Kate POV
I begin my day, as usual, cleaning this disgusting house as my idiot father tries to figure out how to get money to go to the Moon River Pack casino. He is pacing, sweating like a drug addict, and watching the window. He owes money again; I can tell by his fear; I can smell it on him. There is nothing left for him to sell for gambling money. He takes a beer out of the almost empty refrigerator and walks into the living room. He sits on the floor because the sofa is gone, sold for beer and gambling money.
“There is no food for breakfast, dad,” I say to him as he walks away from me.
He ignores me as usual; he doesn’t want me here. I should leave and never come back. I turn twenty-one next week. I need to leave and never look back. I have no idea where I would go. There has to be somewhere for me. My father is an outcast. His pack turned on him years ago when my mother died. When the pack cast him out, it left me alone with no one to turn to after her death. I am all alone with a father who doesn’t want me and barely has cared for me over the years.
A big black truck pulls fast into the driveway. I hear screaming coming from outside. I see two of the Alpha’s henchmen from the moon river pack getting out of the big black truck. My father throws down his beer and rushes out of the house to meet the Alpha’s henchmen. He must owe the Alpha and the casino a lot of money if the henchmen are here. What the hell have you done, dad? They will kill you if you do not stop gambling.
“We need the money Thomas,” Jackson screams at my father.
I watch from the dirty living room window, terrified the Alpha’s henchmen will kill my father this time. They grab my father by the shirt and throw him to the ground hard. He is no match for the henchmen; they are solid wolves, and my father is weak from years of drinking.
“I will have it, I cannot pay right now, but I will have it soon. Tell the Alpha I will pay him next week,” my father cowers as the henchmen stand over him, kicking and spitting on him.
“We need the money or your life. It would help if you didn’t place bets you cannot cover. Why don’t you try staying out of the casino, old man,” Jackson continues to scream at my father.
My mother is dead. It is only my father and me now, not that he has ever been a caregiver to me; he lives in the werewolf casino, placing bets he knows he cannot cover later. The henchmen have often come to our home to beat or scare him into paying somehow. My father has given them every possession we own over time. There is nothing left for him to bargain with for this time. He will die today.
The henchmen begin hitting my father with a cane. He screams out in pain. “You got to give us something, Thomas. We cannot return to the Alpha empty-handed, or we can take him your head? What is it going to be, old man?” Jackson screams as he kicks my father.
My father lies on the ground, bleeding. I am too afraid to go outside to help him. I begin to scream. I do not want to watch him die. The henchmen look into the window and see me standing there watching them beat my father.
“Go get her,” Jackson says to Theo. Theo obeys his order. He enters our dirty, almost empty home and pulls me out the front door. “You are coming with me,” Theo says.
I kick and scream as he pulls me out of the house. I do not want to die at the hands of the henchmen because of my father’s gambling problems. “Leave me alone,” I scream as I try to break free from him.
“Well, it looks like you have one last thing left of value here, Thomas, the Alpha can sell her to a whore house, or she can be his slave,” Jackson says as Theo brings me out of the house.
My father looks at Jackson. “You can have her for my debt and twenty thousand dollars,” my father says to Jackson.
“What! Are you going to sell me? Are you fucking crazy?” I scream at him.
Theo holds me as I spit on my father. I kick and scream, trying to get away from Theo, but he is much stronger than I am. “Please, let me go,” I beg Theo.
“You know I can’t,” Theo says to me.
I begin to sob; I am angry. “Please let me go!” I scream. Jackson hits me in the face. My face aches from the pain. I look to Theo.
“Please,” I say softly to Theo.
I know he cannot let me go; Jackson would kill him if he allowed me to escape. “Take her; she is of no use to me. She is worthless,” my father says.
“Your debt is covered, and I will credit the casino five thousand dollars for you to gamble away and not a penny more,” Jackson says.
My father nods his head in agreement—that bastard.
My father walks away as Jackson and Theo drag me to their truck.
