Back home, I’d wear Pack sweats, a worn and faded tee, and a pair of black sneakers. White if I felt like being fancy that day. I’d toss my hair into a messy bun and skip putting on a lick of makeup. No one there cared what I looked like. I was Pack. That was all that mattered.
But last week when I met my bio-dad, he took one look at me in his polished five-piece gray suit and disgust quickly curled his upper lip. Being a tomboy was unacceptable. I was pretty sure he didn’t approve of me being a shapeshifter either but it’s not like he could change that. My wolf and I were a bit of a package deal.
All of my personal belongings were left back in Arizona. Brian’s assistant, Natalia, took it upon herself to give my wardrobe a complete overhaul, claiming I needed a fresh start, and Brian happily agreed with her, refusing to let me bring anything with me beyond the bare essentials. Which pretty much meant the clothes on my back and a toothbrush.
I live in Texas now. I hate Texas. And okay, maybe I was being a bit harsh on the state as a whole, but I was like a fish out of water. Or more accurately, a wolf out of her forest. The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest to be exact.
El Paso, Texas, is nothing but desert. It’s dry, hot, and a long eight-hour drive from home. My real home.
But again, no one here cares. They don’t get it. And worse, they don’t care. I have no Pack. No mom. No place to run and let my wolf run free.
You are the daughter of Brian Kline, not some filthy animal in the woods. That’s what he said when I brought up needing somewhere to shift and run.
I bite down on my bottom lip, fighting the urge to scream.
Brian is a prominent member of his community. He is a businessman. He drives a flashy car, waves around his excessive amounts of money, and likes to pretend his perfect little life doesn’t include magic, vampires, or werewolf daughters.
Until a week ago, I’d been his estranged and forgotten daughter.
Not anymore.
Not since my mom died.
I rub at the ache in my chest. Why didn’t you warn me about him, Mom? Why did you keep him a secret?
You’d think given everything I’ve been through, the guy would cut me some slack. He’d … I don’t know, try and get to know me.
I huff out a breath and try to squelch the flicker of hurt inside my chest. Mom can’t answer my questions. She’s dead and I’m here.
Emotion clogs my throat.
Dammit. I shouldn’t care if I’m not good enough for the guy. I’m here. That means something, right? I mean, he technically fought to get me here.
Brian could have left me back in Star Valley, Arizona. I could have spent the remainder of my senior year as a ward of the Pack. Though, if I’m being entirely honest with myself, I would have preferred it. I need a Pack. There, I’d have Josué and Damien and Kai—my friends—people who actually care about me. I’d have my Alpha. My Clan.
But minors don’t get a say in these kinds of things. My Alpha— Emmett Quinn—fought to keep me. He tried explaining to Brian why I should stay in Star Valley. Gave him all the assurances in the world that I’d be well cared for. But in the end, Brian was blood. And I guess it’s true what they say. Blood is thicker than water. Emmett didn’t have a leg to stand on once Brian decided I was going home with him.
If Mom were here, she’d tell me to be strong. To be brave. She should be here. But she isn’t, so I need to be brave on my own.
Alrighty then. I can do that.
What alternative do I have?
Natalia picked out my first-day-of-school outfit. It feels weird. Going to school. I know humans do this, but Pack education was always done at the Compound. I never went somewhere else to learn about English or mathematics. The entire concept seems foreign. But today will be my first day at Hellbound High.
Yay.
I hate the outfit. The wardrobe. The makeup and perfumes that itch the inside of my nose and irritate my wolf senses. But when I hinted that it isn’t really my style, Natalia scowled as if I’d offended her and then proceeded to remind me that I need to let go of my past and embrace my new life.
She hadn’t meant to hurt me with her words. At least, I don’t think she did. Natalia doesn’t strike me as a cruel person. But she thinks my life before the here and now is beneath me. Beneath the Kline name. Neither she nor Brian do a good job hiding their disdain for all things paranormal, and after she told me how lucky I am to be reunited with my father and went on and on with her assumptions about how horrible growing up must have been—living with a Pack of wolves—I decided it was easier to just go along and not rock the boat.
I’m seventeen so I’ll be starting school as a senior. I’ll be eighteen soon and after graduation, I can go back to my old life. I can leave this house. This town. These people.
I’ll go back to my Pack and then I can grieve.
I leave my long, dark brown hair down, using the flat iron Natalia gave me to straighten it into sleek, glossy strands before applying a hint of makeup.
I need to make a great first impression. Urgh. As if I care what any of these people think of me. This isn’t me, and while I hate that, I also know I don’t really want to be me right now. I don’t want to be the girl who lost her mom to a freak run-in with a troll. The girl whose boyfriend dumped her the same night when she caught him
