Twisting Her Fate
Chapter 2

Leilani's grip on the sheets is so tight that the material is starting to fray. She breathes in gasps before she runs with light footsteps toward the laundry room, locking the door behind her. She leans against the running washer, breathing hard. She needs to get oxygen into her lungs as her whole body shudders. She has lived a life like this just so she can be sent away to die. Where is the fairness? Where is the justice? What did she do wrong?

Future Alpha Gabriel has never been particularly nice to her, but he has never been so cruel as to dismiss her death so easily. Is that what a leader is really meant to do? Hasn't she been obedient? Hasn't she been helpful?

She leads a life of slavery. Never putting up a single complaint, letting the others do nothing while she does everything. Never protesting, never taking a day off and this is how she is repaid?

She thought that maybe one day all her suffering would come to an end and she could leave this life behind, maybe graduate from school, maybe replace a well-paying job, maybe rent a tiny place of her own. She never aimed as high as replaceing a mate or having a family.

But even her pitiful dreams are too much, isn't it just too ruthless? Isn't it just too vicious?

The gentle whir of the washing machine calms her as the contents spin gently in the water. She watches the clothes tumble around and around, reminding her that life will go on once she is gone.

Leilani collapses on the floor as she watches the gentle sloshing, the bubbles sitting on the top, the brightly colored clothing the only touch of vivid color in the otherwise white and dismal laundry room.

As Leilani looks around herself, looks at the old laundry, the only thing new is the machines and that is only as the old ones break.

Just like all the other places she is allowed, old, crowded and broken.

What is she holding on to?

Is this what she is desperately gripping onto?

Is this what she is sad to leave?

Leilani stands to her feet. There is a chance she won't die. This could be the start of something. It doesn't have to mark her demise, it can mark her new beginning.

She is stronger than they all give her credit for. It is possible that she could make it through six years with her life. If she could, wouldn't she be better? Wouldn't it be her chance?

Two days later, Leilani packs up her measly belongings and looks around her cleaning cupboard. It is hard to feel sentimental about it and she actually feels a huge sense of relief to be leaving it behind.

As soon as she walks out of the room she throws her school bag, the only bag that she owns that was a hand-me-down from others, over her shoulder. As soon as she steps out of her room, she comes face to face with Maggie. How the she wolf is always within another packs borders is beyond Leilani. Maggie just wanders around freely. Isn't that a security concern?

"It is a happy day, the world is finally getting set right, those that should die are on their way to die and those that should be happy and prosper do"

Maggie chuckles darkly as she inspects her hot pink nails.

"I will be happy and you will be thrown on the fire with the rest of the dead, where you have always belonged"

Leilani just looks at the floor, while she would love nothing more than to punch Maggie in her pretentious, perfectly made-up face, but if she did that, she would never be allowed to leave the pack at all.

And all she wants now is just to leave. She doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize that, so finally standing up for herself now would be counterproductive.

Leilani shuffles past, gripping the strap of her bag tightly as she tries to avoid Maggie. She knows Maggie well enough to know that there is no limit to how many insults she can hurl and how long she can go for. Maggie's endurance, when it comes to bullying, harassment, belittling and world-class b*tchiness has no limits.

Maggie shoulders Leilani, causing Leilani to stumble and fall into the wall opposite. Maggie feels no sympathy for the girl that is leaving and is soon to meet her end. She just hates Leilani with the fire of a thousand suns. She, herself, doesn't even know why, but she just wants to wring the weak wolf's neck every time she sees her.

Maggie is better than Leilani in every single way, whether it is blood, family background, upbringing, looks, body, intelligence, Maggie is better. While she doesn't know where the hatred stems from, she just goes with it.

Maggie grabs Leilani's backpack, pulling it back in a harsh motion, making Leilani fall to the ground. Maggie kicks her directly in the stomach.

"I am just glad that you will be gone. I feel dirty to have to breathe the same air as you, I feel deep-seeded disgust to have to look at you. I have no idea why Lance even allows you to clean, everything has to be disinfected after you have been anywhere near it, you are such a disease, growing, festering, using countless resources that you are undeserving of"

Maggie laughs as she stands and places a foot on Leilani's chest, pressing down just enough to cause pain, but careful not to break anything. This isn't her pack, so she always walks a fine line when it comes to bullying a pack member. While Gabriel always encourages it when it is Leilani, Maggie still has to be mindful of boundaries.

Maggie bends down, twisting her foot in the process, hurting Leilani's barely budding br*asts.

"If I were Lance and Gabriel I would just kill you now and cut out the middle-man. Do you know that the elite training requires full payment for the six years up front, even if you die the first day they don't even get a refund?" Maggie grips Leilani's chin, forcing Leilani to look at her.

"You aren't even worth a single cent. I would rather set the money on fire on your dead body than do what they did, but I guess it is good for keeping up appearances"

Maggie walks away laughing as Leilani stumbles to her feet, tears prick her eyes and she rubs her aching chest as she tries to tie back up her broken strap of the bag. Failing to do so, she can only clutch it to her chest as she walks toward the front door. Just as the door is within sight, Leilani is hit from the side by a massive force. The air is knocked out of her lungs. Leilani's already aching chest feels like it has been crushed. She is not sure if her bones are broken, but her whole body feels bruised from the hit. One side stands a warm body and the other side is the cold hard wall.

Gabriel presses himself against Leilani, a threatening aura makes her tremble and the murderous look in his eyes is beyond her tolerance, she is quaking in fear.

Gabriel's canines are out and a snarl shakes the pictures on the walls as he looks at the pathetic little girl that the moon goddess decided was worthy of standing by his side. It is not just the four-year age gap that concerns him, it is just her.

Leilani is petrified, she is a doormat that gets walked all over, she is weak, she has no fight and isn't even intelligent enough to retort to anyone, how could anyone like that be worthy to be with him?

As he looks at the girl that reeks of fear, he has never felt more disgusted in his whole life.

The moon goddess blessed him? More like a curse.

Leilani's mate scent permeates the air and just makes Gabriel more furious. It is an insult to him. Is this a personal attack from the moon goddess?

"You, you peasant scum, better do the world a favor and cease to exist"

Gabriel is so angry that his clenched fists are cracking and popping under the pressure, his claws are digging so far into his palms the thick red blood drips to the ground. He looms over the petite figure, aggressiveness rolling off him, he wants to kill her with his bare hands, he wants to beat her to death.

How dare she?

Leilani doesn't dare to look up, Gabriel's alpha aura coupled with his anger makes it impossible for her to raise her head, the oxygen seems to disappear, the body against her in burning hot, rolling fiery hatred, yet Leilani feels cold deep within her bones, her breathing comes in laboured shaky pants.

"And if, for some reason, you actually survive these next six years? Don't you ever come back here. I will be alpha by then and there is no way I would allow such a filthy parasite to infest the pack"

Gabriel laughs but the sound is so harsh, it is cold as ice and holds a severe mocking quality.

"Not that I have to worry about that, you are so weak, so pathetic that you won't even make it in the front door, they might even see what the rest of us see and not even allow you to sully their doorstep, striking you down on the spot" Gabriel spits on the side of Leilani's face. He has hardly dared to breathe as the mate scent is so consuming and so blinding, he can't wait for her to leave, so he never has to smell it again, never feel that natural pull.

"I hope your death is fvcking painful you b!tch, I wish I got to do it myself, but either way, I will sleep better at night, knowing that you felt so much blinding excruciating pain before you died. I will dream happily imagining all the ways that they will torture you."