Life is overrated. + 

I stare up at the gray ceiling, the one I’ve opened my eyes to for eighteen years. Another eighteen plus to go. + 

I slide off the mattress and toss the blanket aside. People in survival movies fight so hard for their lives, not knowing what their future holds. They chase survival, oblivious to whether it’s worth it. + 

I grab my toothbrush and head upstairs, carefully avoiding the noisy floorboards I’ve memorized over the years. What if their lives turn out to be a disaster? Do they kill themselves, rendering all their efforts vain? Or do they endure, miserable? + 

I reach the top of the steps and tiptoe toward the bathroom, selectively placing my feet on spots of quiet wood. The whole world makes it seem like life is important, that death is something to be feared. + 

I hop onto the safe floorboards, bending to pull my toothpaste from the back of the drawer. My eyes lock with my reflection. Dark brown eyes stare back at my black skin and wild, kinky curls, tamed by an old fabric band. It feels like a mocking gaze. + 

I brush my teeth quickly, washing my mouth and face. It’s stupid to dwell on these thoughts. They only worsen the feeling, they don’t produce breakfast. + 

I stuff my toothbrush into my bra and hurry to the kitchen, pulling out pans along with the eggs and bacon. The fastest things I can make. I’m already running late. They don’t want to see me while they eat. They just want the food ready and warm, as if it materialized for their consumption. I don’t like bumping into them either. + 

I whip up the food quickly, washing the pans and setting the plates out just as the clock ticks 8:00 am. Just in time. They’ll be down here by 8:15 am. + 

I wipe my damp hands on my clothes and head back to my basement. I turn the corner and freeze. Liam, the Alpha’s son, stands before me. + 

Fuck. + 

He smirks and pushes off the wall, moving toward me. Fuck. Maybe I was a little later than I hoped. Why is he down here already? + 

“Hi, Eliana.” He stops in front of me, and I tense. His eyes trail down my body, despite my baggy gray dress, lingering at my chest and lips. He grabs my jaw, pulling me toward him. + 

I look at the floor. Eye contact means confrontation, and I hate pain. It’s unnecessary. + 

“Why are you always so stiff around me?” His fingernails dig into my skin, and blood begins to flow down his arm, dripping onto the floor. + 

I clench my fist and try to calm my wolf, who growls within me. We’ve endured far worse than this. What’s wrong with you today? You never get angry over small things. + 

She continues growling, affecting my mood. I lift my eyes to meet his, and his eyebrows rise as I glare at him. His grip tightens, deepening the wounds. He leans closer. + 

“Tell your wolf to back the fuck off. I can smell her losing her temper.” He whispers in my ear. + 

I’ll rip off your arm. + 

“Y-yes.” I bite my lip, trying to suppress her urges and my own. They match quite nicely, actually. + 

He throws me to the side, my head slamming into the wall. “Oh, and I’m here to tell you that an Alpha from a neighboring pack is coming over for three days, so stay your mutt-ass in the basement until he leaves. We don’t need you making us look bad.” He kneels beside me, sneering. + 

I nod, my wolf still swelling with anger. He grabs my wrist, squeezing it tight. It’s going to bruise for at least half a day. Ugh. This is stupid. + 

“Control your fucking wolf, bitch.” He lets go of me and gets up, heading toward the kitchen. I just want some peace. + 

“She’s making a mess.” + 

I glance up and see the pack members coming in from all directions. Some down the stairs, others down the hall, more slipping in from outside, where they slept in their own familial homes within the property. Great. Just fucking peachy. + 

“Stop bleeding all over the floor, slut. Go get something to wipe it up.” Vanessa, Liam’s mate, continues. + 

“The stench is horrible.” Mary, our Luna, adds. + 

The other pack members laugh and point in mockery. The children stare with curious eyes, while the rest murmur insults everyone can hear. + 

I sigh, folding my legs and pressing my knees into my chest—a sign of complete submission. Life is really overrated. + 

“Get out of here. We don’t need the sight of you while we eat.” The crowd quiets as the Alpha’s booming voice speaks. I keep my gaze down. + 

“Honey, she has to clean this up.” Mary says. + 

“Stop letting it drip like that.” Someone else says. + 

My wolf tries to take over as the looming figures discuss and surround me like a zoo animal. I hate this, I hate all of it. It’s so dumb. So fucking dumb. If they hate me, why don’t they just leave me alone? I don’t get it. I’d rather they avoid me like the plague than this. + 

I want out, but…they won’t let me. + 

I stand up, causing the group to pipe down again. “I’ll go get some wipes.” I nod to them and push through the crowd to get my cleaning products from the basement. + 

“Don’t touch me.” + 

“Ew, gross. Her arm bumped into mine.” + 

“You better not shove me.” + 

“Hurry back. We don’t want to smell your blood while we eat.” + 

They all speak loudly, making me wince as I try to get away from them. The wounds have stopped bleeding as I reach my basement, after running through the group. I put my forehead on the door and let out a deep breath. + 

I’m tired of this. Of them. Of this basement. I do everything they want, and yet, for years, I get treated like shit. + 

My wolf eggs on my emotions, pulling me closer to a cliff I thought I’d fallen off long ago. She needs to relax. Feeling bad for myself only makes my existence harder to endure. It’s been like this since I can remember. This is my life. It is what it is. This unchanging lifestyle is my reality, and I’ll keep living it, just like yesterday, today, and tomorrow. + 

I sigh. Life is really, really overrated. + 