Julian was truly cursed with bad luck by the Goddess.
After he had managed to escape from Mistress Tonia, he'd thought that he'd be able to have a peaceful day out of anyone's sight.
He was even singing a little to himself as he walked to his room, but then he saw Xavier, Vanessa's elder brother, the heir to the Alpha, in the hallway.
He had to shrink himself to a corner as Xavier, the golden boy of their pack, passed by, but alas, as usual, he was unsuccessful.
Julian stood next to the wall, staring at his feet when Xavier stopped and looked at him for a moment.
"Just the runt I wanted to see," Xavier said. "We are going to play a game, and we need you, runt."
Julian started to shake. That did not sound good.
He remembered all the other games they had played with him as a toy, and he clenched his fists.
Xavier walked towards him, and Julian started to tremble, a response from all the traumatic incidents that had started this way.
When Xavier got close to him, he held Julian's chin and lifted it up.
"Little pup," Xavier said, a wicked smirk on his face. "It's been some time since we had fun." As he spoke, his hands were running abashedly under Julian's shirt.
Julian felt nauseous from Xavier's touch, but he tried to keep it from his face. He knew that Xavier seemed to feed on his pain and discomfort.
The best thing he could do was dissociate himself from his body.
Xavier let out a sigh. "Look at you," he said. "Boring, pathetic little omega. I really pity whoever the Moon Goddess has punished by making them your mate."
The words hit harder than any other taunt Xavier could have said, and Julian knew Xavier knew it by the self-satisfied grin on his face.
"Now come along," Xavier said. "The boys will be waiting for us."
Xavier turned and started walking away.
Julian clenched his teeth before following Xavier.
Soon they were outside, in the woods of their territory reserved for the physical training of the pack officials, Xavier's friends.
Julian was preparing himself for the pain that was incoming. "It will pass. You've just got to endure, as you always have," he told himself.
Xavier greeted his friends before turning to reveal Julian.
"Hey, guys," he said. "Look who I brought for us to play with today."
They erupted in jeers.
"Hey, look, it's the pack runt," Soba, Beta in training, spoke.
And they continued to shout slurs at Julian, but he's used to it. For a long time, he has been able to tune them out.
Till...
Xavier grabbed him by the collar. "Guys, I have got an idea for a game," he said. "We let this runt run, and then whoever catches him has bragging rights... and gets to have fun with him for a few hours." He said the last part with a low voice.
That made nausea pool in Julian's stomach. He knew what that meant. Xavier had been hinting at it with all the innuendos lately, but the mere thought of someone touching him that way—someone who was not his mate—made him retch. No matter what happened, Julian would not allow that.
"In our wolf form?!" a guy asked.
"That would be too easy. With this runt's weak wolf, he wouldn't be able to outrun anyone here. How would the game be interesting then?" Xavier said, and the other guys laughed. "It'll be in our human form, and we'll even give him a head start."
Julian took note of the people here. Including Xavier, there were eight guys, all of them with high statuses in the pack.
Why did they need to spend all their time making his life hell, when his only crime was... existing?
Xavier turned to him at this point.
"Go on, run, little runt." A condescending smile twisted his face. Hatred bubbled up in Julian, giving a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Run," Xavier said, pushing him.
Suddenly, Julian let out a yelp as he stumbled.
But he saw the menacing look on the men before him, and he turned forward and began to run.
He ran with all his energy. He ran with everything in him, his mind just telling him to escape the monsters that hurt him.
And for some minutes, he felt free.
Until suddenly he was tackled down. The wind was suddenly knocked out of him.
He yelled out in pain, and some dirt got into his mouth.
"I got you, little runt."
Xavier's voice was low and menacing in Julian's ear.
A violent panic seized Julian.
Xavier started to run his hands through Julian's clothes till he was palming Julian's ass.
In a bout of impatience, Xavier tore Julian's trousers.
Julian could feel the cool breeze on the bare skin of his ass, and his insides squirmed at the violation of his body.
"I've been eyeing you, little runt," Xavier said. "Always strutting this ass everywhere. I guess it's finally time to taste a male omega."
For a long time, the only light in Julian's life had been the hope of finding a mate and giving himself to someone who truly loved him, and this monster was trying to take it all from him.
Tears of despair and frustration ran down Julian's face as he struggled against Xavier.
He felt Xavier's dick on his ass when—
There was someone's voice calling Xavier's name.
"Fuck," Xavier cursed against Julian's ear.
The voice continued calling, causing Xavier's movement to stall.
Julian used this opportunity to kick Xavier and crawl away.
Xavier let out a grunt.
"You dare, you fucking runt," he said as he stumbled to chase after Julian.
When the person who had been shouting finally reached them:
"Xavier, your father is looking for you! The visitors from Red Moon Pack are already here... hurry!"
Xavier was shocked and started to run towards the pack house. Before he left, he turned back to Julian.
"I'll continue this later, runt," he said.
Julian heaved a sigh of relief. He had been saved by this mysterious pack again.
He leaned against a tree and tried to calm himself down.
He looked up to the sky.
"What kind of life was he living? How long would he have to endure all this? Forever?"
After a while, he stood up.
He was barely decent because Xavier had torn his clothes. Shame and anger pulsed through him before finally giving way to helplessness and despair as he limped all the way to the back entrance of the pack house.
He was grateful to find nobody as he crept through the hallways to his small room. They were probably in front, greeting the visitors from that super important pack.
He lay down on the floor, and finally safe and quiet, he let all the emotions pour out of him, and he began to sob.
Humiliation and pain overwhelmed him like a tide.
Something he had thought of many times suddenly popped up in his head.
He should run away from this hell of a place.
He had thought about it many times, but fear of the unknown had kept him from trying. He was small and weak; how would he survive out there? But staying in this pack would eventually kill him, he knew it.
So he made up his mind
.
He couldn't take this anymore. His salvation wouldn't find him here in this Goddess-forsaken place.
So Julian would run away.