Wolfsbane- Chapter One in the Warren Pack Series

Chapter Three

Wolfsbane

Chapter 3

Branwen

I pulled up to the house just before sun truly disappeared from the sky. The two-bed council house wasn't much, with grey pebbledash and dreary windows. What I liked most about the house was it was right on the edge of the fields leading into the forest. The view from my room was beautiful, even if I had to see past overgrown shrubbery to see it.

I tucked my bike next to the bins around the side, then went to unlock the door, and froze when I realised a key was already inside the lock. She was home already, or she hadn't gone out yet.

You just need to slip upstairs, grab a bag, and go. I thought to myself. Friday nights were always the best night of the week, we often swapped between staying at Toby's or Rowan's, staying up til the early hours playing games or watching movies, the highlight of my teen years.

I took a deep breath as I opened the door, and tried to slide off my shoes as quietly as I could so I could walk upstairs in my socks, but unfortunately, she could hear everything.

"Where the fuck were you?" I heard her slur from the kitchen, and I squeezed my eyes shut for a second. She was like this ever since I could remember, drinking every night, and bringing home any guy who would give her the time of day. I think she was trying to replace my dad in some way, in her warped mind. She had never hurt me, but I had always lived in fear that I might make her snap one day.

"Watching a game." I said, standing in the doorway at the end of the hall, looking down at my socks.

"Of course you were," She sighed angrily, "Whoring yourself out for those boys."

"They're my best friends." I said flatly.

I finally looked up at her as she barked a hoarse laugh," That's how it starts. They get you all friendly...then knock you up and die." In the only picture that I've found of her before the accident, she looked beautiful, and I'd even inherited her blue eyes and blonde hair, but now her hair was dyed black, her face sallow and lacking colour. Even her eyes were no longer blue, but plain grey.

"They would never do that."I replied, and mentally kicked myself for rising to her bait. I knew better than to indulge her.

The bottle of gin shook as she laughed again," Well you beat my record anyway, at least you won't be a teen mother, that's the only thing for me to be proud of."

"I'm eighteen." I rolled my eyes at her. I should have just ignored her and gone upstairs, I shouldn't have enabled her, I shouldn't have...

A sharp blow to the face, right in the eye, had me seeing stars. I barely had time to register the pain before I was pushed up against the wall, and I was smacked against the wallpaper as she shook me.

"Don't talk back to me, you little shit! You're lucky you're the one still alive." She growled, her eyes wild with fury. I gasped in horror, shocked that such a little thing had suddenly made her snap.

"I'm...I'm sorry...."

She slammed me again, my head snapping back as it hit the wall behind, pain blossoming from the base of my skull," I wish the other one had lived," She spat, before grabbing her big red handbag," I'm going on holiday, I'll be back before you've burnt the house down."

Ah yes, 'holiday'. A month-long bender probably where she would forget her own name and the fact that she still had a piece of her husband, something she felt the need to abuse and belittle to make herself feel better.