Chapter 2

MISTY

I woke with a yelp in the backseat of the station wagon just as my dad pulled up to a house in Knox Pack.

I was still reeling—how had we moved from Monolith to Knox in a single day? Just like that, I’d left behind my best friend Chelsea and everything I’d ever known.

This was where my father grew up, but we hadn’t visited in years.

And I remembered one thing clearly: Uncle Zack didn’t like me.

“Nightmare again?” my mom asked, her gaze fixed on the big, modern single-story house.

“Maybe being away from the Monolith Pack is a good thing, Misty,” my dad echoed.

The Monolith. Our pack was named after it, and I’d been obsessed with it for as long as I could remember. It was just a round boulder, split clean in two like a giant sword had struck it.

I loved clambering between the halves, running my fingers over the faint outline of a pentagram worn down by years of wind and rain.

The nightmare had been with me just as long, and it never changed. A head rolled off the Monolith and landed at my feet with green eyes that blinked up at me and a bloody smile on its face.

“Oh, honey, this looks amazing,” my mother said in admiration.

“I hope you like it. It’s been renovated, but the backyard needs some work,” my dad replied, leaning toward her.

I got out and closed the door with a little more force than necessary, making sure I didn’t witness their passionate kiss. Ugh!

Opening the tailgate, I pulled out my backpack first, grabbed my case, and gave it a tug. I wasn’t even surprised when the handle came off in my hand.

“What did you do?” my dad asked, getting out of the car and seeing the handle in my hand.

“I purposely pulled it off,” I sneered in annoyance.

He grabbed my arm, his grip biting into my biceps. “Misty, stop. I get you’re upset, but acting out is childish.”

Things always inexplicably broke around me, and my parents knew that.

Opening the door, I surveyed our new home. It was twice the size of our old one and nicely furnished. A massive flat screen hung on the wall in the living room with a black sectional couch. The dining room and kitchen were open-plan, and just as modern.

“It’s stunning,” my mother raved.

There were three bedrooms, and I chose the one opposite my folks only because it had a sliding door that opened onto the back porch, an escape hatch for me. The room was decently sized, with a double bed and a tallboy.

Opening the sliding door, I surveyed the covered back porch and the overgrown backyard, which had a charm of its own.

I dumped my backpack on the bed and looked up just as a guy about my age appeared in the doorway. Blond hair, military cut. Blue eyes. Grim expression.

He dropped my case with a thud and sneered, “Princess.”

“Asshole,” I retorted, maneuvering the case into the room and slamming the door in his face. What crawled up his ass? He didn’t even know me. And who the fuck was he?

With a long-suffering sigh, I heaved the case onto my bed and unpacked. It didn’t take long. Although I had no dressing table, there was a full-length mirror on the wall.

Another knock heralded my mother. “Hungry? There’s pizza…” She smiled, looking around the room. “Oh, this is nice, but you’ll need a bedside table.”

“Yeah, and a dressing table. Who brought in my case?”

“He’s Beta Anthony’s son, Josh. Don’t you remember him?”

I looked at her, nonplussed for a second. Did she say beta? “I thought Dad was beta?”

“He is one of three,” she smiled.

Three?

I should have recognized Josh by the sneer on his pasty face.

I followed her into the kitchen, where Josh was helping himself to pizza. Seriously, he carries one case and gets pizza? My dad walked in with Beta Anthony, sparking my memory. He had the same stern expression and haircut as his son.

“You remember Misty, right?” my dad asked.

“I do. How old are you now?” he asked.

“I’ll be eighteen in three weeks,” I responded.

“Good.” He nodded and proceeded to help himself to pizza.

“Grab a stool, Misty. The dining room table only seats four,” my dad instructed.

I heaped three slices onto my plate, grabbed a stool, and squeezed between my mom and dad. I eyed Josh out, but he was focused on shoveling pizza down his throat.

“If you need anything, let me know,” Beta Anthony said, his mouth half full, and I resisted scrunching my nose up when I saw half-chewed food. Gross.

“Thank you so much.” My mom smiled sweetly. “If you could give me the name of a birthing sister, I’d be much obliged.”

My mom was pregnant again but never managed to carry to full term, other than me. It surprised me that she was willing to try again, especially after the heartache she went through the last time. Personally, I had no intention of having pups.

~“Really, Misty, that’s what we were born for, to procreate,”~ Cammy, my wolf rebuked me.

~“Not for a while…”~

“We have a full clinic here, staffed twenty-four seven,” Beta Anthony responded.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” my mom said enthusiastically, slice of pizza halfway to her mouth.

Josh finished his food, and his eyes found mine. I stared back. There was no reason to behave like a douche, and frankly, his father had the same rank as mine.

“Gotta go, Dad,” he said, getting to his feet.

“Yes, I’ll be on my way too. Your appointment with Alpha Zack is in half an hour,” Beta Anthony said patronizingly. He shoved the last piece of pizza into his mouth and wiped his hands on his jeans.

“Well, thanks for the welcome and the pizzas,” my dad said, seeing them out.

When he walked back in, I asked, “So, Dad, you’re one of ~three ~betas? Since when does Uncle Zack need so many? And why didn’t he welcome us?”

“He’s busy. This pack has over eight hundred shifters. Too much work for one beta, especially with the training regime.”

“The what?” I asked, my heart dropping to my stomach

“Beta Lloyd’s time is consumed with training the elites. It’s a full-time job. I must admit I was taken aback when I first saw him.” He shook his head, but his expression was one of admiration.

