The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella - Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Jordan POV
I shivered, the cold spreading to my bare toes and fingers, my breath is easily seen in the dark as I huddled against the hard stone wall of the well, or what my father mockingly called the hole. I sniffed, the tears that had trailed down my cheeks having long dried out. My hair hung limply down my back and my hands trembled as I rubbed them together in an effort to keep them warm. I knew better than to try screaming for help. The cover Father had placed on top easily muffled the sounds and kept me from being able to see anything, including the creatures that I could hear scurrying around.
You can do this Jordan, I tried to tell myself, even as my heart raced and exhaustion overtook me, you have been through this before and survived. Instinctively I had known that I would be punished for Jaxon’s invitation not only to the ball but also for the upcoming weekend, my father furious that he was unable to refuse in front of the Alpha and Luna of our pack. He was scared I thought bitterly, that I might do the unthinkable and tell another pack what transpired at home. This was his way of making sure I kept my mouth shut.
I moved, wincing from the pain in my body. My father had yanked the ladder up before I had fully descended, sending me crashing to the ground. My knees were grazed and so were my hands, throbbing with pain. If I had my wolf they would have healed by now I thought a tad bit sourly. I was tired, my eyes fluttering closed, only to open abruptly whenever something crawled across me, making me desperately swipe whatever it was off of me.
“Let me out” I whispered hoarsely “Please god let me out” I sniffed.
I was claustrophobic and the walls continually felt like they were closing in around me. I had had so many panic attacks I’d lost count and at one stage had lost consciousness during one of them for what must have been an explicable amount of time before I woke back up. It was all I could do to keep myself calm.
I wondered how much time had passed. It felt like a lifetime, with no sign of sunlight anywhere. I was praying that it would be morning soon because then my father would have no choice but to let me out so that I could go back to school. For me to be missing the day after Jaxon’s visit would only draw attention and that was the last thing my father would want. The sound of footsteps sounded dimly in the distance. My shoulder’s straightened and I stared hopefully upwards, hoping for the cover of the well to come off. There was a loud screeching noise that made me put my hands over my ears, and then sunlight poured in, making me blink against the harshness of the light. A ladder slowly descended, landing on the ground with a soft thud.
“Hurry up before I leave you down here” snapped my father’s voice.
I didn’t need to be told twice. I scrambled towards it and began to climb it, panting heavily as I ascended each rung, getting to the top and flinging myself over, landing in the dirt with a loud thud right on my ass. My father stood there, derision on his face. He eyed me, curling his lip back.
“You ever tell anybody that you were down there, I’ll kill you while you’re sleeping” he hissed.
I went to nod and then stopped. Something came over me then, something daring. I stood up and I faced him, my hands clenching into fists. “You’re nothing but a coward” I shot out, my body trembling “All you do is bully me, and for what? Something that happened when I was an innocent child. What are you going to do when I get my wolf father? What then?” I challenged heatedly, lost in my words and not noticing how dark his eyes had gone or that he was ominously quiet. “It’s going to be a hell of a lot harder to beat me into submission isn’t it” I snapped, raising my eyes and meeting his squarely. Oh god, what had I just done? But part of me was so angry and so fed up with being blamed for everything. I just wanted to be a normal teenage girl. I was tired of being the scapegoat. Tired of living in fear. My father was a monster and so was Sarah. For so long I had held everything inside internally and now it was coming out in short bursts of anger. But part of me did wonder. What was he going to do when I had my wolf? I would be stronger, faster. I might even eventually be able to escape this blasted pack and find one of my own. Maybe even live at Jaxon’s. His control would slip and I would no longer be his puppet. I could tell that he was considering my words because there was a sadistic smile on his face.
“Brave words coming from an overweight weak werewolf such as yourself” he commented quietly as I flinched.
Naturally, he would try to hurt me with his words, it was his usual routine. But this aloofness, instead of shouting was not. In fact, he looked too calm for my liking. Why wasn’t he yelling or screaming at me? Where was the usual rage that he normally displayed? I swallowed hard. Something didn’t seem right. His eyes glittered with contempt.
“I’m not the coward that left your mother to be killed by rogues,” he said evenly.
Another hit. I gasped in outrage. He c****d his head.
“Do you really think I haven’t considered what I’m going to do with you when you get your wolf?” he asked me with a raised eyebrow as I inhaled sharply “Did you really think that I didn’t have a plan? I know that your eighteenth birthday is after the weekend. I haven’t forgotten that. Or were you hoping I had?” he asked with interest.
