Story Time

The pack's princess said she'd never seen a mummy in real life. So my childhood best friend decided to MAKE one. Out of me. He and every guy in our class knocked me out cold, wrapped me head to toe in bandages And hung me from the training grounds' bleachers. I woke up to people dying laughing. Filming. Some asshole even spat on me. Two hours. That's how long I hung there. Victor finally showed up. "Lottie wanted to see a real-life mummy," he said, cutting me down like it was nothing. "We were just messing around." Oh. So THAT'S what I was to them. A joke. Entertainment. Something to humiliate for a girl's amusement. Fine. Didn't matter anyway. Next week, he won't be able to laugh anymore. And me? I'd survive without him just fine. Right after combat training, I went to the equipment room to grab my bag. A group of guys suddenly surrounded me. Victor stood in front of them. My best friend since we were pups. He flashed me a grin. Lazy. Familiar. "Yo, Phoebe. C'mere a sec." Before I could even react, something slammed into the back of my head. For half a second, I saw Victor hesitate. A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face. Like maybe he was finally realizing this was going too far. Then it disappeared. Replaced by excitement. Everything went black. My last thought before passing out? Victor, what the actual he11? When I woke up, I couldn't move. White cloth wrapped around every inch of my body. Only my eyes and nose were exposed so I could breathe - and fully understand how screwed I was. My body was tied to the top railing of the football stadium. At least twelve feet above the ground. Silver tape dug into my skin while the wind made me sway back and forth. Lunch hour. The busiest time of day. And I was hanging there like some cursed decoration during the Blood Moon Festival. "Yo, is that a real mummy?!" "Who is that?" "Damn, record this!" "I'm already filming!" "This is messed up... but kinda hilarious." "Post it in the pack chat!" Phones pointed at me from every direction. Camera flashes bu//rned my eyes. I tried to scream, but tape sealed my mouth shut too. All that came out were muffled, pathetic sounds. Like an injured animal waiting to die alone. Someone below suddenly froze. "Holy sh!t - that's Phoebe Jordan!" "The girl always following Victor around?" "Yeah, Patterson's class." "The quiet she-wolf in the oversized gray hoodie?" "Oh my God, she's literally tied up there." "I mean... she's been obsessed with Victor forever." "True. She's basically his stray pup." "Guess the future Alpha finally got tired of her." "You posting this to TikTok?" "Already sending it to the group chat." Every word stabbed deeper into my ch//est. The crowd laughed harder. Some people actually spat at me. Warm saliva slid slowly down the white wrappings. My stomach twisted violently. I wanted to throw up. Couldn't. All I could do was hang there while humiliation dripped down my body. I struggled hard enough for the ropes to cut deeper into my wrists and ankles. Bvrning pain exploded through my skin. I felt something warm running down my arms. Blood. Two hours. Two whole hours. I hung there while hundreds of wolves pointed, laughed, mocked, and recorded me. At one point, an instructor walked past. He frowned slightly. Then kept walking. Not a single person helped me. I squeezed my eyes shut as tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. Victor. This is your idea of a joke? Did sixteen years as your packmate mean nothing to you? Finally, Victor showed up. Still rocking that cocky walk, hands shoved in his pockets. Strolling up like he was just here to watch a show. Behind him were all the guys who'd helped pull this off. And Lottie. She stood there in this flowy white dress, hair down, looking like some pack princess off a magazine cover. Hand over her mouth, eyes wide with shock. "Oh my God, you guys actually did this?! That's so bad!" But her voice gave her away. She was way too excited. Trying not to smile but totally failing. That's when it hit me. This was all for her. My humiliation was her entertainment. "Fvck yeah we did." Victor grinned at her. "You wanted to see a mummy, so we delivered." His voice had this edge to it I'd never heard before - like he was trying so hard to impress her. That kind of tone was never for me. He walked up to the bleachers and looked up at me. The sunset hit his face, lighting up features I'd known my whole life. But right then, he looked like a complete stranger. Those eyes I used to think would always protect me? Now they just looked amused. "So Phoebe, how's the view from up there? Pretty sick, right?" He was actually joking. Like the person hanging up there wasn't even a wolf - just some prop. "Alright alright, that's enough. Someone cut her down." Casual as he11. Like he was talking about taking down Solstice decorations. A couple guys fumbled around untying the ropes. None of them gave a sh!t if I'd get hurt falling. I slammed into the ground hard. Knocked all the air out of my lungs - felt like every organ in my body shifted. Like all my bones were about to snap. Pain had me curled up on the dirt like a wounded animal. Victor crouched down and ripped the bandages off my face in a few rough yanks. Didn't care at all that it hurt like he11. The fabric tearing at my skin made me gasp. When he saw my puffy, bloodshot eyes, he froze for a second. For just a moment, I thought maybe he'd feel bad. Maybe apologize. But nope. The guilt - if that's even what it was - disappeared fast. He was back to his usual self. "Why are you crying? Dude, it was just a prank." "We do this sh!t to each other all the time. What's the big deal?" He said it so lightly. Like it really was just some harmless joke between packmates. But he forgot - we'd never done anything like this before. Never humiliated each other in front of the entire pack. Never been this cruel. I stared at him. My throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Couldn't get a single sound out. Not that I didn't want to - I just had no idea what to even say. How do you confront someone you've run beside since you were pups? How do you call out the wolf who used to share his kill with you at pack feasts? He started squirming under my stare. "Stop looking at me like that. It's creepy." His eyes darted away - totally guilty. But then he recovered fast. Found his excuse. "Lottie said yesterday she'd never seen a real mummy, so we thought..." "Whatever. It's not that big of a deal. You're fine." Fine? I looked down at my bloody wrists. At my spit-covered shirt. This is fine? The guys around him started piling on. "Yeah Phoebe, why are you being so dramatic?" "It's just a prank. Chill." "We spent like an hour getting you up there." "You could at least say thanks." "Honestly, if Victor wasn't your friend, you'd be a total lone wolf." "For real. Nobody would run with you." Every word hit the same - I wasn't worth sh!t. Not worth respect. Not worth kindness. Only worth being used as a joke for someone else. Lottie walked over, putting on this apologetic face. "Oh my God, Phoebe, are you okay? I'm so sorry! I was totally kidding when I said that!" "I didn't think they'd actually do it!" Her eyes got all watery. Like she was about to cry. Playing victim so perfectly - like she was the one who got hurt. Immediately, guys rushed to comfort her. "Lottie, it's not your fault." "Seriously, Phoebe just can't take a joke." "You're so sweet, Lottie. A true Luna in the making. She doesn't even deserve your apology." I slowly stood up. Legs still shaking like crazy. Blood crusted around my wrists and ankles. Every part of my body screaming in pain. But I didn't make a sound. Just looked at Victor one last time. In that look was years of history under the same moon. Countless runs through the forest. Countless good memories. And how completely destroyed I felt right now. Then I turned and walked away. His voice called out behind me. "Yo, Phoebe! Where you going?" "Come on, chill out! I'll grab you a steak at the pack dining hall to make up for it." "Phoebe! Hello?? I'm talking to you!" I didn't turn around. My steps were shaky as he11, but I kept going. Each step felt like walking on broken glass, but I couldn't stop. If I stopped, I'd break down. I'd shift right there from the stress of it. Lose control in front of him. And then I'd really lose. Completely. Soon as I got home, I went straight to the shower. The second I pulled off my clothes, I saw bruises and welts covering every inch of me. Looked like I'd been mauled by a rogue. I cranked the water as hot as it would go and scrubbed myself raw. Trying to wash off the spit. Wash off the shame. Trying to wash off every trace of Victor Holmes. But it wouldn't come off. The laughter still rang in my ears. Those hateful stares still crawled all over my skin. And Victor's casual "just a prank, bro." Playing on repeat in my head like some nightmare I couldn't wake up from. Hot water hit my open wounds and I was shaking from the pain. But the pain was good. Kept me focused. Reminded me this wasn't a bad dream. This was real. Victor really did turn me into a toy just to impress Lottie Lloyd. Mom knocked on the door. "Phoebe, you've been in there forever." "You're running up the water bill, honey. Hurry up." "Okay, okay!" My voice sounded wrecked - didn't even sound like me. Mom was probably heading out to her pack council meeting. Didn't notice anything off. Fine by me. Didn't wanna explain anyway. How would I even explain it? Hey Mom, the wolf I've trusted my whole life just hung me from the bleachers for laughs? The entire pack academy filmed me and posted it everywhere? Yeah, no. Couldn't say it. The girl staring back at me in the mirror looked destroyed. Pale as a ghost. Lips totally drained of color. The marks on my wrists were brutal. Deep, purplish-red circles - like someone had tried to saw through them. My wolf should've been healing these by now. But she was curled up quiet inside me. Ashamed. I grabbed some antiseptic and started dabbing at the