The Female Alpha They Cast Out

"Bang!"

My mother slammed a nearly bare saber-toothed boar bone into my stone bowl. Blood still clung to it.

"Eat. Your teeth are strong. The marrow will do you good."

As she spoke, she scooped all the tender meat into Elsie's bowl.

"Sweetheart, it's getting cold. Eat up. You need to keep your strength up."

I stared at the bone in my bowl as hunger twisted my stomach.

Months of hunger had made me thin. If I hadn't been naturally strong, I would've looked half-starved.

"Mom, I lost a lot of blood in Ice Wind Valley today."

I pressed my hand against the wound in my stomach. It was still bleeding. My voice shook. "Could I... have some meat?"

The boar had almost torn my stomach open with its tusks when I tried to kill it.

My father walked in carrying a cashmere blanket he'd traded three fox pelts for.

He carefully wrapped it around Elsie's shoulders, then turned to me with a frown.

"You get plenty of praise outside. Can't you let your sister have something at home? Elsie is weak, and her coming-of-age ceremony is almost here. She needs the food more than you do!"

Elsie peeked at me from under the snow-white blanket. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

She slowly got to her feet and picked up a wooden spoon, as if she wanted to give me some broth.

But her hand trembled. The hot broth missed my bowl and splashed all over me.

I cried out and jumped back without thinking.

"Arghhh!"

When I opened my eyes, Elsie was lying on the ground.

But I hadn't touched her.

"Have you lost your mind? Your sister was trying to give you some broth, and you pushed her!"

My mother rushed over to help Elsie up, then turned on me.

"Mom, I really didn't..."

I looked at my father, hoping he would believe me. But he looked just as disappointed.

"Freya, go spend the night outside and cool off."

Outside the cream-colored linen tent, the freezing wind cut into me as snow whipped against my face.

I bit down on the bone with my cracked canines.

The bone broke into sharp pieces that cut the inside of my mouth.

Blood filled my mouth. I swallowed the pieces anyway and stared blankly into the distance.

A figure suddenly appeared through the snow.

I straightened and looked up.

A sharp stone flew through the snow and hit me in the forehead.

"I've always said it. How could a she-wolf be stronger than the males? She took all the food from her sister before they were even born. Poor Elsie has been weak and sick her whole life because of her sister."

"Who would dare team up with her now? She might turn on us too."

Several warriors from the pack appeared through the snow. None of them had ever beaten me in a full-moon hunt.

But now they surrounded me, laughing and throwing stones at me. Some even spat at me.

One of the stones cut my forehead open. I bared my teeth in pain as blood ran down the right side of my face.

I fled, planning to spend the night in the woods.

Deep in the forest, I saw a one-eyed old wolf standing on a boulder near the edge of a cliff.

His black coat shone under the moonlight.

It was the fifth time I'd seen him.

He looked at my wounds and frowned. "A warrior should be the pride of her pack. Do you want to join North Ridge?"