***Gennie POV***
When I saw Trix lay Evie down and sit, I knew I had some of her trust. Sitting next to her, I smiled and held her hand. As I did this, I also asked Sapphire to do me a favour. I was gonna need her tactfulness on this one. I had a horrible feeling that I might hear things that will make me angry.
Looking at Trix now, I squeezed her hand softly and prompted her to start the chat. Wariness settled in my stomach as Trix closed her eyes for a few seconds. When she opened them, I could see her steely resolve. She swallowed, and then she started to talk.
Asking Sapphire for that favour had been the right call!!
''Is it okay if I just speak? Any questions or more information you want after I've finished, I will gladly answer.'' I clasped her hand a little tighter, hoping that some calming influence would help her.
Before Trix started, she asked for a glass of water. Telling her to sit down, I got up to get it, and quick as a flash, I placed an iced cold drink in front of her.
''Are you ready to hear my life story, Luna''.
I knew what I was about to hear was not going to be a pretty little fairy tale. I nodded at her and gave her an encouraging smile. I could see her small shoulders square, Trix closed her eyes for a brief moment. When she opened them, I could see the steely determination shine from them. She began......
***Trixie POV***
"I didn't have a normal childhood, Luna. My father died in a rouge attack when I was seven. My mother shut down after he was killed. As the eldest of my siblings, it fell to me to pick up the pieces and hold the family together." I could see that Luna was about to say something, but I raised my hand a little and she fell silent with a nod and her beautiful smile.
''As I was so young myself, you may wonder why my mother didn't reach out to the pack herself and ask for help. The problem with doing that would mean the pack members would see what was happening behind the closed door of my home. The very thought of that made her shut down more so. About two or three days after my father died, my mother took to her bed, and there she stayed for a long time. My youngest sibling, a little girl called Isobel, was just a few months old. My mother had been pregnant every year for seven years''.
I paused for a moment, not trusting myself to get through the next part of my sad story. But I knew I had to. I wanted this job so much. I was already mad about Evie, and being with the Luna of the pack every day was something one would only wish for.
''The reason Mom didn't reach out was because of my father. Even though he was no longer around, his influence hangs around our home like a stale stench you can't get rid of. You see, my father was a hard unloving man. He was violent and extremely abusive to my Mom. He controlled everything we all did. Down to the clothes we children would wear around the house. If you could call them clothes. As a rule, every child had one good outfit that would be worn when we were allowed to go outside. Every bit of clothing my younger siblings wore were my old clothes, too small for me, so they got passed down. Because of this, I was never dressed in pretty dresses or colourful tops with little jeans. No, my clothes consisted of generic trousers, tops, jackets, etc. in varying degrees of brown. That meant that when the boys came along, there were clothes already there to be used.
''My Mom was permitted to buy me a new outfit once a year. The outfit would always be in the fawn, brown colours, and would always be bought at the local thrift store in the human village.
I was hardly in these clothes, so they were in good condition when it came time to reuse any item for the new cub. While we were inside the house, we wore only thin vests and panties. The boys wore only a thin vest. My father believed young men should adopt the way of their wolf as soon as possible."
''When I turned four, I started to have chores around the house. They would vary from picking up dirty laundry to scrubbing clothes in the tub, in the garden and pegging out.
By the time I was seven, I was cooking and cleaning most of the house, as my Mom was always off her feet, as she always carried my father's future generation.
''He had big plans for his family, you see. He wanted us to be the best trained, the best warriors in the pack. Like him, failure was not an option. Unfortunately for me, I was weak. I had no stamina, no strength to run, jump and fight like my other siblings. To be fair, it was only the oldest three who suffered through my father's 'training'. The other kids were too young, thank the goddess.
''The more my father pushed me, the more it became evident to him that I wasn't the same as my two younger brothers. My father decreed me wolfless, and as a simple human child, I was not fit enough to be called his daughter. So I was delegated to the role of servant. If I did my chores and cooked well, I would be able to eat at the same time as the rest of the family. I just had to sit in the corner of the room. If I didn't do well that day, I would be punished. I would be sent straight to my room after I had served the evening meal. I wasn't allowed to eat. Once the meal was over, I would be led back to the kitchen to clean up.
