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“Alpha, the traitors are all killed. But they have a daughter. Should we…” “Nahhh. Spare the 5-year-old. Let her be our slave…” The Alpha smiled evilly. *11 years later* In 3 months and 10 days, I’ll be free! I will graduate and get a full-time job, and more importantly, I can be financially independent and leave this pack where all menders treat me like trash. I cannot really blame them after all. My parents did try to help overthrow Alpha Robert. They were traitors. And I had traitor's blood. Alpha Robert showed me mercy after their execution because I was 5 and knew nothing at the time. Of course no one wants to take in a traitor’s daughter so the Alpha permitted me to stay in the packhouse if I were to earn my keep. Now here I am. 16 years old, only 1 month from turning 17, and just trying to bide my time until I can leave. Every morning I get up before everyone else and sneak down to the omega showers to quickly wash and change. I have collected and mended enough clothes to make sure I have 3 outfits for chores and 3 outfits for school. I usually get to the kitchen in just enough time to make breakfast for those that live in the packhouse and wash the dishes used to make it before running up to the attic to get ready for school. I try to sneak out of the house well before everyone is finished with breakfast so that I can walk to school in peace. After school, I race back as fast as I can to begin work on all the daily chores. If I can finish in time, I can study and get to sleep at a decent hour. But that is not usually the case. Thank goddess I retain all the information I read making school much easier because the other teenagers living in the packhouse live to make life more difficult for me. The pack houses a few orphans like me, the alpha, beta, and gamma families as well as a few pack warriors. It is also just my luck that the alpha, beta, and gamma eldest children are all about my age as well. This can mean for a lot of people around the packhouse when everyone is out of school. A lot of people who do not care for me. Around the packhouse, the favorite pastime is harassing the traitor. No one cares that I was not a part of my parent's plot. I am just a traitor with traitor blood. I take their torment, their comments and harassment. I take it and remind myself that soon I can move away from the wolves and go live on the human side of our territory. Over there, I will just be another girl. I can earn money and live a simple, quiet life by myself. My wolf has not spoken to me since about 2 months after she came so I might as well be human at this point. I never even shifted. One last chore to do today. I look at my cracked watch and see that it is only 9:30pm. Maybe I can sneak into the kitchen before bed and see if there were any leftovers from dinner. The last chore of my day is folding the laundry I washed after school. I don't mind it so much because I can prop my textbook up next to me and study while I fold. I head to the laundry room with my literature book in hand. As I walked over to the folding table where the baskets were already awaiting me, I flipped through my book looking for the page I left off on. No one came to the laundry room much because clothes were always delivered to rooms by the next morning. So, it was to my utter surprise when I smacked right into a wall of muscle. As he turned, my stomach just dropped, and I involuntarily gulped in fear. Liam I really need to talk to mom about the staff just coming into my room and taking clothes to wash. Seriously I am almost 17 and as soon as I find my mate, I am going to be Alpha! I think I can set out my laundry like everyone else when I need things washed. Or at least when I am down to one pair of boxers… I stood there in the laundry room looking at what I hoped were all the clean clothes washed today. The baskets were not labeled so I wasn't sure how I was supposed to know what basket belonged to who. After looking at all the baskets for a solid 5 minutes, I was giving up my search for my favorite sweatshirt and about to turn and leave when someone crashed into me from behind. I turned around not immediately seeing anyone until I looked down on the floor. My anger boiled a bit as I looked down at the tiny traitor girl my father has let stay in the pack. She looked up at me with fear in her eyes. I noticed the book next to her. I quickly bent over and grabbed the book noticing it was for the literature course at school. She quickly stood and bowed her head to me. In a soft squeaky voice, she said "I'm sorry Alpha Liam. I wasn't paying attention. It won't happen again." I grunted my acknowledgment at her. "Is there anything I can do for you Alpha Liam?" She said barely above a whisper. I could see her small frame shake slightly under her old, worn clothes. I guess her fear was reasonable seeing as she was only about 4ft 10in and exceedingly small. Some people didn't even believe she had a wolf with how small of a body she had. "Where are my clothes?" I replied, irritation evident in my voice. All I wanted was my sweatshirt. I am irritated with mother for allowing the omegas to just come collect my clothes to wash. She nodded and looked