One – Coerced Deal

Ember

She was busy in her room, making a video of how to repair a toaster to upload for her social media.  She had started tinkering when she realized that she would never be able to keep up with the werewolf pups and it had evolved from there.

She was now considered the pack’s go to for any kind of technology.  The kitchen staff loved her too, mostly because she had started helping them as a child when she had first given up on going with the pups to swim in the lake.  She was just not fast enough or strong enough to match the wolves.

Calum had offered to stay with her, but she had refused, since he had been excited to go to the lake, too.  She didn’t want him to lose out on his excitement when she just couldn’t run as fast or as far as the wolf pups could.  And she knew well not everyone in the pack wanted her there; so taking her along would have ruined his fun.

She had many things to be grateful for, though.  Alpha Anson doted on her like she was his own daughter, despite her knowing that he had accepted her when her father had been murdered, she had been getting nightmares since then.  Thankfully, they had become few and far between, but they still popped up when she was stressed.

There was one she-wolf her age, who she was sort of friends with; the others, aside from Calum, tended to be nice but distant if they weren’t bullying her for being different.  She didn’t blame them; she was not really one of them and the fact became even clearer when they turned sixteen and got their wolves.  She was just not a wolf.

Ilene tended to occasionally hang out with her when she wasn’t busy being social.  Ember didn’t blame her for spending so much time with other wolves; she was a social butterfly and Ember didn’t tend to talk a lot in general.

It was at that moment that Ilene came rushing into her room and swiftly closed the door.  “Bestie!”  She called with a grin, but Ember didn’t need wolf senses to know she was nervous and up to something.  She only called her that when she had done something and needed help getting out of trouble.

“What did you do this time?”  She asked calmly, without looking up from what she was doing.  She considered stopping the video, but decided against it, knowing she could just edit out the sound like she usually did.  The pack house was not exactly a quiet place to live with everyone coming and going with their usual lives.

“So…I did this thing…”  Ilene answered, tugging on a curl before twirling it nervously around her finger.

“I figured.”  Ember answered casually, while continuing what she was doing with the toaster.

“I logged into Mr. Benson’s computer and changed my math marks.”

“How did you even manage that?”  Ember asked with a little more interest.  Ilene was not the most tech savvy – or math smart, for that matter.

“He left himself logged in while I was in detention today, so I thought I could get my marks looking better.  I didn’t change it much….only about fifteen to twenty marks.  I needed to do that; he was about to fail me!”  Ilene whined dramatically at the end.

Ember sighed.  “So what do you want me to do?”

“So, I forgot to close the program when I left after detention and if he notices I need you to be my alibi?”

“How could I be your alibi if it happened during your detention?”

“Well, he doesn’t know that it happened then.  He still wasn’t back when my detention ended, so his class is still open and he is still in a meeting.”

“You don’t think he’ll notice the change in your marks?  He’s pretty pedantic about his work.”

Suddenly her chair was spun to the side and she came face to face with Ilene holding onto the armrests.  “Please!  You have to cover for me!  Tell him I came here right after detention and I have no idea how the computer programs work!  I can’t fail math again!”  Ilene was pleading with wide, hopeful eyes.

Ember rolled her eyes.  “You could’ve just let me help you study for the test.”

“But there was this awesome party that everyone who is anyone needed to be at.  You know Josh does not throw a party all that often and his parties are the best place to be seen for your social life!”  Ilene protested as if Ember had made a stupid remark.  “Please!  I’ll know you really love me if you do this for me?”

Ember took a deep breath and heaved out a heavy sigh, knowing that she would probably cave eventually.  If she hadn’t basically been a pariah, she might have acted exactly like Ilene.  But she was, so she had time on her hands to learn and study.

“Thank you!  You’re the bestest bestie ever!”  Ilene finished with air kisses towards each cheek and then released her chair twirling around in a happy spin.  “I have to go, Bobby is meeting me for a pizza date in an hour and I have to be gorgeous!”  With that she rushed off. 

Ember watched her go, rolling her eyes at Ilene’s back.  She needed to realize that the sporty wolves were not more important than her future.  It was as if Ilene’s plan was to mate with a strong wolf and coast through life.

Ember didn’t have that luxury.  She didn’t have a chance of getting a mate in this pack.  She was a human and humans rarely had a mate.  She didn’t think she would be able to live like that either.  Honestly, she’d go out of her mind if she had to just stay at home and take care of a house and family. 

There was so much to learn and explore and she had considered leaving the pack and travelling the world once she turned eighteen.  Alpha Anson wanted her to be safe, so it was a conversation that she would revisit with him one day.  But she was only seventeen, even if she was taking several college classes in school.

He was very protective of her; which was a good alpha’s trait when it came to his pack.  But she was under no illusion that she was accepted by all pack members.  The Luna despised her presence and made sure she knew it every chance Alpha Anson was not in earshot.  Ember knew that she would not be able to live here forever.