Chapter 2 Amalie

”Move!” Melissa ordered as she stormed past me. She left out the back door to get into her car.

I had been folding the towels and other laundry at the kitchen table. I bit back a remark as I scrambled to catch the pile of towels that I had finished folding.

‘Entitled bitch,’ Beren scoffed in our head. ‘Say something!’

‘Say what?’ I demanded as I picked up the pile of towels. ‘If I do, they’ll take it out on Rosebud.’

‘How dare they!’ Beren howled, enraged at the thought of someone hurting our pup.

‘Exactly, they know that they can’t truly hurt us. We block out the pain and abuse, but Rose,’ I trailed off in anger as I made my way to the linen closet. I put the towels away in the cabinet and tried not to slam the door.

“Aunty,” Rose called from where she was sitting at the table. Rose only called me Aunty in front of others. When we were alone, she still called me mama. She was working on a coloring book that a pack member had given her at the last pack meeting. She had colored all the pictures and was now drawing in the margined.

“Yes, love?” I asked as I made my way back to the kitchen.

“I help?” she asked.

“Sure love,” I smiled as I picked her up out of her chair. I set her down on the counter.

Rose smiled, her smile was so large as she leaned over to wash her hands. “I help, I help,” she sang to herself as she washed her hands with my help.

“Yes Rosebud, you will help,” I smiled as she was assisted in drying her hands. “How about biscuits and a beef stew?” I asked as I set her on a different counter.

“Stew?” Rose asked as she tried out the word.

“Stew,” I smiled as I tickled her.

“Not beef stew!” Marie screeched as she entered the kitchen. “Get that off the counter.”

I had to forcibly bite back a growl from Beren as Marie, my mother, insulted our pup.

Rose cringed into me at the loud noises. She had learned over a year ago to not cry in the presences of her family if it was not just me. My Rosebud was a smart girl and knew that no one but me loved and cared about her.

“I want chicken Alfredo,” she ordered.

I tried not to sigh, I really did, but one escaped as I stated, “We are out of chicken, cream, and cheeses needed.”

“Don’t talk back to me,” Marie ordered as she slapped me across the face.

Rose was sheltered behind me, so she did not see me get hit. But she heard the hit. “I like beef,” she whispered.

My mother sighed and stormed off.

I turned around and hugged my pup. I then whispered, “Go color.”

With tears in here eyes, she nodded her head. She no longer wanted to help.

I got to work on dinner.

‘We should kill them,’ Beren growled as we watched Rose sit, with tears in her eyes.

‘We can’t,’ I growled back. We can’t. Not that couldn’t but can’t. If we killed our parents, we would be killed according to pack law. Then, if something happened to me, my parents, and my sister, Rose would go to my uncle. The same uncle who had tried to rape me. So no, I couldn’t kill my parents and sister. I would suffer through the pain and hurt if that meant keeping Rose safe. I would step between them and Rose every day if that meant she would not suffer. ‘I need to make dinner,’ I growled as I shut down the link between the two of us.

I got to work and made the beef stew like I had planned. I don’t care what my mother said she wanted. But I did not have the items needed for chicken Alfredo. Growling to myself the whole time, I prepared the meal. As the stew simmered, I started to get out what I needed for biscuits. My growling got louder as I discovered we were out of flour. I had not realized I used the last while I made the rue for the stew.

“Ma?” Rose whispered as she slid out of her chair and walked to me.

“I’m alright love,” I replied as I wrapped my arms around her.

The one thing my mother hated more than me, was me when I said I was going to make something and then didn’t. It was not my fault my father drank heavily of alcohol spiked with wolfsbane, my mother gambled, and my sister spent the rest of the money on shopping to impress others. Three vises and I was left to make it work on little else. It wasn’t like I could go get a job and earn money. I was to remain at home and not be seen.

“I’m alright,” I stated as I buried my face into her blonde curls. “Did you finish?” I asked as I tried to distract the two of us.

She was about to reply when my father stormed into the kitchen. He reeked of cheap whiskey. “Stew,” he sneered at me, huddled on the floor with my pup.

“It’s all we had,” I mumbled as I kept my eyes low. My father hated it when I challenged him.

“Useless,” he growled at me. Thomas went to strike me when Mellisa came running back into the kitchen.

I was surprised she was back so soon after she had only left an hour ago. Usually, she would be out for hours. At the moment, I wasn’t going to complain. She had stopped my father from hitting me. Was it unintentional, yes. Was I grateful all the same, also yes.

“Daddy! I need a new dress. The twins are turning twenty-three next week!” Mellisa screeched.

“What?” he asked in a confused tone. The spiked whiskey that he drank was not allowing him to connect the dots.

Mellisa started to ramble about her friends and how several of them has stated that they were going to be taking a chosen mate as luna.

I paid her little attention as I attempted to slide myself and Rose towards the basement door.

“Fine, we’ll go get you a damn dress. Only because we have to go out to eat,” Thomas stated with a glare thrown my way. “Marie! We’re going out to eat.”

“Thank the goddess. I want chicken Alfredo,” she whined like a teenager. I sometimes wonder why my mother acted younger than her two kids.

“I want this place clean when we come home,” Thomas yelled. He hit the handle of the pan and sent it sliding into the back of the stove, slopping stew over the stove.