A Life Of Torment

10 years later:

It had been 10 long and brutal years since Luna Kali went missing after a sudden rogue attack while they were on their way to visit the Kingdom to mourn the loss of the next heir. With each day that passed, Alpha Kavik became more ruthless. He had completely shut down and lost all emotion except anger, rage, and hatred. He focused on one thing only, revenge on those who took his Luna. The pack had tried to abide by Alpha Kavik' s new way of life and feared that if they did anything wrong, they would be harshly punished. The Alpha took nothing into consideration when dealing with pack members who strayed from his rules and seemed to enjoy torturing and punishing them. He had gone mad when Kali disappeared, not being able to control himself, he destroyed the packhouse and worked his pack members to the point of sheer exhaustion while re-building it. There hadn't been any other rogue attacks since then and they never came too close to finding their pack. Kavik had lost hope of Kali ever returning and the last member to ask why he wouldn't find another chosen mate to help him lead lost his life. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months until the years came and went for the entire pack living this desolate life of fear.

Kavik stumbled into the dining hall sloshing the whiskey in his cup around and spilling it to the floor. He had started to try and numb his pain with liquor even knowing how hard it was for werewolves to get drunk. The glasses turned into bottles each and every night with no relief for him. He sat at the table and slammed his glass down. "MUTT" he shouted, "WHERE IS MY DINNER? CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?" Kavik hated that boy, the boy not even of his pack, the boy his Luna allowed to stay here. But she wasn't here, she was gone and although he wanted nothing more than to rid the boy of his breath, he let him live on solely because Kali let him. It didn't stop him from using him as a punching bag but he thought the boy should be grateful he has a roof over his head. Malik ran into the dining hall, the wheels on the cart he pushed squeaked and shook as he approached the Alpha. He wasn't scared of the Alpha; he took his beatings and hid his tears like the King that Freya was raising him to be. Malik was reserved and quiet, he tried not to cause any extra trouble for himself, and he tried to stay in the shadows and unnoticed. It worked for the majority of the pack who didn't even look at him, but the Alpha, knew he was there and he used his frailness to his advantage.

Malik stopped at the Alpha's side and began setting the plates on the table. Every clink of the porcelain made Kavik more enraged. His claws started to show and Malik could see that the Alpha wanted to shift but was holding back. "You seem to have a death wish boy" he slurred. "Can you not tell time or do you just not value your life? Maybe today I'll end it, or maybe I'll only come close enough that you'll have wished I did." Malik was still a young boy but he was far more mature than the other kids, he had to be living the life he did. He quickly finished his job without ever looking or speaking to the Alpha, he wanted to be in and out. As he finished serving Kavik dinner, he went to grab the cart and leave but the Alpha rushed to grab his wrist tightly "I'll see you in one hour boy. You know where to be, don't ever make me wait again." Malik stood there with no emotion, nodded his head, and continued to leave the room. "And you'll clean up the floor when you're done, it's filthy, just like you" Kavik spit as he watched Malik walk away. When he entered the kitchen, he parked the cart in the corner and rubbed his wrist. It was already red with Kaviks hand imprint. Freya ran to the boy and quickly held his wrist up, Malik winced for just a moment before hiding his pain from his mother. "What happened my son?" she asked with a scowl on her face. "He did this to you just now. I promise that I am looking at every possible option to get you out of here and give you a better life" Malik nodded and bluntly said "Yes, he did. I hate him, but I'll never let him think that he's winning. I'm not going anywhere without you and Ash." And he pulled his hand from Freya and went to start washing the dinner dishes.

Malik's POV:

