(Warning: This chapter contains sensitive topics such as mentions of Rape, beware!)

It had been a week since we had taken Malikai, Freya, and Vanya home. They mostly had kept to themselves, only leaving their rooms to eat and go to the bathroom. When they sat at the dinner table they didn’t talk; they just watched my parents and I’s interactions. Ella was spending the night over at my house tonight because in her words she was “fed up” with being babied.

“I mean honestly though, they’d wipe my ass if I didn’t banish them from the bathroom. My mom has slept with me every night this week, it did not help that I had gone in heat the day after y’all took in the strays.” She put her hair in a messy bun.

“You went in heat? Why didn’t you tell Raven and me?” I asked.

“My mom handled it this time, she took me to the cabin and stayed the entire time. This was the worst one I’ve ever had, Greta was crying for her mate the entire time. It felt as if someone was scorching me with an iron.” Her voice was wavering at the end. “Longest 4 days of my life. It’s embarrassing when I’m in heat in front of a family member.” She visibly shudders.

“I’m shocked your mom was able to fend off the 4 shit heads.” I laugh mentioning her brothers, knowing it had always been a problem when she had gone into heat. Raven and I would get her out of the house while her mom fended off her four younger brothers who didn’t have complete control of their wolves quite yet.

“My daddy fended them off.” She grinned. “Anyways, tell me about your strays? What are they like? I haven’t seen them yet.”

“Well they keep to themselves, they barely leave their rooms, and my parents don’t want to push them too much. Alpha Kent is wanting information other than their names, he’s wanting to know their packs, and how they managed to leave their packs unnoticed. If you want my opinion, I don’t think it should matter how they got out; but more importantly, that they got out of that situation at all..” I rest my head on my palm.

“Why do you say that?” She tilts her head to the side.

“One had bite marks, not just one, several… It was like he went into heat and a whole gang of dominant wolves devoured him alive. Ella, he looked absolutely dead inside, his eyes don’t have the light of hope in them anymore. Then the other two, Vanya looks like someone took clippers to her head and intentionally nicked the skin on her head. She’s jumpy at loud sounds and she’s afraid to do anything without asking. Freya, she’s just doom and gloom, she had silver chains around her neck, arms, and legs. The scarring tells me it was a regular occurrence for her.” I furrow my eyebrows, frowning. “They don’t do much, they stay in their rooms, barely leaving the room to eat and go to the bathroom. I think our pack will be a big culture shock for them.”

“Well, I think our pack is the change that they need.” She smiled. “Do you think I can try and get them out of their room and get them in here to watch a movie or something? I wanna get to know them, and I know you’re dying too as well. C’mon.” She nudged her shoulder with mine. “I bet they’re more comfortable with you.” She jumped off of my bed and opened my door, dramatically moving her arm and directing me out of the room.

“You’re lame.” I roll my eyes, climbing out of the bed. “I’m not expecting them to want to get out of their rooms, but let's give it a try.”

“Not as much as you are.” She lets out a huff. “I bet they’re excited to learn about our pack.”

I made my way toward Malikai’s room, and I knocked on the door softly. I waited a few moments, hoping for the omega to come to the door. His hair was up in a bun just like Ella’s. I look over his shoulder noticing that he had his desk filled with sketch paper, and drawings. “Hey Malikai, my friend Ella-” I point toward my friend, “and I here want to know if you would like to watch a movie with us?” Malikai blinks at the two of us.

“Uh?” He scratched his head. “I guess?” He questioned as if asking himself if that were okay. “They let you watch movies here?”

“Mhm, or we could just talk, I don’t mind,” I explained to him.

“Sure.” He shrugged his shoulders, shutting his bedroom door behind him.

“I’m going to see if Freya and Vanya would like to also join us. Is that alright with you?” He nodded and followed Ella into my room.

After some coaxing, I eventually persuaded the other two to come and watch the movie with us. Both of them had been hesitant to watch the movie, something told me that they didn’t get the same luxuries as we did in our pack. I picked out a simple rom/com that you didn’t need to completely watch to get the whole story.

“They let you guys watch movies in this pack?” Freya speaks up for the three of them.

“They don’t let y’all?” Ella shoots back at them, her eyes filled with wonder, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

“There’s not much my pack would let me do.” She responded. “Omega’s are only meant to submit and whatever happens, happens.”

“Well, here in this pack they don’t hold out on small things, such as movies, food, or even full moon ceremonies from us.” I chime in.

“They let you attend the full moon ceremonies?” Vanya’s eyes filled with hope.

“I’ve been to everyone,” Ella explained, Vanya’s face lighting up with joy from the news.

“What else did they not let you do in your packs?” I questioned the three of them.

“They wouldn’t let me out of the house, and on full moons, they’d chain me up in the basement of the house.” Freya began for the three of them. “My parents would also do the same thing and chain me up when I was in heat, hence the scarring.” She gingerly ran her fingers over the scars on her neck.

“I was at school…” Malikai begins, his tone was soft and emotionless. He pauses for a few moments, taking a deep breath. “I went into heat at school, I couldn’t stop them…” He chokes out a sob.

“Oh, Malikai…” I pull him into my chest.

The three other Omega’s rub their hands on his arms and back. “The school did nothing, the Alpha did nothing… My parents only looked at me in disgust when I got home that night… They kicked me out… My pack abandoned me…” He cried into my chest, I could feel his tears soaking my shirt.

I pulled myself back from him and lifted his head up with my index finger making sure to make eye contact with him. “Don’t let your past affect your future. It’ll take time to heal, everything will be okay.” Hot tears fell off of his cheeks, teeth chattering together as if a chill had run through his body. We sat there for a while, letting him cry, the four of us were shushing him to calm him down. Soon he had calmed down, he laid down and placed his head in my lap. I had taken his hair out of his hair tie and started to comb my hair through his unruly curls. Small hiccups emitting from him once and awhile. He had calmed down a significant amount but we didn’t pursue any further details from him so as to not start up his memories of the awful encounter for him.

