Trouble Blending In

CHAPTER 4

Morning light filtered into her room, weak rays unable to break through her lasting fear. Last night her father did not return, and they found out from a call that he was at another pack , Beta business .

The school day went by in a haze, a blurry world where laughter seemed strange—a teasing ghost all around her. The Stormclaw Pack's college had been a safe place but now it felt more like a cage.

“Why are you here Lucy?” Laura's voice cut through the air hard and unkind as Lucy tried to move past her on their way back home.

Laura stood with her friends with a smug smile on her face. “I mean don’t you want to quit now? You’ve already done the wolfless thing so well.”

Lucy tightened her jaw trying to hold back her anger. “Just leave me alone Laura.”

“Aw, what's wrong? Are you still upset about Prince Geoffrey? I thought you'd be tougher by now.” Laura teased.

Hearing Geoffrey's name brought back the shame of that awful night, a reminder of old hurts. “Be quiet, Laura,” Lucy whispered angrily with her hands balling into tight fists at her sides.

“Do it if you can!” Laura challenged while turning around with an exaggerated motion waving her arms like a puppeteer teasing her puppet.

Lucy breathed deeply while trying to calm down and keep her anger in check. “Just stop it!” she yelled with her voice bouncing off the evening air. But each word felt weak against Laura's hurtful teasing.

“Hey, what's wrong little Lucy? Didn't your daddy tell you how to defend yourself?” Laura asked in a sarcastic tone while getting closer and speaking quietly. “Or are you just too weak for that?”

Something inside Lucy broke. Deep in her pain, anger flared up like a match lit on dry wood. Before she knew it her hand shot out and hit Laura's cheek hard.

The slap echoed like a gunshot and silence covered the group like a thick blanket. Laura stumbled back, her eyes wide in shock with disbelief showing on her face.

“What did you just do?” Clara, one of the girls, exclaimed, her mouth wide open in shock.

Laura blinked slowly, understanding the insult Lucy had just thrown at her. Anger burned in her eyes a deep fury building inside her. “You will regret that!” she yelled, her voice turning into an angry shout.

“Step away, Laura,” Lucy said, her heart pounding fast. She noticed the anger building up the change in Laura’s stance that showed what was next—a change that would have surprised Lucy deeply.

But before Laura could let her anger out a voice sharp like ice interrupted her.

“Laura!”

Nina, her usually kind eyes filled with anger, stood behind Lucy. The girls stepped back with their surprise, changing to fear at the sight of the woman who was the toughest fighter in the group, a woman whose wolf was as wild as winter storms.

“Keep your distance from Lucy,” Nina said firmly with her voice, a deep growl that scared them. “And don't you ever bully her again. Got it?”

The girls were scared of Nina's strength and nodded quietly, their eyes big with fear. Laura, trying to calm down, stared at Nina, her anger bubbling like a secret flame.

At the school parking lot the noise of footsteps disturbed the quiet, as Lucy and her mum made their way to their car. Elder Hauser Laura's dad showed up at the clearing looking very unhappy.

“Nina,” Hauser said, his voice deep and slick. “It looks like you decided to discipline my daughter.”

“She was picking on Lucy,” Nina replied firmly. “And I won't accept that.”

“Bullying is a harsh term, Nina,” Hauser said slowly, his smile sarcastic. “Looks like the tough wolf’s cub has lost its edge. Could it be because of a certain weak beta family?” He waved his hand dismissively at Lucy.

Nina's jaw clenched. “What she did was unacceptable and she'll face the consequences. We won't allow bullying in Stormclaw.”

“Oh, I'm sure you'll try hard, Nina,” Hauser said with a grin, his eyes shining with mean fun. “But I do wonder if your family can stick to that high standard considering their, let’s say, 'complicated' past. After all, a wolf cub is only as strong as its pack, and yours has shown some pretty… weak qualities.”

Nina's eyes grew large, and for a moment, she looked hurt before her face returned to its usual calm. “Don't insult me, Hauser. You know Laura's actions are not okay. I could easily report her for bullying because she's done this many times.”

Hauser's grin got bigger. “You want to charge her with bullying? That's interesting. But just a charge won’t scare a wolf cub from a strong family. Maybe you forgot the saying 'A twig can't grow into a big tree without strong roots.'“

He stopped savoring the impact of his words and then faced Laura. “And don't forget what your mom taught you. Never let the weak control what you do. They are meant to be pushed down, and if they try to fight back, make sure to leave a mark they won't forget.”

He nudged Laura with his elbow silently telling her to come with him. Laura flipped her hair back and shot a glare at Lucy and Nina, then faced her dad, her eyes showing a cold and tough look.

They walked off Laura's dad's smug smile, making a big shadow over the open area as they made their way to Elder Hauser's Car. Nina watched them leave her face hard to read before looking at Lucy.

“Come on, Lucy,” Nina said gently, sounding worried. “Let's take you home.”

The drive home was quiet. Lucy's heart beat felt heavy, each one reminding her of Hauser's words. She felt a tightness in her stomach with disappointment and pain nearly taking over.

When they reached the well-known stone steps of the Beta's house a shape appeared from the porch's shadows. Lucy's dad was removing his jacket looking very tired. The deep lines of worry on his forehead showed how tough his day had been.

Before Ian had a chance to say hello, Nina quickly asked, “Ian, how was the meeting with the Alpha?”

Ian's face turned sad as he looked at Nina, his shoulders drooping a bit. He shook his head slowly, his eyes showing deep sadness. He didn't need to say anything for Lucy to know what his sad head shake meant. She was doomed…!

“Dad? What’s wrong?” Lucy asked, her voice full of worry.

“I... I brought news.” Ian said with difficulty feeling tears start to form in his eyes.

