Chapter 1
Margaret's POV
It was a beautiful day and I know many of our pack members have shifted and have ran off through our pack together. I sat on a bench overlooking the pond that was close to my parents home. I found myself daydreaming here a lot when I had free time. My eighteenth birthday is approaching and it should be a joyous day seeing how it should be the day my wolf finds her mate. Unfortunately for me, I'm a freak, a girl without a wolf. Without a wolf I would not be able to feel the wolf bond. I have heard stories about the wolf bond and pairing together fated mates. The bond pull is unlike anything else. The person is honestly your better half, the peanut butter to your jelly, the glue that can hold all of your broken pieces together.
I have been called weak, ugly, pathetic, a disgrace, loser, and so many other hurtful things. I lost all of my friends.
It’s lonely and generally the only time I find peace is when it’s a beautiful day and everyone goes on pack runs.
"A mate is supposed to be your better half," I whispered to myself, "the peanut butter to your jelly, the glue that holds all your broken pieces together."
I'd heard those words so many times from my mother during bedtime stories. Stories that were now just painful reminders of what I could never have.
Since my secret had been exposed back in Gregory Pack, I'd lost every friend I'd ever made. Weak. Ugly. Pathetic. Disgrace. Failure. I'd been called every hurtful name imaginable. Only on Pack Run days like today could I find moments of peace, when everyone else was celebrating what I could never experience.
A rustling sound from the trees behind me broke my reverie. I turned to see Saskia Blackwell, Caleb, and several other kids from school approaching. My stomach twisted into knots. Saskia was Alpha Gregory's daughter, and Caleb was next in line to be Alpha. They were also my sworn enemies.
I stood up, hoping to slip away unnoticed, but Ryan's hand clamped around my arm.
"Where do you think you're going, you pathetic waste?" he laughed, nodding toward the pond.
Before I could react, Caleb—one of the strongest boys in our age group—scooped me up and hurled me into the water. I sank beneath the surface, kicking frantically until I broke through, gasping for air.
Their laughter echoed across the water as I swam to the muddy bank. When I tried to climb out, I slipped and fell flat on my back. The laughter grew louder, more cutting. I lay there, defeated, blinking back tears that threatened to spill over.
Caleb and Saskia loomed over me, holding something I couldn't quite make out, poised to pour it on me.
"Don't touch her!" My mother's voice cracked like a whip. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
She positioned herself between me and my tormentors. Caleb and Saskia took several steps back.
"Relax," Caleb sneered. "We're just having some fun with the wolf-less failure."
"Why are you telling a future Alpha what to do?" Caleb challenged, puffing out his chest.
My mother glared at him. "If he were any kind of Alpha, he'd know better," she growled, her voice low and threatening.
My mother, Ophelia Tudor, was an awesome woman. Stern and feared by even the she-wolves, including Alpha Gregory's wife. Once, she'd beaten Alpha Gregory's wife during training in front of the entire Pack. The woman had said I "should have been killed at birth for being worthless to the Pack."
As the only female Pack warrior, my mother had avoided punishment for humiliating the Alpha's wife. But everyone knew Alpha Gregory had a soft spot for my mother. He'd had feelings for her since childhood and had been disappointed when she wasn't his mate.
"It—it was an accident," Saskia stammered, fear rolling off her in waves so thick I was shocked she hadn't wet herself. I couldn't help the smug smile that crept onto my face.
Suddenly, a loud CRACK split the air, freezing time itself. My mother had slapped Saskia.
My jaw dropped as my brain struggled to process what my eyes had just witnessed—my mother had actually hit Alpha Gregory's daughter Saskia. My heart pounded wildly, and I covered my mouth with both hands to stifle a gasp of pure terror.
Saskia's head snapped to the side from the impact, her blonde hair whipping across her face. The entire pond area fell deadly silent before Saskia let out a piercing scream—primal and shrill.
Her trembling fingers hovered over the angry mark, tears welling in her eyes, disbelief written across her face. She frantically looked around, searching for witnesses to her humiliation. Blood rushed to her face until it matched the violent red of my mother's handprint.
Rage and embarrassment battled across her features. Fear gripped me, my stomach twisting into a knot. Alpha Gregory would surely retaliate for this insult to his precious daughter.
My mother had just signed her own death warrant with that one impulsive slap.
I heard several gasps and looked around to see a few Pack members had witnessed my mother's actions. But Ophelia didn't seem to care about the audience, raising her hand again, ready for another strike.
"Mom!" I shouted. She glanced at me, noticing several Pack trainers rushing over. She glared at them, daring them to say something.
Saskia ran away with her tail between her legs, sobbing. I imagined the ridicule she would face tomorrow, and how her proud father would have to reestablish his control so Saskia could reclaim her queen bee status.
"I've wanted to put that pup in her place for ages," my mother said, satisfaction evident in her voice. She grabbed my arm and bent down to look me in the face.
"Why do you put up with this?" she demanded, grabbing my hand and raising it. "You've been trained better than these punks. You may not have a wolf, but that's never stopped you from beating them in training."
She gripped my shoulders. "I trained you. Your father trained you. Those useless bitches aren't worth half of you. You just need to see it."
I shook my head, knowing it would only make my torment worse.
My human form was no match for shifted wolves.
"Come on, let's go," she commanded, straightening up and turning toward the Packhouse. I fell into step beside her, matching her stride as we walked away.