Young Malia's POV

I was out in the woods, curled up against a tree trying to block the harsh wind from my body. Alpha told me he had important guest coming to visit and told me to clean, cook and be out of his sight before he came back. I wasn't done in time. Dinner was taking longer than expected and Alpha came home from his 'delivery pick up' before I finished setting the table.

"I told you to do one thing!" He slammed the door shut. "One thing and you pathetic, weak, dumbass is not capable of doing anything! I don't know why I even keep you around anymore!"

I squeezed my eyes shut and tears ran down my face as his words rang in my ears, the pain from his beating still radiates all over my body. I could still hear the glass shatter as he threw a beer bottle at my head. Pieces of glass were still embedded in my skin.

"You are worthless!" He seethes as he yank my hair and slammed my head onto the marble countertop. "No good at anything. Completely useless!" He grabbed the boiling water I had on the stove and dumped it over my quivering body on the floor but I did not scream. If I screamed, it would make my beating worse.

I felt sick. I hadn't eaten in days. Alpha spent all his money with his 'buddies' and put off buying food. The wind was strong and cold, eating away at my skin, making me feel cold and vulnerable. I was just glad it wasn't raining.

As the sun started to set, the woods grew dark and so did my nerves. The air became colder as the sun disappeared, no longer warming the Earth. As the silver moon peaked over the high trees, animals, the beasts of the woods, began to come out.

Rogues sang at the moon, their howls bouncing of the trees. I curled further into the tree and hugged my knees to my chest, hoping they don't find me. They had free rein of this land, not because they had permission. Alpha no longer sent patrols to monitor and protect of land so anyone could just stroll on the property and do what ever they wanted with seeing a single consequence. I've seen what the rogues can do. They were savages, monsters that hid in the shadows and under kid's beds. I didn't want to meet any.

The howls grew closer and I tried to suppress my whimpers with my shaking hands. The cold had numbed me completely now and I could not longer tell if I was shaking from fear, pain or the almost non existent cold.

"Oh my!" A soft voice gasped. "Sweetheart? Are you okay?" Her voice was gentle and light, careful not to scare me. I trembled and dug my back further against the tree. The rough bark dug into my sensitive skin and I let out a whimper. "Oh Sweetheart, it's okay. Come here, I won't hurt you." I peaked over my knees to look at the lady.

Her eyes. That's what made me trust her. They were a warm shade of brown, filled with concern, kindness and wisdom. They were far from my fathers cold, steel colored eyes that were filled with fires of rage. Her eyes made me feel safe, they were the eyes that I feel like my own mother would posses. They were safe, comforting, they were my home that I did not have.

I slowly peeled my stiff arms from me legs and shakily held them out towards her. She wasted no time scooping my off the ground and cradling me in her arms. Her skin was warm and she rubbed my back comfortingly. "It's okay. You'll be okay now." I buried my head into her warm neck and clutched her tighter.

She walked further into the woods and away from Alpha's house. She walked into one of the guest homes where a big, white car was sitting in the driveway. She unlocked the door and the first thing I felt was warmth. There was a fire cracking in the fire place. The presence and the aura inside the guest home was calming.

The lady walked in front of the fire and set me down on a plush chair. "I'll be right back Sweetie, you just stay right there." She walked away from me down a hallway. I stayed just as she left me.

"Janina?" A male called from the direction the lady just walked in. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, Xavier, it's me!" She called back. "Do you know where the first aid kit is? I remember you having it last?" I heard heavy footstep tumble down the hall.

"Why do you need the first aid kit? Where are you hurt? What happened?" The man sounded alarmed and panicked, his voiced filled with concern and worry.

"I am fine, Xav." She assured him. "I found a young one in the woods during my walk." She drops her voice to a whisper. "She looks as if she was beaten and I found her shivering against a tree. She's in pretty bad shape." Their voices dropped and I could no longer hear what they were saying, just their hushed voices.

Footsteps echoed from down the hall and moved in my direction. A tall, very large man stood in the shadows of the hall. He was big, bigger than Alpha and I started to shake. Whimpering, I curled into the couch, trying to protect most of my body if and when he decided to come out and punish me. For what the strange man would punish me for, I don't know but it is always something.

"Xavier, please go back to our room. Can't you see you are scaring her?" She gently pushed at his chest, a white box with a red cross was underneath her arm. The man looked at me for a few more seconds before turning and going the the hall. She sat on the couch and pulled out all the supplies she needed. She cleaned out my cuts with alcohol and dabbed them with cotton ball. She took tweezers out and gently pulled the shards of glass from my head. She then took out of bandaids that had pictures of a man in a red and blue suit with a weird 'S' on the front. "I'm sorry, I only have Superman bandaids, they are my son's favorite but they will do the job."

"Thank you." I replied quietly. This was the first act of kindness someone has given me in years.

She gave me a kind smile and stuck the adhesive bandages on my face. She got up and then walked away from me and into a different room. She then walked back with a tall glass of milk and a plate of cookies. I have made cookies before but I was never allowed to eat them. She set the plate and glass in front of me but I made no move to eat them, they were not for me.

"You may have them if you want." She gestured to the plate. "Just don't tell my son, they are his favorite." She winked at me. I shook my head.

"I don't wanna make him mad."

"Don't worry." She shook her head and handed me a cookie. "He's asleep and I won't tell if you won't." I slowly grasped the cookie and nibble on it. It was very sweet and one of the best things I have ever eaten. She ran her long fingers through my hair and my body slowly relaxed. I let out a yawn and my eyelids grew heavy. The lady than shifted my body so that I was laying on the couch and she covered my body with a warm, fluffy blanket. She continued to run her fingers through my hair and she placed a small kiss on my forehead.

I woke up and looked around the dark room. A clock with glowing red numbers told me that it was around four in the morning. I needed to get back home, I knew I was in for a major beating if I wasn't there to make Alpha breakfast. I didn't want to leave the kind lady, I wanted to stay with her. She was the women I thought my mother would be like and I didn't want to leave, but I knew I couldn't stay.

I got up quietly and folded up the blanket that the lady covered me with. The milk and cookies were no longer on the table so I didn't have to clean those up. Quickly, I unlocked the door and slipped into the darkness of the early morning.

I never saw the kind lady again.