Chapter One

I sat on my bed, sighing.  Looking at the piles of homework on my desk, I knew that I had to get up and get moving. Yet, I just couldn’t get myself motivated. As I closed in on my finals within the next week for my senior year, I was determined to finish up strong.  So cliché, I know, but after what this last year had thrown at me, I felt like I had to show myself that I could do it. 

I threw my long, thick, red hair into a low messy bun and pushed myself off the bed, determined to start at least one of my final projects. I pulled down the shirt that had ridden up as I laid in bed. I was tall for a girl – nearly 5’11, so many shirts rode up on me. I have been told that I am beautiful by more guys than I could count, but that meant nothing to me. Although I had casually dated, I was waiting for my mate.  But the current situation was doing nothing to help with that.  I sat down at the desk and a picture of my family caught my eye. Every time I sat at this desk and tried to work, that picture always stopped me.  I don’t know why I hadn’t moved it to someplace else, but I kept it right on the desk, hoping that it would motivate me to get some of my work done. But it never seemed to help.  It just filled me with painful memories from the last year. 

I tried to think back to the positive memories that were happening when that picture was taken.  My mom, brother, and I were standing outside the pack house.  It was a beautiful spring day, similar to today.  My mom, Molly, looked stunning in the picture, as she always did.  I got my red hair and bright green eyes from her. My brother, Brett, stood next to her.  He looked just like our dad - tall, dark hair that was short on the sides and always seemed to be tousled on top. His eyes were a deep blue that made all the girls swoon. My dad, Doug, the Beta for the Spring Valley Pack, took our picture. He had wanted to commemorate my brother’s 18^th birthday. I remember the sense of peace and happiness I felt on that day as I looked at the picture. The next day would be the worst day of my life. 

I tried not to dwell on the events of the last year, but the picture always reminded me of what happened the next day. I tried to block out the memories, but bits tended to come flying back and smack me square in the chest.  I could still hear my mother’s screams as the rogues attacked. There was no warning before the attack. So many lives were lost that day. Alpha Thomas saved my life that day, but so many others died, including my mom and dad. I started to cry as I remembered running to my mom as she lay on the ground. I held her hand as she took her last breath. My wolf, Lela, cried with me that night. I heard her humming in my head now, something that she started doing after my parents died. 

I wiped away a tear and looked at my homework. I dove in to the one my last projects. I promised myself I would finish high school no matter what. My mom and dad would be so proud that I was finishing up school and I was determined to get all of this work done. I worked for what feels like hours and eventually fell asleep at the desk. 

I am awoken by my “cousin’s” voice calling to me. 

“Raina, are you coming down for dinner?” Lizzie’s voice was calling me from the bottom of the stairs. I had always considered Lizzie and her mom, Anne, family. Anne was my mom’s best friend.  Even after my mom and Anne found their mates, they still stayed in contact. After my mom and dad passed, Anne invited me to come stay with her. I initially declined, trying to stay with my pack to rebuild, but too much was lost that day, and I moved in with Lizzie, Anne, and Francis two months ago.

“I’ll be right down!” I yelled back. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I opened the door to go downstairs, and the smell of roasted chicken, potatoes, and roasted vegetables hit my nose. 

I bounded down the stairs, nearly tripping at the speed that I took to the kitchen. Anne’s cooking was always amazing.

“How are your projects going?” Anne asked with a concerned look on her face. She was stunning – long blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes, but her caring heart made her even more beautiful. 

“Good, just so much to do. Having to get caught up from first semester and trying to keep up with this semester’s work is brutal, but I will get through it.  I pulled my hair back and accept the plate that Lizzie was handing me.  The plate was overflowing but I ate it easily.  Werewolves have a much bigger appetite than humans, something I always must remember when I am out with others – my human friends. I had gotten more than one strange look with the amount of food that I consumed.

“Do you want to go to the bonfire tonight? It might be a good chance to meet some more of the pack” Lizzie asked as she smiled at me.  

I sighed. Admittedly, I had been avoiding this. I knew that I needed to join a new pack.  I had no desire of being a “rogue” especially after what happened with my family. I had met a few others from the pack at school, but since it was a human school, I had been able to pretty much avoid too many other pack members. Alpha Callan had been gracious when I came to live with Lizzie and her family, giving me space to get comfortable and try to finish school. Alpha Callan and the River Moon Pack had a reputation for being a strong, forceful pack. They were fiercely protective of their land and their wolves. Alpha Callan was known to kill those who tried to mess with his pack, but Lizzie told me that he was also very compassionate and fought for and with the pack. Alpha Callan took over when his father passed unexpected during a rogue attack when Alpha Callan was only 17. With his mother’s guidance, Alpha Callan had ensured that the pack flourished in the five years since he had taken over. He expected obedience and respect and got both from those in the pack. Lizzie swooned every time she spoke about Alpha Callan.  Although I had yet to meet him, Lizzie’s description of him was enough to make a grown man blush.