“I will kill you,” I scream at my father.
“Shut up, or I will shut you up,” Jackson screams at me.
I sit quietly in the truck.
“What are we going to do with her?” Theo asks Jackson.
Jackson looks at me and smiles.
“How old are you?” Jackson asks.
“I am twenty-one,” I answer.
“It is not up to us; she belongs to the Alpha now; he can do with her as he sees fit,” Jackson answers.
“It doesn’t seem right,” Theo says.
“Well, the old bastard owes money; she is the only thing of value he has. Do you want to go back and tell the Alpha that we could not collect the debt, or do you want to take her to him?” Jackson asks Theo.
“Don’t I have a say?” I ask Jackson.
“No, you don’t. Now, shut up,” Jackson says.
Jackson drives the three of us to the Alpha’s house. I have not been around a pack since my mother died. When my pack disowned my father, they disowned me. It is so unfair. I lost my mother and my pack because my father is an idiot, and now he has sold me to the Alpha to cover his stupid gambling debt. I hate him.
We pull into the Alpha’s house. It is a large cabin. Many wolves are hanging around watching as Jackson pulls into the driveway. I can tell Theo is not happy about this, but there is nothing he can do to help me. Jackson pulls me out of the truck. I fall to the ground and hit my head. He pulls me to my feet.
“Stay on your feet,” Jackson says. He grabs my arm and drags me across the yard. He continues pulling me into the house. He pushes me into the front door. I fall again, this time landing at the Alpha’s feet.
“What the hell is this?” Alpha asks Jackson. Alpha looks me over as I kneel at his feet, crying.
“Thomas didn’t have any money, but he has a daughter,” Jackson says as he kicks me.
“What the hell am I supposed to do with her?” Alpha asks Jackson.
Jackson laughs. “Hell, I can think of plenty of things you could do with her,” Jackson says.
“I have a wife, you idiot. I guess she can clean or something until his debt is paid,” Alpha says.
I look up at Alpha. I am terrified of him. “What is your name, little one?” Alpha asks me, brushing my hair away from my tear-soaked face.
“Kate, my name is Kate, sir,” I answer him meekly.
“Well, Kate, you belong to us now,” Alpha says.
“Yes, sir,” I say to Alpha, still sobbing.
“Take her to the Omega house; she can serve us from there,” Alpha says.
Theo helps me to my feet. He walks me out of the house by the arm. “Get in the truck. I will drive you to the Omega house,” Theo says.
“What is an Omega?” I ask him as I get into the big black truck.
“It is the lowest member of the pack. Three women and two men live there, John, Trip, Karen, Angela, Cassie, and now you. They are all about your age. Do you not know anything about how a pack works?” Theo says.
“No, we were cast out of the pack when my mother died. I have not been around the pack since then. I was only six when she died,” I say.
“You have been living as a Rouge since you were six?” Theo asks.
“What is a Rogue?” I ask.
“Your father is a rogue; it is a wolf without a pack. Why was he cast out?” Theo asks.
“I do not know. I only know that it has something to do with my mother. He said a little bit about it when he was drunk, but he never told me everything, sorry,” I say.
Theo drives me to the Omega house. The house is on the outskirts of the rest of the pack’s homes. Theo pulls into the older home where the Omegas live. The house is a small log cabin with a big front porch. There is a small garden and a tire swing in a tree. A young blonde woman comes out to see what is going on and why Theo is there this time of day. She walks to the truck and places her hand on the window.
“Hey, Theo, what’s up? What did we do now?” She asks.
“Hey Angie, this is Kate; she will stay with you guys for a while,” Theo says.
“Hi Kate,” Angie says.
I get out of the truck and walk around to the side where Angie is standing. Angie and Theo talk, but I do not pay attention; my mind is going a thousand places right now, and I have no idea what will happen to me. I wonder if I can escape this. Maybe I can wait until night and run, but where would I go.
