Chapter 1
14 Years Ago
“Happy Birthday.” My mother said as she kissed my temple, “Four years old, and so many to go my angel.” She said as she then attacked my cheeks with kisses. I couldn’t help but giggle as I looked at the big white cake with pink lettering in front of me. My fingers were already swiping icing away, ready for the sugary taste. But, before my finger could reach my mouth, my father kissed my other cheek. Once he was done, he took my finger and quickly ate the icing off of it. I could hear both my parents giggle, and instantly my anger was there as I smacked the table and wailed. But before I could get to the meltdown part of the tantrum my father pushed more icing into my screaming mouth.
“That temper, just like your mothers.” He said as he kissed my temple.
My mother only giggled as she looked at my father and stuck her tongue out. And as they both laughed I felt as both of them leaned towards me to kiss. Their bodies squished me as I tried to get back to the icing. But their kisses ended when the pale green phone hanging on the wall started to wail louder than I ever could. My mother only sighed as she moved away from the table and went to pick up the phone.
She still had a smile on her face, as her fingers twirled the cord, “Hello, Huron’s residents.” She answered in a sweet gentle voice. She flashed us a wide smile when she answered the line. But, in seconds her eyes widened as she looked over to my Father, “Thank you Hale.” She said and hung up the phone and looked at the two of us, “They found us.”
“They found us?” My father asked, instantly his body moved with urgency as he yanked me out of the chair. His hands had wrapped around under my pits, which was painful. My body hung in the air as I felt his body shift, twirling me around, “How long-”
Father never got to finish that sentence as a loud bang came from the front door. Fear raced through my body. Hot tears started to fall down my cheeks as I looked towards my mother’s frightened eyes. There was something in her eyes, something that I’ve never seen. She opened her mouth, but I couldn’t hear a word she said. I watched as her pale lips started to move, and then everything turned black.
It was as if I was placed in a black box, one moment I was in my father’s hands, the next I was alone under the table. Confusion set in as I pushed back the table cloth and walked towards the living room. The room where I could always find my mother and father. The light blue curtains were ripped and they now had large red splotches on them. The couch was ripped apart and was pushed against the wall. Redness was spread against the light blue walls. But, the condition of the room didn’t come close to the shock of seeing 3 large wolves staring at me with black beaded eyes.
Red covered different colored thick fur as they bared their teeth towards me. Multiple low growls filled the room, “Mommy? Daddy?” I cried out, but there was no reply. My muscles were numb, I wanted to run. But, I couldn’t make my feet move. Before any tears could fall a woman walked towards me. Her tanned skin was completely naked as her brown eyes found me. Her long black hair covered her breast and rested around her hips.
She and I were the only ones that didn’t have red on them. When she crouched down, I could see a golden glow under her eyes as her lips parted. Taking in a deep breath as she tilted her head, “Where is my Mommy?” I asked her in a broken voice. The woman looked taken back for a moment. Something flashed across her face, remorse? Sadness? Guilt? Something I’ve never seen from my parents.
Her perfect plumped bottom lip found itself wedged between her teeth as she looked away from me. The wolves moved closer to the woman, and growled louder towards me. This time tears started to fall down my cheek, hot and ready tears. Fear had finally taken over my brave act, I wanted my parents. My hand rushed up to push against my wet nose, I could smell the sweetness of the icing still on my finger. The once warm saliva of my parents on my cheeks, was now cold, “What is your name?” The woman asked me, slowly pushing my hair out of my face.
“V-Victoria.” I said and looked up to her.
“Victoria.” She said and smiled, “That was my mother’s name.” She said, I didn’t know if that was supposed to make me feel better, but it didn’t. The woman seemed to sense that as she nodded, “Victoria, how would you like to stay with me?” One of the wolves growled loudly as it disappeared. A man stood tall as he looked towards me with dagger eyes.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He asked in a strong low voice. He glared towards me, his eyes scorched with hatred. But, he looked back to the woman before I could shed another tear, “You will-”
“You will not tell me what I will and will not do, Beta.” The woman growled as she looked back at the man. She spoke with authority, and instantly I felt another type of fear. As warm liquid started to fill my pants, the woman growled towards the man “I am your Luna, you will respect me as your Luna. Or you will be a rogue and then you can tell others what they can and cannot do.” She said loudly. The man instantly looked down as he nodded.
