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Chapter 3 - Lena

My eyes are so tired, they feel warm, as if my brain is overheating, slowly cooking my whole body. The hideously bright fluorescent lights above the bar only make my headache worse. I blink hard several times, hoping to soothe the ache, but it just makes them sting.

"Are you falling asleep now?" a sharp voice snaps at me. "I didn't think anyone could sleep standing up, but I wouldn't put it past a lazy bitch like you."

I turn around slowly, facing Kelly, my stepmom, who's sitting at the end of the bar. She has her arms crossed, long, shiny red nails tapping against her arm as she glares at me.

"I was just resting my eyes."

"I don't care what you call it. Table nine have been waiting for a rum and Coke for over ten minutes now!"

You could have gotten off your scrawny ass and—

"Did you hear me?"

"Yes, Kelly, I heard you." I try not to sigh. That will just give her more ammunition. It's also not worth mentioning that I'm on my own here, and it's very difficult to run the bar and the tables with just one person.

I mix up a rum and Coke and hurry over to table nine. One of the guys leans back in his chair and gives me a slow look up and down.

"I'm so sorry I took so long. Here you go, enjoy your drink." I just want to drop it on the table and run.

"No problem, sweet cheeks. Why don't you hang out here with us for a bit? After being so late with the drink, I think you should make it up to me."

"I'm very sorry. I have to go back to work." I try to keep my voice even, but it isn't easy when I'm this exhausted.

"Suit yourself, snob," he snaps. "I was just trying to be nice."

I hurry back to the bar, thinking about how many glasses I have to clean, how many customers are left to serve, and if straws need to be refilled.

"Lena!" Kelly barks as I return to the bar. "What did you do to upset those customers?"

"Nothing, Kelly. I apologized for being late. I didn't offend anyone, I promise."

"That's not what it looked like from here," she says, shaking her head. "Pete! Hey, Peter! Your daughter is lying again, right to my fucking face."

"She's what?" Dad's face pokes out of a nearby door. He's supposed to be restocking the main cool room, but he's been messing around in there for ages, moving between the storerooms and back dock. I don't know what's taking so long.

Not like he'd help me, anyway.

"Lying," Kelly answers with great relish. "She is lying to me."

"Lena." Dad comes out into the bar area and stands beside Kelly. "We talked about this."

I try not to tremble as I meet his gaze. The pounding in my head has increased, and my eyes are stinging so hard, I'm sure I'm about to cry.

"Yes, we did," I say softly. As I look at him, I try to feel something, anything. I'm sure, somewhere inside, there are happy memories of him. Happy days when he swung me into the sky and cuddled me against his chest and told me stories at bedtime. If these memories are even real, then they were so long ago, they don't deserve to be remembered.

Mom died when I was about three. Sam was only a baby. The only thing I really remember is hate and pain, as much of it from Father as from Kelly, the woman he married almost immediately after Mom died.

"You are utterly useless," Kelly says to me, shaking her head. "You stand there and admit that we've told you how things should be done, but you are too dim-witted to do it."

"She's right, Lena," Dad glares at me. "You admit that we've talked about this, and you're still fucking everything up? It makes it seem very deliberate."

"I'm sorry," I whisper, not knowing what else to say. The tears are really coming now, and I know that even if I fall apart, I'll be forced to keep working. Walking amongst the lonely drunks with my tray of drinks, tears running down my cheeks.

"Back off," a loud voice cracks behind me. The shock that runs through me now is more than fear. There is only one thing that affects me more than the constant abuse of my parents.

The idea of my brother getting hurt.

"Sam!" I turn around, trying to greet him with a smile. He's got the same bright green eyes as me, but he has Father's deep brown hair. Right now, those eyes are gleaming with anger.

"Lena, you shouldn't have to put up with this—"

"I'm fine!" I say it too loudly, making a few people look over at us. I can see Sam's muscles bulging under his shirt as he clenches his fists, looking right over my head at Father. When I spare a glance behind me, Father is glaring straight back. Kelly has a wide, satisfied grin, as if she'd love to see a father versus son brawl.

"Sam, please, it's okay," I say, begging him to leave it alone. He's only a few years younger than me, almost ready to graduate high school. He's doing so well, I know he's going to get into a great college.

He can get away. He can be free!

That is my only wish—that Sam can get free of this nightmare. Deep inside, I don't believe I can ever get free, but I still have some hope.

I secretly save a little from every tip, putting the money in an old jar under my bed. Once I get Sam out of here, then it's my turn.

Sam is still glaring at Father, and it looks like they might still go at it. I put my hand on Sam's chest.

"Please? Just go home. I'm okay."

He looks down at me, and his face is twisted with an emotion somewhere between fear and anger. "I can't stand seeing you get hurt."

"I'm alright. Why don't you get on home and study? You have a big test coming up."

"Okay," he says, turning around to leave. I know he doesn't believe me, but he is, at the end of the day, my baby brother. He trusts me.

I took care of him pretty much by myself after Mom died. Once Kelly moved in and Dad stopped caring, all we had was each other.

"Well, if there was ever anyone more useless than you, it would be that lowlife right there," Kelly snaps. "Look at him, waltzing out of here as if there isn't work to be done."

