Chapter 1

Katie's POV

Walking through the streets of Red Moon Pack, pictures of my dad were plastered in every corner of the streets. He was running for the position of Alpha President, and his beloved pack members were campaigning for him as they shared fake stories of his good deeds.

I call them fake because, for the past seventeen years, he has never bothered about my well-being. Yes, I'm his illegitimate daughter, he raped my mom when he was drunk, and instead of owning up and taking responsibility for his actions, my mom who was nothing but an omega was threatened to keep quiet, while he went ahead to marry the former Pack's councilors's daughter, Joanna, and they have a daughter who is just a month younger than me named Jessica.

I hate this Pack and everyone in it. They all know I'm an illegitimate child and they even know how I was conceived but they chose to turn a blind eye, and instead, decided to bully my mother and me into silence.

I've never felt any sense of belonging here, and I can't wait to leave this hellhole and give me and my mother a better life than we truly deserve. But my plans of living are yet to bear fruits, well for one I was still underage, and I can't just ask my mom to leave without any solid plans in place, but soon enough I'll have everything sorted out.

"Hey, Katie!" I heard a familiar voice call me from behind making me freeze at a spot. It was none other than Leslie, the only girl who has taken it upon herself to make my life miserable. Other Pack members bully me but not as much as Leslie and her cronies. She was friends with my step sister Jessica so I guess that's why she feels she's untouchable.

"Ignoring us, are you?" She asked with her hands folded across her chest as she walked towards me.

"I– I'm-"

"Just look at her," one of her cronies said as she eyed me and chewed her gum carelessly. "Do you even wash your hair? Why is it such a mess?" She asked with disdain written all over her.

With how she said it and the look in her eyes, one would think I'm a walking pile of garbage. But there was absolutely nothing wrong with my hair, I may not use expensive hair products like the other girls to make my hair bouncy and shiny, as well as bring out my curls, but I make sure my hair is neat.

"This would help," the girl said and smeared the gum she was chewing on my hair.

"I–"

"Here," Leslie shoved about 15 books at me. "These are our assignments, we want them done by evening," she instructed. "You already know what will happen if they aren't ready by evening."

"B– but Leslie," I began to argue. "There's–"

"Just look at her, you've grown some balls, huh?" She snarled. "Listen here tramp," she sneered. "Just because your whorish mother seduced her way to your daddy's bed, doesn't mean you're suddenly important, you hear me?" She snarled. "Your Dad doesn't even want you, because he knows you have whorish genes like your momma."

"My mum is not a whore," I retorted. "She was ra–"

One of Leslie's cronies pulled my lips. "Just shut up, tramp!" She snarled and raised her hand to hit me.

"Let go of her!" Another familiar voice came from behind.

"This doesn't concern you Ryan, mind your business," Leslie snarled. "This is girls' business."

"So girls' business involves bullying, huh?" Ryan said as he glared at Leslie. "You seriously don't want to piss me off."

"Fine," Leslie said and raised her hand in mock surrender. "Remember what I told you bitch. I need my assignments done by evening," she whispered into my ears, and shoved me aside as she left, making me fall to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Ryan stretched out his hand, as he helped me to my feet.

Ryan was fair, like pale white, with dirty brown hair and a pair of deep blue eyes that glowed with love, where you could get lost if you stared too much. Ryan didn't have an athletic physique like most guys his age. I think it has to do with him not having his Dad's Alpha wolf, but that doesn't matter. I still find him incredibly attractive.

"You don't have to do their homework for them, you know?" He told me.

"It's fine, Ryan," I told him. "Thanks for rescuing me."

"It's no biggie," Ryan said with a smile across his face, making my heart skip a beat. I've had a crush on Ryan for as long as I can remember. I seriously wish he would turn out to be my mate once I turn 18 in a few months. I can't imagine having one of my bullies turn out to be my mate, the thought of that made me cringe.

Ryan was the current Alpha's son, and just like me he had a weak wolf, he didn't inherit his father's Alpha wolf, but no one dared bully him or they'd face the wrath of his parents. In the entire Red Moon Pack, Ryan is the only one that's actually nice to me, he doesn't care if I was a product of rape, or if people referred to my mum as a whore, to him I was no different from all the other Pack Members. Ryan was the only person who gave me presents on my birthday apart from my mum.

Times have changed, and the position of Alpha is not being held by inheritance, an election is being conducted and the Pack members are to decide who their next Alpha would be.

My Dad, on the other hand, was contesting for Alpha President, he'll be the head of all the Alpha's in our region. There are about six regions, and whoever the Alpha president is would be in control of all the regional affairs.

Sincerely speaking I want him to lose, and lose shamelessly so that he wouldn't be able to show his face to anyone ever again. That'll be some payback for all the heartache he caused my mom and me. Most especially me, he needs to know how it feels to want something terribly and not get it.

"Where are you headed?" Ryan asked, breaking my train of thought.

"I– hmm," I stumbled for words. "I'm going to work."

I work part-time at one of the Pack's cafes. This was an avenue for the Pack members to bully me more as they sent me on the silliest of errands. But I don't mind, I needed the cash, and the cash plays a huge role in my plans of leaving this hellhole. I've been able to save some money but it still isn't enough to move to the capital district with my mum, but I believe working a few more months after I turn eighteen I would have been able to gather a reasonable amount to help us start afresh.

"Let me go with you," Ryan offered. "I don't trust those girls not to come back."

"Thank you," I said, avoiding eye contact with him as my cheeks heated.

Ryan and I walked to the Cafe just having little random conversations about everything and nothing in particular.

"Thank you, Ryan," I said, as we arrived at the Cafe.

"It's nothing," Ryan said with that killer smile of his. "See you in school."

Ryan turned around to leave while I went into the Cafe, and made my way straight to the changing room, ignoring the sneers from the Pack members.

Ding! A message popped up on my phone screen as I was about to take off my clothes.

'Katie, come to the hospital now! Your mom had an accident on her way to the grocery store. She's in a critical condition.