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He grabbed me by my hair, then dragged me back before burying his head in my neck and breathing in my scent. He lets out a slow groan, then snaps his head to meet mine “It’s so hard Tee, my wolf wants you, but you are a traitor, ” I see him swallow hard but his grip on my hair is so painful. I have already developed a headache and my eyes are turning. “I, Jordan Thompson Walker, future alpha of Eclipse pack..." CHAPTER ONE “What the hell is that smell?!” The shout from outside my door made me nearly drop the wooden mortar in my hands. Damn. For one terrible second, I just stood there staring at the thick blue paste sitting inside the bowl. It wasn't supposed to be blue. According to the notes I had copied from one of the healers' books months ago, it should have turned pale green by now. Instead, it smelled like wet dirt, burnt leaves, and something that had probably died three days ago. The floorboards outside creaked. Miss Anna. My heart immediately started racing. I grabbed the open notebook from my desk and shoved it beneath my mattress before sweeping handfuls of dried herbs into a cloth bag. Most of them had taken me weeks to collect because I couldn't exactly walk into the healers' storage and ask for supplies. Everything I had came from sneaking beyond the pack borders at night and gathering it myself. The stairs creaked again, closer this time. Oh no! I dropped to my knees and pushed the last of my supplies beneath the bed just as the door swung open. Miss Anna stepped inside without bothering to knock. Her sharp eyes immediately scanned the room, and from the look on her face, I knew the smell had reached her long before she reached my door. "There you go again," she snapped. "Playing with your little witch projects." I slowly got to my feet and brushed the dust from my skirt. "They aren't witch projects." The words slipped out before I could stop them. Miss Anna let out a harsh laugh. "Oh, of course. Silly me. You're not pretending to be a witch. You're pretending to be a healer." I lowered my gaze. There was no point arguing. I'd learned that years ago. She walked farther into the room and wrinkled her nose dramatically. "You really should thank the Moon Goddess for being merciful. Any other girl would have learned her lesson by now." I didn't answer. "Maybe there's a reason you still don't have a wolf," she continued. "Maybe the Moon Goddess saw exactly what kind of foolish girl you would grow into and decided not to waste one on you." The familiar ache settled in my chest. Twelve years ago those words would have made me cry. Five years ago I would have argued. These days I mostly just stood there and waited for people to finish saying whatever cruel thing they had prepared for me. Miss Anna crossed her arms when she realized she wasn't getting a reaction. "Beta Leo's house needs cleaning. His wife wants every room done before noon. And hurry up, unless you'd like a repeat of last time." A chill ran through me. Last time I arrived five minutes late. The bruises had taken nearly two weeks to disappear. Apparently satisfied by my silence, Miss Anna turned toward the door. "You have ten minutes, Tiana. If you're not there by then, don't bother coming back here crying." The door slammed behind her. I waited until her footsteps disappeared before releasing the breath I'd been holding. I shoved the mortar beneath my bed again and grabbed my worn backpack. By the time I stepped outside, the morning air was cool against my skin. My feet automatically followed the path toward Beta Leo's house. I was tired. Not the kind of tired that sleep could fix. The kind that settled into your bones after years of living the same miserable day over and over again. The bruises eventually healed. The insults became background noise. Even the fear faded after a while. But the exhaustion never left. My hand drifted unconsciously toward the fading bruises on my ribs. Maybe I deserved it. Twelve years ago, I had been the gamma's daughter. People smiled when they saw me. I spent most of my days running around the pack with Jayce and Jordan, the future alphas of Eclipse Pack. Back then, the three of us were inseparable. Then Jayce died. No one cared that I had only been six years old or that I had watched it happen. All they cared about was the fact that Jayce never came home. Somehow the entire pack decided it was my fault, and when my father left a few years later, whatever protection I had left disappeared with him. The title of gamma passed to another family and, little by little, the gamma's daughter became the pack servant. By the time I reached Beta Leo's house, the knot between my shoulders had only grown tighter. The house itself was one of the largest in the pack, sitting on a small hill that overlooked most of the territory. I used to love coming here when I was younger. Back then, Beta Leo had seemed kind. He was one of the few adults who hadn't openly blamed me after Jayce died. I knocked once before pushing the front door open. "Beta Leo?" I called. No answer. The house was unusually quiet. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. The smell of polished wood and expensive cologne lingered in the air. I had barely taken a few steps toward the kitchen when a voice came from behind me. "There you are." My stomach dropped. Beta Leo was standing in the doorway leading to the study. His shirt was partially unbuttoned and there was a strange smile on his face that immediately made my skin crawl. "Miss Anna sent me," I said quickly. "She said Mrs. Leo wanted the house cleaned before noon." "I'm aware." Something about the way he said it made me want to leave immediately. I tightened my grip on the cleaning supplies and tried to walk past him, but before I could, his hand closed around my wrist. My entire body went rigid. "Beta Leo..." "Relax." His thumb brushed against my skin and I had to fight the urge to yank my arm away. "Why are you always so nervous around me?" He stepped closer, forcing me to back against the wall. "You've had a rough life, Tiana. Everyone treats you like dirt. You don't have a wolf. You don't have a family. After everything that happened with Jayce, nobody in this pack wants anything to do with you. But I could take care of you." His eyes slowly traveled over me and I felt sick. I finally pulled my wrist free, but he only laughed. "You're turning eighteen today," he said. The way he said it made my skin crawl. My stomach twisted. "You've lost your mind." Instead of looking offended, he laughed. "You should be grateful someone still wants you, Tiana." Then he smiled again. That horrible, greasy smile. "So stop pretending you're too good for this and come sit on my !ap like a good girl."