Chapter 10: His Pain, Their Entertainment

[TAMIKO]

"If it isn't Tamiko the freak. How long are you going to stand there?"

"Probably until his brain picks up on the fact that he should die instead of living."

"He's too dumb to think for himself."

"Tamiko darling, do you have a brain?"

"You guys want him to think and he can't even think for himself."

This was nothing new to Tamiko. He knew that they would do this and beat him up a few times, and then go away. Today was not supposed to be an exception, besides, it wasn't like he could escape his reality anyway.

And so Tamiko stayed silent, watching and waiting to hear what was in store for him in the second half of the day. He was scared, and wanted to get away from them, but he knew that he would never be able to.

No matter how hard he tried, he would never beat them, because they were not only more powerful than him, but they were backed by the devil himself.

Gabriel, the Grealor alpha's son, or as he preferred to be called, Gabe.

"Here's a blade, we want to see how long a person can take before their body gives up because of blood loss, and you, dear Tamiko, will be our human experiment, how cool, right?" Gabe said to Tamiko once they reached the square.

He had a thick stick on his right hand, just like his friends, as they watched Tamiko squirm in fear. This was new for them too, because all the time they come at Tamiko, he had never faltered, but for the first time in so long, he had faltered.

"What?" Tamiko asked, clearly not sure if they meant that they were going to use him for whatever they wanted.

Did that mean they were determined to ruin him for his mate?

Even if he didn't want a mate, Tamiko thought the idea of having someone accept him even if it was because of the midnight moon would be interesting, but with the trio back again after what they had done earlier, Tamiko wasn't sure he could survive this today.

"Have you ever cut your wrists?" Gabe asked as he walked closer to Tamiko, handing the blade to him, but not before he looked at Tamiko's wrists and what he saw there, was somehow shocking to him.

The outcast had tried to take his life more than once.

But just as he had been shocked, Gabe snapped out of his trance a little too fast.

"I see you're an artist, Tamiko. This makes it all even more interesting," Gabe said as he looked at the man standing before him.

He didn't care that Tamiko looked like he was about to faint at this moment, no. The only thing he cared about was to have his fair share of the fun before it was all over. He was, after all, the dark alpha's son.

"Now start drawing, Tamiko. Show me how much of an artist you are, and make sure you're good at it alright?" Gabe taunted and Tamiko stared at him blankly, the tears forming in his eyes as he wondered what he had done to deserve whatever this was.

He had worked hard to survive and now the very face that haunted and taunted him, was back at it again.

The alpha had earlier made sure to remind him to brush his hair neatly, and while Tamiko had done just that, he couldn't help but feel like porcelain that everyone wanted to toy with. He was delicate and fragile, and that made him feel like everyone was thinking of him as a toy.

Maybe this would give him a way out, right? Maybe this was the new hope he had been holding onto right? Maybe with this, he could go on and be with his parents in the afterlife, and maybe then, he would grow up to be a loved child.

Oh, but Tamiko had hesitations and doubts. He felt like the world had come together to ridicule him and honestly with the circle that had formed around him, there was no denying that. These people hated him, there was nothing else that could explain the excitement in their eyes.

It was almost like they didn't have children of their own, or maybe they had just loved to see Tamiko be broken to pieces by the pack royalty even as they laughed along like it was their best moment.

'My pain really is their entertainment?' Tamiko asked himself as he stared around him, the reality hitting him a little too hard than he had anticipated. He really had no future with these people and the sooner he got this over with, the sooner they would leave him alone right?

"Are you scared of cutting your wrist? Should I help you out?" Gabe's voice suddenly piped up, reminding Tamiko that they weren't having the whole day.

If anything they had other important things to prepare for and they couldn't do that unless they were done with Tamiko. But was that supposed to be a consolation?

Tamiko knew he was done for.

He looked at the blade he had been given, and then at his wrists that were scarred, thanks to the endless times they had forced him to do this indirectly.

Something that had used to be his escape from reality was now going to be everyone's business and as usual, there were no regrets on their faces and it was terrifying to even think of, even his pain couldn't be his; what else did Tamiko have left?

They had always made him believe that he didn't have a purpose and while it was something they may have said just to pass their time, Tamiko grew to believe them and he couldn't break free of them.

Not even when Danny came and reminded Tamiko that he was an insanely powerful person. It never managed to snap him out of the horrors of being the target that everyone played with, and sometimes hurt more than they should have.

The blade he was staring at was sharp, and on it was carved the owner's name, and expectedly, it belonged to Gabe, the man determined to make his life a little too difficult than it should have been.

"Alpha… I—" Tamiko began, the cold winds hitting his body, reminding him that no matter how long he stalled, the outcome was always going to be the same for him. He would eventually do it for them or they would start it off, and force him to continue.

It was the same old cycle.

Gabe had always told him to call him alpha, because otherwise, Tamiko would face even worse punishments, and right now, while there didn't seem to be any punishment worse than the mothers and fathers of the pack staring at him and the alpha's son, he hoped for the best.

"You what, Tamiko? Cut the damn wrist and get it over with. We don't have the whole evening here. Besides, it's the mating ceremony day. I should be ready and good-looking for my mate. He or she will be blessed to have me anyway," Gabe said confidently, making Tamiko internally sigh.