Prologue
~Tessa~
Tessa couldn’t recall when she last took a moment to appreciate nature’s beauty. The chilled morning air stung her cheeks, and each breath blew past her lips in a puff of heat. She shivered, stuffing each hand into the fleece-lined pockets of her coat, and looked toward the horizon from the balcony of her bedroom.
Radiant tendrils of light began to weave through the dark clouds, rousing birds from the comfort of their nests. Winter had been harsh, with snowstorms hiding any hint of Spring during the shortened daytime hours, but today, blissful melodies quickly chased away the silence of a lingering winter’s night.
A gust of frigid wind blew through the bare trees, causing Tessa to shriek in surprise and hurry inside. Even with her elevated body temperature, she wasn’t immune to the chill of the season, and it was an obvious sign that she had allowed her body to become weak.
After losing her family, her days were spent grieving in the dark, wallowing in self-pity, and wasting away while her pack and time moved on without her. She was a shell of the girl she used to be, finding herself surrounded by the whispers of pity and disappointment from her pack members. She haunted the halls of their pack house.
Everyone doubted her ability to lead and protect them. It was seen as selfish of her to avoid her duties as their future leader, but she was ready to put their worries to rest.
“An Alpha must stay strong. There is no room for weakness here,” she scolded herself, willing her heart to stop beating with the raw grief that tore her apart. She could not afford to be paralyzed any longer. “They need a leader they can rely on in times of crisis, and as the heir to the Alpha title, I won’t fail them again,” Tessa swore, gazing up at the few remaining stars before turning on her heels to walk back into her bedroom.
All it would take is a single neighboring Alpha to plant a seed of doubt among her pack, and it would be over. She still felt their greedy eyes burning holes through her skull during her family’s funeral, searching for signs of weakness to exploit.
“I’ll never give them the satisfaction,” she growled. “My father’s legacy will live on, and strength is the only way.” She spoke the words aloud for any lingering souls to hear, and a gentle breeze caressed her skin. The chill in her veins was chased away with a comforting warmth. The sensation felt foreign to her, but it was the fuel she needed to set her perfect mask.
Tessa wiped away the few tears that had fallen from her eyes and stalked to her full-length mirror. Her eyes were swollen and red. A harsh contrast against her hazel hues, while her honey-blonde hair was neatly set in a ponytail.
“Tessa Hayes, you have two seconds to get down here or else! John is already outside, and it’s rude to keep him waiting, young lady!” A familiar voice pulled her from her trance. Her grandmother’s tone was full of impatience.
“I’m coming!” Tessa called out, taking a deep breath before racing out of her room and down the stairs. “I’d be lost without you, Gran.” She smiled, giving her grandmother a quick kiss goodbye, then rushed out the door.
She found John leaning against the railing of her porch, not even trying to hide the disappointment in his eyes as he looked her over.
“What happened? Were you having a bad hair day? Or, let me guess, you didn’t know what to wear?” he scoffed, glaring at his watch.
“At least I have hair, you bastard.” Tessa glared, swallowing the words in her throat. She had no qualms about speaking her mind, but she understood why John was upset with her. She had lost track of time and knew he kept a tight schedule, but his demeaning comments still infuriated her.
“I just have to ignore it for now. John looking down on me is nothing new. Dad trusted him enough to watch over his family, so he must be good for something.” She forced herself to take calming breaths as she followed him to the main office of the packhouse. His steps were quick and heavy, but Tessa easily matched his pace.
In the office, Tessa observed the man in front of her. He wasn’t handsome by any means and certainly wasn’t easy to approach, but John had been her father’s childhood friend and eventually their pack’s Beta since the two males came of age.
After her father died, he held the pack together and ensured everyday operations continued smoothly. Everyone in Blue Ridge felt indebted to him. Even Tessa knew he was the only person left to train her on how to manage and follow pack protocol and politics perfectly.
Every morning was spent reviewing contracts and listening to conference calls. This morning was no different. She swore John loved hearing his own voice. “Maybe that’s what made him good at his job?” she wondered. He always needed to have the last word.
After what felt like ages, Tessa peered at the clock. It was finally time for combat training. She quickly finished her notes on the report she was working on and stood, barely catching her chair from crashing to the floor.
“Thanks, John. I think I’m getting the hang of all this.” She smiled, motioning to the mountain of files on her father’s old desk before rushing out of the stuffy office to the open training fields.
Tessa could smell Spring in the air and felt its warmth coat her skin as she walked the center of the field. “Uncle Tyler, I’m here!” She called out to the figure warming up on the track. When he turned to find her, Tessa swore her mother was smiling back at her.
They were fraternal twins, but he shared her mother's kind smile, blue eyes, and auburn hair. His only flaw was a deep scar running down the side of his face. It must have been deep enough to never heal, and he never missed an opportunity to use its story as a lesson. It was a story her mother used to grow tired of hearing.
“I have just one piece of advice for you, Tessa. Never back down from a fight, no matter the risks. I got this scar from a feral Rogue who made the mistake of attacking your mother. As the older brother, I was always ready to sacrifice myself if it meant protecting my sweet, innocent sister.” He’d gloat, puffing his chest with pride, releasing a boisterous laugh.
“First of all, you’re only older by ten whole minutes. And second, I seem to remember that fight a little differently. I’m pretty sure I was the one rescuing you.” Tessa’s mother teased, enjoying the opportunity to take her brother down a peg.
“She’s got you there, Tyler.” Tessa's father laughed, smacking his Gamma on the shoulder. “Don’t feel too bad. It takes all my strength to take your sister down when we spar. Sometimes.” He smirked, winking to her mother. Her mother’s cheeks flushed under her father’s gaze.
“On that note, we’re out of here. I don’t need to hear this, and Zander is waiting.” Tyler gagged, scooping Tessa into his arms before rushing out of the room to the training fields.
Training together had now become their routine, and she was always happy to spend time with her cousin. Being a Gamma’s son meant his strength rivaled her own at their age, and Tessa always welcomed a challenge.
Today, sweat stung her eyes, blurring her vision. “Keep your guard up, or you’ll find yourself running laps around the border until morning!” Her Uncle roared, clipping Tessa with a right hook to the jaw. The force sent her skidding across the ground. She knew he held back on account of her being distracted.
“Idiot,” she growled, pounding the dirt. She couldn’t afford to lose focus. Tessa wiped the blood from her lip with a smile, her teeth stained with a slight tinge of red, and charged ahead. “Today is the last time I’ll be knocked to the ground,” she thought, channeling her mother’s strength.
