves the kitchen. Suddenly, everyone can breathe.

"Damn. Back to the drawing board." Matilda says to her cooks.

"We'll take some of it so it doesn't go to waste." Lauren says. "And I am sure others will take some too. I'll send them your way."

"Perfect!" Matilda cheers.

As they talk, a sharp pain stabs at my heart so suddenly.

"Uh! Not this again."

I hold my chest but try to act normal around the others. I walk to a corner where no one can see me and I rest on a wall.

"I can't believe he is already at it." I whisper. "Mother fucker! I hate him!"

The pain is like a knife stabbing my heart. As if it wanted to burst. On earlier days I would scream at the top of my lungs but I am used to the pain now though it doesn't make it any better.

I take in deep breaths and WILL myself to walk out. I force myself to act normal.

"Can we go back home now?" I ask Lauren.

"Are you okay?" She asks, seeing my teary eyes.

"Same as always."

She knows what I am talking about. She is the only one who knows.

She closes her eyes and nods. "I see. Let's go home. Help me with this."

She hands me a huge bag with bowls in it filled with leek soup.

"I think she overdid it." I mutter as we walk out.

Lauren laughs. "You and James will eat this in no time."

I smile because she just might be right.

We walk the dirt road through the woods until we arrive at our little shack. It is a small house, a bit rundown but it is home nonetheless.

Only those of higher rank are privileged enough to live in the pack house. No privilege to me cause I think that would be the worst kind of torture ever. A bunch of stuck-up people.

Once inside, I help Lauren put the food away and then I head to my small room. It is a tiny room that used to be the dining room but was converted into a room when I came into the picture. Lauren and I used to share the bedroom until Mom and Dad died.

That horrible night. The worst moment of our lives. A moment that I hate remembering but I do every time I stare at the bottom cabinets of the kitchen.

"Mom!" Younger Lauren shouts.

"Stay here! Don't make a sound! I'll lead them away!" Mom screams.

"They got daddy!" I scream remembering the horror that I just witnessed as he protected me.

Mom puts a hand on my lips. "Calm down." She smiles but it is no smile of joy. It is a sad smile and one that stays in my memories always. "No matter what happens...we are always with you both. I love you."

Before we can say anything, she shuts the doors on us and then we hear her running. We didn't know that it would be the last time we saw her.

That day... mom and dad were killed. The Dark Fang pack attacked us and the fighting spilled into the pack house. Lauren and I survived only because mom hid us under the kitchen cupboards and she led them away. It was a horrible time for us. Lauren was seventeen then and I was nine.

Then, James came into the picture. Her mate. And he is amazing. I am content and I am happy for her. He is good to her and to me, just like a brother. The only problem in this room is that you can hear everything from the kitchen and living room since the walls are very thin so right now I hear plates clattering as Lauren attempts to prepare food.

I come out of my room. "I'll eat later. I'm going for a run."

"Okay but make it short."

"To the river and back." I say, assuring her. "But are you sure you want me to come back fast?" I narrow my eyes at her because I don't want a repeat of what I saw the last time I came back too early. She and James getting it on in the living room.

"Yes..." She says. "If James gets back here before you do, all he has to do is spank these buns and give my papaya a quick rub."

"EEEEEWWWW STOP!"

She laughs like a maniac while I run out of the house not wanting to hear more.

I hate how she calls her privates, papaya. I haven't been able to eat one of them ever since she started doing that.

Forcing all of that out of my head, I go outside and take my clothes off as I enter the woods so that they don't break when I shift. I easily shift to my wolf form and run. This makes me feel better. I feel connected to my wolf when I am in this form and my fears and anxieties go away as if they were never even there.

I am enjoying this time to myself when I suddenly hear something just in front of me that makes me come to a stop. I immediately pause and I am irritated when Niles jumps out of the bushes in his wolf form.

This man will not leave me alone. He doesn't bully me like the others, it is worse, he makes advances at me. Keeps asking me to be his mate. A man twice my damn age, mid-forties. His mate died a long time ago and now he has his slimy eyes set on me.

He is a nasty man and no other she-wolf wants him, and since no male in the pack wants me either, he thinks I will be easy to have and that I don't have any other choice but to mate with him but the joke is on him, I rather be alone the rest of my life than be with someone like him.

