2. HALF-SHIFTER, HALF-HUMAN

BIANCA'S POV

"Get this filthy thing out of my sight!"

Jack pointed a shaking finger at me, then at my parents. He was clearly upset which was quite unsettling for me.

I just wanted the ground to swallow me up, I couldn't stand the embarrassment.

My father stepped forward, his chest heaving with rage.

"Watch your tone, boy," my father growled.

But it was a hollow threat. Jack was the Alpha's son. My father was just a low-ranking wolf who dared to love a human.

Jack's lip curled, and he took a deliberate step back, as if proximity to me might contaminate him. The crowd pressed closer, their whispers rising like a swarm of hornets. 

Some faces showed pity. Some showed satisfaction. 

They'd been waiting for this moment—waiting to see the half-breed finally put in her place.

My mother's hand found mine, squeezing so hard my bones ground together. Her human warmth was the only anchor keeping me from collapsing.

My best friend, Susanne, rushed forward. She grabbed my arm, her eyes blazing. I could see the curses forming on her lips.

I shook my head.

"Don't bother," I murmured, my voice dead. "It's over."

"What's going on here?"

The voice boomed across the square, silencing the music and the whispers.

The crowd parted. The Alpha approached.

He was a giant of a man with a shaggy beard and eyes like cold flint. He looked at me like I was a stain on his polished floor.

"I will not accept her as my mate," Jack stated, puffing out his chest. "She's a mutt."

My wolf whimpered inside me, retreating to the darkest corner of my soul. Even herself couldn't protect me from this.

I wiped my tears, daring to look up at the Alpha. I begged for mercy. 

"So, you refuse to mate with this... mutt?" the Alpha asked, his voice bored.

"I won't," Jack answered decisively. "I reject her."

The mate bond, already fragile from his rejection, shattered completely. I felt a sharp pain pass through my chest.

My knees buckled, but Susanne caught me before I hit the ground.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Why, Moon Goddess? Why give me a mate just to let him destroy me?

"There is no place for the crossbreed in our pack."

The Alpha's words hit me harder than the rejection.

Exile.

My father lost control. He pushed past the guards, screaming.

"Why? On what basis are you dismissing my daughter?"

"I have tolerated your weak bloodline for too long," the Alpha sneered. 

"You brought this animal into our clan. She is neither human nor wolf. And if she is not worthy of her fated mate, she is worthy of nothing."

"She is my daughter!" my father roared.

"She is an abomination," the Alpha countered, his voice dropping to a lethal growl. "She leaves by sunset. Or she dies."

I touched the jagged scar on my cheek. The reminder of the time I fought marauders at the Flintwood Sugar Plantation. I had bled for this pack. I had fought for them.

And now, because I wasn't "pure," I was being kicked out.

PRESENT DAY......

The ship slammed against the wharf, jolting me back to reality.

The memory faded, but the pain remained. It always did.

I grabbed my knapsack. It contained everything I owned in the world. A few clothes. A little money and a broken heart.

Three weeks at sea had done nothing to heal the wounds. If anything, the isolation had let them fester. Every night, I dreamed of Jack's sneer. Every morning, I woke to the phantom ache of a severed mate bond.

I stepped onto the rotting wood of the dock.

Dartmoor Island. The forbidden gem of the South Pacific. The dumpster for the unwanted.

The port was empty. The buildings were hollow shells, reclaimed by creeping vines and moss. It was quiet.

"Travel west," the captain had said. "Find the Centro Villa."

The captain's words were still on my mind. His advice reminded me not to expect much from the island's occupants.

He'd also warned me about something else—rogues. Dartmoor was a refuge for the rejected and the exiled, but not all of them were looking for redemption. Some had embraced their darkness.

The port buildings stood void, and the street I followed north was congested with vegetation.

Hopefully, soon I would find the street that extended west to the Belmont pack. I hoped they would accept me and wouldn't discard me like my former pack had done.

I hoped the Belmont pack would be different. I hoped they wouldn't care about my scar or my mixed blood.

Maybe I could just live alone in an isolated area.

The sun was already setting , painting the sky in shades of blood and crimson. I needed to find shelter before dark. The captain's final words echoed in my memory: "Whatever you do, girl, don't be caught outside after nightfall."

I had been walking for ten minutes when the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

My wolf stirred. I sensed something strange, danger was looming.

The hedges to my left rustled. Something fishy was going on and it was too late to realize.......

Seven men emerged from the brush.

They wore ragged black vests and khaki shorts, dirt smeared across their chests. They didn't look like the "reasonable people" the captain had mentioned.

They looked like hunters.

I froze as they circled me. I sniffed the air.

Shifters.

But these weren't civilized pack wolves. Their eyes were yellow and wild, and their smiles were full of sharp, predatory teeth.

The leader stepped forward, blocking my path. He looked me up and down, his gaze lingering on my chest.

"Well, well," he licked his lips. "Look what the tide washed in. Fresh meat."

My hand moved to the silver knife hidden in my belt. The blade was small, but it was all I had. My wolf rose to the surface, ready to fight even if we couldn't win.

The leader's nostrils flared. He tilted his head, trying to figure out my next move.

"Wait." He leaned closer, inhaling deeply.

 "You're not pure wolf."

The others tensed, growls rumbling in their throats.

"Half-breed," one spat.

The leader's smile widened, showing too many teeth. 

"Even better. No pack to miss you. No one to come looking."

He reached for me.

That's when the gunshot cracked through the air.