Traversing Worlds

Arc One Ch. 41

Between the warped and twisted education that he received from them that was meant to make getting him to agree to such an unfair mating contract and bullying he suffered from their youngest.

It felt as if there was no escape from the torment since even pack lessons held Jackson, the alpha's son seemed to have a hard on for targeting where ever he went. At first he'd been easy to bully constantly coming home with bruises, cracked bones and cuts. He refused to bow his head in defeat.

At night he would looked towards the Moon Goddess and plead for a better life. He wanted the constant attacks on him to stop but they never did. So he finally began to realize that it was all the Moon Goddess's fault that his life was like this. She'd stripped him of his loving family and home while placing a tyrant he couldn't touch on top of him. It finally came to a point where he vowed to take revenge for his parents' deaths.

He stopped looking towards the light of the moon for guidance and empty comfort. Instead he began to hide his true feelings away and wear a smile. This seemed to not only irritate the family's youngest but also Jackson. Those who would avoid his gloomy old self came around to the brighter more confident self he tried to be. At first it was like wearing clothes that didn't fit or a mask which hid away the truth. Though over time this all changed as he pushed himself to get stronger in both mind and body.

He no longer came back limping with a bruise covered face nor did he allow the words used by the other to cut so deeply.

This change though brought along a new problem. Those who'd adopted him notice this change and worried he might escape their grasp. They'd decided before then to break off his wings. But before this could happen the youngest decided to try one last time to hurt him deeply and struck his weakest point.

Everything had been a lie since the day he was adopted as they'd never cared about him from the start. All those years of abuse he suffered by her were known to them and even encouraged. At the end she finally told him about how everything he'd still kept dear would be ripped away from him. I would like to see how you keep smiling after that. Those words were followed by a sadistic smile.

Mentally he convinced himself that she'd been lying, even though there was nothing wrong with her scent.

Not too long after this he got called in to his adoptive mother's sitting room. Giving off the same warmth that healed the emptiness left after the death of his parents. Walking in a he could see her smiling gently as she almost always did.

After a few pleasantries and a bit of small talk she finally brought up the mating contract. At first glance all appeared normal but Marcus held some misgivings and took a much closer look. His heart dropped when faced with reality and realized that this wasn't simply a bad dream. He refused to go along with the sham of a relationship any longer.

Even after growing stronger they had been ready for resistance. Getting up to leave he found a wolf guard at the door waiting for him. Since he didn't sign the signal to let him pass wasn't given. These guards weren't normal as they captured him and forced him under house arrest.

Later he learned that they were males born to the family.

For nearly a month he suffered from starvation. They'd tried using smells of delicious food to force him into willingly agreeing to that unfair and awful mating contract. Day and night his stomach became an enemy that'd fight against him. As the morsels he was given to keep him alive smelled and tasted vile while he wasn't able to physically keep it down.

During this time he thought himself dead, he'd rather die resisting than bring another life into the world to suffer.

Then something that was completely unexpected happened. Jackson of all wolves came and saved him. Though the male now seemed to have a hard on even after suffering constant lose by him, he came back for more.

The family had enough influence and power to raise donors they weren't at all close in handling the alpha's son. They were force to end the starvation and confinement as Jackson refused to leave without getting to fight him.

This moment marked an opening that would allow him to escape their hold on him.

Marcus no longer hated Jackson like he despised him. Instead he found it easier to look at him and understand his own problems. He was the alpha's son with the high expectations which came along with such a position. But even if he understood him Marcus did not allow others to step all over him.

What didn't hurt was that he'd gone through the change first, causing the other to go after him even more.

In the beginning he hadn't himself to be an alpha born but as time went on his natural strength and commanding presence became known. Rumors had begun circulating that it wouldn't be Jackson taking over as next alpha but him. During this time female wolves were constantly surrounding him. He felt like a piece of meat beneath the heated gazes of these female wolves. This sudden attention didn't make him feel happy at all as they fought for his attention.

The family that adopted him tried to extend an olive branch and restore a semblance of their previous relation with him but it was too late. Feeling disgusted and disappointed by them his opinion dropped further when the youngest who utterly despised him showed up looking to make peace by trying to force a mating between them.

Left completely revolted he could no longer see a reason to find someone to mate with. He would befriend the ones who pursued him most heavily and make it so they found trouble in getting any further intimacy with him difficult.

Though this single outlook on life had changed, the scent that drove him to insanity trying to find it and when he, found it belonged to a female unlike any other he'd met before. She didn't stare at him like a piece of meat, she didn't ask invasive that made him feel uncomfortable, she worried more for others around her than herself and it even included himself which didn't leave him feeling dirty.