Chapter One

Ivory's POV

*Buzz...Buzz...Buzz*

My alarm clock was blaring in my ear. I rolled over and brought my sore arm down to shut it off. Opening my eyes and looking at the time, I shot up as the purest wave of fear washed over me; I overslept. As I began to get dressed as quickly as I could, I started to hear the sound of objects being slammed and thrown around. Shit…shit…shit. I'm supposed to be up at five to make breakfast for the pack before I leave for school. It was already going on seven-thirty.

The door slammed open as I tried to finish getting ready. I snapped towards my door, and there stood Alpha James or now a distant, forgotten memory of my father. I stood in shock for a moment, but I bowed my head and kneeled after a second, not wanting an immediate ass beating, but I knew it was coming. Never has he missed an opportunity to make me feel pain. "Explain to me why you are still here and why there is no breakfast," my father screams down at me. "Y… yes Alpha, my a…apologizes. I ov…overslept by a…accident S…sir." I am trembling so much that I am stuttering as I speak.

I continue to stare at the floor. I can see both of my father's boots standing in front of my small frame, and then I see one of them suddenly raise back in a furious flash, and I unconsciously tense up my already sore body as that same boot reappears and makes contact with my ribs. The wind knocked out of me as an explosion of pain ran through me, and a few ribs broke. As I double over, having to bite my lip to suppress my cries, I will not give him the satisfaction of hearing me in pain. Letting a quiet and soft whimper slip as I catch my breath, he yanks my head back, forcing me to look up at him, repeatedly making contact with my face. I can't tell how long this goes on; it could have been mere seconds or long minutes. But all I do know is the pain. Once he was satisfied, I guess, with his work, he dragged me out of my room and threw me down the stairs. My head slams into a few steps as I catch the wall continuing my downward tumble as I reach the bottom. Again a whimper escaped as I lay in a pool of my blood. "Get out of my damn sight," my father growls at me as he steps over my trembling body, still stepping on my fingers with his heel. Hissing through gritted teeth, "y…yes Al…Alpha." I quickly pick my broken body off the floor, pull my hand free, and head back to my room.

Once I get back into my tiny room, I catch a glimpse of my reflection in my broken mirror. I'm covered in purplish and yellowish bruises that have now littered my face. My split lip stopped bleeding for the most part, but my shirt is now covered in blood; I pull my shirt off, tossing it. The bruising on my ribs started coming in fast. I wrapped my abdomen, grabbed another of my shirts, slipped it on, and grabbed one of my baggy sweatshirts. I sit down and do my make-up, covering up the bruises that I can see. Once I'm done, I throw my sweatshirt and converse on and quickly grab my backpack and head out to school. I pull out my cell phone and message my best friend, only actual friends.

Ivory: Hey Jay, are you already at school?

Mon 7:50 A.M

Jackson: Yeah, I just got here. Where are you? Are you here yet?

Mon 7:50 A.M

Jackson: Oh, how was this morning? Good, I hope?

Mon 7:51 A.M

Ivory: I'm almost there, and no, this morning was terrible… I overslept and forgot my morning duties… I got my ass beat again, and it was pretty brutal.

Mon 7:52 A.M

Jackson: Damn, I'm sorry, honey. I told you that you could live with me whenever you want.

Mon 7:54 A.M

Ivory: You know that I can't without someone noticing that I'm gone.

Mon 7: 55 A.M

Jackson: Until you find your Mate!

Mon 7:55 A.M

Ivory: Even if I find out who my mate is, who would want to be with me?

Mon 7:56 A.M

Ivory: Duh, no one. I'll be rejected as soon as my mate sees me. Now meet you in our usual spot.

Mon 7: 56 A.M

Jackson: Alright, see you there in a moment then, Ivy…

Mon 7: 58 A.M

I went into the school's commons and pulled my hood up to hide as much of my face as possible and stay invisible. I keep my head down as I walk through the commons. A pair of shiny combat boots stand before me as I walk, and the second wave of fear comes across me. "Good morning, Ivory; how are we this glorious morning? It sounded kinda rough from the empty dining room this morning." His voice sends me into panic, even worse than my father's. "Good m…morning Mr. Bl…Black. I'm d…doing fine to…today, and no, I ju…just tripped h…heading down the s…stairs," I lie as we continue to walk but now towards the locker rooms.

