CHAPTER 2

"You keep fooling all these innocent people, so I need Mom and Dad to at least see you as you truly are," my oh-so-lovely brother breathed, stepping right into my personal space. "Why do you even pretend to be so weak, Tracy? What do you even gain from letting people walk all over you?"

I rolled my eyes dramatically, taking the chair my mom had just vacated. "Stop asking pointless questions and get out of here already. You belong on the training fields with the rest of the sweaty, smelly males in this pack, not in the lab." I didn't even bother to look up at him as I adjusted the microscope.

"I’ll be waiting for the day your mask finally slips in public, little sister," he rushed out, aggressively ruffling my hair before running off.

That huge baby. For a man of his size, he was always such a child with me. Or maybe I was the only one who thought that. Regardless, my life in general had gotten a lot harder since he found out what I had been hiding perfectly for years now, and I could always trust him to rub it in.

He asked what I got from pretending to be weak? Who said I was pretending? Weakness was a tool, and I wielded it perfectly.

I cleared my head of any lingering thoughts as I focused back on the microscope in front of me. I had to finish observing these cell cultures before my parents came back from whatever Alpha health check-up they went to perform. It might sound strange, but I had absolutely no idea who this potential Alpha even was. I wasn’t really interested in the political affairs of the pack. All I knew was that he was the current Alpha’s son, and for some reason, a fraction of the Council was completely against him taking over. Who knew why, and frankly, who cared?

I didn’t even realize how much time had passed until I heard soft, deliberate footsteps on the tiled floor of the lab. Assuming my parents were finally back, I pulled the petri dish out of the microscope and walked over to the small medical freezer. I was just about to place it inside when a hand gripped my wrist harshly.

I bit back a snarl, whipping my head around immediately, and a deep scowl settled on my face the moment I saw the two girls from earlier.

"Did you come back for some sort of revenge?" I breathed, raising a single brow as I effortlessly shook her hand off me. "It’s brave of you both to even come looking for me here."

I turned back, calmly placed the dish in the freezer, and clicked the door shut before turning to face my so-called bullies.

"I see you found your voice, nerd," the leader sneered, looking around the lab. "What, does being in your little nerd world empower you? Let me guess—all these books hanging around are fueling your dead wolf."

A cold, mocking laugh tore from my throat.

"Oh, sorry about that," I muttered, still chuckling as I covered my face with my palm gently. "Your words were just so incredibly ridiculous that I couldn't hold my laugh in." I dropped my hand, letting the amusement vanish from my features as I eyed them coldly. "It’s a shame I don’t even know your names. Anyways, girls... I don’t shift in public because I choose not to. My wolf is very much alive. I can show you right now if you want."

Before she could even blink, I lunged forward, grabbing the girl’s hand and letting my claws violently extend, digging straight into her skin.

Her piercing scream tore through the building, but i couldn’t care less; she wasn’t going to die from a few scratches, and besides, I needed an audience. The other girl stumbled backward, her eyes wide with sudden, paralyzing fear.

"Oh, you haven’t seen a woman partially shift before now, have you?" I mocked, finally letting the girl’s bloody hand go. "I let you walk over me in public, but in private, girls, you need to know exactly who the hell you're deciding to mess with. This shit would have ended out there if you hadn’t come looking for unnecessary revenge." I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"You’re a fucking freak!" the girl shrieked, clutching her bleeding wrist. "How?! How did you do that?!" she choked out, stumbling backward toward the door with her friend.

"How is none of your business," I chuckled before Suddenly freezing.

My wolf’s sharp ears picked up the distinct sound of hurried footsteps out in the corridor—the exact audience I had been waiting for.

"Oh, our audience is here," I breathed.

Locking eyes with the terrified girls, I let my claws extend once more. "I hope I don’t see your faces again."

In one swift, brutal motion, I ran my own claws down the entire length of my opposite arm. I bit back a sharp groan of pain, taking a staggered step backward. I let myself collapse heavily onto the floor, clutching my bleeding arm as my well-practiced tears began to stream down my face.

