~

JeonJa

~

I live in a world where strength is everything, where power is the ultimate goal and one cannot survive if he/she is weak. I learned that the hard way when my family was killed in front of my eyes by some shit pack full of shit alphas. The number of them had been large, and for the first time I had seen so many alphas together.

Generally there are only one or two alphas who head the pack, but at that time there were many, almost 30 to 40. I don't know what happened or why, but they just forced themselves in our home, killed my parents and beat my brother to a point where he died, slowly and painfully.

I never wanted to see something so ugly happen to my dear ones, I was only 7 at that time, hopeful and grateful towards my life. I lived in my own little bubble where I thought that everyone I ever saw was kind and sincere. 

Well, see where it got me?

Being naive that I was, I had wanted to become a farmer, just like my parents, and wanted to grow up strong and buff to help them out with their work. But it all changed that doomed day.

I had never even contemplated what would happen after returning to my home from some play field that was adjacent to our farms. Not many villagers lived around, the area was plain forest, farms and green. The day had started out great, with me trying to play with the other kids who always managed to outrun me. 

My mother had been extremely busy that day, being forced to manage the harvest and also the reaping all by herself. My father was another case entirely, trying to fix his cart and feed the cows. 

And my brother? He was three years older than me, always getting into trouble for running around and breaking stuff just for the fun of it. He was merely laughing as I fell in some water pond in front of the rice farm our neighbors owned.

While my brother laughed, I started to cry, feeling humiliated and hurt from my fall, even my pants were drenched in water as I struggled to get up despite the muddy soil bed under me.

As soon as he heard my cry, he rushed to me and held out his hand, as he pulled me out of the pond with a small chuckle. "Why do you cry little one, it was just a little fall." he commented while looking down at my palms which I had scratched while falling, even though the mud was harmless. I was just that delicate.

"It hurts," I said winching when he decided to touch the abused skin. I was smaller than him, much smaller and meeker, since I was just an omega, something my parents told me a year back when I started to show signs of weakness, which was actually just an Omega trait surfacing, was widely mistaken as malnourishment.

"You are such a wimp, remind me why I still care."

"Because you love me," I traded politely as he grimaced.

"Love is such a girlish stuff to say," he told me with distaste. I grinned, "So you adore me?"

He pouted childishly, "No, I just... care about you."

"And that sounds better, how?" I blinked, not getting why he wanted to act so tough and all, when we both knew he was too kind for his own good.

He sighed, "Just leave it Ja," he spoke my pet name, which he really adored, "you won't understand it anyway, but I wish you were not this delicate. You make me worry about you all the time, you are naive, hopeless, sometimes too shy and so soft. I fear leaving you alone."

He had a habit of trying to act mature and he tried to maintain the act all the time whenever we were outside, he told me it was because he was like that in nature but I begged to differ, it always looked like he was warding off something with all the glances he threw at places just randomly. Even while teasing me or making fun of me, he always looked stiff for some reason.

"Let's get you home, I hope mother is done with her reaping, I wanted to show her the old man's store." he was talking about a small village stall owned by an old man who sold delicious sweets and wonderful spices. We had gone there yesterday and since then my brother had been begging for some money so that we could buy those sweets. But I knew mother wouldn't just give it away for free, she was very concerned about where the money went, and for what purpose, she said it was hard to earn the coins around and that was her excuse for our every stubborn tantrum. Although, brother was more into the stubborn whining stuff than me, I just didn't feel like bothering them when I knew we weren't rich. I could see the difference in my and the other people's clothing. 

"Walk fast will you?" my brother shouted, as he was farther away from me than I had expected, I was just lost in thoughts it seems. 

My eyes traveled along the edge of the tilled farm and something caught my attention, a huge crowd around our house. We were both still far away from it to know what the matter was, but I could hear the shouts and cheers. What was going on? Was father organizing a trade stall or something?