at the baskets of clothes around us. She found mine and placed it on the folding table. An idea struck me. "So, they aren't folded and ready yet? Well that won't do," I said as I started flipping through the pages of her book still in my hands. "I think you will fold them now. And I am just going to play with this while I wait." I started to flip the pages a little bit harder. Her eyes widened as the next page I flipped ripped right from the book. "Oops. Better work quickly." I sneered at her. I dropped the ripped page as she began to quickly fold my clothes. I didn’t have to be so mean to her, but it was sort of a habit after all these years. Azalea My heart dropped right into my stomach. No no no. It was a good day. I only got pushed into one locker and tripped in the hallway once today. I was going to be done before 11pm and able to sleep tonight! And the last time one of my textbooks got ruined Luna Lyssa made me do extra chores for 4 solid weeks before I had "paid back" the book cost. I started folding as fast as I could. By the time I had finished folding laundry he had slowly ripped about 10 pages from my book, dropping them on the floor at our feet. He looked over the pile of clothes finding the one item he wanted, his favorite sweatshirt, and snatched up before dropping my book on the table. "You can send the rest up, oh and clean up this mess." He said as he turned to walk away. Why him? Of all of them, why did it have to be him? By far, Gwen was always the meanest, but Liam was the one I was the most afraid of. He and Damien were similarly sized, but Liam was an Alpha. He was always going to be stronger and faster than everyone else. And one day, not too far in the future, he would be Alpha and could cast me out as a rogue. As he walked away, I turned to pick up the pieces and set them aside so I could just fold these baskets and go back to the attic. I thought I heard his footsteps pause for a second but as I glanced over my shoulder, all I saw was the swinging laundry room door. **************************************** 3 months and 7 days… I stand in the kitchen early on Saturday making a giant breakfast for the pack house. I've got 10lbs of sausage and bacon already prepared, fruit sliced, coffee brewing and now I just need to finish the pancakes. I've also made Alpha Liam a separate breakfast with his favorite croissants and an omelet. I hope that maybe he will leave me alone today if he's happy after breakfast. I've got pancakes on the griddle as I am pulling the homemade croissants out of the oven. They smell so good; I've really out done myself. I set the pan on the counter and moved over to the fridge to grab some cinnamon butter I whipped up for today. I must taste right? I walk to the counter and pull a hot croissant from the pan smearing a little whipped cinnamon butter on top. I flip the pancakes before taking a bite of the flaky pastry. Oh my, this is so much better than leftovers. I hummed in bliss for a moment as I took another bite of the warm, flaky pastry. I knew I couldn't sit here and enjoy this for long. I placed the other half in a napkin and slipped it into my apron pocket. I would finish it later when I could take a few minutes break. I continued cooking pancakes while keeping an eye on the clock. Alpha Liam usually comes into the kitchen about 15 minutes before breakfast is served to see what is on the menu and decide he doesn't want it. I noticed that breakfast would be starting in 22 minutes, so I needed to make Alpha Liam's plate. I went to the cabinet and started reaching for a plate. Damnit, I need that stool. I looked around and found the step stool in the corner. I'm just about the only one to use it in the whole pack house. Most werewolves were larger than me, even she-wolves. I brought the stool over to the cabinet and climbed up. As I reached for a plate, I felt an extremely warm presence behind me. A hand reached over me grabbing the plate. I went to grab it, uttering a shy thank you as I turned around. I dropped the plate as I jumped back falling on my butt. No, no, no. Please not again. Liam I walked into the kitchen smelling the delicious aroma of croissants. One of the cooks makes these heavenly pastries from scratch and pairs them with the best omelets you could ever have. As I entered the kitchen, I noticed a small girl trying to reach a plate from the cabinet. Figuring it was one of the young she-wolves that my mom looks after on weekends, I walked over to help. I grabbed the plate trying to hand it to her as she turned. I was met with a pair of dull green eyes as my expression turned from one of shock to anger quickly. She fell back in surprise from the stool she was on and dropped the plate. Luckily, it was still in my grip. Mom hates broken dishes. I looked down at the floor as her eyes held back tears. "Trying to sneak food while the cooks aren't in here?" I asked her, my irritation rising. I looked at the ground next to her noticing the half-eaten croissant poking out of a napkin. "Seems our leftovers aren't good enough for you anymore." She shook her head violently while keeping her eyes down on the floor. She hadn't tried to move yet. I can't believe my dad continues to let this traitor stay in our pack, in