"I can finish, Kelly," I say, turning back around to face her.

"You better," she snaps.

As it gets later, customers begin to filter out and I get the bar cleaned and ready to open the next day. As I finish with the counter, I notice Dad standing at the end of the bar, watching me.

"What is it?" I ask warily. I even look around a bit, waiting for him to tell me I missed a spot.

"I was just thinking what a capable young woman you are," he says. "You have done very well here."

"Okay," I mutter, wondering where this is coming from. "Thank you."

"I appreciate you doing such a good setup for tomorrow, since you won't be here."

"What?" I can't believe what I just heard.

"We won't be needing you at the bar tomorrow."

"I…" The words swirl around in my head. I'm so tired, I'm pretty sure I've misunderstood them.

"Thank you," I say, walking over to Dad. "This means so much to me—"

"We'll need to get you home soon," he says, glaring at me. "You need to clean yourself up. You look atrocious." He leans forward and sniffs, crinkling his nose. "Jesus. You smell like a deep fryer that got doused in whiskey. I need you to get home and get scrubbed up right away. Then a bit of beauty sleep wouldn't go astray."

"What are you talking about?" I mutter, my throat tight. He grins.

"Tomorrow, you're meeting your husband! The Silver Meadows Pack want to make a marriage bond with us, and after some debate with the elders, we have chosen you as the lucky bride-to-be."

"What?" I'm sure my throat is so closed now that no sound can possibly come out.

I'm numb all the way home. Dad drives me—he's made sure I'm dependent on him for almost everything. After we get back, I spend some time in the bathroom, hoping to spare myself some grief if I at least make an effort to clean myself up, as well as use the space as a private refuge.

I sit on the edge of the tub and cry, all my fury and pain welling up inside my chest. I can't take another second of this. I know I can't.

When I finally leave the bathroom, Father yells at me that my face is puffy and I'll disgrace the whole pack if my potential mate rejects me. This blow cuts particularly deep into my heart. Right into the wound that already exists there.

Already got rejected by the man of my dreams. As if anyone else could hurt me worse.

I crawl into bed and wait for the house to go silent. When I am sure that everyone is asleep, I get up slowly, pulling on jeans and a jacket as quietly as I can. I fumble around under the bed until I find my jar of cash and fold all of it into my pockets.

I slip out the window, running into the forest. There is nothing but wilderness here, all rugged mountain, deep forest, and icy plains. My wolf longs to run free, but if I let her take over, she'll run me far away from anything and everything human.

It's possible to shift so far, you can never go back.

Tears sting my eyes again, but I shake them away, running into the forest. I'm not desperate enough to disappear into my wolf form forever. Not yet, anyway.

I don't have a plan, and I certainly don't know where I'm going. All I know is I have to get to a nearby town, find a bus or a taxi that can put some distance between me and Silverton.

I haven't run for long when my stomach starts to growl and my vision swims. I don't think I've eaten at all today, and I don't know how long it's been since I got a decent sleep. I decide to rest, just for a moment, and sit down against a big tree.

"Just a moment," I whisper. "I only want to rest for a moment…"

I fall into horrific, vivid dreams of being chased and captured by Father and Kelly. They cackle in my dreams, reaching for me with shimmering claws and tearing me apart as I scream and try to run away. I wrestle against them, screaming as I try to get free.

"That was a good try, girlie," Father growls. "But you didn't run fast enough or far enough to escape me!"

Struggling against the iron grip on my wrists, I open my eyes to see Father's icy blue ones glaring straight at me. I'm so shocked, I let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoes through the forest, making birds fly out of the treetops all around us.

The sky is light. It's after dawn. I really didn't get far from home in my little escape plan.

Can't even run away properly. They're right. I am useless.

"Come on," he growls, dragging me. "We're properly late now."

Does it look like I care?

Fully defeated, I let him drag me through the forest until we come to the road. His pickup isn't far, and I climb into it obediently, staring into my lap and letting tears streak down my cheeks.

"I told you to clean yourself up. You're a disgrace, that's what you are. Why would anyone want you?"

I sit there in misery, fully agreeing with him. I feel hopeless. Lost in a way I never have before.

When we get to town, he pulls in behind the local diner. It's a very nice, homely little place run by our alpha's mate. The elders often have their meetings out the back.

"What are we doing here?" I gasp, coming out of my stupor. Father grunts.

"Meeting your husband, of course. We were supposed to be here earlier, but you had to go and make things difficult. As usual."

Numb, I can't make myself get out of the car. Father grabs my arm and drags me out of the pickup towards the back door of the diner.

He shoves it open and pulls me through the door, keeping a fierce grip on my arm. I'm trembling so hard I might have fallen to my knees if he let go.

In the center of the room, people are seated at a long wooden table. Decker, our alpha and his wife, Gladys. Belle, Nash, and Rob, a few of our elders. At the end of the table sits Bailey Markson, easily recognizable by his fiery golden hair. Sitting beside him is a tall man with inky black hair.

No. No, it can't be.

The world spins around me as the man sitting next to Bailey begins to turn around. Time has broken, and the few seconds it takes for him to face me feel like eons passing me by. It's a shock to see his deep, crystal-blue eyes, even though I already knew who he was. The only person it could possibly be.

Jack.

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