Chapter 2

Renna’s POV

I woke up disoriented and shaken, to find Ethan towering over me. His words were an ice pick to the heart, his tone cold and unfeeling.

“Get out of my house,” he said as if I were a pest, an intruder in the life we had built together. “We’re done.”

I tried desperately to explain, to tell him what had happened to my parents, but he didn’t care.

Not knowing where to go, I returned home hoping they weren’t still looking for me but the rogues who had taken my parents’ lives now occupied our home. We were a pack without an Alpha, and I a girl without a wolf or a family or a home, but I did have a whole lot of anger.I needed a plan to rid my house of these unwelcome guests. I had my car keys tucked away in my jacket pocket and I made it my makeshift refuge for now. It was only a matter of time before the rogues realized the Alpha’s daughter was staying there and which car I drove, but for now, it was my sanctuary. I had also found my bank card in the glove compartment and a brunch bar, a small relief for my growling stomach.

It was another rainy, gloomy night, it had been this way for two days now, since my parents’ death. My phone battery was long dead, not that it mattered, the only person I had ever relied on was Ethan, but he had made it clear he wanted nothing to do with me.

Tired of feeling the victim, I drove to my Grandmother’s house, my heart heavy with worry and my mind racing with thoughts of what could be wrong and what I might find there. As soon as I arrived, she pulled me into a tight hug, her frail form trembling in my embrace. She looked so pale and weak, struggling to get out of her chair. It struck me hard that she was the only family I had left, and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her, too. Sadness seeped from her at the loss of her daughter even as she tried to be strong for me. In a soft, strained voice, she asked, “How are you, Renna?” The pain in her eyes was unmistakable.

“Grandma …” I hesitated,“Let’s get you to the hospital,” I tried, determined to ease her suffering. I couldn’t lose her, too.

“Renna...change first,” she urged, her words perplexing me. “They’re looking for you. It’s not safe.” Her words startled me, and for the first time, I took the time to glance down at my bloodstained and dirt-covered clothes.I took a short and much needed shower and found a black dress and a jumper that would fit me.As I approached her, ready to assist her in getting up, her eyes locked onto my blonde hair.

“Mix some coffee. We need to change your hair; you’re too recognizable,” she advised. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes; changing my hair color with coffee seemed improbable. But I couldn’t risk anything with her safety on the line. I nodded and set to work, mixing the coffee into a paste. With my hair tied into a bun, I applied the paste.

“Come on, we really need to go,” I urged andshe allowed me to guide her to the car,her struggle to walk the few feet filled me withpanic. The Moonstone pack was sizable, and even though people were aware of me, I had never visited the hospital before, so I could only hope that no one would spot me. My eyes repeatedly flicked to the rearview mirror, my anxiety growing with each glance. We arrived at the hospital, and I pulled the hood up over my head, rushing to Grandma’s side of the car to assist her. In the light, I noticed her skin appeared sallow. My heart began to race when I spotted a couple of rogues wandering the halls of the hospital. I could identify them by their  scent, even without my wolf rogues had a distinct smell. I could only imagine what it would be like with my wolf, and I couldn’t wait to meet her.

I walked up to the counter, squaring my shoulders and informed the nurse that my Grandma wasn’t well. She gave me an appraising look. I didn’t know her, but my heart pounded as I hoped she didn’t recognize me. She handed me some forms to fill out, and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Use a different name, Renna,” Grandma whispered to me as I filled in the details for my Dad’s late mother. There was no risk there; I hadn’t even met her. I returned the completed form to the nurse, who nodded and put the information into her computer. My leg trembled as we waited to be seen. “Please hurry, hurry, hurry” I yelled in my head. Grandma placed her hand on my leg to stop the bouncing, and I clasped her hand in mine, and she gave it a gentle, barely-there squeeze. Her eyes sparkling as she looked at me.

“It’s going to be alright,” she assured me, but I couldn’t help but wonder how she could be so sure. When the nurse finally called us in, I helped Grandma to her feet, and lead her to the consultation room where the Doctor conducted some tests I could only assume were routine. I kept my gaze down, fidgeting with my fingers whenever he glanced my way. He asked Grandma a series of questions, and a deep frown creased his face.

“We will admit your Grandma, but she needs kidney surgery. The blood test will confirm my assumptions, but I’m rarely wrong about these things,” he told mein a sure tone. I nodded, looking at Grandma, who just gave me a sad smile.