"Brother?" I had to pause as my brother stopped in front of me, looking grave, his eyes trained on the site and his ears picking up something I couldn't. He was so lucky to be born an alpha, a miracle according to my mother since both her and father were just Thetas, 'medic wolves'. They had healing ability which I had seen once or twice, they spoke some mantra and poof, my stomach ache vanished. But, they weren't strong physically, a drawback they didn't mind much.

"Brother, what happened?" I asked while shaking him, my eyes wide and inquisitive, though I was simply anxious, something felt, off.

"Ja, you hide behind that tree, run away when I signal you to."

I looked back at him with shock apparent on my face, something was definitely wrong. "W-What happened? Brother?"

He cursed under his breadth, which I was surprised to hear, at the same time very scared now. "B-Brother?" why wasn't he answering?

"Brothe-"

"JeonJa," he started softly, similar to a whisper, "They are forcing themselves into our house, I can hear mother screaming at them to get out and our father is holding them back. I hear grunts and gruff voices... I c-can't see clear but I can tell something big is happening, I don't think you should go there."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"But brother, we have to help them, mother father are in-"

He cut me off with a glare, it actually made me step back in fear, I had never seen him do this before.

"You will not go there Jeonja, I will. Do you think you can take them on?" he looked very serious and scared at the same time, he looked like someone who was about to die. He was very pale, a sudden point I noticed just now.

"And y-you c-can take them on?" I asked him incredulously, stuttering in fear, wanting to just push him aside and go there myself. I feared for him and my parents. But I also wanted to protect them.

"They are probably alphas JeonJa. I can smell them, I am sure you do too. I have met one," he paused as he stared at the scene happening now, the crowd was moving inside, I could tell they just broke past the door, maybe. "I have met an alpha before and being one myself I am sure they are alphas."

He suddenly held me close.

I started to tremble under the strong grip of my brother's, he was intense. "Maybe t-they a-are just there for trading?" I knew mother and father always invited their fellow friends and talked about harvest and other such matters, 'trading' was the term I was familiar with.

Brother started to laugh at me, his tone mocking, "Are you that stupid Ja," he spoke sharply, nudging my shoulders with both palms. "They are shouting at our parents to submit and whatnot, they are not there to trade, I can hear them talking."

"Then l-let's go."

He shook his head, "Forget whatever I said earlier, just run. I will go there and make sure mother and father are safe, they cannot fight them off but I can, I am young but still stronger, I am an alpha."

"Why will I run?" I started to feel tears leaking through my eyes, "I won't, I won't leave you all alone, mother and father-"

"Mother and father will want you safe, and I know you won't be if they catch your scent, those goons of an alpha," he cursed.

I shook my head, wanting to hug him for comfort, but he pushed me back with a glare, "Run away, hide at Anya'a place or of Dorji's. Tell them what is happening, send them for help, until I handle things here."

"N-No come with me!"

He sighed, "Please just go Ja, the more you argue the more threat they are to our parents, just run and call for help, I will handle things here."

"Bu-"

"Just go!" he hissed and left me behind as he ran towards the crowd.

My lips wobbled as I watched him go, my heart clenching with fear, but I had an important task to do, that was call for help, I knew brother won't be able to fight them off, he was too young for that. So I sniffled in my tears and ran towards the opposite direction not waiting to see what happened to my dear family. I was too much of a coward.

I went to my friend's house and asked for help, but her parents just pushed my out and shut their doors on my face. I wanted to cry and shout and beg them for help but my heart was too unstable and voice slowly fading away. I was a mess, a quivering mess.

I went to other houses, the ones whom I knew and also to them whom I didn't, but none of them helped me, they shunned me out and closed their doors on me. Each new house I went to, I was faced with fear and disgust. What was happening, I knew them, they knew my parents, some of them even came to visit my family, I knew a few faces since birth, but they acted like I was scum and they refused to help me.

I cried loudly not caring about my appearance, I was ashamed of myself, I was of no help. I cried heavily and stumbled upon the road trying to find my way back to my house with tear filled eyes, my nose dripping with mucus and my hands shaking as I wiped my eyes away.