My wrist was throbbing, in fact, my entire body hurt from endless beatings every day. That wasn't the worst part of my life though, not knowing who I was or where I came from plagued my mind. I was so thankful for my mother even though I know she's not my biological mother, but she says one day she'll help me try to find my parents. I'm grateful for all Freya and Ash have done for me, without them I don't think I would have made it this long. Silly for a 10-year-old to say. I should be outside with the others, playing, getting dirty, and having fun but I've never done any of that. I have a tutor so I know the basics about things but nothing like what's taught in school. Ash tries to sneak me out to show me things but I would never do anything to get him in trouble again. Once the Alpha caught Ash bringing me candy and his punishment was to be whipped. Mom threw herself at the Alpha and begged for him to give the punishment to her instead. That just enraged him even more and he ended up whipping them both. I had to watch as the skin on their backs split open and bled like a river. I was only 5 at the time but I knew there was nothing I could do other than make sure I never put either of them in this situation again. I'll never forget the look on his face as he snapped the whip back and forth. The look of complete enjoyment at their pain, his laughing smirk was truly evil as watched me sob in the corner. From that moment on I knew that I would never allow him the satisfaction of seeing my pain, no matter how hard it was to conceal. I told myself I would endure these agonizing days so I could be with Freya and Ash but I knew I had to build myself up, to become stronger without him knowing. As the years went by, it was starting to become easier to do though, thank the moon goddess. He was a drunk and started paying more attention to relieving his pain than to what was going on around him. Beta Atticus had threatened to leave the pack multiple times but after every conversation with the Alpha, he'd decide to stay. He didn't agree with this treatment and each time he was around, he'd try to ensure that my torture was as mild as possible and I respected him for that. He'd even sneak me in bandages and salve to help the deep slashes and lacerations heal better.

"The Alpha said I needed to meet him in an hour, it's almost time," I said to mom. I could see it in her face that she couldn't handle when I was called anymore. She was the strongest woman I knew and I fed on her strength to get through these sessions. You see, he called them training sessions because he used me as the enemy. Each warrior used me to better themselves. There was a handful that I could tell went easy on me, they didn't agree with fighting a child but couldn't go against their Alpha. "Malik, dear, I know you asked me not to show my emotion when you have to go but it's getting harder and harder. You don't deserve this, none of this and it's my fault. My fault I brought you here and it's my selfishness that kept you here." She struggled to keep herself together and I knew it destroyed her but I would repay her one day. I would give her everything when I grew up. "It's ok mom, I'm starting to heal faster now. One day he will pay for his actions, I'll see to it, but for now, I need your strength to get through it." "No Malik, do not focus on revenge. That's a dark path and you'll end up just like him. I will get you out of here and I'll do it soon." She kissed my cheek and turned to leave. I shook my arms and let out a deep sigh knowing what I was walking into. I stopped in my room first to see if Ash had left me anything so I could hide it quickly. When Ash knows the Alpha is occupied, he tries to bring me a small box of my favorite fruit, strawberries. I opened the door and looked around, I only had a small window that was still out of reach for me so the room wasn't well lit but, nothing looked out of place. Stepping to the bed, I turned on the small lamp I was allowed to have, knelt down, and peered under the bed enough to see a small box in the corner. Laying down I reached my arm out and grabbed the box, bringing it closer to me. I opened it and saw 6 of the reddest strawberries I'd ever seen. Who would have thought a small fruit could bring so much happiness to a person. It's a hidden happiness but it's there. I shut the box and moved it behind my dresser up against the cold concrete wall. Hopefully, they'll still be this fresh once I'm back for the night.

The closer I got to the training room the more I start to shut down. The problem is that it's getting harder to open back up each time. It just feels better to be empty and numb, it's easier to get through the day. Once I was in the training room, I quietly walked in seeing that it was empty. My heart started to beat a little more erratic at the confusion of no one there ready to train. Why was I called here then? I moved to the middle of the floor and faced the door, I waited for the Alpha to come. It was dead quiet in the room and all I could hear was the ticking of the clock. Will it just be the Alpha tonight? And if it is, does he intend to kill me or, will he have me killed by his men for fighting him? I don't normally have this time to prepare so I used it to quiet all the questions in my head. I stood in peace, breathing in and out to each clock tik trying to ease my mind elsewhere. Maybe this time I would imagine what a waterfall would look like up close, how it felt and sounded. Sessions were always better once my mind goes black and I only have something pleasant to think about. As I continued to breathe, I could hear the echo of his loud steps down the hall and I opened my eyes with my head bowed ready to endure what would be dealt to me.