wounds. Stung like he11. But nowhere near as much as my heart hurt. Sixteen years. I'd known Victor Holmes for sixteen years. Our families ran in the same pack. Our moms did full moon gatherings together. Our dads hunted as a pair. We'd been in the same training class since we could shift. His first day of pup training, he cried his eyes out. I gave him half my jerky from my lunch sack. After that, he followed me everywhere like a lost wolf. "Phoebe, wait up!" "Phoebe, want some of my venison?" "We'll be Alpha and Beta forever!" Back then, Victor's eyes lit up when he smiled - pure and sweet like a pup who hadn't seen the world yet. He was always getting into trouble. I was the good kid who kept him out of the elder's punishments. When the trainer asked who shredded the supply shed door, I said it was me. My claws. My bad. Even though it was totally him - lost control mid-shift during drills. He su//cked at pack history. I tutored him constantly. Before every exam, I'd give him all my notes. Then stay up all night rewriting them for myself. He told me once, "Phoebe, you're the best. I'm gonna claim you as my mate when we're older." I turned red. "As if!" But inside? I was secretly happy. I thought we were fated. Two wolves who'd always have each other's backs. And yeah, deep down I hoped for more. Hoped that one day he'd look at me seriously under the full moon and say - Phoebe Jordan, be my Luna. Turns out, to him I was just a punching bag he could use whenever he felt like it. Just some backup option who'd never leave. To impress Lottie, he didn't think twice about hanging me from bleachers. Let the whole pack laugh at me. Crushed whatever dignity I had left. Suddenly, my phone started blowing up. The pack group chat. I opened it like an idi0t. Someone had posted the video from earlier. Title in all caps: DYING LAUGHING - PACK REJECT GETS HUNG FROM BLEACHERS In the video, I'm swinging around like a broken toy. Wind blowing me side to side. Comments flooded with crying-laughing emojis. [omg Phoebe finally got what she deserved] [she looks like a mummy lol] [Victor's a legend for this] [all for Goddess Lottie, what an Alpha move] [Phoebe's usually so stuck-up, bet she's embarrassed now] [been sick of her forever, always scenting around Victor] [like a barnacle fr, it's so cringe] [she actually thought she'd be his Luna lmaooo] My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped my phone. Every comment felt like a claw to the ch//est. So this is how the pack saw me. I left the group chat. Then opened the pack social feed. Sure enough, videos and photos of me hanging there were everywhere. Different captions, same message - pure mockery. Mocking how pathetic I looked. Mocking how I didn't know my place. Victor posted too: [today's entertainment lol @LottieLloyd you happy now?] With a pic of me dangling there. Even added a howling wolf emoji. Lottie replied: [omg you guys are so bad~ I was kidding!!] With three blushing emojis. What a fake. She knew exactly what she was doing. Comments under his post were hyping him up like crazy. [Victor's the real Alpha] [whatever Luna Lottie wants, we deliver] [what should we do next? we got you queen] I closed the feed. Felt completely numb inside. My pain was their fun. My dignity was their joke. And Victor - the wolf I thought would always protect me - was now the one destroying me. At dinner, Mom could tell something was off. "Phoebe, did something happen at the academy?" She kept piling venison on my plate, looking worried. I shook my head. "Nope." Voice cracked a little. Shoved meat in my mouth to cover it. "You're barely eating. And your eyes are puffy." Mom put down her fork and looked at me hard. "Did you and Victor get in a fight?" Victor. His name hit like a claw to the gut. "Just tired from studying pack law." Total lie. I didn't wanna worry her. Definitely didn't wanna explain the humiliating details. Dad frowned. "Don't bu//rn yourself out, kiddo. You gotta take care of yourself. Your wolf needs rest too." "Tomorrow's Saturday - why don't you go to the festival grounds with Victor? Relax a little." "His mom said you two haven't run together in forever." Victor. Again. To everyone in our pack, we were the perfect match. Pup-hood sweethearts. Strong bloodlines. Both sets of parents just assumed we'd be fated. End up mated eventually. I used to think that too. Until Lottie Lloyd transferred in - Her father's the Alpha of some powerful tech-sector pack that just claimed territory nearby. She's gorgeous, gets decent grades, plays piano, does ballet - and has this sweet, soft voice that makes every male wolf melt. First day she walked into the academy, she was the only thing anyone talked about. Males swarmed her. Females wanted to be her. Victor was instantly obsessed. Like, head over heels from day one. After that, Lottie was all he cared about. He started showing up at the academy at dawn just to save her a seat. Even though he used to make me save his seat every day. He'd run halfway across the