All Chapters of The Darkness Between Us: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

BRIELLA.The world had a way of reminding me I was nothing. That I didn’t exist. That was what the world had beaten into me over the years.My family.My pack.They whispered and mocked me, always finding different ways to tear me down. They were creative. I had to give them that. But I survived because it was easier that way. Easier to go unnoticed than to be hurt. At least that was what I forced myself to believe.“Briella,” Mom slurred quietly.My eyes squeezed shut as I attempted to, for just one moment, be anywhere else. When I finally looked, there she was—slumped in her favorite chair, a worn blanket draped around her shoulders like she'd forgotten it was there. The bottle of vodka sat on the side table, half-empty, catching the dim light. It took a lot to get werewolves drunk, which was telling. However, some people added wolfsbane to it for it to act quicker.If it wasn’t drinking, it was taking pills. She claimed it was the only way she could cope with her screwed-up life.“

BRIELLA.My cousin had been on a one-woman mission all week, and I was her primary target. She was determined to execute a full-blown shopping trip that'd most likely include sparkles, sequins, makeup, and other torture devices designed specifically to make me squirm. Why? The Full Moon Festival, of course.Cassie had insisted, in that dramatic way of hers, that we wouldn't dare show up in last year’s dresses because that was how she apparently spelled taboo."Everyone is required to attend unless they have special permission from Alpha," she said without looking up from her phone, her thumbs flying across the screen with practiced ease. The soft tap-tap-tap of her manicured nails against glass punctuated each word. "I highly doubt that he'll give you that, so we're going. Do you really want to show up to the annual event, looking like you couldn't give a shit?""But I don't." I dropped down onto her bed and flung an arm over my eyes.Cassie gasped as if that was blasphemy or somethin

RYDER.I watched Briella from my spot without her even realizing it. I wasn't certain how she hadn't picked up on my scent yet, but I took it as a temporary blessing because it gave me a minute to think, to consider everything.This turn of events was entirely unexpected and fucking impossible to wrap my head around.I thought back to what Dad had said in his office. He'd mentioned that I could possibly find my mate and Luna tonight. Who would've thought that the old man would end up being right? I certainly didn't.Growing up, he taught me almost everything that I knew about being an Alpha. I thought about every lesson and scar that had shaped me into the Alpha that I was supposed to be. He had spent my entire life drilling expectations and responsibilities into me. So much so that it has come practically second nature to me now.Duty. Control. Authority. Those three things were cornerstones to him.There were so many things that separated good Alphas from bad ones. The concept was s