“And?”

Nina's face went pale and she looked at Ian in expectation. When he tried to tell them the words got stuck in his throat like bad food.

“Lucy,” he said at last, “they’ve decided… you have to go away. You need to leave the pack in twenty-four hours.”

Silence dropped around them crushing all their hope. Lucy’s expression changed and her cheeks turned white. “Exiled? But how can they do that? Just because I haven’t even found my wolf yet!”

Ian felt pain in his heart as he saw his daughter trying to understand what was going on. “I fought for you, Lucy! I stood up to everyone but they wouldn’t hear me.”

“I will just leave now—grab my stuff and head out!” Lucy's voice shook with anger and sadness. “I'll be on my own. I don’t need this pack!”

Nina moved closer. “No honey, you don’t have to do this by yourself. We’ll go together.”

Lucy turned to her mom eyes big. “What? You can’t just leave the pack. Dad, you’re the Beta! You can’t just ditch your duty for me!”

Ian clenched his jaw and moved closer to Lucy. “That title... it doesn’t mean anything to me next to what you are to us Lucy. Your happiness is what matters.”

Lucy blinked tears rolling down her face as shock filled her. “Do you mean that?”

Ian nodded and hugged her tightly. Nina joined in wrapping her arms around them. “Always,” Nina said quietly, her voice shaking. “You mean everything to us.”

“I... I don’t get it,” Lucy cried, feeling both hope and sadness from her parents’ love. “Why would you do this for me?”

“Family means everything,” Ian said, leaning back a bit to look into her eyes. “No matter what comes next we will handle it together. We will face it together.”

Wiping her tears, Lucy nodded, feeling the heaviness of their choice hit her hard. “Then let’s go back. Let’s tell them... Tell them we’re leaving.”

***

Determined, the family walked to the pack house. The halls felt empty and cold as they reached the council meeting room again. When they entered, Ian saw Prince Geoffrey, who was relaxed at the head of the table, looking very proud of himself.

“What do we have here?” Geoffrey mocked his lips twisting into a fake grin. “The Beta and his family? Here to ask for mercy?”

“Nobody's asking for anything,” Ian said strongly, even though he felt nervous. “We’re here to tell you that we are leaving the Stormclaw Pack—together.”

Geoffrey burst out laughing ,the sound bouncing off the stone walls. “Leaving? Do you think you can just walk away? The elders made their choice. Do you think they'll let this happen?”

Lucy tightened her fists by her sides, her face getting warm as she tried to stay calm. “We're not in this pack anymore. We won't back down.”

“That's a funny idea,” Geoffrey said, his eyes shining. “You think you can just go? What about your loyalty? What about your vows?”

Ian moved forward showing a strong resolve. “Being loyal to the pack doesn't mean being loyal to your wishes Geoffrey. We won't be part of a place that won't accept my daughter.”

“That's such sweet bravery,” Geoffrey said with a laugh leaning back in his chair. “But bravery won't keep you safe in the wild.”

With careful movements, Ian took off his Beta badge, the metal clanking loudly in the room like a warning. “This... this means nothing to me anymore,” he said, lifting it before letting it drop onto the table with a soft bang.

Nina put her hand on Ian's arm and they both looked at Geoffrey. “We are leaving the Stormclaw Pack,” Nina said firmly. “And we are doing it as a family.”

Lucy inhaled deeply, feeling her heart pound. “I, Lucy Drew, break my connection to the Stormclaw Pack. I will find my path free from this place.” the rest of them said theirs as well.

Geoffrey's face changed a little showing surprise as he thought about this surprise challenge. “Is this really what you want? To waste your life here? To become an outcast not alone but with your parents?”

The words hurt but Lucy stood strong. “I'd choose to be a rogue with my family over living with your harshness.”

“All right then,” Geoffrey said with a sarcastic tone. “As the Alpha, I accept your leaving. We will miss you... not that you'll have a chance to miss us.”

Ian nodded and turned around. Three of them left the hall and stepped into the light. Outside, they felt a burden lift off their shoulders, but the quiet made them feel unsure.

“What do we do now?” Lucy asked as they packed their few things each carrying a small bag on their backs. “Where should we go?”

“The Bloodmoon Pack is not an option,” Ian said firmly, sharing a look with Nina that Lucy noticed.

“Why not?” she asked her curiosity showing. “What’s the issue with them?”

Nina's face became serious. “Just believe us, Lucy. Some places are off-limits especially when you don’t know what’s inside.”

“But it’s not fair!” Lucy said. “You can’t just keep things from me! I want to move forward but I need to know where we are.”

Ian sighed and looked at the ground for a moment. “We’re not worried about your past Lucy. It’s your future. The Blood Moon Pack is... well it’s risky. The less you know the safer you’ll be.”

“Dangerous? How is that?” Lucy asked furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

Nina put a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll solve this together. But for now, we should think about where to go next. Snow Rest Pack, Ember Pack, or Ravensong Pack? Any of those are better than Bloodmoon.”

Lucy breathed in deeply and nodded her heart racing as she saw the possible futures ahead of her. “Okay. Let’s make a choice.”

While they discussed their choices Lucy's thoughts drifted. She kept recalling the past weeks—Geoffrey turning her down and her best friend Laura betraying her. She felt empty inside like a void.

As she looked at her parents their strong love surrounded her like a cozy blanket. “We’ll get through this together,” she told herself, pushing back against the coming darkness.

At the same time, deep in the Bloodmoon Pack's land, something dark was happening. In a strong steel room, a man with bright red eyes struggled against the chains that held him. His roar was loud and frightening, a raw scream that shook the walls around him—the sound of anger built up for too long.

“AHHHH....! AHHHH...!!!”