The next morning, the weight of the previous day’s events bore down on me like a heavy shroud. There was no way I could face school, not after what the twins had done. So I decided to feign illness, pulling the covers over my head as Mariah checked on me.

“Stormi?”, Mariah walked into my room and called “Hey what’s wrong?”,

“I don’t feel well Mariah”, I lie. I can’t possibly go to school. How will I ever face the twins? I’m not sure what their reason behind kissing me was and whatever it was I don’t want to find out.

” I know you’re lying. Is it the bullying?”, she asked and kissed me on the forehead “Who is it? Tell me and I’ll give them a piece of my mind”,

“No it’s okay Mariah, no one bullying me I just want to stay home”, I sincerely say.

“Okay. Just rest up,” she said, placing a cool hand on my forehead. “I’ll be back in the evening. Don’t forget to do the laundry at the pack house.”

I nodded weakly, grateful for the excuse to stay home. Skipping school meant I avoided the twins and their inevitable torment, but it also meant facing the Luna at the pack house. She rarely spoke to me beyond giving curt instructions, and her indifference was just as intimidating as outright hostility. She used to be nice but after her younger brother tried to make me touch his privates and told Mariah about it who later confronted the Luna and her brother she hated me. Her brother called me a liar and she believed him. But I wasn’t the only one he tried to do it to. When one of the pack members’ daughter came forward about a year later and he was exiled from the park. But I’m used to her by now she needed someone to blame for what happened to her brother and I happen to be that person.

After Mariah left I cleaned up the cabin and took a shower before sitting at the kitchen counter to study.

By late afternoon, I made my way to the pack house. The packed house was a large, stately building where all the important families lived or spent most of their time. Elijah’s family, being among the most prominent, had a significant presence there, and Osagiah’s family because his father was the Beta. I hoped to be in and out quickly, unnoticed.

I slipped inside, the familiar scent of pine and clean linen filling the air. The Luna, Elijah’s mother, was in the kitchen, and she barely glanced at me as I entered.

“Laundry,” she said simply, her back to me as she continued chopping vegetables and continuing her conversation with the other pack women. I nodded, not expecting more. She rarely spoke to me beyond giving necessary instructions.

I sighed as I walked into the laundry room seeing the pile of dirty clothes in the laundry baskets. I quickly got to work and began sorting them according to colors.