I whimper to myself because it seems that I could never be able to have an everyday life ever. We walk into the locker room; I hear the dreadful noise behind me not long afterward.

*Flashback Begins*

I had just finished my first week of junior year. Heading out of the school, two pairs of hands grabbed me from behind near the locker rooms, and I was thrown to the floor. I saw Marcus with two of his better-known lackeys, Max and Jace. Marcus is the son of my father's Beta Warren Black; we used to be terrific friends, but then he became a part of my life of pain. As they stood there, I heard the deadbolt engage, and it echoed through the room. As if it was a ring warning me to flee from the danger that was to come, but it was too late. I wasn't fast enough to escape. Max and Jace quickly held me as they took the last thing I thought I had any freedom. The last thing that I thought was mine and mine to give away. It was now gone. All I could do was lay there and cry as I grew more and more numb…."

*Flashback End*

We stood there, Max and Jace to each of my sides; Marcus stood there in front of me with a smug smile; I dropped my head. Max and Jace shove me to my knees as Marcus tips my head up, still smirking as he sees my split lip and swollen eye. He laughed as he processed to unzipping his pants. "Remember you bite me, and I will break your jaw." I didn't resist anymore; there was no point in fighting; it brought more pain, and I had had enough this morning. They left me more broken than I already was when they were done. I picked myself up and took a moment to collect myself, letting a few tears escape and roll down my cheeks. I quickly wiped them away as I got dressed and sneaked out to go and find Jackson. He saw me and nudged my arm, trying to get me to look up as he tried to pull down my hood. I pulled away, "Jackson, don't everything is fine." Again I just lied to someone in hopes that it would protect me. "Shut up and let me see already, Ivy," he pulls down my hood and notices the split lip and swollen eye. I see what looks like anger mixed with another emotion in his eyes. "Ivory, you need to get out of there, or someone will kill you one day," Jackson says as I pull my hood back. "Look, I'm fine, Jay plus, I already told you there is no way to escape, and death would be too easy for me." We get comfy at our desks, and I just put my head down like normal.

The day goes by quickly, and I dread having to go home. Jackson meets me outside, and we start to walk back; Jackson soon separates from me, going his own way. As I begin to see the packhouse come into view, I also see my father standing there too, and he doesn't look precisely happy either; I let my head drop as I approach him, "good a…afternoon Alpha James, " my stutter starts to kick in. "Get your ass inside and start on your evening duties," he barks at me. I cringe at his words and rush past him, heading straight to the kitchen. How much longer can I keep this up? As I run around this kitchen cooking and cleaning, it gets hot and hard to breathe. I take a moment to sit and try to catch my breath. At that moment, Marcus walks in, and a smirk spreads across his face. I got up quickly, hoping he didn't notice. He walks over to me and snatches me up by my hair. I hiss through my clenched teeth. "I think I just caught someone slacking off on their work," Marcus says as he wraps his hand around my throat. It now starts to get hard to breathe as he squeezes tighter. I try to pull his hand away, but he squeezes more brutally, and my vision begins to blur and then darkness.

"Ivory! Ivory! Wake up, Ivory! I hear Jackson's voice in the darkness. There is a pain as I open my eyes to Jackson above me. "Where am I?" I'm at this point just in a daze and very confused. "You're in the kitchen. I found you unconscious, laying on the floor; what happened?" He looks worried. "I'm not sure I was cooking and sat down for a moment cause my ribs started to kill me, and I was having trouble breathing in this hot kitchen, but Marcus caught me. I remember him wrapping his hand around my throat as he had me by my hair, and then nothing." I rubbed the back of my head as Jackson helped me up. "I finished cooking for you, so dinner was on time, and you didn't get in trouble." Jackson sits me down and checks me over. "Thanks, Jay. I should just get up to my room before dinner starts," I head up to my room as I flop onto my bed. As I stare up at my ceiling, I imagine what it would be like to be expected and have a happy family. And what if I ended things and there was no pain. I'm just so tired of this, and death sounds sweet and peaceful.

Maybe that's what I should do, and it would be better to do it before my mate sees me and rejects me. Plus, I couldn't escape because it was nowhere safe to go. And I could see mom again, and I think I know the most beautiful and peaceful place is the Moon Cliff Waters.

Soon this will all be over, and I'll be with the Moon Goddess and Mom…