Chapter 2

Five years later…

Rebecca

I was hiding in the woods.

Today was my eighteenth birthday, but there was no celebration. A defected wolf like me did not deserve a celebration.

So here I was, sitting all alone in the woods. Because out here, away from the Pack, Raven and I could pretend we were normal.

[Someone is coming,] Raven warned me, her voice in my head still as sweet as the day she first spoke to me.

I sighed. There goes my peace.

Ever since my wolf came out blind, I was shunned by my Packmates, especially the ones that were closer to my age. It was as if I was broken in their eyes.

“I knew I’d find you hiding out here!” a familiar voice chirped.

I released a sigh of relief. It was Emma. She was Alpha Xander’s niece and one of the few wolves in the Pack who treated me well rather than a punching bag. Though I couldn’t be friends with her because deep down, I knew she was nice to me because she pitied me.

“Not hiding,” I corrected her. “Just enjoying the peace.”

Emma snorted. “Can’t blame you. Clara and her bimbo friends were looking for you earlier.”

My stomach tightened with anxiety. Clara had made it her personal mission to remind me daily of my “defect” and bullied me with her crew.

Clara Stone-Bell, the sister I never wanted.

After my transformation, something changed between my parents. They fought constantly, day and night and then one day, my father just got up and left. And soon after that, my mother announced to the whole Pack that Clara’s father was her second chance Mate.

What the hell, right?

My new stepfather Jarrod was neither kind nor cruel to me, so it would’ve been fine. But it wasn’t because Clara was a total bitch.

“What does Clara want with me?” I barked.

“Who knows. She was doing her blind wolf impression again in the training yard.” Emma sat beside me as she spoke. “Stumbling around, bumping into things, whimpering. Real mature stuff.”

I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt. “Hilarious.”

[Let me attack her just once,] Raven growled.

I linked with her. [Hush, girl. You won’t win against her wolf. You can’t even see!] I told her.

I heard her growl in disappointment, but she didn’t argue the point.

“Your mom was looking for you too,” Emma added. “The Council meeting is in an hour.”

Right. The monthly torture session where I sat with other pack members, pretending I didn’t hear their whispers of pity every time I showed up.

Whispers about how a blind wolf couldn’t protect the Pack. Couldn’t hunt. Couldn’t fight.

And how it couldn’t be respected.

But I couldn’t avoid the meeting. It was required by the Alpha.

“I will be there soon,” I said meekly.

Emma nodded and squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll save you a seat.”

After she left, I hesitated.

[We should practice again], Raven suggested.

Over the years, Raven and I had developed our own system. While she couldn’t see, her other senses were extraordinarily sharp. So, we started to work on moving through the woods through smell, sound, and touch.

I closed my eyes and started to transform.

The transformation was smoother now, my human form melting away as my body contorted and shifted into the sleek black wolf that was Raven.

I took off running, letting Raven guide us. This was our secret because we started to get good at this. So good that sometimes I wondered if anyone would believe how fast we could move through the forest without sight.

My plan was to show the Pack and Alpha Xander how good we were and maybe I will finally be treated right.

[Three steps right, log ahead,] Raven instructed and I leaped.

But alas, we weren’t perfectly coordinated.

Raven yelped as her paw hit the log and we stumbled forward and fell on our faces.

Darn it.

I shifted back. Enough running for today. We were nearly at the meeting anyway.

The Council meeting was at the main hall, a large building at the center of our territory. By the time I arrived, most seats were filled. Emma waved from the middle row, and I made my way toward her, ignoring the whispers around me.

“…blind wolf…”

“…poor Rebecca…”

“…waste of Beta bloodline…”

[Ignore them,] Raven soothed inside me. [They don’t know our strength.]

I sat down next to Emma just as Alpha Xander entered the room. Everyone immediately stood, including me. Even after five years, my heart still fluttered when he walked into a room.

Pathetic, I know.

