Chapter 2

Selena POV

'Who are you?' I ask her gently.

'My name is Skysong, but I was not supposed to come to you yet. How did this happen, and why am I trapped in a magic cage?' I sigh.

'My sister happened.' I tell her sadly. I try to shift back to human, but as I do an excruciating pain shoots through my entire body.

'We can't change back. We are stuck in this body. At least for now.' Skysong says, her voice strained by repressed fury.

The paws on the ground come to a halt. People are shifting nearby. They walk on human feet. Gasps, growling. Jenna whines and cries.

"I don't know what happened, daddy. We were just walking peacefully, and we came across her. She was screaming. I tried to help, but she slashed me." Jenna says in a pitiful voice. I open my eyes to see my parents holding Jenna in their arms tenderly, their eyes on me with disgust.

"Who is that, Jenna?" A deep booming voice asks. The Alpha.

"My sister, Alpha." She replies with fake tears running down her cheeks. I can see she pales slightly. Maybe she didn't count on the Alpha coming, but he could probably feel my pain in the pack bond. He is very attuned to his pack. He turns his cool gaze on me, eyes narrowed.

"Why would she shift? She is only 15." His voice is low, calm, but one can hear the suspicious undertone to it. Jenna leans more into our parents, who comfort her with ease.

"14, Alpha. Selena's birthday is in a week." My father says, his voice ice cold. Alpha nods. We actually do not know when my real birthday is as I am adopted, so they just threw out a date and said that was it. I was looking forward to my 18th birthday and finding out when I got my wolf, because then I would know the exact date. Jenna stole that from me as well.

"She is not supposed to shift yet. Her wolf would not come until her 18th birthday. What happened tonight?" The question sounds harmless enough, but it is a disguised Alpha command.

"She shifted and slashed Jenna. She must have used dark magic, Alpha." Birgitta, Jenna's best friend, cries. Jenna nods, hiding her head in our mother's embrace.

"I will not have such an ungrateful brat as my daughter, Alpha," Dad says, and it cuts through me like a knife to my heart.

All I ever wanted was for them to love me, but I never had a chance. I remember the night I finally realized they would always despise me. They had locked me up in the basement again, whipped me raw, and left me to bleed on the ground. Soon they would come back and demand I clean my mess. I sighed and leaned against the beam to ease my raw wrists. They always used silver cuffs, and that wouldn't have done anything if it was not for the fact that they also always cut my wrists before putting them on, lacing my bloodstream with silver. I remember closing my eyes and accepting the fact that I would not come out of their household alive. A woman had suddenly spoken to me. Telling me I would survive, fight, and regain myself. I was meant for greatness and nothing they could do to me would ever change the fact that I was precious to the Moon Goddess- blessed by her. It was after that I had upped my training and surpassed everyone. I was going to be free of these people one way or another.

"I understand that Tobias, but you cannot do anything until she is of age." Alpha answers, his eyes not moving from my quietly whimpering wolf.

My dad keeps glaring at me with disgust, he looks at my mom and they nod to each other. They agree on something. That never bodes well for me.

"Then at least let us take her home and keep her there until she is of age, Alpha." He says, his voice low and cold. Skysong tells me to mind link Alpha Matthew and tell him our side of the story. I wonder if we can actually do that.

'Alpha Matthew?' I call, and he looks at me again, his brows furrowed.

'Selena?' He asks, not sure whether to believe this or not.

'It's me, Apha. My sister is lying. She and her friends kidnapped me as I came home from work and dragged me out here. Two of them are of age, and I could not break free. They forced some kind of sickly green potion down my throat and forced this shift. I got my wolf as well, but she is trapped in a magic cage. Her name is Skysong.' Alpha doesn't answer me. He seems lost in thought.

"I will deal with Selena's insubordination. Bring your daughter home, Tobias." He finally says, leaving no room for discussion. My dad seems livid.

"I want her punished for what she did to my precious Princess!" He demands, growling in my direction. "I, Tobias Darkwood, along with my wife Janice Darkwodd, disown you, Selena Darkwood, now and forever. You are no longer a daughter of us, and will not be permitted to use our distinguished name anymore." Alpha Matthew growls at my dad, who instinctively takes a step back. He is the strongest Alpha of the fiercest pack in the North Region, ranking number 1 in pack ranking, and he is not happy my parents broke a pack law. He is also Head of the Northern Werewolf Council, which is why they were here for the pack outing all those years ago.

"I have to report this to the Elders, Tobias. You deliberately broke a pack law."

"We never wanted that disgusting mutt as ours. We only wanted our blessed daughter, Alpha. You forced us." Alpha Matthew looks at my mother like she is some lowlife, growling so fiercely at her outburst that she immediately bares her neck in submission.

"You forget yourself, Janice." He says coldly. "Until I have reached the truth in all of this mess, I declare that you are sentenced to house arrest."

'Please don't let them destroy my things, Alpha.' I mind link him, hoping I will be able to reunite with some of my personal items.

"And you are forbidden to enter or touch anything belonging to Selena." He looks directly at Jenna when he says this. "Go home. Guards will meet you outside. They will gather Selena's things and bring them to the packhouse. Then they will make sure you do not cross me and leave the house." Tobias, Janice, and Jenna and white as ghosts. They are no longer my family, and therefore no longer my mom, dad, or sister.

"Yes, Alpha," Tobias says through gritted teeth, dragging his wife and daughter along. Jenna looks back at me with a taunting smirk on her lips, silently saying 'bye slut'.

"That goes for all of you as well. You are under house arrest as well until I determine your actions tonight." Warriors come out from the trees, as Alpha Matthew addresses Jenna's bitch brigade. "And these people will explain to your family." They also leave, although more reluctantly.