rd the loud smacking sound before I felt its effect on my face. Gasping in both pain and

recognized my father's angry voice fighting its way to the surface. "You had one job

round us. I kept my eyes on the ground out of respect for him. "It wasn't me, Fa

he went on, cutting me with his words. All I could think was why didn't he love me? Why did he

worthy. I longed to now, to reach out to and touch him so he could see that I was really sorry. But I didn't, otherwise, he wo

was used to it. Trying to explain was a waste of time. Once something went

e. I don't care how you do it, you foolish girl. Wash it, mop it, clean it however you like. You are n

against the tiled stone ground. The tears fell with an alarming intensity, not because I'

crocodile tears off your face before I do it for you, you fool.

me at her sheer wickedness. "How could y

my words. "And you don't know how much I hate t

, pulling me to the ground as I let out a cry. The past twenty-two years of my life had been spent in agony. I couldn't recall one time when I'd truly been happy. My father

er our birth. Sometimes it felt like he blamed me for her death even though Al

pain, the weight of my tears almost blinding me. No one cared that my father held the second highest rank in the pack as Beta. Even the

aight thin nose and eyes the color of the ocean. Alison, on the other hand, had jet-black hair, a long nose, gray eyes and thin lips t

ose some weight. Because of her, I'd struggled with body dystrophia and had proceeded to starve mys

backfiring and causing more problems. Eventually, I'd accepted my fate and came to terms with the fac

frequent occurrence. However, in the past four years I'd been out, the be

g me that I was worthless and pathetic that I now believed them. I was worthless and

into a carton. Like always, I would break down for a moment and then I would pick myself back up. T

ere tired and my legs ached. I hadn't gotten any sleep in eighteen hours be

ng strong. It gnawed at the back of my head like a mantra and ate at my subconscious. It told me that