Chapter 2 Amalie

”Move!” Melissa orders me as she stormed past. She left out the back door to get into her car.

I was folding the towels and other laundry at the kitchen table. She had purposefully nocked into me, so the laundry would fall. I bit back a remark as I scramble to catch the pile of towels that I had finished folding a few moments ago.

‘Entitled bitch,’ Beren scoffs in our head. ‘Say something!’

‘Say what?’ I demand as I pick up the pile of towels. ‘If I do, they’ll take it out on Rosebud. And why, she's gone already.'

‘How dare they!’ Beren howls, enraged at the thought of someone hurting our pup.

‘Exactly, they know that they can’t truly hurt us. We block out the pain and abuse, but Rose,’ I trail off in anger as I make my way to the linen closet. I put the towels away in the cabinet and try not to slam the door.

“Aunty,” Rose calls from where she was sitting at the table. I watch her shift her eyes about, looking for a threat. Rose only calls me Aunty in front of others. When we were alone, she still called me mama or mommy. She is working on a coloring book that a pack member had given her at the last pack meeting. She has colored all the pictures and was now drawing in the margines.

“Yes, love?” I ask as I make my way back to the kitchen.

“I help?” she ask.

“Sure love,” I smile as I pick her up out of her chair. I set her down on the counter. I hand her the hand towel that had been messed up and she attempts to fold it.

Rose smiles, her smile was so large as she hands back the towel. “I help, I help."

“Yes Rosebud, you will help,” I smile as she looks up at me. "How about biscuits and a beef stew?” I asks as I set her on a different counter.

“Stew?” Rose asks as she tries out the word.

“Stew,” I smiles as I tickle her. "Let's get those hands washed." I assist Rose in washing her hands as she continues to sing about helping.

“Not beef stew!” Marie screeches as she enters the kitchen. “Get that off the counter.”

I have to forcibly bite back a growl from Beren as Marie, my mother, insulted our pup.

Rose cringes into me at the loud noises. She has learned over a year ago to not cry in the presences of her family if it was not just me. My Rosebud was a smart girl and knew that no one but me loves and cares about her.

“I want chicken Alfredo,” she orders.

I try not to sigh, I really do, but one escapes as I state, “We are out of chicken, cream, and cheeses needed.”

“Don’t talk back to me,” Marie orderes as she slaps me across the face.

Rose is sheltered behind me, so she does not see me get hit. But she heard the hit. “I like beef,” she whispers.

My mother sighs and storms off.

I turn around and hug my pup. I whisper, “Go color.”

With tears in here eyes, she nods her head. She no longer wants to help.

I get to work on dinner.

‘We should kill them,’ Beren growls as we watch Rose sit, tears in her eyes.

‘We can’t,’ I growl back. We can’t. Not that couldn’t but can’t. If we kill our parents, we would be killed according to pack law. Then, if something happens to me, my parents, and my sister, Rose would go to my uncle. The same uncle who had tried to rape me years ago. I have no idea where he is living now that I haven't seen him in years. So no, I can’t kill my parents and sister. I will suffer through the pain and hurt to keep Rose safe. I will always take the pain to keep Rose safe. ‘I need to make dinner,’ I growl as I shut down the link between the two of us.

I get to work and make beef stew like I had planned. I don’t care what my mother said she wanted. But I do not have the items needed for chicken Alfredo. Growling to myself the whole time, I prepare the meal. As the stew simmers, I get out what I need for biscuits. My growling get louder as I discover we were out of flour. I had not realized I used the last while I made the rue for the stew.

“Ma?” Rose whispers as she slid out of her chair and walks to me.

“I’m alright love,” I reply as I wrap my arms around her.

The one thing my mother hates more than me, was me when I said I was going to make something and then didn’t. It was not my fault my father drank heavily of alcohol spiked with wolfsbane, my mother gambled, and my sister spent the rest of the money on shopping to impress others. Three vises and I was left to make it work on little else. It wasn’t like I could go get a job and earn money. I was to remain at home and not be seen.

“I’m alright,” I state as I bury my face into her blonde curls. “Did you finish?” I ask as I try to distract the two of us.

She is about to reply when my father storms into the kitchen. He reeks of cheap whiskey. “Stew,” he sneers at me, huddled on the floor with my pup.

“It’s all we had,” I mumble as I kept my eyes low. My father hates it when I challenge him.

“Useless,” he growls at me. Thomas went to strike me when Melissa come running back into the kitchen.

I am surpised she was back so soon after she had only left an hour ago. Usually, she would be out for hours. At the moment, I am not going to complain. She's stopped my father from hitting me. Was it unintentional, yes. Was I grateful all the same, also yes.

“Daddy! I need a new dress. The twins are turning twenty-three next week!” Melissa screeches with excitement.

“What?” he asks in a confused tone. The spiked whiskey that he drank was not allowing him to connect the dots very fast.

Mellisa starts to ramble about her friends and how several of them stated that they were going to be taking a chosen mate as Luna.

I pay her little attention as I attempt to slide myself and Rose towards the basement door.

“Fine, we’ll go get you a damn dress. Only because we have to go out to eat,” Thomas states with a glare thrown my way. “Marie! We’re going out to eat.”

“Thank the goddess. I want chicken Alfredo,” she whines like a teenager. I sometimes wonder why my mother acted younger than her two kids.

“I want this place clean when we come home,” Thomas yells. He hits the handle of the pan and sends it sliding into the back of the stove, slopping stew over the stove.