Chapter 48: CHAPTER 32.0: How Did This Start?

Lexus’ POV Six years ago.

“You’re going to love the pack house,” Ruben said to me. “You can bring Cade around next time.”

I followed him. “Okay but you’re not going to mention that in the prince, right?” I didn’t want to be treated the same way I was treated in the castle. If I were then there would be no point in me being here.

Ruben scoffed. “I can keep a secret Lexus.” He opened the door to the pack house. “This is where all of the pack members eleven to nineteen live. Since I’m the future alpha I’ll be in charge of this house when I’m older. Even after I’m nineteen, plus there are a few who are over nineteen who are supervisors who report to my father. When my father is ready for me to lead the pack, I’ll take over the main pack house. Right now, this house is run by the beta’s son since he’s a lot older than me.”

I looked around at the wolves. They seemed stronger than I thought, especially the older ones. I respected them right away for that. “There aren’t any dragon shifters in your pack?”

Ruben chuckled. “There’s one but she’s a screw up. She thinks she’s better than us because she’s stronger than most of us. She’s selfish, she doesn’t understand how to treat us like family. We’re pack that’s how it’s supposed to be. She thinks we’re so against her.” He didn’t make her sound all too great.

“She acts like a boy too. I wish you were in our pack.” He started to introduce me to other pack members, and I didn’t meet the girl he was talking about.

I came over whenever I could for the next few weeks. Cade came along with me half the time. It was hard sneaking away from the guards, but Cade was a lot of help with the warning texts he’d send me when he wasn’t with me.

I finally saw the girl Ruben was talking about. “Hey stop!” She pushed one of the boys messing with her. “I’m not afraid to breath fire in your damn face Phil.” She threatened. “I swear to Diana I hate you guys.”

One of the girls walked to her. “Stop saying that Sadia! You act like you’re not a part of the pack, they’re just teasing. They know they’re not really going to hurt you.”

Sadia spit towards the girl then got tackled by her. “See?” Ruben said. “She takes everything too personally.”

“Hey!” I said but they keep fighting.

The girl shifted into her wolf form and Sadia shifted into her dragon form which was barely small enough to be in the halls.

The other wolves jumped in to pull them apart. “Bitch.” The girl said when she shifted into her human form. She spit blood out and walked away.

Sadia shifted into her human form and she had some scratches on her arms and legs. “Hold on Ruben.” I ran to catch up with Sadia. “That was impressive, but don’t you think you were a little harsh?”

Sadia ignored me. “I can treat your cuts. I’ve gotten hurt enough to have learned how to treat them.”

Konn always treated my small injuries just right so they would barely scar.

“You’re a dragon shifter?” She could tell by my energy. “I know you’re trying to be nice, but I’m not interested.” She looked like she was about to cry.

“Yeah I am.” I sighed. “Fine.” I let her walk away. For a couple months it was the same thing just different situations. She always had beef with someone. Cade thought she was crazy. After those two months everyone found out who I was. Everyone treated me differently including Ruben. Surprisingly, the rest of the pack wasn’t as bad as I thought. I ended up making some real friends.

I was hanging out with a group of guys I thought were cool when Sadia walked up to us. “So, are you really Prince Lexus?”

I looked up at her since we were sitting in a circle. “Why do you care? You’re not interested.” I used her words against her. She frowned and walked away.

The next day I saw her alone sitting under a tree with her phone. I decided to walk to her. “Did you get into another fight?”

Sadia sighed. “Yeah, I did. Why do you care?”

I shrugged. “Maybe I don’t.” I left and came back with a first aid kit. “Fine I do.” She seemed cool to me in a sad way. I started cleaning her new cuts and bandaging them. “Why do you get into fights with your own pack?”

“They don’t see me as part of their pack that’s why, it’s because they treat me the way they do.” I sighed. “I’m not as aggressive as they think, I just don’t know how else to react. I don’t know how to turn things around, they hate me.”

“Ironic since you’re the one yelling that you hate them,” I joked.

After that we were friends. We’d talk sometimes when I came over and I even had her over the castle a few times. My parents loved her right away. As we got older, we got closer as friends.

“Lexus it’s hell here. I’ve been trying to be more friendly like you said for a year. I just don’t have a connection with them. They’ll only ever see me as the aggressive defensive girl who doesn’t belong.”

She pouted. “Can you talk to them?”

“No Sadia, me talking to them won’t do anything.” I refused. “Just leave, you’re eighteen now, it’s not the same as when we were fourteen.”

“That’s easy to say but if I leave the pack, I can’t be in the territory anymore. I’ll be considered rouge.

You don’t just peacefully leave a pack.” She groaned. “I don’t want to talk about that. Do you have a date to the full moon ball?”

I shrugged. “No, I'm probably just going to go with Cade. I’m not really interested in anyone. If you wanted to come with me and Cade you could be my plus one.”

Sadia frowned. “Like in a group? No thanks. We should do something else then, just the two of us.”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing now?” I hit my blunt.

“You know that’s a nasty habit right?”

I chuckled. “You’re thinking of cigarettes, I don’t smoke those.”

“Okay well what do you think about my relationship with the pack? Do you think it’s all my fault?”

I shook my head. “It's no one's fault Sadia. Honestly if your parents were alive and apart of the pack, I don’t think there would be a problem. I think then you wouldn’t question your place in the pack, and neither would they.”

Sadia didn’t seem to agree. “It’s because I’m different.”

“The only issue is that you and the pack both don’t feel like you belong,” I said.

“Because I’m an orphan. The point is I’m different from them, they tried to make me the omega for shits sake Lexus.”

I sighed. “I’m not really trying to defend them. The point is you’re both focusing too much on the differences, including you. They could have tried to make you feel more a part of the pack and you could have tried to be a part of it. I can agree that you’ve been trying recently, and they should meet you halfway, but I guess it’s too late for them. They already have their opinions on you. I’d say make at least one friend, show kindness to one member and your time there won’t be hell.” That was my advice to her, but I wasn't sure if she'd take it.