Chapter 0001

I hate my hair. I hate my eye color. I hate everything about me. Why was I putting myself through this? Even if I did find my mate tonight, he would probably take one look at me and reject me. That's all I need, isn't it? To be publicly humiliated like that. My Alpha father would be so proud of me then, wouldn't he? I know that he just wants to hurry up and marry me off so that I would be out of the way and my older brother could take over as Alpha, finally. I don't know why he's waiting until I'm out of the house to pass the reins down. He just was. My father did a lot of things that didn't make a whole lot of sense to other people, except himself.

I didn't know why I was really putting myself through this. What if I was mated to someone that was a complete loser or someone that was a total prick? What was I going to do then?

"Summer." My mother sang out knocking on my bedroom door.

"Yeah." I sang out and she opened the door and walked inside. She stopped as soon as she saw me standing in front of the vanity and held her hand over her mouth when she looked at me wearing the white off the shoulder floor length sparkling gown with a little train at the back of it and my brown hair done up with a few curly strands hanging down around my face.

"You look so beautiful." She says slowly walking closer to me.

"No. I don't." I say applying a little more makeup. I was trying to fix everything that was wrong with my face but my mother stopped me by grabbing my hands.

"You don't need any more makeup. You look gorgeous. Believe me."

"Do I really need to go to this mating ball?"

"It's a right of passage. Everyone goes when they are 18. And your brother will be there."

"Yeah. Only because he can't find his mate." I say. My brother Ryker was 22 years old and still goes to these mating balls every year, hoping that his mate will be there. He hasn't had much luck.

My mother was keeping an eye on the time and for the first time ever I wished the clock would just stop. Instead of it going faster, I want it to stop completely so I don’t have to go.

But I was never that lucky and my mother quickly ushered me out of the room into the long hallway and I needed to take my time because I never wore high heels. They were already torturing me.

We had to go down three flights of stairs in those heels and when we got to the bottom of the stairs my father, who always had to look his best, dressed in an expensive suit with his greying hair combed back, was fixing my brother Ryker’s tie.

“You look absolutely handsome. No girl will be able to keep their hands off of you tonight.” My father boasted.

“I don’t know about that. I haven’t had much luck in the past.” Ryker says. And my mother cleared her throat to let them know that we were here.

“Really? That’s what you’re wearing?” My father sighed.

“What’s wrong with it?” I asked.

“White has never been your colour. I told you that. Why do you do this? Are you trying to embarrass me? After tonight, everyone is going to know that you are my daughter. And I am the one that is going to hear about how you turned up looking so shabby to a mating ball.” My father yelled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know what the hell I am going to do with you.” He said, shaking his head.

“What are you talking about Dad? I think she looks absolutely beautiful.” Ryker says.

“She looks like a tramp.” Dad snapped.

“How can you say that about your own daughter? She looks gorgeous. Any man would be lucky to have her.” My mother chimed in.

“What’s with the hair? Why do you have those straggly bits around your face?” My father asked, flicking them out of my face and I pushed his hand away.

“It’s a look dad. It shapes my face.” I retorted.

“Well, that’s probably why I hate them. Pin them up.” He ordered.

“No.” I snapped back. And he turned his head back to look at me and then without any warning, he slapped me across my face.

“Dad.” Ryker yelled.

“Everett.” Mom yelled.

“Don’t ever say no to me again.” Dad threatened through gritted teeth. And I slowly looked back at dad but I noticed that Ryker and my mother were both looking at him in shock. I was trying not to let the stinging in my face get the better of me. I didn’t put my hand up to my face because I didn’t want dad to know that he had really hurt me when he did that.

When I regained my composure, I looked him dead in the eye and I didn’t say anything. I just stared at him, defiantly. I wasn’t going to put my hair up. Whether he liked it or not.

“I can’t believe you just did that.” Mom snapped at him. But my dad whipped his head around and growled at my mother.

I placed a hand on my mother’s arm and she turned to look at me and I lightly shook my head. Telling her not to worry about it. But she didn’t listen to me.

“Would it hurt you to encourage the girl? Just once?” Mom asked.

“What’s the point in encouraging that? She’s never going to find a mate. And if she does, he’ll take one look at her and reject her on the spot. No one is ever going to want to take her home to meet his parents.” Dad berated me.

“Dad. Why can’t you just say one nice thing to your daughter before the biggest night of her life? I don’t think it would kill you.” Ryker said exasperated.

“How the hell do you know that? It will probably give me a fucking heart attack.” Dad said, turning his back to me and looking at himself in the mirror to make sure that every strand of his own hair was in place.

He took a lot of pride in the way he looked, he always did. I always thought that it made him very vain and self centred. And I knew that I was right. That’s exactly what he was. But I had learnt to ignore it over the years. If only I had the courage to tell him that if he lost a few pounds then he might actually be half the man that he used to be. I wish.

Someone then knocked on the door so my dad answered it and it was the driver of the limousine that was taking us to the party. So I grabbed my clutch that I had placed on the cupboard next to the stairs and Ryker put a protective arm on my back and he led me outside.

Mom and dad followed us out onto the veranda and dad was giving Ryker all of the encouragement in the world. Telling him that this was his year. He could feel it. He knew that he was going to find his Luna tonight. But when I looked at him he just scowled. But my mother had a smile on her face, no matter what. She always had a smile on her face. At least when it came to me she did. Mom elbowed my father in the ribs and he stopped scowling at me for a moment.

“Good luck Summer. You’re going to need all the luck you can get.” Dad scoffs.

I’ve never understood the reason why my father hates me the way that he does. I don’t remember ever doing anything to upset him to the point that he hates me this way. I’ve always just assumed that it was because I was born a girl. He only wanted sons. I’ve never heard him say that. Not until a couple of years ago when I accidentally found out what he really thought of women, when I saw him dragging those poor kidnapped girls through the house and locking them in the dungeon. All for the sake of his human trafficking and trying to make a few extra dollars using them.

Just as Ryker and I are about to get into the limousine, dad takes a step down off the veranda to get our attention.

“Make sure you say hello to Alpha James tonight. He’s very excited about seeing you again.” Dad said with a smirk on his face.

And once the name Alpha James was mentioned, I froze. Which gave my father a great deal of satisfaction. He looked extremely pleased with himself while I stood there not being able to move.

My mother got this look of worry in her eyes and I could feel Ryker’s arms on me as he pulled me towards the limousine and he helped me get inside of it. I was absolutely stunned and shocked and I didn’t even know what the other emotions were that were floating around in me. Not until the panic sunk in. I knew that dad set this up. There was no reason for Alpha James to be at this mating ball. He didn’t have a mate but I know that he avoided these mating balls every other year. So why would he go when it was my first year going.

I suddenly felt nauseous and really didn’t want to go to this party. But I didn’t have a choice. Ryker was doing everything to calm me down, but I couldn’t even form words at this point. I know what Alpha James is like. He’s one of my father’s best friends and he has had his eyes on me since I was 13. I haven’t liked him for years, not since he tried touching me for the first time.

I know that Ryker will help me tonight, but if Alpha James is going to be there, who else is going to help me? He’s been getting more handsy the older I get. Will anyone stop him or will I be on my own. I know what he has done to other girls and I am terrified that he was going to do that to me. I always believed in saving myself for my mate. I didn’t want that leech to take that away from me. And I wouldn’t put it past him to try it at the ball. Not if he was able to get me alone.