I make an irritated growl sound that comes directly from my own wolf. I can sense her feelings inside of me and she dislikes him as much as I do.

Having the soul of a wolf inside of us is like having another person...or like another personality. We can feel them, their wants, desires, and dislikes. They can even take control of our bodies if we let them and I tend to give her control when we are in wolf form. They can also take control of the body when our emotions run high.

Niles walks up to us in a stride. He gets close to us in a tall posture which is a sign of dominance and then starts sniffing the back of my ears, leading to my neck. It is a way to try and enamor us or rather my wolf. My wolf snaps at him and he growls back attempting to be dominant but we do not accept it. My wolf snaps back at him and he retreats taking a step back but my wolf does not stop barking and growling at him. She acts like a maniac which makes him uncomfortable.

We start running back to the house because our mood has been ruined and no manner of running will change it.

"That was fast. Food is ready." Lauren says when we get there.

"Not hungry anymore." I say.

"Oh? Well then start getting ready!"

I sigh. I hate dressing up. And by that, I mean still looking like a bum but one that is trying not to look like a bum.

I take a shower and then I put deodorant on and fish for a dress on my clothes rack.

"This will do." A white summer dress with frills. It looks childish and not my twenty-three-year-old ass at all but I don't really care anyway. I am not trying to impress anyone not even him...the cause of all my misery.

With my dress on, I turn around to look at the mirror. Old scars from before I had my wolf and I couldn't heal are on full display. I used to hate them, but now I don't care.

Still getting ready, I go into my jewelry box and pick up my golden necklace. The only thing of value I own. It has my name on it and it is the only reason of why people know my name at all.

When I was three, I was found near the river. My mother was dead next to me. At least that is what I was told. I don't remember any of it. They think my mother ran away from her rogue cluster. Female rogues are treated worse than I am so it makes sense.

Rogues don't have packs but they do cluster together as if they were small packs.

Lauren's parents were the ones who found me and asked to take me in. The Alpha agreed and they made me their daughter. Treated me like their own until they died. I will always be grateful to them for that. Lauren from day one has been a loving sister to me and once our parents died she took the moderly role. She is now thirty-one and she and James have not been able to have children which is a shame because they would be such great parents.

Looking in the mirror, my dress rides down because it is too small. I fix the dress at the chest area, quickly covering my burn mark. I have had it since I was a child. don't know or remember how I got it. I tend to hide it every chance I get. It almost looks like a brand but it is not. However, kids always teased me because of it growing up. They always said that I was branded and it meant that I was the lowest of the pack which I am but I've had this mark since before I was in this pack.

I am part of the Omega hierarchy but I am actually one of the runts of the pack. The lowest of the Omegas. Weak, ostracized, rejected by all, and unwanted, excluding Lauren and James. Back in the dark ages, they used to brand the Omegas and I am sure this is where these stupid kids got that idea.

Looking in the mirror, I put concealer under my eyes so that I don't look so beat up, and then I put my hair in a ponytail, trying to tame it but to no avail, it still looks like a lion's mane.

I am thinking that maybe I should cut it. Curly hair is so hard to take care of when it is so long.

After James comes back from his work at the farm—he works with the farm animals—we eat and after he and Lauren get ready, we leave for the pack house.

As we approach, the festival is well underway and my heart starts to pummel inside my chest as I realize that I am going to have to see him again.

"James, how are the cattle doing?" Beta Christoph suddenly comes up to us. A strict man but not without reason.

James is the one in charge of the farm and so they start talking about the farm until another man of high rank interrupts.

"Speaking about cattle, is it true? Did the warriors really bring back prisoners this time?"

"Yes."The beta says. "This time, the Dark Fang Pack attacked the wrong encampment. They were not counting on our warriors being there and now we have prisoners of war."

I shiver to hear about the Dark Fang Pack. They were the boogie man to us growing up but the difference from the boogie man is that this pack is real.

As I turn trying to distract myself from that conversation, I suddenly find myself thinking that I'd rather be facing the Dark Fang Pack just about now as I look at the person who approaches.

My damn mate!