Vanya broke the silence, “My mate is the Delta of the pack, as soon as he caught a whiff of me, he denied me. My Alpha shaved my head because of the dishonor I brought to our pack. He told me it was a kindness to even keep me in the packhouse. My parents even denied me when I was just a pup.” Vanya squeaked out, I was sure there was more to her story but I didn’t want to pressure her into reliving her memories either.

“I’m sorry to hear that Vanya, my mate recently denied me too,” Ella spoke up. Vanya hugged Ella, sharing pain with one another. “He’s the Beta in another pack and I just got so used to being in this pack that I didn’t think it would happen to me.” Her voice cracked at the end. My heart tore in two for my best friend.

“What brought y’all to the outskirts to our pack?” I suddenly question the three of them.

“In my pack, the Omega’s in the kitchen always talk so much of what they’ve heard of yours. My pack absolutely hates yours because of the respect they give to Omega’s.” Freya explained.

“We don’t get as much respect as y’all think. Hearing your story I can tell how much our pack has progressed than the others. During our full moon ceremony, someone tried to talk shit to our future Alpha, he took it as a challenge, that dominant wolf almost shat his pants with even the mention of it.” Ella cackled, reliving the memory.

“They’d probably love it in my pack then.” Freya rolled her eyes. “They would be celebrated with that type of behavior.”

“The Omega’s in my pack also heard about how your’s have been treated. We all planned to leave together, one night, around ninety percent of us, just up and left. Omega’s leaving their abusive husbands, taking their children with them. We just didn’t know how to approach your pack.” Vanya explained to us. “I didn’t feel welcomed in my pack anyways, after what happened… We were scared that the rumors were false.”

“I just ran the day it happened, I just kept running till I got to another pack's borders.” Malikai tilts his head upward trying to look me in the face. “Since we’re all talking about our tragedies, what’s your story August?”

“I got attacked by a rogue, that’s the only bad thing that’s happened to me so far.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“Oh dude that’s an understatement, he was fucked up from that rogue, the scarring is bad if our pack healer didn’t get to him when she did. He’d be a goner for sure.” Ella says.

“How’d you get attacked?” Vanya asked.

“I had let my wolf out for a run-” I begin, memories of that night floating to the surface.

~~~

I was running through the woods, just trying to let my wolf out for a while. Winston was a needy bastard and wanted to take over at least a few times a week to let his legs stretch, despite what I had wanted. I was now in a field surrounded by nature, the hot summer sun burned into my coat like a laser beam.

Complain all you want August, you know you love the feeling of the wind through our fur. Winston cackled in my head.

Whatever, fuck head, hurry up we’ve got to be back soon for the dinner celebration for the Alpha and Luna tonight. It’s their anniversary. I snapped at my wolf. I honestly don’t know why this couldn’t have waited until tomorrow.

Can it kiddo. My wolf barks at me. I mentally rolled my eyes at my wolf, he growled in response.

I’m like the only Omega in this pack that transforms this much. It's ridiculous Winston. I replied to his snarky attitude.

You’re such a titty baby, get over it and enjoy the run.

We were too busy fighting internally to even hear our surroundings. We didn’t hear the branches snapping underneath the lager wolf's paws, we didn’t notice the low growl he was emitting either.

Until it was too late.

The first meaty talon raked its way down my right hind leg. Winston howled in pain and went into defensive mode. The larger wolf scraped his talon across my other hind leg causing Winston to cower back into my head, he left me, my body transformed in front of the large rogue. My bones snapping in place before I completed the transformation, his paw scraped down my back. I screamed in agony, laying down on my side, the searing pain running throughout my entire body. My screams made the birds flutter from the trees, other animals stopped in shock trying to detect where the noise had come from. The larger wolf then dug his claw in my chest dragging it down to my belly. I then blacked out from the pain.

I don’t know why the wolf had stopped there. I never thought of why he did.

…

When I came to, I blinked, realizing it was night time. I rolled onto my back, writhing in pain. My muscles were stiff from laying in the same position. I tried shifting around, the pain in my back was so bad, I passed out once more falling back into place.

…

The next time I woke up, I was being carried. I whimpered in pain, the wounds on my thighs, stomach, and back searing with pain.

“You’ll be okay little Omega.” The Alpha’s voice swims in the abyss.

“Father we’re going to track the scent of the wolf down.” I heard someone else's voice, it was somewhat familiar. My brain couldn’t process the voice due to the pain.

“I’ll meet up with the four of you once he’s at the pack healers quarters. Good job son.” The Alpha’s chest rumbles with each word he says.

I soon fell back into the endless abyss in pain.

~~~

“Woah that sounds pretty rough, I mean I could never imagine coming face to face with a Rogue wolf.” Malikai sits up. “I’m surprised none of us got unlucky enough to come face to face with one out there.”

“Me too, I hear they look like they’re mad, frothing from the mouth mad,” Vanya responded.

“I think they’re lost souls, they were denied from their pack for whatever reason,” I explained to them.

“I specifically remember you muttering the words of, ‘fuck that fucking rogue wolf.’ escaping your mouth when Raven and I were cleaning your wounds.” Ella huffs out a laugh.

“Shuddup bitch, let me be a wise person for like 2 seconds.” I pout at the younger Omega.

“Oh, you’re a wise-ass alright!” She bats her hand my way. “Anyway, I’m feeling sleepy, how about you guys?”

We all agreed with her, the three Omega’s went to their assigned rooms. Ella and I got changed into our jammies and went to bed, ready to start a new day.