Chapter 285: Disposable
Amanda didn't feel anything wrong except for that disconnection from the rest of the pack. Not until she wandered out of the home.
It wasn't even that strong: she still was one of Mayford, just not as central as before. Not that she had ever been relevant to the pack. But, this time, everything was different. She was an Omega: disposable.
Her parents told her not to go out, to stay hidden and wait for things to get better. Even Renato was of the same opinion.
Yet, she didn't want to hide any longer. Being locked in her room was so suffocating.
She avoided crowded places just as she was told, and she took a walk in the woods, keeping a long distance from everyone. She wanted to stay far from incidents, so she would turn away every time she felt a presence.
Yet, sometimes it would fail. She didn't think the others would as much as come after her. She was expecting to be ignored, not... Not followed!
She recognised the lads tailing her: Lucretia's friends. They were all pups of someone relevant, high-ranking in the pack. One day, they were going to take their parents' place and be those making decisions.
What did they have to do with her? She had gone out with them a couple of times at most, and she also was someone's sister. They shouldn't have bothered to come after her to play a prank...
«Hey, freak!» one of them shouted. «Are you running away?»
Without any word, Amanda accelerated until she was running breathless in the woods. She didn't want to know what they wanted from her. The fright was enough for the day.
She shouldn't have gone out after that. No matter how suffocating, her room was the safest place.
«Stop!» they shouted at her, but she didn't listen. She had almost caught the quarters; she could see the roofs of the closest houses. If only she could reach there, she would be safe. The adults would have saved her, and everything would have been right.
Too bad that she was slow, and she knew it. In the end, she was a weak wolf.
Her eyes were filled with tears; it made everything fuzzy and difficult to discern. Her lungs were aching more from stress than any real need for oxygen.
Still, a few steps from reaching the street, she was thrown on the ground by a weight. Someone had tackled her, using their body to keep her down.
She moaned in pain when her knees and side were hit, and she tried breaking free - without any result.
It was one of the boys, meaning she had no chance.
«Look at this,» he snickered in her ear. «Someone is full of ener
«Let me go, please,» she tried, looking as pitiful as possible. Yet, it didn't help her.
«Oh, you know how to ask nicely, now. Shut up, Omega. You're leaving only after we've had enough fun. It's been a while since the last time something interesting happened, right?»
«Hey, don't overdo it,» one of the other boys said.
It was a mixed group: four boys and three girls. They were staring at her like a piece of trash, but not everyone was convinced that hurting her was allowed.
«What are you afraid of? Rather, of who? Renato is an Omega, just like her... Isn't it the right time to teach her some manners?»
«He won't stay Omega forever, come on! Don't overdo it, just in case.»
«I will tell him everything,» Amanda said. «I will make sure he knows every single detail and comes after you, one by one!»
«Oh, you're not polite anymore. That's not nice, freak.»
He grabbed her arm, clenching until she moaned in pain. Then, he pulled her in front of him and looked her in the eye.
«Apologise,» he spat out.
«No way,» she whined, looking around for any kind of idea.
She was almost in the city. If she managed to move a few steps, she would have been safe. Just a few steps away...
When the initial panic dissipated, she inhaled deeply, trying to calm down her nerves. Then, with her lungs filled with air, she started screaming.
«Help!» she yelled. «Please, someone help!»
«Help? Do you think anyone would mess with us for an Omega's sake? How dumb can you be, ah?»
As if to prove their words, they moved closer to the house and tugged Amanda with them. They reached a small square where two streets met, and they threw her on the ground.
«Scream if you like, but no one is going to help you...»
Her eyes moved in between her aggressors, looking for any trace of sympathy. But she found none. Some of them might have been against hurting her too much, but it had nothing to do with her. They just feared consequences... And by that, they meant Renato's fury. Because no one else would have complained about some bullying on an Omega.
«You are crazy,» Amanda said. «Is this some kind of drama show? We were friends a few days ago!»
«Friends? Oh, you little thing... We weren't friends just because we let you tag along once or twice. You were a little pitiful, all alone. We did it for charity.»
She eyed the adults observing the scene, and she noticed the invisible bound they didn't cross. They would watch from afar, maybe checking that things didn't go out of control... Or maybe not.
No one stepped in to defend her, and no one felt even guilty because of it.
At that very moment, Amanda understood what it meant to be an Omega. She was a regular wolf: for her, the pack was her life. Even if she didn't socialise as often, she still felt part of it at all times. She knew they were there for her... Until now.
«No...» she sighed, coming to terms with the situation.
She was all alone, and no one would have come to save her. She had no power of her own. And she was disposable.