“Sure, we can go” I said reluctantly.  

‘Better to get this over with sooner rather than later,’ Lela said to me.  ‘You know I miss running. We haven’t been out on a run in so long.  If we meet others, they will know who you are and won’t question why a red wolf was running through the forest’. 

‘I know. Your right,’ I said to Lela. Lela’s color was stunning, a much deeper color red than my own hair. Red wolves were quite uncommon.  Although the color of the wolf was often close to their own hair color, most werewolves with red hair in human form end up as a shade of brown in wolf form.  The uniqueness of my wolf had led to some problems in my previous pack.  The Alpha of my previous pack wouldn’t allow me to shift unless I was isolated. I also had some issues with pack members.   Some of the male wolves seemed to be overly interested in me, which made me uncomfortable. It also contributed to my rebellious side, as I always felt like I was fighting for myself. 

“EEEK! I am so happy you will go! Let’s go find something to wear!” Lizzie grabbed my arm and pulled my back upstairs. 

I stumbled behind her, trying not to fall. “Not so fast!” I yelled up to her. She didn’t listen and kept pulling me up the stairs. 

“Why are you so excited?” She let go of my arm and I fell into her room.

“You never know who you will meet at these things. I met my boyfriend at one last year.  We need to get you dressed!” She started going through her closet, pulling out different items and throwing them on her bed. 

“Why would I need to meet anyone? I am perfectly content alone.” I sat on her bed in a huff and crossed my arms across my chest.

“Raina, we are wolves. You know we have the desire to be with others. Having a boyfriend is natural. I am not saying you have to do anything with him, because I know you said you want to wait.  Just having someone who cares for you can help you so much.  I am worried about you.  You have been so isolated since you came here,” She looked at me with much caring in her eyes.  I knew she wanted the best for me and for me to be happy.  She had honestly been a great support for me since moving in with the family. Lizzie and I had been friends for years because our families visited each other often.

“I know, and I appreciate how much you care. It has been really hard moving on since my parents died. I don’t even know where my brother is. After the attack, he was gone. I don’t know if he was killed, captured, or just ran away.  I think about them every day.” I fought back tears as I spoke to her. 

She pushed a few loose strands of hair to the side of my face and wiped away the lone tear that had escaped my eye.  I had cried so much that I didn’t want to cry again. 

‘Lizzie is right you know. We need to at least get out and try to meet others – friends I mean.’ Lela said gently as she hummed in my head.  If it hadn’t been for Lela, I would have lost the battle with sadness months ago. 

‘I know. I know.’ I agreed with Lela. Having a wolf in your head definitely had benefits, especially when it was someone as supportive as Lela.

“So, what have you picked out for me?” I smiled up at Lizzie.  She jumped over to the clothes on the bed and started to show me what she picked out.

I was taller than Lizzie, so the first dress that she picked out I vetoed pretty quickly.  That dress was short on Lizzie.  I was not sure it would even cover all of my butt. I was not looking for that type of attention.

I looked over at a flannel dress she had picked out. It was emerald green in color with navy accents. Although it was more of a fall type dress, I loved the color and knew it would accentuate my green eyes and red hair. 

“I want to wear this one!” I told her.  I had a cute pair of boots that would go perfect with the dress. 

Lizzie looked at my messy bun and shook her head. “Anything we can do with your hair? You always pull it back but it is gorgeous!” She reached behind my head and pulled out my bun.  My hair fell down around my shoulders, reaching mid-back.  The bun had given my hair a bit of a soft wave to it.

“Girl, you do not need to do anything with your hair! It is gorgeous! Let’s just do a little lip gloss and mascara. That is all you need!” Lizzie handed me her make up bag and I start rummaging through it, finding what I needed. 

“There is no reason to not go and look.  Maybe a boyfriend isn’t such a bad idea.” I said as I handed Lizzie back her make up bag.

“You know it, girl. Have some fun. Enjoy yourself. No reason to not get out and see what is out there. You know guys do it all the time. You can do it, too.” Lizzie spoke as she was moving around the room, grabbing her brush and pulling up her hair.

I threw on the dress and grabbed my shoes. I must admit, Lizzie does have some cute clothes. This dress was amazing. “What do you think?”

“Amazing!” Lizzie yelled. She is always so loud and fully of energy.

Lela grumbled a bit in my head. ‘I want to wait for mate.’ Lela breaks in. 

‘I know, Lela. I am waiting for our mate. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have a boyfriend in the meantime. Besides, you know I can’t find our mate until I turn 18, and that is a few weeks away. I can at least make some friends and maybe find someone who is cute enough to make out with in the meantime’. Lela huffed at my comment. I knew she didn’t like it, but Lizzie was right.  A bit of companionship would be nice.