To be honest I had hoped he had. He’d never remembered my birthday before. Or maybe that’s what he had wanted me to think.
“You can’t stop me from shifting” I whispered.
He flung his head back and laughed. “Oh I wouldn’t dream of it” he sneered as I looked at him in confusion “But where you are going to shift, well that’s a different story” he breathed “I figure the hole will do nicely or perhaps somewhere else,” he said thoughtfully “either way, you won’t be running away into the forest” he advised coldly as I looked at him in dismay. My body shook. “You, you wouldn’t dare” I stammered “Alpha John and Luna Mary…” I trailed off.
“Will do nothing” he growled “and it’s going to stay that way, do you hear me” he hissed and then moved, faster than I could defend myself against, grabbing me by the chin and flinging me to the ground. I screamed, pain ricocheting through my body. He swung his leg back and kicked me hard in the ribs as I doubled over and clutched at them.
“Not so brave now huh” he grunted, mocking me “Not so brave now are you Jordan?”
Another kick to the ribs as I screamed, tears trailing down my cheeks. The pain was so bad I almost vomited right there and then. I was certain he’d broken several ribs. I sobbed. He wasn’t finished with me yet. I felt another kick to my leg and howled.
I couldn’t move. I could barely breathe. I was hysterical. He reached down and slapped me across the face, hard. I felt the sharp sting of his hand as it made contact. He hit me so hard that my head went sideways. He grabbed my hair and forced me to look at him. “I will never forgive you for what you did. You might have convinced Alpha John and Luna Mary to let you go to that damn ball” he growled “and to let you go to your so-called friend Jaxon’s house, but if you ever so much as let slip anything that happens here, I will make your life a living hell in comparison to the norm. If you think this is bad, picture just how worse I can make it” he breathed in my face as my eyes widened.
“I’m sorry” I whispered as he let go of my hair and my head hit the ground, causing me to see stars for a moment.
“I can’t believe the moon goddess gave me a daughter as pathetic and weak as you are” he snarled, standing back up and moving slightly away “If I could have gotten away with killing you over the years I would have done it by now” he added disgustedly.
Silence. I closed my eyes in resignation. Part of me wished he had killed me sometime over the years. At least then, I wouldn’t have been here to experience all this pain and all this suffering. But instead, it continued and the abuse never seemed to stop. I know I shouldn’t have opened my mouth and provoked him but what else was I supposed to do? I was close to breaking point.
He spat on the ground next to me, making me feel even more degraded. “Disgusting fat pig” he muttered “Get your ass up and make breakfast” he hissed, turning on his heel and stomping away as I lay there in a daze. It hurt so bad. I didn’t want to move, but I feared the consequences of what might happen if I didn’t get up to make breakfast. I moved my leg and stifled my cry of pain, rolling over to my hands and knees, and gritting my teeth as a fresh wave of pain crashed over me. I stood up, feeling my ribs move, and clutched at them. I would need to bind them before I could do anything and I walked slowly and tentatively toward the house, heading inside and straight to the first aid kit. I bit my lip and slowly and carefully bound my ribs, securing them tightly, and then headed to the kitchen, my father sitting at the table and glowering at me.
I bowed my head and began to struggle in getting breakfast ready. Every step was painful. Lifting anything made me want to scream. I had to keep pausing in between and the entire time my father’s eyes were on me watching me the whole time. Finally, I slid a plate in front of him and another one on the table for Sarah who came flouncing out and sat down with a smirk on her face. She knew exactly where I’d spent the night. She began to eat while I leaned against the kitchen counter, trying not to throw up. The idea of trying to eat while feeling like this was enough to make me retch, but I forced some bacon down and drank some water. I shoved my lunch into my backpack and panted. My father rolled his eyes, stood up, and headed out the door without a word. Sarah got up and grabbed her backpack.
“See you in school loser” she sneered.
I scowled at her and did the dishes, listening to the sound of her car leaving. Then I hoisted my backpack over my shoulder with a small cry and began to hobble toward the front door, locking it behind me and making my way toward school. It was going to take a miracle for me to make it to class on time, I thought sadly, considering I was walking at a snail’s pace and even when I got there, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make it through the day. The pain was that intense. As a shifter, I would still heal faster than a human but slower than those with a wolf. It was annoying really. Just when I couldn’t take any more walking and was about to give up, tears pricking the corners of my eyes, I heard the loud sound of a horn beeping and Jaxon’s cheerful voice from behind me.
“Get in Jordan, I’ll give you a lift. Why are you walking like a little old lady?” he asked puzzled, narrowing his eyes at me as I fought back the tears.