The Beta's Baby Sister
The blaring of her alarm at 6:00 AM ripped Sapphire from a fleeting dream of a carefree childhood on the beach, a memory now tainted by the stark reality of her life.
She dragged herself from bed, the image of her reflection in the full-length mirror a stark reminder of her brokenness. Pale skin, thin limbs, and bruises in various stages of healing marred her body. Her once vibrant blue eyes, the reason for her name, were now dull and lifeless.
"Why am I always picked on?" she whispered to her wolf, Ruby, who offered no new answer. Just the familiar, "Honestly, hun, I don't know."
Sapphire's thoughts drifted back to Jesse, her older brother. His 13th birthday, his first shift, and then his friendship with the Alpha's son, Cameron. That was when everything changed. She became invisible, then a target. Her parents, power-hungry, forgot her when Jesse was promised the Beta position. She became the pack's toy.
"Shit," she mumbled, glancing at the time. 6:45 AM. Thirty minutes until she needed to be out the door.
Quickly, she pulled on black leggings and an oversized black sweatshirt, grabbed her beat-up white Vans, phone, and bag. Tiptoeing down three flights of stairs, careful not to wake anyone, she slipped into the kitchen. Grabbing a sandwich and a banana, she noted the time: 7:10. People were stirring. She grabbed an apple and was out the door, beginning her usual thirty-minute walk to school, headphones already in place, tuning out the world.