territory to grab her breakfast from some specific spot she mentioned once. Meanwhile, I used to bring him breakfast every morning and he'd just shrug and say thanks. He'd do literally anything to make her laugh. Including hanging me from the training bleachers. "I'm full." I stood up. Put down my fork and basically fled to my room. If I stayed any longer, I'd lose it. Cry right there at the dinner table. Maybe even shift from the stress of it. Behind my closed door, the tears finally came. I covered my mouth so my parents wouldn't hear. Scared they'd pick up my scent spiking. Come ask questions. Then I opened my laptop and started looking up pack transfer procedures. I had to get out of here. Away from this suffocating territory. Away from Victor. Away from all the shame and mockery. There was a really good pack academy out west - my aunt taught there. Solid reputation. Far from here. She'd asked me last year if I wanted to transfer. Back then I said no. Didn't wanna leave my pack. Didn't wanna leave Victor. Now, looking back, it's almost funny how stupid I was. I couldn't let go of a wolf who didn't even see me as a real packmate. Just then, my phone buzzed. Victor calling. I declined. He called again. Declined again. After like ten tries, he switched to texting: [stop being dramatic, I'll take you to the festival tomorrow okay?] [you've been wanting to go forever] [fine I messed up, happy now?] [Phoebe, stop ignoring me] [I got you that honey cake you like] [want me to bring it over?] I didn't respond. Honey cake? Did he seriously think a cake would fix this? He kept going: [Phoebe you're being ridiculous] [it was ONE prank, why are you acting like this] [Lottie literally apologized] [what more do you want] [if you keep ignoring me I'm done trying] [Phoebe Jordan] [you're gonna regret this] I almost laughed. When the apology didn't work, he went straight to threats. Classic Victor. Always thinking the pack revolved around him. That every wolf should bend over backwards to make him happy. I blocked his number. Finally, some peace and quiet. When we were pups, we'd sit on the ridge after pack runs and watch the moon. He'd say, "Phoebe, doesn't the full moon look like a giant cookie?" I'd say, "It looks like a plate." He'd say, "I'm starving, everything looks like food after a run." Then I'd give him whatever dried meat I had in my pocket. Those nights were so perfect. Too bad we can't go back. Next morning, I went to the pack education office, asking about transferring. The she-wolf working there was middle-aged, glasses, seemed nice enough. Mild scent - beta, probably. Calm. "Sweetie, transferring mid-year isn't easy." "You'd need a pretty good reason." She closed the file and looked at me closely. "I... I got bullied at the academy." Barely whispered it. It took everything I had to say it out loud. She looked up. "Do you have proof?" Her expression got way more serious. "If this is true, we need to look into it right away. Pack law is clear on this." I pulled out my phone and showed her the videos. Watching them made me feel like I was getting clawed open all over again. But now, they were evidence. She watched for a minute, and her face got darker and darker. "This is completely unacceptable!" She shot up from her chair, clearly pissed. A growl edged her throat. "This is assault! They physically attacked a packmate!" "Did you call the enforcers?" I shook my head. Call the enforcers? Let the whole pack know I got humiliated like that? Get Victor dragged before the Alpha council? I... couldn't do it. "Why didn't you report it?" She looked at me like she couldn't believe it. "Honey, you need to protect yourself!" "They can't get away with this!" "I just... I just wanna transfer." I kept my head down, voice getting even quieter. I just needed to get out. Didn't wanna deal with any of them ever again. Didn't wanna scent their smirking faces in the halls. She sighed. "Where do you wanna go?" Her voice got softer. "Silver Creek academy. Out west." That was one of the best pack aVictormies in the next territory. Also where my aunt taught. Strong reputation. No drama like this. "Silver Creek? That's not easy to get into." "You'll need an acceptance letter and a pile of records." "I have their acceptance letter." Actually, my aunt had asked me about transferring last moon cycle. Silver Creek's advanced track had an opening. With my grades, I was a perfect fit. The she-wolf was super efficient. I could tell she felt bad for me. Her scent had gone soft. Protective. That same afternoon, all my paperwork was done. "You can start on Monday if you want." "Thank you so much." I nodded. As I was leaving, she stopped me. "Sweetie." "New pack, fresh start, okay?" "Leave all this behind." "You deserve better." My eyes got watery again. Kindness from a stranger hit harder than cruelty from wolves I'd known my whole life. Walking out of the office, the sun was almost blinding. I took a deep breath. A new start was coming. Phoebe Jordan, you've got wolf blood. You've got this.