Chapter 0001

Growing up in a wolf pack has its advantages and disadvantages. I guess the advantages come with being from a prominent family. If you’re not from a good family in a wolf pack, then you’re not really anything. I’ve seen both sides of privilege and underprivileged. It’s a fine line and it doesn’t take much to be considered the bad seed around here. It only takes an instant. One instant where something bad happens in your life and then the rest of your life follows down the same path and you feel like you can never get out from it again.

That happened to me when I was 5 years old. When my mother was killed in a rogue attack while protecting me. We were in the woods, walking and talking like we always did. Picking wild flowers and laughing. I remember my mother’s smile, even to this day. Her laugh, everything. She was beautiful. But the rogue attack happened out of nowhere, the sirens didn’t go off until it was too late. And we couldn’t get to a shelter in time.

The rogues obviously saw me as an easy target, but my mother wasn’t going to let that happen. She screamed at me to run while she held them off. I was 5 years old. What else was I meant to do? I ran. I didn’t know any different. We were taught from the day that we were born to run from rogues until we were old enough to learn how to fight. And even then, we had to make sure that we knew how to fight them. But I didn’t. And I did what my mother told me to. I just didn’t know that she was outnumbered.

She gave her life for me. And she died a hero in my eyes. Other people thought that she was a fool for giving up her life for mine. My father was one of them.

He never recovered from losing his mate and as hard as people in the pack tried to help us, my father pushed everyone away. Including the Alpha and the most important people in the pack.

My father used to be the head warrior. But he wasn’t anymore. He lost his job when he started drinking constantly and now he’s a lowly janitor and we’re considered omega’s instead of influential members of the community.

It was a big step down for him and a disappointment. Every time he goes to work, he hangs his head in shame. I’ve seen him, because he was once a great warrior. And now he’s not good for anything except scrubbing toilets and cleaning up after other people.

I also was also pretty popular until we were downgraded to omega’s. We lost the house that we were living in. A really nice two story house was moved to a shack in the middle of the woods with very little protection on this side of the territory.

I guess the Alpha figures that the rogues will take out us as well and that’s one less family that he needs to really take care of.

When I got up one morning I carefully snuck through the house to get ready for school. I could hear dad snoring in his room and the last thing I wanted to do was wake him up.

I had to hurry up and get the hell out of there before he woke up. I wasn’t sure what time he started work, but it didn’t really matter. I don’t think anyone really kept tabs on him, even in his job. As long as he showed up during the day, they didn’t care what time it was.

I packed everything into my school bag and double checked that I had completed all of my homework.

I snuck through the house, trying to avoid all of the creaks in the floor. I had gotten pretty familiar with where they all were and I made it to the front door and opened it slowly and then closed it behind me and I jumped down the front stairs of the cabin because they were the loudest of them all.

I walked through the woods and through town until I got to the high school.

I stood outside the building for a moment before I finally let out a deep breath and walked into my second most hated building in the pack.

I went to my locker with everyone else steering clear of me and not wanting to come anywhere near me, which I was completely fine with.

But while I was standing at my locker, minding my own business, someone threw their shoulder into my back, forcing me into the locker and I hit the top of my head.

When I turned around I saw that it was Olivia. The same girl as usual.

“Oh, sorry Sadie. I didn’t see you there.” She said innocently. Bullshit. I’m 6 feet tall with ass length snow blonde hair and she claims that she didn’t see me standing there.

Olivia can pretty much get away with anything because she’s dating the Alpha’s son. A guy that I used to be friends with before I was the outcast of the pack.

“Whatever Olivia.” I said, turning back to my locker to get my books out of it and I closed the door.

“I’m sorry. Are you copping an attitude with me?” She asked.

“No. I just don’t want to be late.” I said.

“What’s going on?” I heard a male’s voice asked from behind me. And I didn’t need to turn around to know that it was Owen, the Alpha’s son.

“I accidentally ran into Sadie and now she’s copping an attitude with me.” Olivia claimed. And her friends all backed up her side of the story.

“Is that true Sadie?” Owen asked.

“It doesn’t matter what I say because you aren’t going to believe it.” I said. And he grabbed both of my shoulders and shoved me against the locker, causing me to drop all of my books. And his friends, plus the girls were all there with smiles on their faces. And there was a crowd starting to form around where we were.

Owen had his face right in mine, looking me up and down with nothing but distaste on his face.

“Don’t even speak to me like that again. You will show respect for your future Alpha or I will make your life a living hell.” He spat at me.

“You already do.” I retorted. So he pulled me forward and slammed me back against the lockers where I hit my head on something sharp in the corner of one of the lockers.

He let go of me and I tried to stay calm while they were all standing around, but the second they left and they were all laughing, I felt the back of my head and I saw blood on my hand.

The crowd that had gathered, a lot of them were laughing as well. They were always laughing. But some weren’t. I could tell that they felt sorry for me. They didn’t think I deserved it. But they couldn’t be nice to me otherwise they would incur the wrath of the future Alpha.

I ignored the injury to my head and I picked up my books and I headed to my first class and I made it just in time so that I wasn’t late.

All of my classes were really small because I was in all AP classes. And that always gave me the chance to leave school early every day. Because I didn’t have as many classes as everyone else.

So as soon as lunch time rolled around, I was glad to get the hell out of there. But I had to go to a warehouse in town where I put my things in the staff room and I went into the warehouse and started helping unpack the trucks.

All the people that worked there were older than me, but they also knew who I was and they didn’t talk to me either. They didn’t even like that they had to work in the same building as me. But I didn’t care. I had to make a living somehow and this was a behind the scenes job. It was the only one that the Alpha would allow me to have.

I had been there for about an hour when my boss called me into his office and I instantly got butterflies in my stomach. I slowly made my way to his office and he was sitting behind his desk and he told me to close the door.

He was in his 30’s and unmated. He’s never left the pack to go out and try and find a mate and I guess that was his choice.

But once I closed the door he stood up and he walked around his desk and got really close to me where I was pinned up against the wall.

“What is it Luke?” I asked.

“I noticed that you have a bit of blood in your hair. Are they still giving you a hard time at school?” He asked.

“This has nothing to do with you or my job.” I say.

“I know it doesn’t. I’m just concerned about you.” He says, slowly caressing my face.

“Please Luke. I have to get back to work.” I said.

“I’m the boss. I’m the one who says what happens around here.” He says.

“Luke. The others in the factory already hate me. I don’t want to give them another reason to. Can you please let me out of here?” I asked. And he slowly moved his hand down so that he could caress my breast with it.

“You would make a fine mate, you know.” He says.

“I’m only 17.” I say.

“I know. There’s plenty of time. You’ll be 18 soon. And I am really looking forward to that.” He smirks at me. He moved his face closer to mine but I turned it away and closed my eyes.

So he let me go and I was able to open the door and leave his office.

My heart was pounding but I knew that I needed to get out of there as soon as possible. And I got back to work.

I was there until 10pm that night and I walked home alone, but when I got to my house I opened the front door and I was instantly hit over the head with an empty alcohol bottle and I fell back against the fridge that was right by the door.