“Of course Luna.” He said as he glared towards me. The woman looked away from the man and then looked at me.
“What do you think, Victoria? Would you like to come with me?” She asked and smiled. I knew she was trying to be nice, but the only way to show her my gratitude was to cry louder. Tears fell down my cheek as I shook my head.
“No! I want my Mommy!” I said.
Something flashed in the woman’s face as she went to grab hold of my hand, “You will come with me!” She demanded. But, before she could get a grip on my hand, I was running into the dining room. Only then could I see the multiple sleeping wolves covered in red. They laid in strange positions, but none of that mattered to me as I tried to hide from the woman. The sticky liquid splashed on my sandals as I went towards the stairs which would lead to my room.
But, I stopped running as I looked at the twisted bodies on the floor, their heads were down. I couldn’t see their faces, but I could see the multiple marks on their bodies, and the red that covered them. Their clothes are what gave them away. A simple blue dress and jeans and a black shirt. My parents, their hands were mangled as they reached towards each other. My mouth hung open as I tried to breathe, but instead of breathing I was screaming.
Panting for air I lifted my body off of the mattress. That dream, that damn dream. I thought to myself as I started to wipe at my sweaty face repeatedly. Pure fear continued to fill my body as I rolled off of the mattress and rushed over to the treadmill. Still half asleep I started to jog as I tried to forget about the dream. My bare feet smacked against the black tough surface as I raised the speed. This was the only comfort I had now, and I knew that if I continued to run the dream would escape my thoughts. When my lungs start to burn, I will be able to focus on that and not the bloody mess that was my parents.
The blurred faces, the wolves. The blood that covered the entire house where my parents started to build their lives. My memories were so limited, I felt betrayed. I wanted to know more of my parents, I wanted to know why. I wanted to scream the way I screamed when I found them. But, I knew I couldn’t as my heart started to race and move as fast as my feet.
My mouth hung open as a new kind of sweat started to form on my skin. The dream was slowly escaping my thoughts as the events of what happened next filled my mind. I remembered when I was ‘happily’ welcomed in Orion’s pack. I couldn’t remember leaving the house, or the ride there. I didn’t know how much time had passed, but I do remember Alpha Ralph screaming at Luna Sheila when she walked me up to the pack house. He had shifted in front of me and was ready to kill me.
Luna Sheila had jumped in his way and fought against Alpha Ralph. Only then did the large wolf stop trying to attack me, I learned later it was because they were mates. But to me, she was my kidnapper. There was much I couldn’t remember from back then, and that memory seemed to be fuzzy as well.
Then again, I tried to forget these memories. I wanted to escape the pain that linger in my heart, I wanted this anger to disappear. Flashes of memories filled my thoughts then. The day I begged her to take me home, I was on the ground sobbing when I asked her why she took me. “Why me? Why did you have to take me?” I would cry at her feet. Luna Sheila would only get angry and refused to answer the questions. Stating that I didn’t need to know anything about my parents, because she was there.
Sheila kept me in the Alpha’s house. Well his basement to be exact, since I first got here I was placed in the basement. And for years I wasn’t allowed to leave the Alpha’s house. Luna had told me she did everything so no one would harm me. But, I was isolated in the basement. And I was scared of the Alpha, he disapproved of me being here. Everyone in the pack had glared at me since I first got to the pack. So, I was thankful to be hidden.
At first it wasn’t so bad, Sheila spent every day with me. She would teach me how to read or ask questions about my parents, until one day she stopped. And the day the questions stopped, was the day Luna Sheila found out she was pregnant. And, as time passed she stopped coming down to the basement. Instead of her teaching me, a guard who would stand by the door would answer my questions.
There were some days where she would waddle down the stairs to see me, and some where she allowed me up. But, ever since I first saw the hatred in Alpha Ralph’s eyes I never felt comfortable leaving the basement. So most of those invites went ignored. By the time I was eight years old I found myself in a deep depression. I laid in the bed and ignored the food that the guard would bring in. I ignored him completely and would pull the blanket over my face to cover his view of me.