The footsteps intensified, and a crowd of pack members burst into the lab, their eyes widening in absolute horror as they took in the scene.

"Oh my god, Tracy was attacked!" one person yelled, sprinting over to me swiftly and helping me sit up.

"I’m fine... I’m fine," I choked out, my voice breaking perfectly as I leaned weakly against the woman holding me up.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Delta Billy demanded loudly as he pushed his way through the crowd.

"Isn’t it obvious, Billy?!" someone from the crowd yelled back. "We can all see that Tracy was attacked!"

"Lies! That girl is a freak!" the girl from earlier yelled, running forward frantically, her words completely rushed. "She did that to herself! She’s fooling all of you! She did a partial shift right in front of us!"

"She hurt me too, damn it!" the other girl added, thrusting her hand forward.

Delta Billy stepped over, scanning her form coldly. "I don’t see a single scratch on you, Cherry."

"Of course it healed already! But the blood—!"

"The blood is probably Tracy’s!" another woman in the crowd yelled, cutting her off. "We all know how weak Tracy is, and how you two always pick on her. I’m sure it’s no different this time!"

Murmurs of furious agreement filled the space. I wiped lightly at my tears, attempting to speak up, but the lady holding me gently patted my shoulder to quiet me. "You don’t have to say a single word, love. We know exactly who is at fault just by looking around."

"Are you not going to do something about this, Delta?!" they yelled, facing Billy now. "Or should we take this directly to the Alpha?!"

The crowd roared in agreement. Safe in the shadows of the crowd, the corners of my lips curved upward as my wolf fed on their overwhelming sympathy. Oh, poor Tracy. She got hurt just by being herself. It’s so pitiful.

I watched with quiet satisfaction as the guards forcefully led both girls out of the medical wing, completely ignoring their frantic screams. It was way too easy.

"I’ll make sure they get properly punished, Tracy," Billy muttered firmly, giving me a reassuring nod before walking out. The rest of the crowd followed behind him, but not before throwing me those usual, deeply pitiful looks.

By the time the room completely cleared out, the burning pain in my arm was already subsiding. The deep gashes were closing up, skin knitting back together until I was back to being brand new. Another set of posers handled. If only Mark were here, then his stupid questions about what I gained from this would be answered.

I could get away with almost anything because of the reputation and sympathy I had meticulously built over the years. It took absolutely nothing for people to believe I was always the victim. Wolves were just too easy to manipulate. Just a little play on their sense of superiority, and they gladly became my shield without even knowing it.

I was about to settle back onto my chair when my wolf suddenly went completely rigid. I froze, noticing a figure standing at the far edge of the lab.

Now what?

I took a steady, cautious step forward, mentally commanding my wolf to be on high alert. I hardly ever let her out, but she was mentally trained to the absolute maximum. As for physical training, my brother handled that part in secret.

We weren’t even halfway across the room toward the stranger when my wolf suddenly howled in pure, ecstatic joy. The word danced violently in the telepathic link we shared.

*Mate! Mate!*

Shit. She had to be kidding me.

I took another hurried step forward, only stopping when his face finally came into the light. The moment my eyes landed on him, a wave of bitter regret washed over me. I should have remained in my previous spot. I should have never looked.

Because my mate wasn't alone. His eyes were locked onto mine in stunned, immediate recognition—but his hands were firmly wrapped around another lady’s waist, pulling her flush against his side.

My wolf instantly snarled in absolute possessiveness, her voice clearer than ever in my head as she threatened to break through the surface. *MINE!*

"I’ll talk to you later," the male—the mate whose name I didn’t even know muttered coldly toward me. Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked out of the lab, guiding the other girl out with him.

My legs briefly buckled under the sudden, suffocating weight of the rage my wolf was throwing fit over, and I would be lying if I said it didn’t affect me too.

Was this the best the Moon Goddess could do for me? And what exactly did my mate want to 'talk' to me about later? Do mates even have a choice other than to honor the bond?