My father liked things done properly. If things were not done to his standard, he would get mad and lash out. I learned pretty quickly how to do things right, even at that young age.
''What I found worse, though, was when his horrid attention would turn to one of the younger kids. Many times I stood between him and my brothers. He would simply grin at me, send the boys away, then take his frustration out on me''.
I stopped for a moment so I could gather myself for what was next. I had never told anyone this. It was MY dirty little secret and my burden too bare. But when I was with the Luna, I felt safe and understood. I hoped with every atom of my being that I would not be judged too harshly.
I knew I was staring off into space now. My eyes may have been their clear green shade, but they were unseeing as I looked back on my past, a thing I swore I would never do...
''When my father announced to the family that I was wolfless and just a mere human, he started to visit me in my room every evening''.
I swallowed hard, my mouth had gone dry, and my throat was a little painful. Handing me the glass of water, I drank my fill. Luna jumped off the sofa and got me a fresh glass, returning with a somewhat shadowed expression. When she was sitting again, I started to talk...
''It started when I was five. Only small touches here and there, through my clothes. He would tell me to stand in front of him, and he would look at me, and twist me around so many times I would feel dizzy. All the while, touching. After a few months, it advanced. I was to stand in front of him naked. Turning on the spot, feeling his calloused hands on me. Again, it was just touching my chest, my bottom. He would run his fingers through my hair, then grip it tight in his fist, but I learned quite quickly not to shout out, or I would be punished for not pleasing him. Again, the attention changed, and within the next few months, I was forced to perform orally on him. I knew what was going to happen next, even though I was seven. I knew he was due to step up his abuse. I was dreading it, I got so scared I finally went to my Mom. I told her a few things, but she just didn't want to hear it. She was devoted to my father, as long as she was pregnant, my father treated her well. She wasn't about the spill the apple cart''. I shook my head slowly and sadly. A lone tear trickled down my cheek. I didn't want Luna Genni to feel sorry for me. Pity was the last thing I wanted.
What I did get was her hand, softly but firmly clasping mine. I braved a glance at her eyes and saw only strength in them. The strength I needed to carry on ''My father said once that the reason I should be given him attention was because my mother couldn't, he never touched her when he knew she was carrying a cub. So his attention was fixed firmly on me. The wolfless human disappointment. The crazy thing is, I was so desperate to please my father that I always tried my hardest to do what he wanted. I always tried to get a smile out of him or 'good girl'. That was how twisted he had made me. The constant reminder that I was wolfless, the way he spoke about the filthy humans, and how he, as a werewolf, was far superior. I believed it all.....
''But, that's what they do, right? Abusers? They twist and shape their victim into shadows of themselves. They ensure their victim is completely submissive. I suppose being a werewolf means submissiveness is part of a wolf's makeup.
Even though I had asked Luna to hold any questions until later on, it inevitably slipped out as she quietly asked 'How did it stop?''. Luna said this as a mere whisper on her breath, but nonetheless, I heard it, frowning a little I looked into her beautiful face, I could see her crying, and I felt my heart twist at the sight 'He was killed, 2 days before my eighth birthday. Alpha Phil ordered my father and two other warriors to patrol the most northern border. There had been rogue sightings up there. There was a fight when they came onto our land, and my father and one other were killed. One of the rogue wolves survived and was taken for questioning.
I shrugged my shoulders as I said the last part ''I don't know what happened to him. My mother may have been told. From that day, my life ended and began simultaneously. I knew I would never suffer at my father's hand again, which was a huge relief'' I chuckled sardonically.
''On my eighth birthday, I came to realise my siblings were in trouble. My mother took to her bed and stayed there. she had no interest in living. My father was gone, she wanted to be with him. I knew I had to become the main carer for my siblings. It was lucky, I suppose, that I already knew how to cook and clean. To do laundry and all that stuff''.
I did lower my head now, the weight of my confession bore down on me. I almost gave in to the terrible feeling. almost...