Chapter 2

Meryn

Today I’m riding with my sister and her boyfriend, Jackson, to campus. I originally wanted to live in one of the dorms, but Janice, my twin sister, convinced me to share an apartment with her and Jackson. I was skeptical at first, and I still am, but I can never say no to my sister. 

I’ve sort of always lived in my beautiful sister’s shadow—I’m the quiet, less pretty twin with thyroid problems, PCOS, and no friends. I drew the short straw, and somehow, by some damn miracle, Janice isn’t suffering from these problems. But I guess I’m lucky that I at least have her since my pack doesn’t like me very much for not having a wolf. 

Yes, I am that unlucky. 

Omega of my pack?

Check. 

Bullied by my pack members?

Check. 

No friends?

Check. 

...bullied by the tall and hot guy I saw on campus yesterday?

Also, check. 

My stomach churns at the reminder. When I sat in a seminar, this extremely good-looking guy sat down beside me. And, since I’m not a negative Nancy, I thought I had a shot at asking him out. He smelled really nice, and his tanned skin and sandy-blonde hair gave me butterflies...until he straight-up told me he doesn’t date fat girls.

I was so humiliated that I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face. The guy, Weston...I think? Moved seats, and I’m eternally grateful for that. It would have been embarrassing if he sat beside me while I cried. 

As I sit in the car now, playing the horrible memory over and over again, I feel a hand on my shoulder. It belongs to my sister, and she gives me a smile. “Hey, Meryn, are you okay? You’re not thinking about Weston, right? “

“Weston?” Jackson asks. “The Wild Angels’ star quarterback and the Alpha of the Sumhair Pack?” I can see his eyes widening as he glances quickly at my sister. “What about him? Did you run into him?”

Jackson is the Beta of the Wildhowl Pack—the very one that my sister and I are members of. Though, my sister is a more valued member since she has a wolf. 

“Oh, he rejected Meryn when she asked him out,” Janice says in a bored voice, even though it’s far from the truth. 

I stare at her, but like always, I’m too afraid to speak up and tell her that she is wrong. She is the only person I have, and so I shut my mouth and just take it when Jackson laughs in amusement. There is a big grin on his lips. 

“Ah, I see. I’m sorry, Meryn,” he doesn’t sound sorry at all, only entertained that I would be dumb enough to ask out Weston, who, apparently, is like a celebrity. “Maybe next time you could ask out someone who isn’t out of your league? I’m sure there are plenty of men who are into bigger girls.”

“Jackson!” Janice laughs and slaps his shoulder, but she doesn’t do it very hard. I doubt it was meant to shut him up. 

It does, however, gain his attention. He turns his head, laughing when he asks, “What? It’s the truth!”

She snorts like a pig, and my stomach churns when both of them start laughing at my expense. Fuck. I wish I had the courage to say something, but Janice is my only family, and without her, I would probably be thrown out of my pack. 

I would become a rogue. 

Alone. 

Dirty. 

Worthless. 

I sink into the car seat and resume staring out through the window in silence. Things are better if I don’t speak my mind. This is my life, and I can handle it. Things could be worse.

As we pull up to the campus parking lot, I can feel my anxiety skyrocketing. The Alpha of our pack, Reinar, is smoking a cigarette by the bushes. His cold eyes regard our car, and I try to keep my breathing even, but it’s hard when I already know what he is doing here.

Reinar is going to bring up the fact that I’m basically a human without a wolf and that Janice is crazy for wanting me in the pack. I’m not a valued member of the pack and can’t help with hunts or other things. I’m useless and not like Janice, who is strong and beautiful. 

I turn to look at Jackson, who is turning to get out of the car but pauses like he is waiting for something. 

“Come on,” he says in a bored voice, motioning for me to get out. 

I don’t move, and Janice gets out of the car and slams the door without saying anything. She walks away from the car, and Reinar offers her a cigarette. They laugh like old friends and say something I can’t hear while Jackson turns back and stares at me, his blank face showing no sympathy for my weakness.

“You coming or what?” he asks roughly.  

Knowing I have no choice but to leave the car, I slump out of the seat and walk up to them, like I always do, even if it means my death. I’m a slave to my pack, and there is nothing I can do about it.

I take my place behind Janice, fighting off a violent urge to shiver when Reinar meets my eyes. His are almost black in a way that makes me think of death and destruction. 

He is the most ruthless Alpha I know, and I am his least favorite pet.

Reinar flicks his eyes up and down my body. I want to run away and hide, but instead, I do nothing. I can’t do anything. 

It’s as if my feet have grown their own gnarled roots and stuck them in the ground.

“If it ain’t the useless female,” Reinar says cooly. I flinch at his words and try to keep my eyes from watering. I’ve tried to be useful, but I just don’t have the fighting powers that other wolves have, and I can’t fight as well as other wolves.

Reinar runs a hand through his hair, and his cold gaze then falls onto Jackson. “And you are sure she is a wolf?” he asks him, his voice achingly mocking.

Jackson nods and says, “She is Janice’s twin. She should be a wolf...but it wouldn’t surprise me if she was a defect.”

A flash of anger sparks in my heart, but I don’t say anything. I can’t say anything. Jackson may be right in a way. I feel like I have wolf blood, but am I really a wolf?

"Hmm," Reinar ponders. He smokes his cigarette, blowing out smoke in my face until I’m forced to cough. His lips curl at that, and he blows some more into my eyes. “She might be one of those werewolves that awaken on their eighteenth birthday, but even then, I suspect she is going to be weak,” he looks at my sister. “Are you sure you want to take care of her for the rest of your life? It’s a huge burden.”

Burden?! I cook and clean and do all of the chores at home! I’m not a burden, I’m more like a slave! I don’t even have a life, while Janice never has to lift a finger!

My heart fills with rage, and I snap, “Why are you so cruel to me? If you were a true Alpha, you would understand.”

The air around us stands still and heavy, suffocating us in silence made of fear. Janice’s wide eyes look like they might burst out of her skull any second while Jackson gulps nervously. Reinar breaks the silence with a small step forward, yet it’s enough to warn the other two wolves and set the tone for what is about to happen.

His eyes widen with rage, and I shriek when he grabs the front of my shirt, lifting me off the ground. “What the hell did you just say to me, you little shit? Did you just call me a fake Alpha?!”