The Unloved Luna

Charisse's Pov

"YOU CALL THIS CLEAN?" exclaims one of the men. I don't have to think or look up to realize he's speaking to me. My hand is clutching the small rag I was given to clean with, and my body is hunched to avoid looking into the eyes of my tormentors. Only a few hours until I have to return to the basement.

I keep my mouth shut as always when cleaning because speaking would only worsen my punishment. "SCRUB UNTIL I CAN SEE MY REFLECTION, BITCH!" the same man orders, slamming my head against the floor with his foot. "Then we'll have some fun."

As the dizziness worsens, I close my eyes and lie down. Alpha James would become enraged if any of the pack members saw me resting for a few seconds. My head wouldn't hurt so much if I had food in my system; the last time I ate was in the summer, and it was almost winter. 'We can't live like this,' whimpers my wolf.

"If you want, I'll end it tonight." "I'm just waiting for your approval," I explain. I lost my will to live years ago, and I'm still alive because my wolf refuses to die. I've attempted suicide several times before, but I've never succeeded. If I try again, I won't do it unless my wolf agrees; it's her life, too.

"Not yet," she responds. "We haven't found a mate yet."

"We don't have a buddy."

"Of course we do!" I hate arguing with the one who never hurts me, but what I tell her is true. Alpha James and everyone else keep asking me why no knight in shining armor came to rescue me. It's because I don't have a boyfriend. "He just hasn't found us yet," she says.

He will reject us. I cry a little as I imagine what would happen if I had a mate; he would leave me when he realized how much of a mess I am. It's a fact that no one wants a mate as weak as me.

"NO SLEEPING ON THE JOB!" yells an all-too-familiar voice into my ear. Alpha David James, I immediately recognize him. He slams me into the marble counter and begins unbuckling his belt. My wolf begs to take over and let me rest, but I refuse. I need her to be as strong as possible so that we have a better chance of escaping when the time comes.

"Please don't, Alpha," I beg, hurrying away, knowing what will happen.

He sneers, "You get what you deserve."

---

I scream as I awaken, not because of my usual nightmares but due to a sharp pain in my lower back. To muffle the noise, my hands fly up to cover my mouth. I learned long ago that if I wake up anyone in the house, I'll get in trouble. I already get punished for opening my mouth to speak; anything louder than a groan will result in a rainy camping trip later.

"Who wants to go first?" asks Gamma Brooks from outside the attic door. My eyes widen in fear as I realize what is about to happen. He and the other high-ranking wolves ensure I understand my place in this world. They constantly remind me why no one would ever love or care for me.

"I can't bear the pain any longer,' my wolf says as the door creeps open. I try to keep her from taking over, but she's too powerful for me to resist. She advances in my mind and seizes control of my body. I've never let her suffer for me and always told her to conserve her strength. Today might be the day she puts it to use.

"You've been doing this for far too long," our mixed voices agree. My wolf lunges at Gamma Brooks and knocks him to the ground before he realizes what's happening. We aren't strong enough to knock him out, but our surprise attack knocks him out long enough for us to leave the dilapidated building.

My wolf flees into the woods from the wooden shed. The men were wise to take me somewhere secluded because using me without Alpha's permission is against the rules, but I'm also certain they took me closer to the pack's border. Rest. "I'll keep us safe,' says my wolf before shifting.

Our furry paws pound into the ground, desperate to escape before the other men notice. I'd tried to flee the Blue Stone Pack several times before but was always apprehended. The punishments I received ensured I would only attempt it after a while. I'm still determining where we're going, but I'm confident my wolf will lead us to a better place. Whether it's death or being transferred to a different pack, it'll be better than where we are now.

I've always wished for my wolf to be paired with a better human soul who doesn't have to keep her confined all the time. This is only the second time in my life that I've changed jobs. The first time was when I was fifteen or sixteen years old. I am still determining my true age, birthday, and how I got here after many years with the Blue Stone Pack. All I know is I was not born here and had a family.

I'd give anything to know what happened to me before I was taken to this horrible place. My real name might not even be Charisse Belle; that's just what one of the pack members told me it was. Not everyone was cruel to me; that would be absurd; I never did anything to the wolves of Red Stone, and I know that some wolves are unhappy with how they're expected to treat me. Alpha James does his best to ensure that no one treats me kindly, but that doesn't stop everyone. Some women have snuck at me some clothes while "ordering me to take out the trash." Some wolves have even dropped my meals in the attic.

I prepare food for everyone in the packhouse, but that doesn't mean I get to eat any of it. Alpha James and a few higher-ups have previously caught me trying to eat some of my cooking, and it has never gone well for me. I quickly learned not to sneak anything out for myself or ask for food from others. Fortunately, not everyone I met thought I was a "disgrace."

After an hour of running, my wolf says, "I don't think I can go any further." That's not much compared to how long other wolves can run, but my wolf and I aren't the healthiest of our species.

"It's fine; I can take over from here,' I explain. Fatigue, hunger, and blood loss all took their toll on me, but I've made it far enough away from the Blue Stone Pack.

I'm unsure where I am because I've never seen a map. What concerns me the most is that I may not be on neutral ground but rather on the border of another pack or even inside a pack territory.

I decide that walking straight is my best chance of survival, so I ignore the burning pain in my side and leg. I ran into a couple of trees because everything appeared to be duplicated. Perhaps I'm losing too much blood, or "What are you doing here, rogue?" a male voice inquires. He doesn't yell, which I appreciate, but his tone isn't friendly.

The mere presence of this man awakens my senses. "ANSWER ME!" He yells, kicking me into a tree. I hear some rustling, and soon another man appears beside me.

"Trent, stop!" yells the second man.

Trent smirks, "Why not?" "We could have some fun with this rogue." "The Alpha doesn't have to know."

"She needs help."

"I'm going to take her to the cells," Trent says lustfully. I whimper and look at the other man with beseeching eyes.

He tells Trent, "I can't let you do that." As he speaks, my eyes well up with tears. Nobody has ever stood up for me.