Chapter 3
Cara’s POV
I was having horrible dreams, ones that started with the incident that started it all. I dreamt that we were back in the pack right after my eighteenth birthday. Since I couldn’t phase into a wolf, I was considered lower than an Omega. They made sure I got all the jobs that they considered too gross or nasty for them to do. So, I cleaned all the toilets in the pack house every day. I also cleaned the restrooms in all the main areas, like outside the dining room, near the large living room, and in the small arena for major events and town hall meetings. Lucky me.
“Well, who do we have here?” I could hear Lisa’s voice coming from behind me as I cleaned the last stall in the women’s room.
“It’s the worthless bitch who can’t even phase,” Tanya mocked.
“The curse of our pack. I wish to the Goddess that your worthless whore of a mother had taken you with her when she ran off with her tail between her legs,” Bridget chimed in.
“Don’t talk about my mother,” I told Bridget as I stood up. I took a large step away from the toilet to distance myself. I remember getting caught by them in here the last time. I couldn’t fight them off, and they knew it. They knew that talking about my mother and sisters was the only subject to work me up.
“What are you going to do?” Lisa asked me in a smug tone as she stepped closer to me. “You have no powers and no wolf. How are you going to try to stop us?”
They shoved me against the wall as hard as they could. Tanya and Bridget wasted no time in grabbing my arms, so I couldn’t break free from them. Lisa let her claws on both hands extend. She has constantly been trying to hurt me, and the smile on her face was not one that I would soon forget. She was jealous of me, and it was eating her up. She wanted to ensure Paxton kept his eyes on her and not me. She could have him. I certainly didn’t want him. She was intent on really doing some damage today.
“Don’t do this, Lisa. You are going to get in trouble for it. I won’t just let you hurt me and walk away. I will demand that the elders punish you,” I told her. That comment bought me about ten seconds as she thought about it.
“Who would believe you, Cara? It is going to be my word against yours, slut. Plus, Tanya and Bridget will be on my side. No one wants you in this pack. Hell, even your dad doesn’t want you here anymore. You are wolfless so that only leaves you to be a witch. No one feels safe having you around. I am about to do the whole pack a favor. I won’t be letting you walk away today. Trust me, you are better off dead,” Lisa announced. The contempt she felt for me was clear in her voice.
“We would,” I heard Brenna’s strong voice ring out. I looked over to see her and Luna standing just inside the door.
Lisa knew she only had a minute to complete whatever it was that she was planning to do. Brenna was only sixteen, and Luna was only fifteen at the time. They didn’t pose a real threat to them. Lisa, Tanya, and Bridget were eighteen, the same as I was. Only our immediate family knew that Brenna had received her wolf early. We all knew that Luna would probably be phasing early, too, most likely this year. Dad was sure it was from their having Alpha blood. He didn't even try to hide his disappointment in me while mentioning it.
Lisa scoffed as if she wasn't scared and quickly moved forward to try to choke me. She wasn’t going to miss this opportunity. I felt Lisa's claws briefly on either side of my neck before Brenna grabbed her and pulled her off of me. Benna had also changed her right hand into a claw. Brenna had grabbed Lisa’s right arm tightly to keep her from getting away. I saw where Lisa's eyes had been focused. I knew from what she had said to me that Lisa was probably going to try to tear the main vein in my neck open and let me bleed to death on the floor in this bathroom. Brenna yanked her away from me before she could do the damage she wanted. Lisa cried out in pain as Brenna’s claws sank further into her arm as she pulled her back.
The door suddenly slammed open with Lisa’s mother, Emily, the current Gamma female, standing there. She was shocked to see that Brenna held Lisa’s arm with a claw. “What the hell are you doing to my daughter?” she screeched out, attracting attention from those in the hallway.
“How come you didn’t come in here to help my sister when she needed help from your ugly daughter? Or were you just being the lookout for her while she tried to kill my sister? I bet you both want Cara dead or out of the pack. Clearly, your daughter wants to be Luna bad enough to kill off her competition. That is really sad. I hope you realize that even if you did kill her, Paxton would pine for her. Don't be so surprised, Lisa, even we noticed Paxton can’t take his eyes off of Cara,” Luna announced as Brenna kept her grip firmly on Lisa’s arm.
“Let her go this instant! If you hurt her, I will report you to the Alpha,” Gamma Emily spat out.
“Then have your spoiled daughter tell her friends to let go of my sister. I will let go of your daughter once they release Cara. I won’t let go until then. I may be young, but I know who I can and cannot trust around here,” Brenna stated calmly. She was not scared at all at having two Gamma females mad at her.
“You are no better than that witch you have for a sister. Why would you want to defend her against us? Your whole family would be better off just letting Lisa deal with her. It is a shame that you two can’t see that for yourselves. One day, you two will learn that you can’t trust a witch, even if she is your sister,” Gamma Emily told us before nodding to Lisa.
“Let her go!” Lisa shrieked. She was in pain, and her wolf couldn’t heal her with Brenna’s claws still inside her arm. I am sure it hurt her; Brenna was strong.
Tanya and Bridget were reluctant to let me go. They did it, but not before shoving me back into the wall. I could feel their anger and frustration at having to let me go. Brenna was true to her word and let go of Lisa. Lisa held her arm and stepped up to whisper in my ear.
“It isn’t only me who wants you dead. Thank your sisters for rescuing you this time. I will catch you later, Cara. I won’t allow Paxton to choose you over me. That will happen over my dead body,” Lisa told me. She headed for the door with her friends and her mother before stopping.
Lisa turned back around and said, “Brenna, you should have made better choices today. I will find a way to get you back, too.” The door then shut quietly behind her. The threat was real. Lisa wanted me dead, and the hate she felt for me was real. She didn’t try to hide it, as they knew I was powerless against them. I had no one here who could train me on how to be a witch. Even if I had, they would have forced me to leave here to learn. I couldn't stay here anymore once I had powers. The pack would be too scared to allow me to return.
She was right. No one wanted me here, not even my father and stepmother. They didn’t have to pretend anymore. Since I wasn’t a werewolf, I was branded as being worthless. I could only depend on my sisters from that moment on. They were the reason I got up each morning. They were how I made it through each horrible day. I was only there because I wanted to stay close to them. I wanted to try to protect them despite not having a wolf. I dreamt of a day when I could care for them as their older sister. To protect them as they protected me.