Perhaps that is why, when I turned nine Sheila tried to give me as much of the world as she could. She got me electronics and books. Her and her young children would come down to the basement and decorate it anyway she pleased. She would bring me hot meals and gifts. And she tried to insist on me eating at the table every night, and every night I refused. In some kind of sick way Sheila had tried to become my mother.
And when I realized that I lost my respect for her. I didn’t call her Luna like everyone else, she was Sheila. She was my kidnapper, gifts didn’t bring my parents back. Hot meals didn’t make me feel at home. And once that thought started to grow in my head, I started to hate Sheila, I despised her so much. The guard outside the door would often make remarks about my attitude towards ‘his Luna’.
In the years he guarded the door, he was never friendly towards me. He never told me his name, even when I asked. And I never got to see his face. He would be in a good mood and would sometimes talk about werewolves or answer my questions. Sheila tried to make me forget about the world outside the basement, the guard is the one who changed her words. Like when I asked why the furnace only came on at night and not during the day. The man had laughed when he heard that Sheila tried to make me believe the wolves howling was a furnace.
The guard was an ass, but he told me things I never would have known. He told me that Alpha Ralph took Sheila back to these lands without her consent. He had permission from her family, but not from her. And for the first year of living together, Sheila despised the man. She wanted to leave, run away, become a rogue. The pack knew it, Sheila didn’t deny her hatred for these lands. She wanted to be at home, only then did Alpha Ralph allow her to start doing things by herself.
Even now I can remember that day clearly. I had sat on the other side of the door as the guard loudly sighed, “Alpha gave up. He couldn’t hold onto this Luna, he tried everything. He was about to agree to her rejection. Then you came.” Apparently when the couple had started to fight in front of me, Sheila surrendered herself to him. Agreeing to allow the mate bond work, if she could keep me. Ralph didn’t see the harm in one human girl and quickly accepted the deal. I wondered silently what would have happened if he didn’t accept the deal.
Sheila gave up her freedom and promised to give him pups. She allowed her heart to open for him, just to save me. I told the guard it was stupid of her, and he instantly took it offensively. He told me I was a spoiled little human that should have been killed. And, that was the end of us talking. After that we would ignore each other and listen to the multiple feet that were running and jumping above our heads. The children were only allowed to come near me in their younger years. Ralph refused to allow the children to associate with me once they went to school. And it was only after her third child did Sheila offered me to join the pack’s classes. But I denied and did my schooling over line.
Throughout my years here Sheila continued to bring me books, and small gifts. And by the time I turned 15 years old I was required to attend parties and important meetings with Sheila and her mate.
The wolves didn’t accept me, and some spoke against it. But, usually after a few moments I blended in with the wall, and was invisible. Some had even openly joked about Sheila’s pet as they ignored me completely. At first their hurtful words kept me up at night as I tried to get Sheila to stop making me attend these gatherings. She ignored my request, until one incident. It was no secret that my presence bothered wolves but most of the time, I was quickly overlooked. Only once did my presence bother everyone. It was when I was 16 and a male ‘accidentally’ bumped into me.
The male didn’t really pay any mind to the action. It was a normal arm bump in a crowded room. But, werewolves are a lot stronger than humans. So his arm bump resulted in my shoulder dislocating and the half of my body being bruised. When I fell in the crowded room I didn’t make a scene, I didn’t even cry when the pain rushed through my body. I simply struggled to get to my feet. But, before I got to my knees, Sheila was already there.
Protective as always, she ended up being the one who caused a scene. Sheila demanded the boy to apologize, and that caused problems with the pack he was from when his Alpha came to the scene. His Alpha refused to make the boy apologize to a human. And Sheila quickly started a fight with the Alpha.
That night Alpha Ralph’s rage was heard throughout the house. He was angry, not with the boy. But, with me. He told Sheila that I was too weak to be out. His points were pretty spot on, but Sheila ignored each one. And even though she fought back with her mate, the next day she told me I was no longer allowed to go to any events.