“Of course, Doctor, thank you. How much is the surgery?” I askedHe gave me a serious look before he spoke. “It depends on a lot of factors, but generally, around $200,000,” my heart stopped. I had no idea how I was going to get the money. I nodded in acknowledgment and tossed that problem onto the mounting pile; there was no other option. Grandma’s need for the surgery outweighed my financial worries.

“You only need to make a deposit today. The remaining bill can be settled through insurance or in payments, and I’m sure if you contact account payable they can help you with that, I don’t really deal with the financials.” he explained, summoning a nurse to help my grandmother in a wheelchair. I had just enough time to plant a kiss on her cheek before she was wheeled away. I used my life’s savings to cover the deposit, and to my relief, no one in the room appeared to recognize me except for one nurse whose gaze lingered for a moment.

I was now driving on the edge of town hoping to clear my mind, when my car began to slow down. “No, Not now,” I cried. The fuel gauge had been on empty for the past day or so and the car was running on a miracle at this point, the rain began to pourright as I spotted a bus stop, and my car came to a complete stop. Without another optionI pulled my hood up and walked over to the bus stop, watching the cars pass by, none of them stopping to help me, butwhy would they? I was nothing now.

I stood  in the refuge of the stop until I saw a car I recognized approaching. In my desperation, I ran out into the middle of the road, raising my hands to signal it to stop. Ethan’s car door swung open as he growled furiously, pushing me away from the front of his car. “Ethan, how could you leave our pack like that? Don’t you want to  avenge my parents?” My voice was strained as the rain poured down on us, but the words rang true in my ears, revenge sounded sweet even if this was the first time I really thought about it. Ethan may not care about me, but my parents had been close to him, my Dad had trained him and given him more responsibilities within the pack, we had welcomed him into our family.

“We’re broken up, remember? Don’t come looking for me anymore, Renna, I’m leavingwith Lia today.” he spat, uninterested in anything I had to say, but I was desperate and angry, and it all bubbled up.

“You betrayed me for her and now you’re betraying the pack by ignoring the deaths of your Alpha and Luna, Ethan. You should be ashamed.”“No,” his tone was determined, but he swallowed and looked at his feet.

“Yes.” I pushed, “You were kissing me goodbye on your porch a few days ago, kissing my dad’s ass for more responsibility in the pack, you really loved me when you thought you’d end up Alpha, didn’t you?”

“Renna, you’re so boring! That’s why I don’t want you! I didn’t realize how boring you were until I met Lia.” My eyes widened and tears streamed down my face, mixing with the rain, but I didn’t lower my head. Let him see what he had done.

“It doesn’t matter that you’re the Alpha’s daughter or that you’re beautiful; I can’t stand your arrogance anymore! You’re so full of yourself, you think you’re special and that everyone should treat you that way because of your parents. Well, they’re dead. You’re not special. Deal with it!” he yelled, anger lacing his words and making me let out a bitter laugh.

“Is it because I’m boring or because my parents are dead and with them your political pack aspirations? I sounded like a damsel in distress and I hated it.He turned his head towards the car, attempting to walk away butI grabbed a hold of him, halting his progress, and his eyes widened in surprise.

This time, I didn’t conceal my tears. I was desperate and alone and although I could feel disgust as the words came out, there was no pride that would stop me from trying to save my grandmother. “Please, Ethan, I’m begging you, my grandmother is sick, I just to pay the hospital bills.”“Don’t push me away, don’t treat me like a stalker, and don’t make me beg for money like this,” He shoved me off of him, scoffing, as he headed back to his side of the car.

The other door opened and Lia emerged, walking around the car to Ethan’s side. She placed her hand on his arm, smiling sweetly at him before turning to me with a taunting smirk.

“Renna, can you even pay back the money?” She huffed with a roll of her eyes,flicking her hair over her shoulder, and giving Ethan a wink before casting a devious glance back at me.

“Why don’t you go work for the rogues as a slut? You do have a beautiful body. I’m sure they would pay you good money to have you spread your legs,” she giggled andlooked up at Ethan. He pulled her towards him as they kissed, making a show of it before getting back in the car and driving around me. I walked back to the bus stop, and sat on the bench, staring at the pavement and the rain hitting to the rhythm of my desperation. The rain drenched my hair and clothes I couldn’t find it in me to care, I was wiping my nose on my sleeve, shivering in the cold night air when an umbrella appeared above my head.