CHAPTER 3

CLAIRE FISCHER

I LOOKED AROUND the hall. Although most of the people were smiling at Logan and Fiona, I still saw some hated gazes directed my way.

Thanks to my mother, I had gone from pack hero to the rubbish of the pack, all in under a minute. It was my worst nightmare. I looked up at Logan and Fiona. They were smiling at each other. It was like I was no longer existing.

I suddenly remembered all the nights my mother would invite Fiona to what was supposed to be a family dinner. My mother was always nice and caring to Fiona, I usually overlooked it, but now, I understand it now.

But, my brows drew together in a frown, why did she wait all these times before she said anything? Why is she saying it now when Dad is dead? Was there something he did not know? A family secret of some sort? I was determined to -

“A wolfless mutt has no place here,” a man snarled at me, breaking into my train of thought. “Your place is with humans or lower than an omega here. That is where you should be.”

He has no right to speak to me like that. I frowned, looking at my mother to see if she was going to defend me, she was smiling at the man. And he got bolder, taking a step closer. “You should be in the stables with the animals.” He shoved me hard. I stumbled, bracing myself for the fall, but an arm slipped around my waist and held me up.

A hushed silence fell on the crowd as she looked at me. I shrugged away from my mysterious savior and turned to see Bruce, Logan’s best friend and future Beta. He shook his well-styled hair away from his face as he stood up. I saw his eyes flash in anger as he looked at the man who was harassing me, “You!” he growled in a deep voice. “How dare you lay hands on her? She is Alpha Bronn’s daughter, in case you have forgotten. She has alpha blood running through her veins.”

“Alpha blood but no alpha wolf,” someone sniggered.

In a flash, Bruce rushed at the joker. He slammed the young man to the floor and punched him hard, shaking him roughly. “I dare you to repeat yourself!” he said, enunciating each word with a punch.

The man groaned in pain but Bruce did not look like he was done with him, until Logan stood up and said, “Let him go, Bruce.”

Bruce got up slowly and said, “No matter what happens, none of you have a right to treat Claire like she is an omega. She is as much of a werewolf as any of us.”

A warm tingling ran up my body. It was nice to finally have someone defend me against the odds. Bruce and Logan had a little standoff for a few seconds, but then Logan scoffed and sat down. Bruce turned to me, he held out a hand which I took gratefully and allowed myself to be led out.

I shivered slightly in the night cold as we walked out of the pack hall. He wrapped his wool jacket across my shoulder and held me close.  

“Did you know?” I asked in a pained voice when we were a good distance from the hall.

He shook his head, “I didn’t know Logan was fucking Fiona, and no one had any idea that she was your sister.” He answered, using his free hand to brush his hair from his face.  

Maybe it was because of the way he stood up for me in the hall, or it was because he looked drop-dead gorgeous under the moonlight, but I believed him. If not that me and Logan had found each other earlier, I would have probably gotten involved with Bruce instead. He had always been so gentle and soft-spoken to me.

“You don’t have to worry,” he said to me after a few minutes of walking in silence. “Logan and Fiona are not fated mates. It's just physical attraction.”

That made me feel even worse. It was worse now that I knew they were not a result of the moon goddess, they had chosen to be with each other.

“So after everything, you might want to get back with him,” he looked at me and placed a hand over mine.

I shook my head vehemently. “That will not be happening. Never.” I said in a strong voice.

There was a ghostly smile on his face. Or was it just my imagination? Because the next second, it was gone.

“You don’t have to be with him,” Bruce said. His thumb stroked the back of my hand gently.

He was right. I don’t have a wolf spirit. I cannot have a fated mate, I sighed, wondering why the moon goddess made me like this. If she did not want to give me a wolf, she should have placed me in the human world.

“I could take you out of the pack,” Bruce blurted, taking me by surprise.

“What?”

“Living here is going to become quite unbearable for you,” he said in a soft tone. “You have to leave, Claire. Once Logan becomes coronated as Alpha, even I, won’t be able to defy him like I did today.”

He was right of course, but I had never considered leaving the pack.

“I can have you set up to leave in a few days, with a fully funded account, and even a new identity,” he said. He was still stroking my hand with his thumb, and leaning closer. I saw his eyes flicker down to my lips and I resisted the urge to lick my lips.

“There is another option, a better one,” he said.

“What is it?” I asked.

He took a deep breath before saying, “Marry me, Claire.” He gripped my hand tight.

“What?!” I gasped.

“I will protect you -”

“- I don’t have anything else to offer you,” I stammered, still in shock and trying to remove my hand from his. “I am… incomplete, broken… You are going to be the Beta.”

“You don’t have to offer me anything,” he said. “But I offer you my protection, body, and life if I need to.” I leaned in. “And you are complete, Claire. I could not ask for anything more.”

“Bruce, I -” I saw the determined look on his face then I said, “I am just getting out of a messy relationship. Give me a few days to think about this.”

“I will give you two days.” He nodded and brushed a kiss on my lip. “Just Two days.”