Harper’s POV
“You want to disown me simply because I was marked by a stranger?” I ask, pressing my hand to the mark on my neck as my father glares at me. The hard glint in his eyes makes me feel small and unloved.
Though, that’s nothing new. He’s never fully loved me, preferring my half-sister Sierra to me since she’s a full wolf and not a half-wolf like me.
He hates that I’m not ‘pure’ like Sierra. Having a daughter who isn’t a full wolf has been the bane of his existence in our pack, and that means, he takes his frustrations out on me.
“Being marked by a man who is not your fated mate is a disgrace,” my father hisses, and my sister smirks from beside him.
“Father, she’s a disgrace,” Sierra says while shaking her head. I glare at my sister, if you can call her that, and curl my fingers into my palms, digging them in.
“How can you be sure he’s not my mate?” I ask calmly, trying to hold onto any bit of peace as memories of last night threaten to surface. “Shouldn’t you be more worried that your second daughter drugged me and brought men to grope me?”
My wolf doesn’t speak, which means it cannot tell me who my fated mate is.
Sierra used that fact against me last night by drugging me and sending men after me. I’m sure Sierra was the one behind it because no one else hates me enough to hurt me like that.
My mother, if she were alive, would’ve kept them from hurting me like this. She knew what it was like to be deceived by my father and then get pregnant, and I believe she wouldn’t let me get hurt if she could do something about it. But, she died when I was seven, leaving me in my father’s care. Since then, my father’s hatred for me has only grown.
Sierra has always hated me. Since my father is the Beta of our pack, he has enough power to let Sierra and my stepmother do whatever they want to me. They don’t get in trouble, and I’m sure he lets them run me over because that’s his way of apologizing for his infidelity.
Plus, he doesn’t like me.
“If Sierra hadn’t—”
Before I can finish speaking, my father’s hand flies out and slaps me across the face. He growls, “Stop making excuses. From the moment you were born, you’ve been a disgrace to our Beta family. Now you dare to do such a shameful thing as letting a stranger mark you?!”
I didn’t let anyone do anything, but he won’t listen.
Sierra steps forward and touches our father’s arm. She narrows her eyes at me, and I hate that I can see myself in her face. Her face—so similar to mine—is filled with malice as she sneers at me.
“Father, Harper is just a n-rank half-breed born from a weak witch. As a Beta, you can take her wolf away, so she’ll never disgrace us again.”
“No!” I growl, backing away. I look at Sierra. Did she seriously just say that? Does she know what it means to lose your wolf?
It’s an incredibly painful experience, from what I’ve heard, and she wants that to happen to me. Of course, she does. It seems that Sierra will do anything to get rid of me.
My father moves toward me, grabs me by the arms, and shoves me back against the wall. His eyes glow as he begins muttering, “As Beta, I find this she-wolf to be in violation of mating laws and a disgrace to her family…”
I struggle against his strength as he continues using his power to dig into my soul. His words fall away as pain begins to burn down my spine. My lungs constrict, making it hard to breathe as my soul lights on fire.
Pain tears through my body, making me scream and double over.
“Stop!” My pleas fall on deaf ears, and suddenly, an empty, cold feeling spreads through me as my father releases me. I sink to the floor, breathing heavily and inwardly searching for any trace of my wolf.
The vast emptiness is dark and cold, giving me no signs of my wolf.
“Wh-why?” I croak, looking up at the man who was supposed to love me. He watches me, disappointment clear in his eyes. Though, I find myself also feeling disappointed… in him. He’s supposed to be this great man, but he’s so threatened by me, a young girl, that he has to forcefully rip my wolf from me.
He doesn’t answer my question, just watches me push myself to my feet and lean against the wall for support.
My weakened body protests, but I look directly at my father. I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me weak, and I certainly won’t beg him for anything. Honestly, now that our bonds are severed, I can leave and make a new life for myself.
“From this day onward, you are no longer my father,” I state as clearly and calmly as possible. Without another word, I hobble to my room and sit on the edge of my bed. I lift my hands, focusing on the healing power my mother passed down to me.
Warmth radiates from my palms, and I sigh. Luckily, Henry- my father- couldn’t take this power away. It’s probably because it comes from my witch lineage and not the wolf half of me. I’ve never told anyone about my rare ability, and now, I have a chance to start a new life where I can be a doctor.
Once my body doesn’t feel as weak, I begin to gather my things. I pack my clothes, saved money, and the few belongings my mother left behind. I leave very little in my small room—not that there was much here in the first place—and I head downstairs.
Just as I reach the living room, a commotion at the door pulls my attention. I move closer, stopping when I stand directly behind the omega who opened the door.
“The Alpha requests that Beta Henry send any unmated female to the Pack House. Lucas is searching for his mate,” the messenger says. I move around the omega, ignoring the stare from the Alpha’s messenger as I walk away.
“Miss, you are requested to join the other girls at the Pack House.”
Lucas’s POV
“Are they coming?” I ask, rubbing at my aching temples.
“They’re gathered in the common room,” he answers, and I finish pulling my shirt over my head. I’d tasked Mason, my future Beta, with helping me find the girl from last night, and the easiest way to do that is have all the females gather in the common room so I can see who has my mark.
I found my mate last night.
I’d been at a cocktail party all night, and after I’d gotten home and showered, a drunk girl burst into my room. She collapsed in my arms, and my first instinct was to push her away, but then I caught her scent.
It surrounded me instantly and overwhelmed my senses, seeping into me and gripping my wolf’s attention.
“MATE!” He howled.
On instinct, I’d marked her and then held her while we both slept. Her scent was soft and light, but the more I try to remember it, the more it fades. The girl’s face, too. I want to say she had brown hair, but everything else blurs.
“Let’s go,” I say, my voice steady as I finish getting dressed.
I take the lead and head downstairs. The girls are all lined up, waiting for me, and when they see me, smiles break out across the room. Each is dressed in what I’m sure are their best dresses.
Too many scents attack my senses, so I focus on the physical aspects—specifically on the mark I gave the girl.
“If you have a mark on your neck, step forward,” I announce. More than half of the girls come forward while the others stay back. Mason follows behind me as I start on the left and walk toward the right.
Their faces are full of hope, but as soon as I pass them, I can feel the disappointment in the room rise.
Suddenly, as I move down the line, my wolf roars, “Mate!”
