Her Safe Place

Edited✅

Layla Andrews

I closed my eyes against the abuse that was coming down on my already bruised form. “You whore!” My stepmother, Jane, yelled as she sent another kick towards my ribs. I didn’t want to move. I was in pain and my whole body ached.

I knew she would leave bruises. She had tapped into her werewolf strength and wasn’t going easy. It didn’t matter that I was human. She didn’t care.

I curled in on myself, still wanting to protect myself. “Why are you so useless?” Jane lifted me from the ground and smacked me. My head wiped to the side at the force. I knew she had busted the lip open and blood was trickling down my chin. “You better get your fucking act together or I will toss you onto the streets myself!”

With that final declaration, she threw me against the wall. I slide down the wall, my body not strong enough to hold my weight.

Jane left and walked away. She wore a scowl as she did so. I laid there for a moment, just soaking in each of my new injuries.

“Layla?” I pushed myself from the floor as my stepbrother entered the kitchen. He rushed to my side when he saw me. “What happened?” He asked.

His little lip trembled as he clutched his toy fire truck in his small hands.

“I just got into a fight with some bad guys,” I replied, trying to smile. I didn’t want to paint his mother in a bad light. He was only four and shouldn’t have to deal with the bad blood we have. I also knew she wouldn’t hurt him. Xander was her miracle baby. Jane had suffered through miscarriages and infertility for years.

I think it added to the hate she held for me. She couldn’t give my father a child without many miscarriages, but a human could. She had always looked down on humans as being the scum on the earth, to not be able to do something a human could was heartbreaking. It also didn’t help that I didn’t receive my father’s werewolf gene.

“You’re bleeding,” Xanders small hands cupped my face as he looked at the blood. “Do you need a kiss better?” I could almost smile at his childish cures. He constantly thought that kisses would make an injury better. I wasn’t so hopeful, not that I would ever expose the truth to Xander if it could be helped.

“No, I’m alright. I just need to get to my room.” I pushed myself towards the door. The trek to my room would be painful with the new injuries I had acquired. I made my way to my room very slowly. My body ached as I laid on my unmade bed. I had been pulled out of bed roughly this morning to begin cleaning. It seemed royalty was coming to visit.

“Layla?” I lifted my head as my father appeared in the doorway. Sighing, I rested my head back onto the bed. My father had never laid a hand on me, but he had never stopped Jane. He seemed to not want to get in the middle of it.

“Yes?” I asked, wanting the conversation to be over already.

“Are you alright?” A bitter laugh left my lips.

“Do I look alright?” I snapped. My body ached as I pushed myself back into a sitting position. I knew he could see the bruises and the blood. He didn’t seem guilty and he held no emotion in his eyes. He didn’t care. He hadn’t cared for me since I was born.

He walked from the doorway after a moment of silence. I laid back, wishing I was with my mother. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be back with my mother in California. I wanted life to go back to the way it was before my mother upped and left. I hadn’t heard from her in five years, but that hadn’t made the hurt lessen. I knew I was holding onto the resentment, but I didn’t think I could let it go. She had left me to the mercy of two people who didn’t care if I came home.

“Layla!” I groaned at the scream. It seemed my stepmother was back for more. I couldn’t feel my leg, but that wouldn’t stop her. “Get down here!” I silently cried out as I moved, pushing myself towards the stairs. I gripped the staircase banner as if it was the only thing keeping me upright. As of that moment, it was.

My stepmother was in the kitchen. She looked furious. I walked slowly towards her. I didn’t want to do anything rash. She would act out if she felt I was being disrespectful. I didn’t need any more bruises. My stepmother was waiting for me, tapping her foot impatiently. “Make sure this place is clean. We have the king coming by and I don’t want you to mess this up by not cleaning.”

I didn’t fight back. I kept my lips sealed and moved towards the counter. Her eyes watched my every move. She didn’t need an excuse to beat me, but it looked better if I did something. I made sure everything was clean. Not a single thing was out of place. The kitchen practically sparkled.

I knew she would be even more on edge. Having the king of all werewolves wasn’t something to be taken lightly. I knew as much as she did. I might’ve been a human, but I wasn’t unaware of the customs in their world. My father had made sure. He didn’t want me to embarrass him anymore than I already had.

I made my way back to my room. My eyes were heavy and my limbs felt like lead. I felt as though I was about to topple over. Luckily, I made it to my bed before my legs gave out from beneath me. I landed on the mattress with a ‘flop’. I didn’t have the energy to pull a blanket over my body, so I laid there.

My father, nor my stepmother would bother me until after the king left. No doubt they planned on having a huge celebration. One that I would have to clean up. The day had seemed to only have begun, and yet, I was ready for it to be over.

“Layla!” Xander ran into my room, smiling brightly. “Mama said that the king is coming!” Xander began to ramble on about the anticipated arrival of the king. “Mama said that the king is very important and he takes care of us.”

Xander wasn’t very far off about that. The king took care of his kingdom and the werewolves within his kingdom. Although humans were being more accepted into the werewolf community, humans were still rare. As werewolves have been mated with humans, they have created hybrids. Humans with werewolf abilities. However, packs, like my fathers, hadn't been taken kindly to humans. They were seen as spendable and easily replaceable.

“Mama said that when I’m older, I will become an alpha and I’ll have to work with the king. Is that true?” Xander had the tendency to ramble on when it came to things. He was a bright child.

“Yes, you will work with the king. You have to keep the pack safe, and the king can help you.” I replied.

“Xander.” The voice of my father had all thoughts fleeting. Along with my smile. “The king is almost here. Your sister has something she must do before he arrives. Your mother is waiting for you in your room to get dressed.”

Xander nodded and scrambled from my bed, rushing towards the door. He gave me one last smile and a quick “goodbye” before running past my father. My father stayed behind.

“Jane would like you to help the cooks make lunch for when the king arrives. The cooks have to be ready to be presented to the king. You will stay here.” My father said. I knew the cooks didn’t need my help to prepare food, no doubt they’d prefer if I wasn’t helping.

I nodded, not taking my eyes from the blanket that covered my bed. He left my doorway and I pushed myself back up. My body ached, but I knew the punishment would be worse if I disobeyed.