Chapter 1

AVA

"Look what we have here," Hailey's voice echoed through the hallway. "The little Omega is wearing the same torn jeans again."

I kept my head down and tried to walk past her, but Kylie stepped right in front of me. Her fake sweet smile made my stomach turn.

"Oh my God, Hailey, you're right. Those jeans have more holes than fabric," Kylie giggled. "Did you get them from a dumpster, Ava?"

"Leave me alone," I muttered, clutching my old backpack tighter.

Michelle appeared on my other side, blocking my escape. Her pale face twisted as she sneered at me. "What was that? Did the little mouse actually speak?"

"She did! How brave," Hailey mocked, flipping her perfect blonde hair over her shoulder. "Too bad bravery doesn't fix ugliness."

The three of them laughed like it was the funniest joke in the world. I tried to walk past them, but Hailey shoved me hard against the lockers. My head hit the metal with a loud bang that echoed through the hallway.

"Oops," she said, though she didn’t sound sorry at all.

The pain I felt passed through my skull, but I bit my tongue to stop myself from crying out. I didn’t want to give them that satisfaction.

"Nice one, babe," Zade called out. His deep voice made my heart sink.

I looked up to see all three triplets walking toward us. Zade had his arm around Hailey's waist, and his black eyes were cold as he looked at me. Roman was smirking that stupid smirk of his, while Axel just stared at me with those intense blue eyes.

"She ran right into the locker," Hailey lied smoothly. "She’s such a clumsy little thing."

"Maybe she needs glasses," Roman said as his light brown hair fell across his forehead. "Or maybe she's just stupid."

The triplets laughed together with their girlfriends. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, but I forced myself to stand up straight.

"I'm not stupid," I said quietly.

"What did you say?" Zade stepped closer, towering over me. His black hair was perfectly messy, and I hated how good he looked even when he was being cruel.

"Nothing," I whispered as I looked down at my battered sneakers.

"That's what I thought," he said coldly.

The bell rang, saving me from more humiliation. I hurried over to my next class, feeling their eyes burning into my back the whole way.

***

Lunch was even worse. I sat alone at my usual table in a deserted corner, picking at my limp sandwich. The cafeteria was full of laughter and conversation, but none of it included me. I was practically invisible unless someone wanted to hurt me.

"Oops!" someone said.

Suddenly my lunch tray went flying as Kylie "accidentally" bumped into my table. My sandwich, apple, and water bottle scattered across the floor. The whole cafeteria went quiet for just a second before bursting into laughter.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Kylie said in her fake sweet voice. "I didn't see you there. You're just so small and forgettable."

"Clean it up now, rejected Omega," Michelle hissed as she walked past.

Immediately, I got down on my hands and knees to pick up my ruined lunch. My face was burning red, and I could feel everyone in the cafeteria staring at me. The triplets were sitting at their usual table, watching the whole thing like it was pure entertainment.

"Pathetic," I heard Roman say, and my hands shook as I gathered the last pieces of my sandwich.

***

Gym class was a nightmare. We were playing dodgeball, and somehow I ended up on the opposite team from Michelle. She had this crazy look in her eyes that made my stomach twist.

"Think fast, loser!" she yelled, and kicked the ball straight at my face.

Suddenly, the ball hit me hard in the nose. I could feel something crack, and then warm blood started running down my face. The whole gym went completely silent.

"Michelle!" Coach Davis shouted. "That's not how you play dodgeball!"

"Sorry, Coach," Michelle said, but she was smiling. "My foot slipped."

Nobody helped me. They all just stared as blood dripped onto my already stained shirt. I ran to the bathroom with tears running down my face.

In the mirror, I looked even worse than usual. My nose was swollen and bleeding, my brown hair was a mess, and my green eyes were red from crying. I was tired of this. I was so tired of being everyone's punching bag.

"Why me?" I whispered to my reflection. "What did I do to deserve this?"

But the mirror didn't have any answers. It never did.

***

After school, I walked home alone like always. My small house was at the edge of our pack, and it was practically falling apart. Dad always said we would fix it up someday, but there was never enough money.

I unlocked the front door and called out, "Dad? I'm home!"

But I was met with silence.

He was probably still on patrol duty. Dad worked extra shifts to pay for my school supplies and food. I felt guilty every time I thought about it.

I made dinner and waited. And waited. The sun went down, and Dad still wasn't home. This wasn't like him. He always called if he was going to be late.

A knock at the door made me jump. I opened it to find Alpha Thomas standing on the front porch. His usually perfect clothes were dirty, and there was blood on his shirt. His eyes looked so sad that my heart started racing.

"Ava," he said softly. "Can I come in?"

I stepped aside, but my hands were starting to shake. "Where's my dad? Is he okay?"

Alpha Thomas sat down heavily on our old couch. He looked older than his forty-five years, and when he looked at me, I knew. I knew before he even said the words.

"I'm so sorry, Ava. Your father... he didn't make it back from patrol."

The world suddenly stopped spinning. Everything was quiet except for the sound of my heart breaking.

"What?" I whispered.

"There was a rogue attack. Your father saved my life, but..." Alpha Thomas's voice cracked. "He's gone, Ava. I'm so sorry."

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. My dad was dead? My dad, who made me pancakes every Sunday and told me bedtime stories even though I was eighteen? My dad, who was the only person in this world who loved me?

"No," I said, shaking my head. "No, that's not... he's coming home. He always comes home."

"Ava..."

"He's coming home!" I screamed, and then everything went black.

When I woke up, I was lying on the couch with a blanket over me. Alpha Thomas was still there, but he was talking quietly on his phone.

"Yes, she'll be moving into the pack house tomorrow," I heard him say. "It's what her father would have wanted."

Pack house? With the triplets who hated me? And their horrible girlfriends?

This couldn't be happening. This had to be a nightmare.

But as I looked at Alpha Thomas's sad face, I knew it was real. My father was dead, and my life was about to get so much worse.