Chapter 1: The Shadow Pack

“Rain! You’re going to be late!” Emma Miller called from downstairs.

Rain was standing in front of her full body length mirror in her bedroom, realizing that today was going to her first day at The Academy to become a guardian. She was given a black and red uniform with combat boots after she was accepted into the Guardianship program at the Shadow Academy. When she put on her uniform, she felt proud and determined to become one of the Shadow Pack’s best warriors. She knew it would require structure and dedication, both qualities that Rain developed as a child. One thing she was proud of about herself was that she always was quick to learn new tasks. She stared at herself in her mirror and knew that this was the day her life would change. She wasn’t sure if things would change for the best, but she had high hopes that her life would finally improve.

Rain’s long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. It was uncommon for her to wear makeup, her clear and flawless skin rarely needing it. She was petite with curves in all the right places, and she wasn’t short nor too tall. She’d always been called beautiful throughout her life, but she never viewed herself that way. Rain saw herself as below average and she lacked confidence when it came to building meaningful relationships with the people around her. Most members of her pack made her feel inadequate because she was an orphan. She was tormented her entire life for being adopted m, and other wolves in her pack often told her that would never become a honorable guardian. Yes, she was strong and always at the top of her class in school, but no one accepted her because everyone believed she wasn’t born as a Shadow pack wolf. No one knew where she came from, only that she was left at the Miller residence shortly after her birth. Emma Miller, timber if the most honorable guardians in the Shadow pack, treated her nothing less than a daughter, but everyone else in town treated Rain poorly. She was often called names such as an outcast, a mutt, or even a rogue. As much as Rain tried to ignore the insults, she always felt as if no one would truly care for her or understand her completely.

Rain had been waiting her entire life to begin her guardianship training. She was now 18, so it was her pack’s customs to begin training based on her family’s wolf class. There were 3 types of classes of Shadow Pack wolves, The Subordinates, The Guardians, and the Elites. The Subordinates were rank-less wolves, often living ordinary human lives with ordinary jobs. They provided most of the resources for the pack, but they were too weak to fight and not high enough ranked to become an Elite wolf. Then there were The Guardians, the pack’s sworn warriors. They protected the pack, held pack secrets, and were the most skilled warriors of the pack. The Guardians were the most loyal and trustworthy wolves in the Shadow pack. Lastly, there were the Elite wolves. They upheld pack law and their words were always required to be obeyed. The 3 ranks of the Elite wolves were the Alpha, the Beta, and the Gamma wolves. They were the strongest wolves of the Shadow Pack, and no wolf would dare disobey an Elite wolf in fear of their lives. Their children were not ranked, but anyone born to an Elite wolf would always be considered Elite. Rain always thought that the most attractive wolves were in this class of wolves. They all were so beautiful, elegant, and they were always wealthy. They had elegance in the way they dressed and everything seemed to always to be given to them. They also only socialize with other Elite members, so Rain always caught herself daydreaming about how these type of wolves lived their lives. To be given everything was a true luxury.

“Rain! Do you not hear me talking to you?!” Emma screamed up the stairs. Rain shook the thought from her head and let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

“Yes! I’m coming mom! Just finishing my hair!” Rain lied.

She sighed, not understanding why she just lied to her mother. As a very powerful wolf, she knew her mother could smell her lie. Truth was, Rain was terrified of starting her new life. She didn’t want to disappoint her mother. Why was she so afraid? Honestly, she was tired of always being rejected in their pack. She also knew that Shadow Academy would hold the strongest competition. Rain loved a good challenge, but she wasn’t sure if she’d make the cut. If she was going to get through this training, she couldn’t be afraid and she definitely couldn’t show her peers her fears.

Rain took a deep breath, grabbed her backpack and headed out her bedroom. She hurried down the stairs, her mother looking aggravated at her tardiness. Emma Miller’s face softened and she looked at Rain in concern. She always seemed to know how Rain was feeling.

“You deserve this just as much as anyone else Rain. Remember that. Understood?” Emma said with a serious look on her face.

“Yeah, I understand. I’m ready,” Rain told her confidently and Emma smiled.

As Emma drove Rain to Shadow Academy, Rain just anticipated her first day. This was it. There was no going back now.