Chapter 2

<<Mora>>

“Who is here?” I ask Cole; when he doesn’t answer me, I turn back to my father to see him pulling out a bag of coins from his desk, it's so full that the thing is overflowing onto his desk. 

“The War Academy enforcers.” My father says the four words with all the coldness of a blizzard. My spine stiffens, my heart starts pounding in my chest and I can hear my wolf howling somewhere deep inside of me. 

'Run,' She hisses. It's rare for my wolf to beg me to run; usually she’s ready for a fight but even she’s smart enough to know that War Academy enforcers are no match for an untrained Alpha. If my father had let me train instead of forcing me to knit and watch the Pack from the window, then maybe I would be stronger, and maybe I could hold my own against the bastards coming to drag me from the only home I’ve ever known. 

"Are you actually doing this?” I snap at my father; rage fills me so fast that I can barely hold my wolf back. I feel my claws digging into my palms at the same time my teeth grow long and my eyesight becomes sharper. It's the closest I’ve ever come to shifting in front of my father and judging by the look on his face, he didn’t expect this extreme of a reaction. He probably thought I would lower my head and submit to his order like I have every other time in my life but I’m done. I’m over pretending I’m not an Alpha. I’m done pretending I can be some meek little female who wants nothing out of life but a warm meal and cute china patterns. I’m stronger than my father gives me credit for and I’m done hiding that. 

“I told you I would.” My father lifts his chin into the air at the same time four huge males storm into his office; each one is dressed in a muscle-tight black t-shirt and dark blue jeans. Two of them press close to my back as one blocks the door and the other steps in front of me with a pair of wolfsbane-soaked ropes in his gloved hands. My eyes start to water and my wolf quickly starts to whimper as my claws recede back and my teeth slowly return to normal. I know the second those ropes touch me, my wolf will be weakened and I will be completely at the mercy of the War Academy enforcers. 

“No.” I hiss as I take a big step back; the male at my back shocks the life out of me when he wraps his arms around my waist and the other strangles me from behind with another wolfsbane-soaked rope. I was so focused on the one in front of me that I didn’t think to check the two at my back. 

“He’s not your fated mate and you are making a fool of this Pack.” My father snarls as I kick my legs up and slam my booted feet into the centre of the enforcer's chest. I watch as the enforcer's eyes go wide and he stumbles back. I don’t think he expected me to fight back but judging by the smile on Cole’s face, my father's Beta knew exactly what was coming. I might be untrained and weaker than I should be but that doesn’t mean I’m a pushover.

“You can’t do this.” I roar while the enforcer at my back tightens his grip around my chest; he’s holding me tight enough that I’m struggling to pull in a deep breath, the wolfsbane is slowly weakening my wolf and I can feel what little strength I have slowly being zapped from me. Wolfsbane is a crude and cruel way to subdue a shifter; we only use it as a last resort and the Alpha King has banished it from almost every Pack. My father was never one to listen to others, though. It's why the Blackthorn Pack has its own rules and laws; my father refuses to bend the knee because he refuses to admit that there is someone stronger than him out there. The entire world is progressing and moving on and the Blackthron Pack is stuck in a bubble where females have to dress a certain way and act a certain way, while the males pretty much do whatever they want. If it wasn’t for Ethan, I think I would have gone crazy a long time ago. 

“I’m the Alpha of the Blackthorn Pack; I can do whatever the hell I please.” I know it's useless fighting when my father spits those words at me; the second he pulls out the ‘I am the Alpha’ phrase, he’s already considered the conversation closed.

“Alphas are supposed to protect their Pack, not send their only daughter off to be beaten and raped by a bunch of horny males.” Cole snarls as the enforcer in front of me starts rubbing at his chest and rights himself so he can glare at me; he nods towards the ones at my back and suddenly I’m being dragged from my father's office. I kick and scream as loud as I can. I’m not fighting to stay in this backward-ass Pack with a father who couldn’t care less about me; I’m fighting to stay out of a War Academy that will never accept a female Alpha. I’m no fool; I know I will be less than welcome in a place like that.

“It's going to be okay, Morana.” Cole is running beside me as the enforcers drag me from my father's office; my father is still standing behind his desk and is making no attempt to make sure the enforcers aren’t hurting me. I twist and fight as much as the wolfsbane ropes will allow but once I’m in the hall, I see three more enforcers and one of them has enough muscle to make my wolf whimper. He’s covered in tattoos and there are syringes on his belt loop filled with a yellow liquid I know is wolfsbane. The ropes hurt like hell but I know that will be nothing compared to being shot up with pure wolfsbane. I go slack in the enforcer's arms and stop all of my fighting but the enforcers aren’t easily tricked; the one holding me keeps the death grip around my waist. 

“Don’t baby her, Beta.” My father snaps from his office; I try to look back at him but the enforcers are blocking my view. 

“No.” I growl when the tattooed enforcer reaches down to his belt; he’s not pulled a syringe out yet but I have a feeling it's coming. I shouldn’t have fought so hard; maybe if I had played along, I might have had a chance to escape.

“Is this her?” The tattooed one asks as he looks down at the piece of paper in his hand. I want to snap something snarky at him, but I force my lips tightly together so not a single sound comes out. Silence hangs between us and I know the enforcers are silently communicating with eachother through their wolves. The second the tattooed enforcer pulls a syringe off his belt, my heart drops to my stomach and a cold sweat breaks out down my spine.