“Be seated,” his deep voice commanded, and we obeyed.

“We have important matters to discuss today,” Alpha Xander boomed. “A rogue from the Stormhowl Pack was seen near our territory.”

The crowd murmured. Rogue wolves were dangerous and unpredictable and could be dangerous to our Pack.

“We must strengthen our borders,” Dominic added, his voice hard as stone. “All patrol shifts will double effective immediately.”

I felt Emma tense beside me. “I thought everyone in Stormhowl Pack was dead,” she whispered.

“Shh…” someone near us hissed at her and she snapped her mouth shut.

Alpha Xander continued, “We’re also implementing mandatory combat training for all wolves eighteen and over.”

My heart dropped into my stomach. I had just turned eighteen. Did that mean…

[We can do it,] Raven insisted. [This is our chance.]

“Training begins tomorrow at dawn,” Alpha Xander said. “Attendance is not optional.”

Fuck my life…

When the meeting ended, I tried to slip out quietly, but Clara blocked my path.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the blind Becky,” she sneered loudly. “Combat training should be fun for you. Maybe they’ll let you fight a tree.”

Her friends snickered behind her.

“Get out of my way, Clara,” I said weakly.

“Or what?” She stepped closer. “Your defective wolf will attack me? Ooooh, I am so scared!”

[Let me out, Rebecca. I want to fight] Raven growled, but I kept her tucked away.

“Is there a problem here?”

I froze. Alpha Xander was behind me.

“No problem, Alpha,” Clara said sweetly. “Just chatting with my lovely stepsister about training tomorrow.”

I could feel his gaze on me, and I wanted to disappear. Having the Alpha witness my humiliation made it a hundred times worse.

“Rebecca,” he said, and the sound of my name on his lips made my heart skip. “Stay behind. I’d like a word.”

Clara’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed with suspicion before she sauntered away with her friends.

He trailed his eyes over my body from head to toe and I shuddered involuntarily. “I understand you turned eighteen today,” he said.

I forced myself to look him in the eyes. “Y-yes, Alpha.”

“And because of your condition…” His voice trailed off.

Condition. Like I had a disease. I bit my tongue to keep from saying something I’d regret.

“With all due respect, Alpha,” I said carefully, “Raven has gotten better at maneuvering in darkness.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Is that so?”

“Yes! And her sense of scent is much stronger than others,” I continued.

“I think you better sit this training out,” Alpha Xander said, his voice firm.

“But Raven can track a scent from miles away!” I argued. “Last week, I found a lost cub just by following his scent trail through the eastern woods. And Raven can hear a twig snap from across the clearing. Our reflexes are getting really good, and—”

A hard shove from behind sent me lurching forward. My arms flailed around as I lost my balance completely. My face was headed straight for the floor when strong hands caught me, pulling me against a solid wall of muscle.

Alpha Xander’s scent overwhelmed my senses. His arms were wrapped around my waist and my hands splayed against his chest. It made me croon.

Behind me, I heard Clara laugh. “Oops! Sorry, Becky. Didn’t see you there. But then again, neither did your wolf!”

“Clara!” Alpha Xander growled and touched my cheek. “Are you okay, Rebecca?” he asked.

The moment Alpha Xander’s hands touched my cheek, something extraordinary happened.

A sudden jolt of electricity shot through my entire body, like lightning striking a metal rod. The sensation was so intense that I gasped, my fingers involuntarily clutching at his shirt.

[MATE!] Raven’s voice thundered inside my head, no longer sweet but fierce and possessive.

Alpha Xander went completely stiff, his fingers digging into my waist. I heard his sharp intake of breath.

“What…” he rasped.

[It’s the mate bond,] Raven whispered in awe. [He’s ours, Rebecca. The Alpha is our mate.]

Holy Moon Goddess.

My legs trembled. Me, the one with a blind wolf and the Pack’s biggest disappointment was the Alpha’s fated mate.