Chapter 1 - Yvonne #2
Scoffing sarcastically, I shake my head as I make my way toward the village using the back pathways through the forest. Sometimes I wonder if having faith in the Moon Goddess will do me any good when I’ve been fated to suffer all my life.
At this point, I’ve even given up questioning why I have to face these obstacles, just accepting the cards I’ve been dealt while navigating my survival.
My time on Earth is always eventful, which is why I cannot make it to the pack hall without being spotted by some of the males who whistle suggestively despite my best attempts to cover up my body and hide away.
My stomach churns with disgust as I slow down my steps, feeling their gnawing presence behind me and knowing that it’s best to just face them instead of pretending like I can’t hear them.
“Yvonne…” one of them drawls as he comes closer, his sinister tone sending another shiver down my spine when I recognize it. His boots crunch the snow beneath the soles like they did this morning, his muddy scent filling the air as it wraps its menacing tendrils through my nostrils.
Gulping hard, I try my best to remain composed, even when internally, I’m grappling with fear that I refuse to show to the pack’s beta.
What’s worse is that, unlike this morning, he’s not alone. A second set of boots trudges through the snow, an imminent, heated presence arresting my left when Sam comes toward my right.
“Beta Sam…” I murmur with as much politeness as I can muster, considering that he tried to violate me just this morning. My knuckles pale from where my fingers clutch the basket with such fervor that I feel the woven threads crushing under my grip.
I have to be more careful lest I let Sam know that what happened this morning affected me. I can’t risk slipping up and facing more humiliation.
“What are ya doin’ out here, Yvie?” he asks, using the nickname as if we’re close, an obnoxious smile reaching his cold blue eyes.
Shuddering internally, I plaster a smile on my face as I lift my head, taking into account the other beta on my left.
Darius.
He’s Sam’s best friend and partner in crime.
“Oh, I was just on my way to the hall,” I say, motioning to the basket with a nod that allows me to pull my eyes away from Sam’s rugged, repulsive face. “I have to prepare dinner for the pack.”
I stifle the urge to frown, because it’s no secret that I’m the pack’s cook. What else would I be doing, lugging a basket of fresh produce through the village?
How does Sam think he gets to eat every day?
Why are we even having this conversation?
There’s a strange sound of dry scraping that comes when Sam strokes his thumb and index across his jawline, prompting me to look up as if he’s actively calling my attention.
A glint of sadistic ill intent is evident in his eyes as he stares down at me, his heinous thoughts written clearly in the look on his face.
“Ya know … I could always put in a word with Alpha Jackson,” Sam suggests as he shrugs a shoulder vindictively. “I could get ya off the hook for a night. Maybe ya need a break.”
I shake my head slowly, keeping my smile pressed on like a mask of protection. “I don’t need the night off. I enjoy cooking for the pack.”
“Yeah,” Darius chimes in, taking a step closer and breathing hot, pungent air at my ear. “But us betas know how much work you omegas put in for the pack. Sometimes, it’s okay to take a break. Unwind for a bit.”
Sam snickers as he leans in, his eyes narrowing into thin slits as he watches me through the gnarly veil of blonde lashes.
“What do ya like to do to unwind, Yvie?” he asks with a brutish chuckle that sends fear trickling down my spine.
The malicious glint in his eyes is enough to indicate his intent.
I’ve experienced it countless times, only able to deflect it thanks to my agile frame and intuition that seems to heighten in moments of danger.
Like a sixth sense, my eardrums always bleat with a signal of danger to warn me that I have to calculate my every move.
I’ve never quite understood it; my intuition has always been inexplicable, at least for a werewolf. It’s the only sense that heightens, goosebumps spreading across my flesh to warn me that danger is on the horizon.
As soon as those instincts kick in, I’m able to calculate my next move, as if I’m living life two milliseconds ahead of everyone around me, and I’m able to anticipate their next moves before they make them. It’s how I was able to escape Sam this morning.
And it’s how I’m able to determine that his next move now is to grab my wrist when I fail to respond to his question.
Deftly stepping to the side, I dodge the movement when his hand leaves his chin and he reaches toward me.
I act oblivious and keep the smile plastered on my face when I say, “Oh, to unwind?” I shrug nonchalantly as I begin walking slowly toward the pack hall, keeping my eyes on Sam and Darius. “I like tending to my crops.”
Darius snickers. “Why don’t you let us tend to your crops, Yvie?”
Catching the innuendo in that suggestion, I remain unfazed, smiling and acting oblivious again.
“I—I could never expect the betas of Moonshine to help with gardening!” I chuckle nonchalantly, waving a dismissive hand in the air as I continue on my way.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go prepare dinner for tonight. ”
As I spin on my heel and begin power-walking through the thick blanket of snow that covers the meadow, I can hear the two betas following me with prowling, threatening steps.
I keep my eyes glued to the pack hall building up ahead, knowing that my only escape is reaching it before either of them can grab me.
I just need to be one step ahead.
“Come on, Yvie! Where are you going?!” Sam calls out from behind me.
“Don’t be like that, Yvie! Let us tend to your crops!” Darius chimes in with a disturbing hint of bemusement in his voice that sends a chill down my spine. My steps are quick, matching the beat of the alarm bells ringing in my eardrums as I try to get as far away from the betas as possible.
They don’t need to spell it out for me to know what they’re planning. I can already sense their intentions, and I can’t let it happen to me. I refuse to be a victim again. I refuse to let another man touch me again.
Even if the first time was because I did it willingly.