The Alpha's Mate Who Refused to Bow

Charlotte POV

I gripped the leather of the concentration mitts tightly.

"Again," said my coach for the billionth time. He would give me a combination drill so often that I felt like my arms were about to give out. But it was OK with me. Being able to fight and defend yourself is better than being one of those wimpy chicks.

"Hyah!" I wept as I struck the last stroke in the pattern he had just demonstrated to me this morning. I had given the final blow all I had; therefore, I had momentarily learned my lesson.

"Charlotte, it stung like hell." Beneath the anger, there were grins as he yelled at me. Seeing the pride in his eyes pleased me.

I apologized to Jax. As I chuckled, a tiny giggle crept into my voice. Seeing how resilient I was was amazing.

"If you weren't so young, then I'd say there was no way you were actually a female," he replied with a smile this time.

"Jax, that was mean."

"You are aware that this is a praise." He chuckled at my whining, so it was either that or my pouty expression. "Most of the men in my gym are not as good fighters as you."

"It is not difficult to complete. The majority of them believe that size is a must for greatness, but this only means they have more targets to hit and less speed. Moreover, the majority of them are brainless, which hinders their ability to use those muscles efficiently. I also have an advantage that most of them don't have. I added my own ideas. It seemed to me like Jax had to virtually cling to the wall to stay upright.

"You're a clever and charming young person, which is why I admire you. You risk being late for your next lesson if you don't change straight away. I looked up and realized that he was right. I had to schedule my training sessions in between community college semesters because my prior teacher was no longer being paid by my grandfather.

"All right, Jax, I'll see you next week," I said to him before rushing to the empty, rarely used women's locker room.

I hurried through my shower as usual and placed my long brown hair in a high ponytail, letting its naturally curled curls air dry. I put on slacks and a jacket over my t-shirt. I suppose that most first-year college students, particularly the girls, took longer to get ready for class since I was rushed for time. Especially not right then, when I was slipping far behind.

Knowing that I could run a little bit faster than most people in these conditions gave me some relief. Perhaps not as quick as the pack or the rest of my family, but certainly faster than a human. I had to actively remind myself not to run too quickly as I rushed back to college.

Fortunately, I got to class early and enjoyed myself. However, being aware of when I was in danger or when someone was coming from my blind zone was helpful. We all appeared to have been given werewolf skills by the Moon Goddess. To be honest, though, I'm not even a werewolf.

After entering the room, the lecturer began working. I was really annoyed that this class was mandatory. I had not desired something that would challenge my thinking and stretch my intellectual boundaries, and they had just taught me the same things that my grandfather's tutors had taught me while I was growing up. My comparatively privileged childhood and schooling ended when I reached eighteen. While Grandfather still gave me some financial support, it was definitely far less than it had been when I was a kid already.

However, I didn't mind that. Now that I'm out here alone, I'm much happier. His strict standards no longer apply to me, at least not as much. I was relieved that the only rules I truly had to follow were those of the pack.

The Crimson Grove Pack hierarchy used to be quite high up, and this is my family, Charlotte Hayes. My grandpa was really the Alpha's beta, but after the Alpha was slain in an attack a few years ago, the Alpha's son took command. But even not being the Beta would prevent a significant occurrence from damaging my family's image.

The wolves are a proud people. My grandpa used to speak those words to me every day when I was a little child, as far back as I can recall. But that same pride had not stopped my fifteen-year-old mother from disappearing for a weekend and then coming back to face her father's fury. They then found out that she was expecting a kid, which made things worse. She refused to tell them who the father was. They naturally believed that the father was not a wolf, thus they saw me as an abomination.

In any case, I was still a pack member, and the former Alpha had instructed everyone to treat me normally until she was certain I wouldn't become one of the others. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen is when we usually change into our wolf forms.

Boys will be boys, and they will compete with whatever they can, even if that isn't always the case. It's commonly believed that your wolf will get stronger the earlier you shift. Even though I am almost nineteen, I am still the same person. All the other wolf traits were still there in me. I had all the talents I needed, including combat instinct, strength, speed, and increased senses. I thought I fit in with the gang. I was obviously not human, but I wasn't a werewolf yet, either. I just didn't belong anywhere.

I couldn't question my mother directly about my dad. Whether or not she was just too scared to speak to her father, she could not cope with the humiliation and contempt my family experienced throughout her pregnancy and the initial days following her delivery. Perhaps she is less scared now that so many years have gone by. When I was less than a month old, she finally committed suicide.

The only thing my mother had left was the necklace she had requested I have when I was an adult. I spent most of my time with my uncle Garrett and his wife Eve after my mother went away. Their two sons regarded me like a sister, which is one of my favorite memories of them. I'm so amazed that they followed through, even though they probably wouldn't have if Grandfather had his way.

To tell the truth, everything would have been perfect if Grandfather had not been here. I swear he despises me. He had ridiculously high expectations of me. I was always reassured by him that I would never make the same mistakes as his unfortunate daughter.

I had to endure his deeply embedded norms on a daily basis for years. My cousins and I were prohibited from attending public school, just like the other children in the pack. I was expected to be knowledgeable about many different topics. In addition to a very demanding curriculum, I also studied martial arts, ballet, boxing, fencing, etiquette, foreign languages, and musical instruments.

Grandfather paid for everything because he believed that I would change by the time I was eighteen and that he could use me to have me married into a respectable family or, at the very least, regain my position in the organization. But as my birthday drew nearer and nearer, it became evident to everybody that I would not change. I did not possess any wolves. I wasn't supposed to be among the other pack members; I was a freak of nature, an abomination.

However, I was still bound by all pack regulations. I still had to show up to every pack meeting. I still need the Alpha's instructions to bend my knees and drop my head. His remarks were obviously delivered to the pack, so we couldn't argue with him. And most of the rich families still treated me like an outsider in spite of all of that. That is, not intended to be one of the popular kids.