Chapter 2

Vivian’s POV

“Zeke?”

“Why would I ever mate with a mutt like you?”

I felt a sharp twist in my chest, like something trying to snap. Let him go! Ivy, my wolf, snapped at me. Reject him! He is not worthy!

“But Zeke…”

Zeke stepped forward, out of Samatha’s arms, “I said I reject you, Vivian.”

I fell to the ground, the twisting intensifying. Ivy howled in pain. Moments ago, she was howling in happiness but turned on him the second Zeke rejected me. She was always protective of me. “Zeke, what happened to you…”

“I finally saw you for the filth that you are.”

I fell to the ground. The snapping became unbearable. With the last ounce of my strength, I raised my head. “I, Vivian Locke, of the Greywood Wolf Pack, accept your rejection.”

Our wolves howled in unison once more, and a blinding light flashed before my eyes. A pulsing pain shot through my head before everything went black.

*****

It’d been two days since my 18th birthday. And one day since I woke up in the hospital. No one had been to see me. Not even my parents. I had never felt more alone.

Female shifters moved out of their family homes at 18 because they found their mates and wanted to start their families right away. It’s why we made sure to graduate early. Now without a mate, without school, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.

My entire life, I’d be focused on this moment. It’d be hammered into me since birth. And now I had to make my own way in the pack. Or maybe as a rogue. I shook my head. That was silly. I’d never make it as a rogue. I wasn’t strong enough.

A cough interrupted me from my thoughts. Zeke stood in the doorframe, holding a box. Tears filled my eyes. He came back. He realized he made a mistake and came back.

Rolling his eyes, he flung the box down at the foot of my bed. “I found a bunch of stuff at my house that apparently belongs to you and I thought I’d return it to you. I heard you’re getting out today so I thought I’d bring it by.”

I gasped. “What?”

“What part of that didn’t make sense?”

“I don’t understand what’s happening, Zeke. I thought we were friends.”

“Were friends. Key word. Were.”

“But why? What happened?”

Zeke shrugged. “I don’t really have to go into semantics with you, now do I? Let’s just say reality crept in and I see you for who you really are now. And I’m not interested in keeping such a vile piece of garbage in my presence.”

The tears threatening to fall streaked down my cheeks. The one person I had in my life who had made my life feel worth living was abandoning me. I had no one now. My home was gone.

“The waterworks won’t work on me. I have things to do. We’re done here.”

With that, he turned and left. A nurse came in after him, pretending not to notice the tears streaking my face. “Let’s get you ready. Your friend is here to walk you home.”

“My friend?”

“Oh yes. The nice young gentleman who brought you here.”

I furrowed my brows. I never bothered to ask who had brought me here, just assuming it had been a medic. I hurried and got dressed in clothes that my friend apparently grabbed from my house for me, trying to piece together who could possibly be picking me up when I hadn’t had a single visitor the whole time I’d be here.

When I finally made my way to lobby, escorted by the same nurse, I froze when I saw Chris Salvant. “Chris?”

He turned, looking me up and down. “Good. You would have looked a little silly walking home in your birthday dress. Come on. Let’s get going. I got training in an hour.”

I looked at the nurse, who patted my arm and nudged me towards him. What was going on? My best friend thought I was filth and my bully was walking me home from the hospital. Something wasn’t adding up.