Kavik strutted into the training room and stumbled occasionally. He had drunk another bottle of whiskey with his dinner deciding what he was going to do to the boy tonight. He decided that tonight he would show no mercy. Kavik knew his Beta had a soft heart for children and he voiced his concerns many times yet it fell on deaf ears of the Alpha. Kavik let his Beta think he didn't know what he was doing but he knew and he let it go on. It would be better to build this boy up a bit just to destroy him even more. "Look at you, you pathetic little wolf. If your wolf even decides to stay with a weakling like yourself" Kavik hissed as he circled the boy slowly. Malik could smell the alcohol and he braced himself for the upcoming harsh strikes. It was always worse if he had been drinking and tonight was no exception. "I'm not here to hurt you. Well, who am I kidding? Yes, I am" Kavik laughed while stopping in front of Malik. The boy could see that he must have gotten dizzy from circling him. He wished so badly that he was strong enough at this time to attack while Kavik had a weak moment but he knew better. He had many more years before he could do that and much more confidence to build up. Kavik regained his posture and focused his eyes on Malik. "Tonight we're going to fight for real. I won't even shift. You will fight as hard as you can, not like in training but as if this were a life-or-death fight. Who knows, maybe your torment will be wiped away tonight and the world will be rid of another disgusting-looking creature." As Kavik walked towards the wall to grab a sword Malik felt as if he couldn't breathe. This could be the end, was he ready, did he want it? When he saw the Alpha grab his sword Malik ran to the other wall to grab his. He didn't understand what was happening, as if his body were being controlled by another force. He would never have grabbed a weapon like that without being told to do so. No matter how many times Malik thought about being strong and fighting he knew he never would but here he was. He stared at the Alpha wide-eyed wondering what his body was doing while his mind raced thinking that if he could get in even one hit to the Alpha, and give him one wound to his skin, his demise would not be in vain.

Kavik's POV:

Laughter. Laughter was all I had right now as I watched that wretched boy grab a sword off the wall. This might be the easiest way to rid this boy of his life. Either I end him or my army ends him for attacking me, it's a win/win situation and this boy was too stupid to know that. "Choose wisely slave boy for tonight may be the end of you," I said staring right into his ugly, deformed face. I was just getting into my attack stance and before I knew it my sword was being struck. This bastard child had the nerve to strike me first, and again, and again. I was taken back by his sudden advancement but was quick to recover from being attacked to being the attacker. Left and right I swung my sword connecting with each time causing him to slowly lose his balance. The loud clanking of our swords echoed throughout the training room. As I pushed forward towards him, my eyes starting to change and Rex wanting to surface, I swung hard enough to knock his sword away as he fell to the ground. Standing over him with the tip of my blade to his throat, I could see the beads of sweat roll down his face. I could see the way his hands were shaking and I loved every minute of it. "I wish you were never brought here. I'll kill whoever left you, it's their fault you've ruined my pack. I should gut you from top to bottom just for thinking you could strike me first. Who do you think you are, you pathetic little mutt." I kept spewing out hateful words and watched how the boy's face never faltered. It never moved, never flinched, never showed any sort of fear and it was pissing me off. "I can feel you're a terrified mutt, just beg. Beg for your worthless life, submit to me and maybe I'll spare you." He still didn't move and before I knew it, I grabbed him by the shirt and threw him across the room. Watching him crash into the wall before falling to the floor made me feel better, instantly better. I've wanted to do that for so long and having done it, I wanted to do it again. I could see he wasn't moving, so I walked over to him kicking him in the ribs. Not seeing a reaction, I bent down and felt for a pulse. My lips immediately curved into a smile as I couldn't feel a beating pulse anymore. "Atticus, the boy is in the training room. Come take care of him" I linked my Beta. Feeling accomplished with this outcome, I stood and walked out of the training room. Moments later I heard Atticus "Kavik, I told you to quit torturing the boy. This is unacceptable behavior as an Alpha. He has a pulse and is breathing so I'm bringing him to Freya and that's final" By now I could care less if Atticus thinks he can talk to me like that. "Watch your fucking mouth Atticus or I'll cut your filthy tongue out. Tell Freya the boy doesn't leave the basement EVER." What I didn't understand is how that mutt went from not having a pulse, to having one that fast. My mood instantly went sour again as I blamed myself for not staying there to finish him. Now I'll ensure that boy's life will forever be tormented.