“Why?” I asked, my interest piqued.

“His fighting skills are far better than anyone here, and that’s why Zack offered him the training position. All the she-wolves gossip about him, but he keeps to himself. Don’t worry, Misty, he only trains the elite warriors.”

Hmm, generally when she-wolves gossip about a male, it means he’s hot. I’d have to keep my eyes open.

~“Maybe he’s our mate,”~ Cammy added excitedly.

I ignored her and asked nonchalantly, “What does he look like?”

“Uh, like any male, but he has gray hair.”

Gray hair?

~“Can’t be our mate. Not with gray hair.”~

So much for that. How old was he if his hair was gray, and why did the she-wolves gossip about him?

I dropped the half-eaten pizza slice back on my plate.

“Um, am I expected to train? I mean, I was thinking of jobs, but I don’t quite know what I want to do yet.”

“Yes, we’ll discuss it shortly,” he said defensively.

~“I have a bad feeling about this, Cammy.”~

~“Why?”~

~“I don’t know.”~

On the way over to the pack house, Mom cautioned me. “I beg you, Misty, button your mouth. You don’t want to antagonize Zack needlessly.”

Antagonize him? I didn’t have to try very hard…

The Knox pack house differed significantly from Monolith’s in every way. It was three times the size, with a large wrap-around porch with seating areas. Monolith had barely more than three unmated males; here the place was teeming.

My dad showed us his office, but Uncle Zack had the biggest one, which was not only an office but also a boardroom. Several bookshelves and paintings decorated the walls.

My mother nudged me, and I turned to face Uncle Zack. He looked a lot like my dad: black hair cut military short with silver streaks and the same brown eyes.

He walked around the desk and hugged my mother. “Welcome, Charlotte. It’s been too long since you last visited. When ~was~ that?” His brow wrinkled, his gaze sliding to me. “I remember. That’s when Misty burned down half the alpha residence.”

“Will you ever get over that, Zack?” my dad asked.

“Just teasing,” He grinned, but I knew he wasn’t. He didn’t bother hugging me. His mate, Luna Faye, was just as unforgiving. Their daughter Olivia was three years older than me and probably mated and bearing pups.

“Right, on your knees so I can accept you into the pack,” Uncle Zack said.

He opened a drawer and took out a short-handled knife no bigger than his palm. The handle was as shiny as gold and engraved with a wolf’s head. Walking around the desk, he stood before us as though we were on inspection.

~“I think we are,”~ Cammy mused.

~“He must have accepted my dad when he was here last week. Didn’t even notice I couldn’t link him…”~

My mother dropped to her knees, and I followed suit, holding my right hand up. He took my mother’s hand and sliced it diagonally and vertically across the palm to form a cross. She grimaced in pain, but no sound left her.

Stepping closer to me, he made identical cuts. “Ouch,” I exclaimed. The blade was silver, and it burned like fire…

Uncle Zack glowered at me and then casually nicked his own palm. Seriously? Was it necessary to make such long cuts?

“Now, repeat,” he instructed my mother. “I accept Knox Pack and will obey any order with alacrity, trusting my alpha without question, no matter the cause.”

I didn’t like that phrase. It was too controlling. Alacrity? Monolith’s pledge was plain and simple!

My mother repeated word for word, and Zack clasped his hand with hers. He clasped mine, and for a second, I went blank before stammering the stupid words.

The link snapped into place, and instead of feeling part of the pack, I felt trapped.

“You can go.” He nodded to my parents. “I want a word with Misty.”

Here we go…

My mom shot me a warning glance before leaving. I made to get up, but Uncle Zack shook his head.

“Stay on your knees.” He leaned against his desk and stared at me. “This is not Monolith, understand? This is a working pack, and I expect every member to do their bit. Harris says you haven’t had much training, but you will attend daily training here.

“Miss one, and you earn a mark. Accumulate three, and there will be punishment. Just because you are my niece doesn’t mean you get special treatment, understand?”

I nodded.

“I called Alpha Martin this morning to get an update on you, and he didn’t have anything good to say about you.” He pushed himself upright and stood before me. “I made an exception, allowing Harris to bring you. If you can’t toe the line, I will expel you, make no mistake.”

He grabbed my chin. “I expect a ~yes, Alpha~.”

I swallowed my retort. “Yes, Alpha.”

“Good, I’ve put you in the O-Team. You can go.” He waved dismissively.

I got to my feet, cradling my burning hand, and yanked the door open—nearly slamming into a male standing on the other side.

Steel-gray hair left me with little doubt about his identity. This was Lloyd, and even though his hair was gray, he wasn’t old. My gaze rolled up in admiration—no wonder the she-wolves gossiped, he was better than fine-looking.

“Sorry.” I smiled but recoiled when sea-green eyes met mine, filled with such hate and loathing that I instinctively stepped back.

Cammy’s excitement instantly cooled, and she shrank back, her tail tucked between her legs, as intimidated as I was.

I didn’t wait to be reprimanded. I bolted down the hallway, heart pounding, mind racing. He’d never met me, so why the hateful glare?

~“When I saw him, I thought he was our mate, but he isn’t. Couldn’t even pick up his scent,”~ Cammy said, her voice subdued as though she was disappointed.

I wasn’t. Okay, maybe a little, but that hateful stare was not a look your mate gave you.

My parents were waiting outside the pack house, and my mom took one look at my face and linked me.

~“Not here,”~ she cautioned.