Chapter 1
Smack The pain in her cheek stung enough to bring tears to Sienna Elliott’s eyes as her teeth jarred and her skin heated. She did her best in keep the slumpness in her eyes from ninning down her face. Lowering her head, she took the barrage of names and insults that accompanied the slap.
“seriously, Siennal It’s not that complicated!” Jenna Hark shouted with her hands on her hips as her pretty face twisted into an ugly scowl. “It’s just rges, damit it! Why can’t you do anything right the first time? You’ve been making my breakfast since you were six years old! You’d think in fifteen years you’d be able to get something right, but I guess you’re just a useless liftch, like your mother!”
The last part of the insult stung the most. Sienna had never even known her mother, Jodi, who had died in childbirth the right Sienna was born. That night twenty–one years ago, sealed her Tate in ways she will couldn’t understand. Since then, the ‘il been in service to the Alpha family Though she was given a reprieve when she was an infant, shuntled and from one pack family home to another, as soon as she was old enough to walk she’d been brought into service here, at Alpha Kent’s homme, and made to wait on his daughter hand and foot.
Jenna was only a year older than Sienna, but she’d learned to loys her around at quite a young age, taking her curs from her stepmother, Veronica,
who mamed the Alpha not long after his first wife died–the same night Sienna was born.
The plate of eggs and toast came flying at her, barely missing her head. Sienna didn’t duck out of the way. Over the years, she learned that flinching made zi weirse. The plate hit the wall behind her and shattered into a thousand pieces, mixing shards of white glass with eggs on the ground.
“Clean it up, b*tch!” Jenna shouted just as the sound of Veronica’s high heels clattered against the wooden floor.
“What’s going on“” her stepmother asked as she came into the room. “Did Sienna ruin the eggs again?
“Yes” Jenna spot. “As usual, I don’t know why I even bother to try to get her to cook for me.”
I’m sorry darling “Veronica walked over and patted her stepdaughter lovingly on the shoulder as Sienna set about cleaning up the mess Jenna hat made. At least the plate had missed her head this time. She had plenty of scars on the side of her head from glass plates. She had plenty of scars everywhere on her body from Jenna and her family’s cruelty, as well as bruises and cuts in various forms of healing and broken bones that had healed poorly with no attention from the pack healers. Thankfully, shifters healed more quickly than humans. Sienna would be okay. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.
“What do you have planned today, sweetheart?“ Veronica asked.
Sienna saw their shoes as they moved into the adjoining kitchen to the counter. She assumed Jenna would make a protein shake like she did most mornings. Asking her to make eggs and toast was just a way to ridicule her. It was something the cruel young woman did every day. Never once did the actually eat it. Most of the time, it ended up on the floor or sineared down Sienna’s shirt. Once, Jenna had mude Sienna eat it off of the floor, lauching at her and telling her she was a “had dog” the whole time.
As bad as it was at the moment, it could’ve been worse.
Once Sienna had most of the larger glass shards picked up, she grabbed some paper towels to clean up the eggs and toast, trying not to eavesdrop on Jenna and Veronica’s convenation. But it would serve her well to know what Jenna’s plans were for the day so she could be prepared. If she needed something, like a towel for a workout or a certain pair of shoes she liked to wear shopping, Sienna would have to guess it in advance and © make sure all of her needs were met before Jenna even opened her mouth or else face her wrath.
“I’m going out with Candy and Marissa,” Jenna said. “We’re going to the beach”
“That’ll be fun” Veronica said, sitting down at the kitchen island as Jenna tossed items into the blender.
Sienna almost had the mess cleaned up but needed the broom. She crept to the pantry where it was kept, careful not to make any excess noise so she wasn’t told to stop bring a “noisy cow.” Jenna loved to call her animal names, even though Sienna was a tiny wall who hardly got enough to cat whule Jenna was a voluptuous blonde with the sort of curves that drove men wild.
Sienna wasn’t envious of her looks though. She could care less about boys. Her worries were on the survival level. Taking her existence one day at a tine was her propelling force every morning when she woke up.
Sienna went back to the mess and swept it up, emptying the dustpan into the trash without making a sound before she went to get the mop and Jocket She’d have to sweep and mop the whole Hoor today anyway, like she did every day, so she may as well do that while she was cleaning up the rembantund the wacky on yolk. Jenna and Veronica were chatting as jenna drank lier protein shake, which smelled a lot like vitamins with a tinge of spealed frutto Sarnna’s sharp tone. Even though she wasn’t allowed to slutt, slie still had all of the qualities of a woll, inc huling the ability to sinell danner orden from a great distance. She held er barathi as star walkril close to where Jenna was sitting, wondering what in the world the woman
in that drink that unelled to terrible.
“We’ll probably check out the guys while we’re there.” Jenna was saying. “Sam and Chet have been chatting us up lately. They’re dorks liat kinda rute” She chuckled and flipped her hair over her shoulder the way she did when she was flirting.
Veronica, who hadn’t waited long at all to make her move on Alpha Kent alter his wife passed away, grinned at Jenna, who was more like a friend san a child she had to parent. “That Chet is hot. I love how muscular he is?
“Defaurly,” Jenna said. “He has broad slavulders and a chiseled chest.” Sienisa was getting the mopping soap out from under the cabinet just behind Jenna and fuel paused to move a few other items around jenna misinterpreted the lack of movement. “Seriously, Siennal Stop ravesdropping! Are your back thene dieteling aleet Chep? As if he’d have anything to do with you, stupal bride
Chapter 1
and nothing as seal. She only kept her head down and got the item she needed, wishing Jenna would just leave already. She set the
in the deep sink to run warm water and tried to ignore the conversation, but they were talking about her now,
“Can you imagine” Veronica laughed. “Sienna and Chet on a date! You should tell him that!“
chuckled. “Yes, he would die if I even mentioned it. She’ll never have a guy even look at her like she’s a woman.”
“Pathetic little monster.” Veronica said. Her voice almost sounded sympathetic.
Jenna turned around and dumped the remainder of her protein shake into Sienna’s mop bucket. “Oops,” she said with a wicked smile. Sienna tried not to get angry, but it was hard. The bucket had been almost full. “Guess you’ll have to run some new water. Sorry, not sorry!” She laughed and
her heel as Veronica joined in on the giggling
Sienna carefully dumped the bucket’s contents out and started over, trying to focus on the bright side. At least the two women were walking out of
ther
Soon. Sienna would be alone. Even though it was a rough existence having no friends or family, being alone was often much better
anyone else in the world. At least when she was alone there was no one there to hurt her or call her names. No one but herself.
Lifting the heavy bucket out of the sink, she set it down on the floor and grabbed the mop from the closet. A song came to mind. It was one she used to hear a mother sing to her baby when Sienna was younger. When she was younger, she used to dream that her mother was holding her, rocking her and singing her that song. When she was alone, sometimes she’d hum it to herself, but she wouldn’t dare until the others left the bouse. Then she’d have a few hours of peace to complete her chores. After that, if she had time, she’d secretly do her training exercises. While she might have looked like a weakling. Sienna Ellion had a secret. One day, she’d show the world she wasn’t quite the pushover they thought she was. One day, the only doormat in her life would be the one she crossed as she fled this life forever.