our house no less. I grabbed her by her shirt and hauled her to her feet. There was a small tearing sound as I probably tore her shirt. I threw her over towards the counter where the pan of croissants sits. I slide the plate down the counter and tell her to make me a plate. I can see tears threatening to spill from her eyes. I start to get an uncomfortable feeling in my chest but overlook it. She puts 4 croissants on my plate and before I can berate her, she turns to the oven pulling out a pan with my favorite omelet inside. She slides it onto the plate. She turns around grabbing silverware from a drawer along with a small condiment dish. She spoons what looks like some of that delectable cinnamon butter into the dish before placing it on the plate. She turns and walks away from the counter and out the door. I grab my plate and walk out to the dining room as 2 cooks come in to get the rest of the breakfast food. They give me odd looks as I walk past them, raising their eyebrows at my plate. I sit down and begin eating. Oh my. I will never get enough of these croissants. About halfway through my food, my best friend and future beta, Damien, sits down next me. He starts shoveling food in his mouth immediately. Goddess help his future mate… "Wanna head out to the lake house with us man?" He asks in-between bites. "Nah, I think I might hang back. Do some extra training with the warriors today," I said. As I thought about it, if I hung around here today, I could get the little traitor girl back for stealing a croissant this morning. "Whatever," he replied not caring for my indifference. As I finished up my plate, a cook came out with more croissants for me. I knew there were more! But I was also hoping for a second omelet. "Are there any more eggs?" I asked hopefully. The omega cook shook her head no and went back to the kitchen. Odd, usually the cooks make a second helping. Chapter Three Azalea I stood in the hallway bracing myself against the wall for a moment. A rogue tear escaping my eyes. I would not let myself cry in front of them. That really hurt. Pain radiated from my butt. I may have broken my tailbone this time. I lifted my shirt trying to look at my lower back. I will definitely have a bruise this time. I took a deep breath. I couldn't stay here long. People would be coming to breakfast soon. I made my way slowly up to the 5th floor. I grabbed the cleaning supplies from a closet and started working my way through the bathrooms going back down to the 1st floor. Pain radiated from my backside as I worked. It was making cleaning much harder. One chore at a time… One room at a time… 3 months and 7 days… I kept repeating these things to myself. I can endure it. It's been worse before. Beta Damien broke my hand that one time. It was my left hand which is my dominant hand and chores took twice as long for about 4 weeks. Then there was the day that Gwen poured scalding hot tea on me. Those burns took a good while to heal. I was on the 3rd floor when he found me again. Why wasn't he with everyone else at the lake house? Don’t they usually all go to the Lake House on the weekends when there aren't pack events going on? He walked into the bathroom with a towel around his neck and a pair of shorts in his hand, looking sweaty and dirty from training, I am sure. I stopped when he looked at me. Immediately setting my mop aside and moving to leave the bathroom. Please just let me walk away…. I did not want any more trouble... No such luck. I stopped in my tracks as I was soaked from behind. I turn around to look and I see Alpha Liam standing there holding the mop bucket that is now empty. I look at the floor around me… great now I'm covered in filthy mop water. "Well don't just stand there," he snips. I turn quickly and grab some rags from my little cleaning cart. I kneel and start trying to wipe up the water. I wasn’t getting very far seeing as I was dripping over top of all the areas I was drying. "Liammmmmm. Where are you-" Gwen's voice stops abruptly as she enters the bathroom. "Oh, I found you!" She says way too sweetly. Gwen is the Beta's daughter, Damien's little sister. And she has been dead set that Liam will be her mate since about 3 years old. She is a really pretty blonde with long legs and blue eyes. But her pretty is only skin deep. She notices me. "You can't even clean a floor correctly? No wonder your wolf never came. She knew you were just a useless traitor," she sneered at me. She walked over me, through the water, not missing a chance to step on my fingers, and went to Liam's side. "Come use my shower. This bathroom stinks like dirty mop water," she says clinging to his arm. "Yea," he says as they begin to walk out of the bathroom. Gwen doesn't hesitate to knock me over as she walks out. Today just keeps getting better. I made it through the rest of the day with minimal torment. A few usual shoves and trips resulting in a new bruise on my shin but nothing else. I relaxed slightly and I climbed up to the attic. It's not much but it is mine and no one bothers to come up here which suits me. In the corner by a window is an old mattress with a couple blankets I have managed to acquire. I also have 2 pillows. One day in the laundry room, another house worker brought in a giant cart of pillows that were going to be recycled. I grabbed the top two thinking it a perfect opportunity to sneak a couple new pillows into my room. I came to discover they had a wonderful scent left on them. I don't exactly have wolf senses as my wolf has basically left me and we never shifted anyway. But I do have a stronger sense of smell then average; the pillows smelled of the forest and I couldn't get enough. I also had a standing mirror with a large crack running through it. It was good enough though. It wasn't like I was pretty enough to worry about my appearance. I mostly used it to check for bruises and cuts I could not see myself. Opposite the mirror, I had an old desk that was up here when I moved in. It had about 6 drawers. I used a couple to keep my clothes in, one for spare pencils and paper I was able to find for homework purposes, and one drawer held my stash. My stash was a box with change. I have been collecting this change since I was 8 years old. It is going to be my escape money when I graduate. It will help at least get started when I leave. I pulled my shirt now with dried mop water all over it over my head and checked the mirror. I sighed at my reflection. My ginger hair was dull and flat. It usually just hung limply down my shoulders. My skin was pale, and I had dark circles under my dull green eyes. Sometimes, my eyes almost looked like they were sinking into my face. I have always been on the skinny side, but I was also very short which wasn’t normal for a wolf. Combine this with the random bruises, cuts, and old scars and I just wasn’t pretty. I could see the beginnings of a pretty dark bruise right where my tailbone was. Now sitting was going to be miserable all week at school. If my wolf would just come back, maybe I could heal a little faster. Sometimes I felt the Moon Goddess just changed her mind and took my wolf away. She was only in my head for a short period of time. I waited for when the shift would come but it never did. After about 2 months, I gave up on trying to get my wolf to talk to me. Maybe she felt I was a traitor too. It wouldn’t be an unpopular opinion. I remembered my half-eaten croissant from this morning and started feeling my pockets desperately. Food would be great. I never made it back to the kitchen after lunch to see if there was any unwanted food and there was nothing left after dinner. I am always hungry on the weekends because there's more people around and it's harder to get leftovers. It’s even worse when the pack house has guests from other packs. At least at school, I can always eat lunch from the cafeteria. After thoroughly searching my pockets, I realized it must have fallen out during one of my falls today. I sighed crawling over to my bed and burying my face in my forest scented pillow. Hopefully, I could just make a little extra at breakfast and get a few bites to eat. Tomorrow's a new day. 3 months and 6 more days… Chapter Four Liam My 17th birthday is in 2 days. I really hope I find my mate so I can take over being Alpha. It's a stupid tradition honestly. I am ready. I've been training for this all my life. My mom has this crazy big party planned and she's invited all the of-age she-wolves in the pack that are unmated. She's even got she-wolves from other packs coming. Her and my dad have been having weird, hushed conversations lately and they won't tell me what's going on. "I'm bored. Let's do something fun!" Gwen chirps as we all walk into the rec room. "What do you have in mind?" I asked looking at her. The rest of our group joined us on the couches as I turned on the flat screen. "Well, we could go mess with traitor girl," she shrugged. "That always brings us a laugh." She wasn't wrong. Although lately, every time I watch someone mess with her or I am mean to her, I have this weird feeling in my chest. Maybe I should go talk to the pack doctor. "What do you have in mind?" Damien asked now on board with whatever plan Gwen was formulating. "Have any of you seen where she sleeps?" Azalea I let out a breath. That should do it for tonight. I looked at the mountain of clean dishes sitting on the counter. I can just come down a few extra minutes early to put these away in the morning. Alpha Robert and Luna Lyssa were hosting extra people in the pack house currently. Probably for soon to be Alpha Liam's 17th birthday party. 2 months and 5 days… I would be turning 17 in just 10 days. But there wouldn't be a party, or cake. I hope there won't be a mate either. To most wolves, your 17th birthday is when you can start finding your mate. The one true love the Moon Goddess gives us. I don't think the Moon Goddess is there for me anymore. I wouldn't want my mate to be anyone in our pack who thinks I have traitor blood anyway. They could treat me the same, or even worse, than the rest. Getting a mate will just complicate my plan and I don't want it. I made my way towards the attic. I just wanted to sleep. Tomorrow I had a very long list of things to do before Liam's party and I was not excited. I managed to fix my textbook well enough that I hopefully won't have to pay for the damage and my tailbone seems to be healed more or less. I don't know why, but as I climbed the small staircase to my attic, something felt off. My stomach got uneasy the farther I climbed. I don't have wolf senses so I couldn't say someone had been here, but something wasn't right… I poked my head up and looked around. Despair washed over me. Someone had been up here. My mirror was lying flat on the floor and I could see shards of glass around it. My blankets tossed about the room. My two pillows had rips in them and stuffing falling out. I began to panic as I realized my clothes were also strewn about the room. Oh no… Please no… Just not that… I ran over to my desk with drawers hanging open ignoring the glass under my feet. My history report sat torn to pieces on the desk. That didn’t matter right now. I looked in the drawers quickly not finding my stash box anywhere. Oh, Goddess no…. I flipped the already torn apart room over, looking for it. It was gone. It was all gone, and I was almost out of time. What would I do when I left? I couldn't bear to stay longer than graduation. Tears began streaming down my face. I don't cry. I don't let them see me cry. I bury it inside and remind myself of the plan. But the plan won't work if I don't have any money. I couldn't hold it back any longer. I slid down the wall sitting with my knees pulled to my chest. I cried all the tears that I hadn't shed all these years. I was running out of hope. I was running out of time. Why now did they do this? What did I do? When would it be enough? I let the sobs rack my sore body until there was nothing left. I looked at my feet noticing the cuts from the glass. I made my way up the wall and around the glass to find my broom. I swept it up into a pile to deal with later. I made my way back down the small staircase and down to the omega showers. There was a small first aid kit I could use to clean up my feet in there. I sat on a bench pulling small glass pieces out of my feet and bandaging them up. Small sobs continued to escape my lips, but I gave up trying to fight it. When the door to the bathroom opened, all the blood drained from my face and I wanted to throw up. Liam I couldn't sleep; I couldn't get comfortable. That weird feeling in my chest just kept coming back. I decided to get up and go to the showers. The omega showers were always my favorite to go in to. As I walked by the showers on my floor, I heard voices and didn't really want to be bothered right now. All the she-wolves running around were really starting to get on my nerves. I decided to go down to the omega showers as it would be late enough that no one would be in there. I walked in and saw her sitting on a bench with a first aid kit. She looked like she was bandaging her feet. She looked up at me with those dull green eyes and I could see her pale at the sight of me. Her face was tear stained and puffy. Had she been crying? Why was she bandaging her feet? Oh Goddess. . Mom is going to kill me. We never intentionally hurt her bad. We definitely never made her cry. Or at least that we knew. She must have stepped through the broken mirror pieces. Damien didn't knock it over intentionally, he's just kind of built like a bear and that space is small. But none of us thought to clean it up. I walked over to the bench and sat down opposite her. She quickly tried to pack up the first aid kit and move. I reached out my hand to stop her and she flinched away hard. . This feeling again. I just want to make sure we didn't hurt her too badly, so I don't get a lecture tomorrow. "Let me see," I said to her as softly as I could. She shook her head slowly. She stood like she was going to leave. "I won't hurt you; I promise. Just let me see your feet," I tried again realizing I couldn't remember her name. She'd always been traitor girl and we just never gave her the time of day to care. She looked at me for a minute clearly trying to figure out her best move. She sat back down on the bench and gingerly pulled her feet back up on it. "Thanks. Let me just see how bad it is…" I cautiously said as I reached for her foot. She closed her eyes, turning her head away. I could see her whole body tense as I reached for her. I looked at the bottoms of her feet. She is really lucky for a girl without a wolf. From what I could tell nothing was too deep and most of the bleeding had stopped. I pulled the soiled bandages from her and re-dressed her feet, trying to make it as comfortable to walk as I could. Wolves aren't great at first aid because we heal so quickly. If she had a wolf, her body would have begun healing already. She would be fine in an hour or so. Without a wolf, this will take a week or more to heal. "That should help," I said, closing the first aid kit. She looked down at her feet as she turned and set them on the floor. She stood to leave giving me a slight nod but never making eye contact. Before she could retreat out of the door, I turned and said, "Wait! I can't remember your name." She stopped and looked up at me puzzled. I could see the defeat in her eyes, like she was just broken. "Azalea" she whispered just barely loud enough for my wolf hearing to catch. Why didn’t I know how pretty her name was? She turned and left the bathroom. My chest ache grew, and I could not figure out why. I hopped in a cold shower then went back to my room. I hope she doesn't go to mom about her room and the mirror. I do not want an earful about it when it was not my idea. Gwen found the money and took it. Not that I tried to stop her or anything…. Azalea "Wait! I can't remember your name," he said abruptly, making me freeze. I turned around to see him looking my way. I couldn't read the expression on his face and still couldn't figure out why he helped me. I couldn't decide if it was too insulting that he couldn't remember my name or if he was playing some kind of weird game. If I didn't tell him, he could get upset and I don't make a habit of upsetting Alphas. "Azalea," I answered quietly, not trusting my voice to not quiver. I turned and left quickly with fresh tears coming down my face. I made it back to my attic and over to my bed. I grabbed a pillow and tried to put the stuffing back in. I found my blanket and shook it out trying to make sure no broken glass was on it either. I lay on my lumpy, old bed and looked out the small window. 2 months and 4 days; I was getting close. Chapter Five Today is the day of Alpha Liam's 17th birthday. After I prepared breakfast, I would be staying in the attic all day to avoid everyone. Luna Lyssa had caterers coming in and a professional party planner barking orders to all the other house staff. I flitted around the kitchen stacking trays of croissants to take out to the dining area. Eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit, and biscuits were already made and waiting. I still hadn't figured out what to do about my money stash being taken. I couldn't exactly tell Alpha Robert or Luna Lyssa about it. I had cleaned up my room and found thread so I could spend today mending my pillows and blankets. I will think of something. I still have 2 months and 3 days after all. I had not seen Liam since he bandaged my feet. Luckily, for once I was healing a bit more quickly. The cuts were closed and most of the pain had subsided now. I still couldn't understand why he helped me or asked my name. I have always feared him the most of the group. He is an Alpha so he is naturally stronger and faster than everyone else. He doesn’t even have to try. He also trains every single day, getting even stronger and faster. I want to leave right after graduation because I know he will kick me out if I don't. Living with humans will be much better than being a rogue. I finished loading all the serving trays. I went to the sink to wash up. Now I can retreat and spend my day alone. I hung up my apron and went to walk out the swinging kitchen doors when I was knocked back by someone walking in. I looked up to see Gwen looking at me maliciously. "Oh, it's the little traitor. Better start packing your . Liam will finally realize I'm his mate today. Once he's Alpha officially, we're getting rid of your traitor blood," she said arrogantly. I looked down hoping if I just stayed quiet, she'd get bored and leave me alone. "What, no fight left in you now that we took your little money stash?" she smirked. My eyes widened as I looked up at her. "Oh yeah, we found that. Cozy little room you got. Too bad you will be a rogue soon. Oh, and I should thank you. All that money got me a fantastic manicure to match my dress for tonight. Now I will look flawless when Liam realizes I'm his mate." My heart sank as she stood there looking at me. There was nothing I could do. I was absolutely, utterly, helpless now. "You are pathetic," she spat and out of nowhere she kicked me in my side causing a small yelp to escape my lips. Before I could catch my breath, more kicks came at me. I curled up in a ball the best I could, but it didn't help any. She didn't stop until the kitchen door swung open again. "Oh, hey Liam. I was just looking for you!" She said hopefully, turning her attention to Liam. I peeked up seeing him look from her to me. For just a moment, I swear concern flashed through his eyes. It was gone so fast I could have imagined it. "Let's just go," he said and walked out the door. She followed him out clearly distressed he didn't fall all over her screaming "Mate!" I slowly got myself up clutching my side. She definitely cracked at least one rib. I clutched my side as I made my way to the attic. I will need to bandage this before I can lay down. 2 months and 3 days… Liam This party is stale. I am not getting that mate sense anywhere even with all the she-wolves constantly bombarding me. I just don't care anymore. I sneak away toward the pack house to take a break from the party. It's not that I don't want a mate- I do. My parents were great on their own, but their mate bond makes them an unstoppable duo. But they grew up together so falling in love was easy. I want that. I just want to be Alpha first. I want to get the first few years of hard work out of my way before I find my mate. I don't want any distractions of making a girl fall for me while I'm taking over the pack. I make my way to the kitchen. My mom would kill me if she saw me right now. I start raiding the fridge, not even sure what I am looking for. The door swings open but I ignore whoever it is. I close the fridge empty handed. That is when it hit me. The most beautiful and delicate flower scent hit my nostrils. My wolf, Gavin, began to stir in excitement. I turned to look for the source of this beautiful smell laying my eyes on her standing next to the ice machine. As Gavin screamed "Mate" in my head what actually came out of my mouth was "". She must have been in her own little world because she didn't hear me. I sat there deciding if I should try and talk to her or not. The mate bond was pulling me towards her, but I couldn't understand it. The Moon Goddess wouldn't do this to me. She wouldn't give me a girl with traitor blood and no wolf as my mate and future Luna. The pack would never accept it. "That's mate so talk to her!" Gavin said in my head. "You just don't understand. I can't!" I argued with him. I could feel a possessiveness coming from Gavin and my wolf side. I wanted to protect her. I stood there watching her hold a bag of ice on her side. I couldn't figure out why she was doing that. Did something happen? Did someone do something? The last time I saw her today was when I walked in on her and Gwen in the kitchen, but she seemed fine, although she was on the floor. The mate bond got the better of me as I spoke up. "Hi Azalea," I said gently. She gasped, dropping her ice bag. As she turned around, I could see the terror in her expression. Looking into her eyes I could see how dull they were. She looked like the life was drained from her; like she was just existing. I wanted to comfort her, to make the tears go away and fix the broken parts but I didn't think it was a good idea. She began backing slowly away towards the exit shaking her head frantically and putting her arms up in front of her as if to keep me away. "Wait! No," I said, wanting her to stay in the room with me. "It's okay really." "I-I am so-sorry Alpha. I just n-needed a little b-bit. I won't d-do it again, Alpha," she stammered as she continued to back away. "Really, it's okay," I said, picking up her ice bag and trying to hand it to her. Every step I took towards her she backed away further. I stopped just holding out the ice bag. "Are you okay?" She nodded her head and dropped her hands. Now looking at the floor. Her aversion to me was making my heart ache in my chest. "How about I just leave this here and I'll leave the room? You can go back to whatever you were doing before, and I'll leave you alone." I set the ice bag on the counter and began to walk towards her and the exit. Her whole body stiffened as I passed. "Wait," she whispered. I froze turning to her to see her still looking at the floor. I barely heard her say wait. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever heard her speak at a full volume, not even at school. "Thank you," she whispered. I nod my head then stupidly asked, "What for?" She shook her head. She walked over and grabbed the ice bag and quickly darted in front of me and out the door. Every part of my possessive Alpha being wanted to grab on to her and not let her go but I knew better. I was going to have to reject her. There just wasn't any other way. If my father found out about this, he really wouldn't be happy. But now I couldn't make her a rogue and condemn her to that life, I would have to come up with another solution. I stood there with my chest aching at the sight of my mate running from me and the thought of having to reject her. This is what I've been feeling for a while now. My body knew she was my mate before I could feel the mate bond. - That night I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned in my king size bed trying to get comfortable but just couldn't. I had to figure out what to do with her. I got up throwing on my sweatshirt and some athletic shorts. I started walking around the pack house. I went to the omega showers where I found her the other night. I went to the laundry room where I taunted her and tore her book just so she would fold laundry I didn't need. I ended up at the bottom of the small staircase leading to the attic. It had been hard to climb up there the other day when we had gone to mess with her stuff. I am not exactly a small werewolf. She had to be up there, right? I could just check on her… I quietly climbed up the small stairs and through the attic opening. Looking around I could see she had cleaned up the mess we made. Guilt flashed through me. I saw a small figure on the old mattress in the corner. I could hear her breathing from here. It sounded labored. I could smell her delicate, beautiful scent all over the room. How did I never notice before? I approached her bed quietly, a sense of relaxation coming over me as I got closer to her. She had pushed her patched up blanket to her feet and laid slightly on her side clutching a pillow. She looked so small and fragile. I've never known a she-wolf to be so small. She was never welcome to come to meals with the rest of us, but she ate in the kitchens right? My mom wouldn't have let her starve. I noticed her shirt pushed up exposing her side a bit. Even in the moonlight I could see the dark bruise over her rib cage. A growl rose through my chest. She began to stir, and I quickly quieted myself. "Gwen hurt mate. She was on the floor in the kitchen. Gwen did this," Gavin growled at me. "But what can I even do? She's a traitor. She can't be our mate. If she had a wolf, this would be healing!" I bit back at him. "So? She's our mate! She was made for us!" "The Moon Goddess has to be wrong. She cannot be my mate. She cannot be Luna. No one will follow her. I will lose my pack. I've worked too hard for too long not to take my rightful place." "You're an idiot sometimes." I paused for a moment just looking at the small figure on this lumpy, old mattress. "I am starting to agree with you…" I finally replied with a sigh. My body ached to hold her. When we learned about mates, they told us our mate's touch would ignite sparks of pleasure. That a mate's touch could help soothe, calm, or even heal. She wasn't 17 yet, right? I really couldn't remember. If I touched her, I should feel the sparks but not her. Maybe my touch could help her body heal this bruise. I reached my hand out slowly pausing over her rib cage. If she woke up, she would be absolutely terrified. I have invaded her space while she is sleeping. She probably wouldn't sleep again if she knew I was here. But I had to touch her. I had to feel her just once. If my touch could lessen her hurt, I owed that to her. Especially because tomorrow I had to reject her and send her away. She couldn't stay here; it would probably kill me. I slowly brought my hand down and lightly touched the bruising on her ribs. Her skin was so soft. Pleasurable sparks erupted in my hand. It was the best feeling I have ever experienced. She sighed almost in relief but didn't wake. I sat there enjoying the feeling of her against my palm. I needed to go. This would only get more difficult. I went to pull away and she began to stir. Then I did probably the stupidest thing I could have in that moment. I lowered myself into her little bed, laying my body against her. I completely engulfed her. I could feel her body relax entirely against me and her breathing came easier. Her face looked pale, but she didn't look scared. I held my hand against her side, and she seemed to lean into me. I laid there trying not to move. I just listened to her breathe and watched her sleep. Her nose scrunched and her face got a strange expression on it after a while. I reached up to hold her face, cupping her cheek with my hand. She immediately relaxed into my hand. I knew tomorrow I had to get her out of here. I had to protect her. She didn't deserve this, and I couldn't subject her to being my mate. The sky outside her little window began to change colors. I had to go now. She couldn't wake up like this. I need a run. Then I can go to my parents. I was already forming a plan in my head. I slowly raised myself off her bed and moved as quickly as I could down the stairs. I didn't let myself look back. Azalea I woke up feeling cold all of a sudden. It was odd, it was almost like the most pleasurable warmth was around me and then just vanished. Oddly, there was also a wonderful forest smell lingering around me. I got up feeling well rested for the first time since I can remember. My ribs weren't hurting too much either. Maybe my wolf is still in there somewhere. I look at my watch. I need to get showered and to the kitchen. I grab some clothes and hurry down to start my day. - I rushed back from school. I wanted to get through my chores today quickly. When I made it down to the laundry room, Luna Lyssa was waiting by the machines. She didn't look happy. "Good afternoon Luna," I said with a bow. "Azalea, just the girl I was looking for. I need you to come with me," she said. "Yes ma'am," I said nodding my head. I followed behind her as she made her way to the Alpha's office. Oh, this can't be good. I kept my eyes down as we entered. I stood in front of Alpha Robert's desk and Luna Lyssa went around the desk to stand next to him. I peeked my eyes up and could see Liam was also standing by his father and there was a small luggage bag on the desk. "Hello, Azalea. Some concerning things have been brought to my attention," Alpha Robert said. I looked up, darting my eyes between him and Liam. Liam seemed to be staring right behind my head. I nodded my head, still not sure where this was going. "It appears that you have become too much of a distraction to your peers and fellow pack members around this house. We must make decisions that are best for the pack. Now we believe that you are no longer in this pack's best interest. You will be leaving here, tonight. We have had Liam pack your things from your room. We have also arranged a ride to take you to the human side of the territory. You will not be made a rogue if you agree to stay in the human territory and not return to this pack house." As he finished, I could feel all the blood leaving my face. I could not formulate words. I looked at Luna Lyssa and she shook her head in disappointment. I looked at Liam. He continued to stare behind me with no expression on his face. I nodded my head not knowing what other choice I had. "Here are your things; Liam will take you to the human territory," he said pointing to the bag on his desk. Liam stepped forward grabbing the bag and heading towards the door. "Thank you for everything Alpha, Luna. I won't be any more trouble. I am sorry," I said quietly as I bowed. Alpha Robert waved me out and I turned to follow Liam to the front. Click To Read On👉<His Redemption>