When I reached back, I saw my house burning up in flames.

Horrified, I rushed there, only to find the same crowd gathered in front of our yard, they were circling around something small and laughing maliciously. I took note of whimpers echoing and heard their laughter increase ten folds. 

I was still some distance away from them, hiding behind a tree when some of the gathering cleared and I saw a little form huddling into itself. It whined as two big burly men held him down from his neck, shouting at him and warning him not to move. I couldn't tell why they were laughing, but I new what I saw was not something I should, they were too ferocious. Moving a little closer behind another tree, I was forced to hold back my sobs as I watched my brother crying out in pain when they hit him and at some point his eyes flickered towards me, his head grinding against the rough ground. His eyes were red with pain and tears, while his mouth open to shout out a silent scream. But when he saw me, he bit his lips together and his eyes glimmered in the softer dusk light, as if telling me everything will be alright.

I stumbled back with dread as another hulking man with golden hair stood in front of my brother and suddenly punched him in the face, even from my position I could tell there was a visible crack in his head. And just like that I stood watching as they threw him back in the house that was still burning behind them.

I had a blank stare, as my gaze pinned on the burning frames I once used to lean against. I was sure my parents were dead, and I just watched my brother die too, painfully and slowly. I watched as the light faded away from his eyes but there was this determined look on his face, as if he was protecting something... something... me?

I had tried to step out there and help him, even though I was frozen in my place, but brother had pierced me with a glare, I knew what he was trying to tell me and I obeyed like a coward I was.

I simply watched as the men laughed and snickered and then hung around to see their work of art.

I don't know how it happened but just when I thought they would finally leave, one of them started sniffing the air and within a second tilted his head to the side, his dark eyes focusing on me, and since I was still in a dazed shock, I was not hiding and just my luck, I could feel them all focusing on me one by one.

I gulped, my heart beating like crazy.

Was I going to die too, maybe that was my fate, a punishment for just standing there doing nothing as my brother died. I couldn't bring any help, nor could I help him myself.

How useless was I?

Suddenly they rushed to me and I finally kicked my limbs into action, sprinting away from them.

They followed me.

I still ran, crossing the ponds, crossing the fields and finally reaching the dark woods I rarely visited. If I was going to die, I would feel better dying in a cold dark place, it was good, being punished for my cowardly weak spine.

They were still following me when I stumbled upon a small cave. It had started raining and I hadn't even noticed.

I heard the alpha troop howling and calling, in search of me, they were close, I could feel it. But this was something I deserved, didn't I? 

Then why was I still running, I should just surrender to them, I was too weak to get revenge and I didn't even know if this was all real or a nightmare.

Suddenly, a loud growl startled me, it was coming from the cave ahead of me.

I don't know how it happened, but at one point I was going to submit to my fate and at another instance I was facing two deep glowing eyes of a big wolf, I didn't even reach half of it's limbs, it was so huge.

The silver fir and the blue glow around it was otherworldly, making me dazed.

I stood stock still, watching the snout of beast sniffing me, and with a soft snort, it moved back and looked behind me.

But once I was sure it would kill me, it started to growl, a sound so threatening, that I peed in my pants. I trembled against it as cold ice gripped my veins. I had never felt fear this strong before, I was so affected by it, I was sure my voice was totally gone.

What was this strange aura the beast had, as if it was weighing on me and commanding me to submit to it.

A blur caught my attention and soon enough, I saw nothing but the cave in front of me , the wolf was gone. But to my utter horror, I heard sickening crunching noises and painful shouts of men from behind me.

I dared not move and look behind, but I knew what was happening.

Time went by and the shouts finally stopped. I felt sick.

I turned around and gasped. No longer could my body take it anymore and I hurled out my stomach, feeling fainter than earlier.

I wanted to just die... I wanted brother back, I wanted my parents back, I wanted this nightmare to end.

Before fainting the last thing I saw was the littered body parts of the dead alphas and one beautiful silver haired beast standing in the midst, splattered with red blood of it's enemies.