Prologue

~Brielle 

“I tried.”

I swallow, eyeing the tips of her fingers that plaster the response letter of my last employment attempt to the surface of the oak table. Her eyes - silver as mercury - glare at me, piercing straight through my calm facade. She’s clearly not happy. 

Her blonde hair was clipped back from her face, allowing for her high cheekbones and sharp jawline to appear more prominent. She’s poised and sophisticated; more prepared for a life as a socialite than a maternal figure. She’s never been too kind, always strict and exacting, wanting the best and nothing but. 

I made a decision this year not to go off to university to study a course mother would be proud of. It didn’t make sense to me. But now I’ve stepped across a line I was avoiding. 

“Trying, isn’t enough in this family,” she says pointedly, “no one is going to hire a useless girl with no higher education to her name.”

Her words hit me straight where it hurts. She’s right, though. This Pack offers free education past high school, and I failed to take it. Many have snubbed their noses at me, refusing to accept my work. I’m to the point of giving up, all my friends having left for school, and my mother ready to push me away because I’m a failure. 

“I think you should leave,” mother says, smoothly standing from the table. She makes a scene of scrunching the paper up into a ball, tossing into the bin beside her. “When you’re employed, and have something to your name, you can come back to this family. Right now, associating with you is not in your father and I’s best interest. Pack your things and leave by dawn.”

I watch her leave. No remorse, no regret. She watched my older brother go to university and become a successful surgeon. A daughter who’s only skill is pulling a paintbrush too across a canvas is easy to disregard. 

I don’t stick around. 

I shove as much as I can into one duffle bag, and slink out without having to see my mother again. Giving her anymore satisfaction is not on my agenda. 

The Loyalty Pack is a safe Pack, kept in good condition. It’s built around a beautiful lake, and right in the centre of that lake, is our Alpha’s estate. People gossip that he can see all from there, and watches over everyone’s mistakes. Despite the advertisement that everyone in this Pack is loyal to each other, it’s all a lie. In evidence of this. 

My father built this home upon a hill, among with other estates to look over the view. As I emerge outside, I see the moonlight upon the glassy surface of it. I would marvel in its beauty were I not suddenly homeless. 

My plan is to get out of this Pack. Soon. I’ve been conspiring to do so for awhile, but with no money and way out of here, it’s hopeless. I need a job. But who will hire me, without any further schooling?

Trotting down the cobblestone path toward the village at the foot of the hill, I curse my parents. If my mother thinks I’m coming back, she’s crazy. And I know my father will never ask about me. 

Where I’m going to get my money from, I’m unsure. 

The lakeside village my parents became so wealthy in is so popular, as it seems to be the only place Ren is ever seen to visit. The docks his marvellous ships glide into every now-and-again are huge, a hub for wealth and prosperity. It’s where everyone aspires to visit, to catch a glimpse of those who step off that elusive island in the middle of the lake. 

I avoid it. It reminds me of those years father would take myself and my brother down to the docks to watch Ren arrive for a visit to the mainland. It was always a big spectacle I would often look forward to. 

Instead of walking by the lakefront, avoiding gushing couples and giggling friend groups, I wander down the streets at the foot of the hill. 

No where to stay. No friends. 

My bag is as heavy on my arm, as the gazes of passers by is heavy on my shoulders. On my dignity. Many know me, and many will be questioning my parents about it in these next weeks. Many will wonder what I’m doing out so late, straying from my home. No one will expect that I’ve been cast out from shame. Mother never allowed the public to get a single glimpse of what actually went on within our home. Behind closed doors. 

I find an alleyway, sheltered against the wind, and also hopefully, the rain. If it were to come to that. 

Pushing my bag against the wall, I sit on it. Luckily, city cleaners keep these alleyways immaculate. I’ll move on tomorrow though, try find a job and hopefully from there, a place to stay. Then I’ll leave this Pack, forget my parents. I’m not one for revenge, so hoping tonight was the last time I’ll see their faces is good enough for me. 

My head leans against the concrete. I saw this coming. 

Ren’s ‘perfect society’ is a lie. He covers most people's first expenses, however, since I come from a wealthy family, I’m not entitled to want of it. Little does he know, my family never wanted me anyway. Not when they got their perfect child. He knows nothing of a perfect society. Not when he keeps himself hidden away on that stupid island of his. 

God I hate him. So much. 

Tears sting in my eyes. Is this really my fate? I never planned for any of this...Tomorrow I’ll call Ethan, my brother. Maybe he will find space for me. If he loves me. 

“This doesn’t look like a place for a girl like you,” someone whispers.

I startle, so involved in my own thoughts I hadn’t even seen someone approach. A man, in a decaying suit jackets and loose trousers stares down at me. He has a shock of untrimmed black hair. 

I bring my knees up to my chest defensively. “Go away. You don’t know anything about me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

I eye him suspiciously. He’s clearly homeless, or every eccentric. Either way, when someone approaches you in the street with unknown intentions, it’s always safe to be cautious. And I would be, were I not so close to giving up. I have nothing left for me, not here.

“If you want to take my stuff, go ahead,” I say, motioning to the duffle bag under my backside. 

The man narrows a dark pair of eyes at me. “A bit hard on your luck are you?”

Sighing through my nose, I push my head back against the wall again. Hard on my luck? I wouldn’t say it was much of my fault. However, there is no use wallowing in my sorrows to this uninterested man. 

“You could say that much,” I say, hoping he wouldn’t take any further interest in my sob story. It’s no ones business but my own. 

He shoves his hands in his pockets. “If you’re looking for a job, the docks are always open for a lady. Might just be cleaning up, but they will surely offer you a place to stay if you desperately need it.”

We stare at each other. 

Assuming I wasn’t about to say much more, he continued walking back down the alleyway, his gait casual. 

“Wait,” I say quickly, before he disappeared around the corner. He turns to look at me again. 

“What was that?”

I unfurl my legs from my sitting position. “Thank you.”