“You will be fine here, I promise,” Theo says.
Theo leaves me with Angie. I am scared, nervous, and afraid. My emotions get the best of me when I realize I have begun to cry. “Hey, there is nothing to be afraid of here. We have a lot of fun out here,” Angie says.
“I am sorry. It has been a strange day for me,” I say to her.
“What did you do to get busted down to Omega?” Angie asks.
“My father sold me to the Alpha to cover a debt he owed to the casino,” I say.
“Well, that son of a bitch. I bet you could use a beer,” Angie says.
“I have never had a beer,” I say.
“Well, you are tonight. Come on, and I will introduce you to the other misfits,” Angie says.
We step onto the porch the others rush out to see what Theo wants. “Aww, he dropped off another one of us, so what the hell did you do to end up down here with us?” a young blonde man asks me.
“Let’s not go there. This blonde idiot with a big mouth is John, that is Trip walking up from the back, that is Karen over there at the well getting water, and Cassie is… where the hell is Cassie,” Angie says, looking around.
“She is out for a run,” John says.
“Well, you can meet Cassie at dinner. Let’s get you inside and get you settled,” Angie says.
Kate POVWe all prepare dinner together. It is nice and almost feels family-like. The five misfits accept me immediately without question or resentment. I guess they all know what it is like to be an outsider. We drink beer, and I listen to them talk about the bullshit they put up with from the pack throughout the day. Tomorrow I will get my taste of it as I begin my service to the Alpha. At least I have a pack now. I have been alone for so long, and this feels so good.We sit down at the dinner table. “The pack only gives us the scraps, but man, Cassie can make anything taste good,” Trip says.I cannot help but smile as I look around the table. I found my place with the misfits of the Moon River Pack. “We could all go for a run after dinner so that we can show Kate around. She needs to know where she can go on her runs,” John says.“What do you mean a run?” I ask John.“You know, wolf out and run,” John says.“I have never taken my wolf form,” I say to John.Silence falls over the di
Kate POVCassie and Angie wake me early in the morning. I look out, and it is still dark. “The earlier we go, the earlier we get done and out of the way,” Cassie says.“Yeah, and if we are lucky, that bitch will stay in bed the entire time we are there. Luna is hard to deal with, so that you know,” Angie says.I get out of bed and follow them into the kitchen. The three of us cook breakfast for the others. “It is not much, but we get by with what we have,” Angie says.“It is more than what I had with my father. We never had any food,” I say.“No imperial should be living in poverty. Did your pack not try to find you?” Cassie asks.“Not that I know. My father would have easily given me up for money, so they must not have looked for me,” I say.“It might be better if we keep this undercover for a while,” Angie says.“We will run close to the house and keep you safe,” Cassie says.“Will they hurt me?” I ask.“No, I don’t think so, but there has to be a reason your pack hasn’t sought you
Erick POVAfter seeing her at the creek, I need to know who she is and why she is here. I want to know more about her. There is something about her that intrigues me and enchants my wolf. Why in the hell would an imperial wolf be living with the omegas? Why in the hell would an imperial wolf be here, period? They are royalty! She is cleaning up after the Alpha when he should be bending his knee in her presence. I bet my father has no idea who she is, or else none of this would be happening. I want to know what the long story is she has to tell. Maybe I will return to the creek tonight and ask her to tell me her story. Surely she will tell the Alpha's son why she is here and why she is no longer with her pack.I walk back to my father’s office to ask him about the new wolf and, out of curiosity, to see just how much he knows about the new omega. My father is meeting with several wolves, but my interest is getting the best of me; I cannot wait until later to ask him; I need to know now.
