Chapter 4: First Shift (Ch.4)
~Neveah's Childhood~
A five year old Neveah sat sobbing quietly as every inch of her body pulsed with pain, two of her fingers had been snapped in odd directions
and the gory look of them had little Neveah shivering.
Little Neveah buried her head into her knee, her hair splayed over her face as she sobbed quietly knowing if anyone heard her crying out here, she would find herself in more trouble.
"What do you even think you are doing?" A cold but familiar voice called down to Neveah.
Neveah glanced up to meet the cold, stern gaze of Alpha King Lothaire Raul, the man who was supposedly her father.
"I...I..." Neveah stuttered, she was not certain how to explain and truly she did not need to,
Alpha King Lothaire's cold eyes passed over her, taking in Neveah's condition and the blood that soaked her clothing.
Neveah searched his gaze, hoping to see even the slightest flutter of emotion, of pain or regret to see his own daughter in such a state,
Yet not for the first time, Neveah was awfully disappointed as Alpha King Lothaire's expression remained unfazed and even revealed a hint of annoyance,
Not for Neveah's state, merely because he had set eyes on the one person he spent his time pretending she never existed.
"Who did this?" Alpha King Lothaire asked Neveah.
Neveah's eyes widened in terror at the question and she immediately diverted her gaze, knowing she would only attract more trouble to herself if it was discovered she had snitched on Prince Alessio.
"It doesn't matter if you say nothing, I can smell Alessio all over you."
"I invest so much attention and efforts in raising a future king and he wastes his time doing useless things like this?" Alpha King Lothaire asked rhetorically.
Neveah winced at the words of her own father, it was clear he was not at all angered that Prince Alessio had hurt her,
Only that he had spent precious time he could be using on other more significant affairs on something as insignificant as Neveah,
Neveah was not surprised, Alpha King Lothaire had never hidden his true face from her, he had never pretended to care for her, not even once, he had always seen her as nothing more than a waste of resources,
A shameful existence he wished could be wiped off so the stain on his name would be gone forever, along with the fact that he was a disloyal man who had cheated on his mate and shamed the sacred mate bond.
However though the Alpha King's words did not surprise Neveah, how could the young six year old prevent herself from being deeply hurt by them?
"I will ensure Alessio does not repeat this stupidity ever again and if he does, you are to report it to me immediately." Alpha King Lothaire instructed sternly.
Neveah nodded slowly in understanding, as terrified as she was, she could not defy the Alpha King's orders.
"Now get up to your room, don't you come crying out here and letting people see you,"
"This is the Eclipse Palace where revered guests from all across the supernatural realm frequent, it leaves a bad impression." Alpha King Lothaire said in a tone of distaste before he headed away without sparing Neveah another glance.
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A five year old Neveah saw the slap coming long before it reached her, yet how could a child so little dodge out of the way of a hit launched by a full grown she wolf?
Alpha Queen Vilma's hand connected with Neveah's cheek in a resounding slap and Neveah felt her ears ring as her head snapped to the side from the force of the slap.
Neveah could taste the metallic taste of blood as the liquid pooled her mouth from where her teeth dug into the inner side of her cheek.
Pain exploded all across Neveah's head and her vision blurred for a long moment, the force of the slap was way more than what young Neveah could withstand.
Neveah shook her head repeatedly to recover from the daze before she returned her gaze to a glowering Alpha Queen Vilma.
All the while, not even a small cry of pain had escaped little Neveah's lips, it was clear she had grown accustomed to this kind of pain.
"What did I tell you about keeping your filthy self away from my mate, you mongrel?!" Alpha Queen Vilma roared in rage, her eyes glowing as her wolf rose to the surface.
Neveah's lips quivered slightly but she swallowed down her pain, she wondered why she had to be blamed for the fact that her father had chanced upon her in the back courtyard while she was still bleeding from the injuries inflicted by Prince Alessio.
Neveah had not approached him herself with the intention of telling on Prince Alessio, she had gone to the only place she felt she could have some peace and quiet and then he had come.
Neveah had not said anything to him, the Alpha King had figured it out all on his own, yet now she was being blamed for it all again.
Neveah had not expected the Alpha King would actually send Prince Alessio away to undergo training for a year as punishment.
Alpha Queen Vilma had flown into a rage and now little Neveah would have to bear the backlash.
"I didn't approach father on purpose, I..." Neveah began to explain but another resounding slap collided with her other cheek.
"Father?! Who is your father?!" Alpha Queen Vilma asked in a dark and deadly tone.
Neveah bit her lip as blood trailed out of her mouth, she did not speak any further,
Neveah knew there was nothing she could say that would calm Alpha Queen Vilma's wrath,
Neveah stood quietly till the Alpha Queen was done with her tirade of harsh words and was called away to see to her duties.
The Alpha Queen stormed out in a flurry of rage.
Little Neveah slowly walked out of her room, the part of the Eclipse Palace where Neveah's room was located was isolated and far away from the main palace where the high ranked eclipse wolves and the royal family resided.
It was the only thing Neveah was grateful about her pathetic living situation, the fact that it was far away enough from the usual hustle and bustle of the Eclipse Palace,
That way the chances of Neveah encountering any of the pack wolves that had made it a sport to torment her was scarce, except for when they especially came out here looking for her or when she had to head to the main palace for one reason or the other.
For now and with Prince Alessio gone and the Alpha King and Queen busy with their duties, Neveah felt perhaps she would finally be able to get some moments of peace.
Neveah headed down the hallway and out the Eclipse Palace.
Neveah was grateful it was already dark and there was some event going on in the Eclipse palace and so all the pack wolves were busy and there was no one to hinder her.
Even the patrol guards barely paid her any attention as they went about their duties, not the slightest bit bothered by the sight of a five year old heading into the dangerous woods.
Neveah walked at a slow pace till she arrived at the woods, heading as deep as her strength could carry her before her legs finally gave out.
Neveah sat on the damp forest soil, leaning her back against a tree, she rested her head, her eyes fluttering closed as she struggled to bear the sharp pain spreading from her cheeks all over her face.
Silent tears trailed down Neveah's cheek as she sat there, the chilling cold breeze of the forest eased her pain slightly,
As Neveah's eyes fluttered open, she allowed a small smile at the sight of the moon risen high above the forest, it's enchanting rays encasing her,
And before Neveah could permit herself to enjoy the serenity of the atmosphere, away from all the pain and terrors of the Eclipse Palace,
A strange tingling began spreading through her body, followed by an excruciating pain that wracked through her body mercilessly,
Neveah jerked forwards, falling on her hands and knees, her eyes wide with confusion and alarm as her entire body convulsed in pain,
Wave after wave of pain wracked through her mercilessly and a choked sob escaped Neveah's lips, her mind clouded in confusion.
For how long the pain lasted, Neveah was not certain, it could have been minutes or hours or even an entire day, Neveah did not know...
She could not be sure, with her mind reeling from the pain and her screams of agony all she could hear, Neveah had lost awareness of her environment,
However the pain intensified to a new height when Neveah felt her shoulder snap all on it's own, her bones shifting and reforming in a slow and excruciating manner.
Neveah's skin itched all over and she watched in horror as fur the color of midnight blue pierced out of her skin, her fingers elongating and claws tearing out of her flesh...
It was at this moment young Neveah understood just what was happening,
At the tender age of five summers, she was having her first shift...out here, all alone in the cold and dark forest.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone