FAMILY TROUBLE

Bella’s POV:

“Please do not abandon me, Dad!” My mother dragged me out of the house, and I cried out, attempting to reach my father. “I thought you loved me, and you promised I would not leave with her; please give me another chance.”

“I am sorry, Bella, but I can’t. I love you so much, but that doesn’t change the fact that you are a murderer.”

My father’s last words lingered in my mind for hours as Alpha Fredrick, the leader of the Frost Pack and my stepfather, drove my mother and me through the hills to their territory in the southern region of Moonfire.

I never would have guessed that I would end my best friend’s life for a boy. But she betrayed me with the person I cared deeply about. Alpha Princesses and Beta’s in my pack found mates at sixteen, and I had turned sixteen a few months before and still had no mate. This is because I am a hybrid, half vampire, and half werewolf.

My boyfriend, Sebastine, promised to mate with me when I turned seventeen without a mate, but my best friend, Bonnie, stole what belonged to me when they realized they were mates.

“We are here,” my mother announced, interrupting my thoughts, which consisted of Bonnie’s lifeless body, pale from my vampire bite.

I raised my eyes to see the grandeur before us. A sprawling compound adorned with vibrant flora and surrounded by castle-like structures. Students in crisp uniforms were moving around, rushing to their classrooms.

“Why... are we here?” I stuttered, fully aware that this was the school Ryder Ashcroft, my stepbrother and the Alpha prince of the Frost pack, attended.

My mother was also the principal, and all she intended to do was keep me caged.

We had never been on good terms, and every time I visited my mother, he reminded me I was not welcome. He bullied the hell out of me, along with his best friends, the Lycanthal twins and the Frost Pack’s Beta’s sons. They were referred to as the Alpha-Beta triplets because they were born on the same day and time. Rumor has it they will share a mate, so they have become inseparable.

“Bella, your mother, and I decided it would be safer if you sought refuge in the academy. Here, you will be taught to channel your energy into your wolf's side, and we will counteract your vampire strength.”

When Alpha Fredrick mentioned this, I shook my head.

“No, you cannot do this to me. You are not my father, and you have no right to decide for me!” I yelled, attempting to open the doors, but they were jammed shut as the car rolled to the front of the school building.

“You have no choice, Bella. Your father and I agreed to this, and it is the only way to keep you away from the Rune pack. When they discover you are a hybrid, they will drive a dagger through your chest.”

I cried out as she spoke, clutching my aching chest.

“Stop pretending you fucking care! You are the reason I am like this, and you ruined my life!”

This was true because she abandoned me for death when a war broke out, and before my father could reach me, I had already received the vampire bite, which was not fatal because I was still a baby without a wolf.

“I will not have this argument with you, Bella.” My mother said in a subtle tone, burying her head in her palm while I cried louder.

This woman despised me so much that she never came back until I was ten. She sought refuge from her high school lover, the Alpha of the Frost Pack, Alpha Fredrick. We were never close, and I often wondered if she was my mother because she expected the worst from me.

“You can cry all you want, Bella, but the decision is made. You will share a room with Ryder and the twins, who will keep an eye on you until we find a way to stop your insatiable desire for blood.”

As the car came to a stop, I looked at her with tear-stained eyes.

“Wipe those sorry excuses for tears and get out of the car; Mrs.Gray awaits us.”

While I was still trying to wipe my tears, she opened the door and pulled me out of the car.

“Evelyn, please take it easy on her,” Alpha Fredrick said, making my mother scoff.

“Do not tell me how to raise my daughter!” She yelled, yanked my hand, and led me to the front of the finely built brick building, where a woman with long gray hair dressed in an ash suit stood smiling.

“There is not much to say here, Mrs. Gray. She needs all the corrective therapy, and I am confident she will come around.” My mother said, dropping me off in front of the porter with my luggage. “I need to prepare for classes today,” she said.

She spun around and got into the car, instructing Alpha Fredrick to step on the gas.

“Here, this scroll will guide you to your dorm room.”

This was the only thing Mrs. Gray said to me before she disappeared.

**

Using the scroll provided to me, I entered the dorm building, which sent shivers down my spine due to how cold it was.

As I walked down the long corridor, my mind was filled with a variety of thoughts, ranging from the gory image of my best friend’s lifeless body to the corridor that led to the triplets’ dorm room. It had magnificent oil paintings of past pack leaders. There were statues everywhere, and I did not need anyone to tell me this was the dorm’s elite section.

After a while, I came across a large door labeled “206,” which corresponded to the number on my key.

My heart thumped loudly as I slid the key in, expecting to be greeted by Ryder and his friends, but when I opened it, it was empty. I heaved a sigh, wheeling my luggage in.

The room was a two-bedroom suite with a luxurious kitchen and living area. Each bedroom had two beds that were meticulously laid. I entered the room with an empty bed, and as I came to a halt in front of it, dumping my luggage on the floor, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled my nostrils. This scent caused every muscle in my body to tighten because of the rush of excitement.

My heart raced as I rushed to the front door, mixed emotions in my chest. My wolf purred and rolled around in delight because she had found her mate, but my happiness was cut short when Ryder and his friends opened the front door. When I locked eyes with them, the word “Mate.” rang in my ears.

It dawned on me that I wasn't mateless, but in the wrong pack.

I lost my footing for a moment, my eyes fluttering as I stared at the three, six feet plus boys who appeared to have fallen out of a romance novel with their godlike physiques. My wolf died with excitement, but my heart broke; this was a curse.

“It looks like our plaything arrived safely; we have been waiting for you.” Ryder smirked and inched closer to me.

I took a step until my back collided with the door to my room. The door opened, almost causing me to slip, but I found balance. I slipped out of my thoughts and dashed to my bed to sit down. When I sat on the bed, a balloon of water burst, and the bed crashed to the ground.

“It looks like someone peed her pants.” Ryder chuckled and high-fived the twins as they mocked me.

“Remember, Runestone, you are not welcome in this pack, and your time here will be hell.”

What could be worse than your bullies being your mates who couldn’t recognize you as theirs?