Kate POVCassie, Angie, and I arrive back at the house. Trip, Karen, and John are still gone on business for the Alpha. The three of us put away the meat we scored from the Alpha’s leftovers. Most of it looks untouched. I cannot believe how much food they waste.“Do you want to go for another run tonight after dinner?” Cassie asks me.“Yeah, that would be great,” I answer her.“We have to stay close; we don’t need anyone seeing your markings,” Angie says.“Exactly, we don’t need any trouble,” Cassie says.The three of us begin to put dinner together. Cassie does most of the work while Angie and I drink a beer and talk. I never thought I would like beer, but it is nice to chat with them and drink one. We talk and laugh as Cassie cooks dinner for all of us. John’s truck is loud when it pulls up to the house. The three of us go out on the porch to greet them. John and Trip come into the house, but Karen is not with them.“Where is Karen?” I ask.They all look at each other. I can tell th
Kate POVWe arrive at the Alpha’s house extra early for hell day, as Angie and Cassie call it. I am nervous about today and want it to be over quickly. Cassie goes to the kitchen to begin cooking, and Angie goes for the laundry to get it started. Cassie sends me into the central area of the house to start scrubbing and cleaning everything. The place is a disaster. I cannot believe they have housekeepers in the house. There is no way they do anything in this house.I gather all the trash first. I have never seen so much garbage in such a small area. I take it out to dispose of it in the bin. As I make my way back into the house, I hear someone screaming at me. It is Alpha screaming at me. I stop and turn. “Come here, I said to you. Can you not hear?” Alpha screams at me.I walk quickly to him to see what he wants. I have to wonder what I have done to be screamed at this early in the morning. I do not want any trouble. As I approach, I realize he is standing with a woman. This woman mus
Erick POVKate falls into a deep sleep after she heals herself. It is the oddest thing I have ever seen in my life. A wolf can heal themselves, but not like this. Kate was almost dead when we arrived at the pack doctor’s house. This type of healing is something supernatural. I have only seen a hybrid or a vampire heal like this. It has to be an imperial trait. Even the pack doctor found what happened odd, but he promised to keep it quiet. He took a sample of Kate’s blood to test.I pull into the Omega’s house with Kate. I don’t want to leave her here tonight. I have no idea what my mother might try to do if she finds out what happened at the pack doctor's house. Cassie and Angie run out to see about Kate. The two come to the driver's side of the truck to talk to me.“How is she?” Cassie asks.“She will be fine once she wakes up, I think,” I answer.Angie looks into the truck to see Kate sleeping soundly. “She looks okay; I thought her ribs were broken,” Angie says.“It was much worse
Kate POVI can hear the wolves. There are so many of them calling to me. The sound is almost deafening. I want to know why they are reaching out to me now, after all of this time. My pack could have saved me a long time ago. I open my eyes to see Erick holding me. Why is he so kind to me? Why does he care about me? I am nobody.I look into his eyes. There is something about him that is so familiar. His eyes are kind, unlike his mother's or his father's. Erick is not like them. “You should try to eat something,” Erick says to me.I can barely hear his voice over the wolves calling to me. “Not right now. I am listening to the wolves,” I say to him.“What are they saying to you?” Erick asks me.“I don’t know. I can't make it out. It is confusing,” I say to him.“Please eat,” Erick says.I hear someone calling my name from somewhere else. The howls and my name are coming at me rapidly. What do they want from me? “I have to find the wolves,” I say to Erick.“I can help you find the wolves,
Erick POVI take Kate from the Omega house to keep her safe. I have no idea where we will go for the night, but I feel like I need to get her away from here for a few days to sort some things out. There are cabins two hours away that would be a good place for us to hide. The cabins are close to one of the Imperial Wolf Packs locations. I know a few stay there, and a few are a bit further south. We can try the first location tomorrow to see if we can find out anything about her family. Someone has to know something about her and her situation.Kate sits in the truck silently as we ride toward the cabins. I know this is confusing for her. She was taken from her home and brought here only to be beaten by my crazy mother. She had two days that she felt at home, and then it was taken away all over things she has no control over. I want to help her sort this out, but I am unsure how.We pull into a long gravel drive. “Where are we going?” Kate asks softly. I turn to look at her. Her face is