Chapter 1 Bailey

• I glanced at the clock on my bedroom wall. I’ve put off the unavoidable for as long as I could. It’s time to head to the packhouse and wish our future Alpha a happy birthday. The bane of my life. My brother’s best friend.
• Today’s the big day—he’s turning 17 and about to meet his Alpha wolf. Honestly, he’s already got a pretty inflated ego, believing the universe spins around him, and now he’s about to level up with his wolf. And we’re not talking about just any werewolf here. Nope, Miles Davenport is meant to be an Alpha, which means he’s getting a seriously strong Alpha wolf, only cranking up his confidence and power even more.
• It's wild to think that Miles used to be one of my best friends back in the day. When we were kids, friendships just happened naturally, especially since my dad was the Beta to the Alpha. We all hung out a lot, and that’s how bonds formed. My older brother, Jordan, was Miles' right-hand man, his go-to buddy when he needed a sidekick. But as time passed, things shifted between Miles and me.
• As he became a big deal in sports at school, our friendship started to fade. It was clear he was destined for popularity; he was the next Alpha, after all. But once he hit the top as a sports star, he became a total idol. My brother was in the same boat. Girls swarmed around them like they were celebrities, and it was just strange. To Miles, I was just a joke, a geek, not one of the pretty girls who adored him. I was just there for his amusement.
• In the space of a school year, I had gone from enjoying time with my one-day Alpha to hating him. He thought he was God’s gift, and in all honesty, if he was, he is a gift I would return.
• “Bailey!” I heard my mom call from downstairs, telling me I was definitely running out of time. I knew Jordan had already headed over to the packhouse with my dad a while ago to meet his friend and our Alpha.
• “I know,” I yelled back, looking at the books on my desk, desperate to continue with the assignment I was working on. I would so much rather continue working on the assignment and gain the additional credit available, work toward going to the college I want to go to instead of going to a party for the big-headed bully; I got to consider almost family, thinking he was the son of my dad’s best friend.
• I stood from my seat and walked to my mirror, adjusting the black skater dress I had chosen to wear that day. Something plain and simple, easy to blend into the background, but a dress all the same if anyone asked why I hadn’t made an effort. Along with my chunky black sandals, I looked presentable, not that anyone would be looking at me.
• Today, all eyes would be on the birthday boy, as they always were. He would make sure of that. I flicked back my curly brown hair before I walked out of the door, already dreading the hours that lay ahead.
• My mom pulled the car into the parking spaces outside the packhouse while my younger sister Morgan was flicking at the curls around my head, simply trying to irritate me. She knew I would rather be anywhere but here right now and was loving every last moment of it.
• “Aww, you want to go home Bailey-boo?” she teased.
• “Stop you two, come on. Your Dad is waiting inside. Let us go and find the birthday boy,” mom says, sounding cheerful, completely oblivious to how horrendous this party had the potential to be. She, too, worshipped Miles.
• Having seen him grow up alongside my brother, she seemed to think the sun shone out of his rear end. It had always driven me insane.
• “He won’t even notice us there,” I muttered under my breath as I followed her up the steps of the back house, shaking my head at my sister and how overdressed she looked. She definitely looked like she was out to impress someone today.
• A small part of me wondered if she hoped she might be Miles's fated mate. After all, he was meeting his Alpha wolf today. He will have shifted for the first time today, and today could potentially be the day he can sense his fated mate out there waiting for him!
• There had been so much buzz around the school about this, so many of the girls were excited about the potential possibility they could be his destined mate—the one chosen for him by the moon goddess. The one destined to be with him.
• A ton of them are really hoping it’ll be them. Meanwhile, I was wishing for the exact opposite. I couldn’t imagine anything worse! But seeing how much my little sister put into today, I’m starting to wonder if she’s one of those she-wolves clinging to that dream.
• We walked through the corridors of the packhouse, which were filled with various pack members. Today was a day of celebration within the pack, the birthday of the upcoming Alpha. And not just any birthday, the day he came of age. The day he met his Alpha wolf.
• The walls of the packhouse were adorned with decorations; music was blaring from various speakers dotted around the multiple rooms.
• "Oops, sorry!" a laughing she-wolf exclaimed as she bumped into me, almost sending me sprawling. Honestly, I’d prefer to be anywhere else at this moment. It’s just too chaotic and way too noisy for my liking. I shot a glare at her back as she sauntered off, completely unfazed.
• I followed my mom and my sister, who was almost skipping as she walked toward the main lounge area. I can only assume my mom had mind-linked my dad to let him know we had arrived, and he said they were there, or else we could spend all day looking around for them! It appeared almost every member of the pack had turned up to celebrate the birthday of Miles fucking Davenport.
• The lounge area was laden with people, music truly blasting, and everyone seemed to have a good time: everyone except me. I caught the eye of my brother, leaning against the wall of the lounge, the furthest away from the door we had just walked into. He nodded in my direction before simply turning away.
• ‘Could have made an effort, Bailey.’ he mind-linked. ‘It is a birthday, not a funeral, you know?’
• I felt my heart sink at his words. Great, the insults were starting already, which meant it would only be a matter of time until Miles began to, too. The two of them seemed to like working together like that and finding great enjoyment in harassing me.
• I was only a year younger than both of them and had desperately hoped the name-calling and insulting would ease off as they got a little older, but if anything, they seemed to get worse. All because I wasn’t like the girls they were interested in; I was sure of it.
• I was different from the other girls. My mom said I was an easy target just because I loved studying. I enjoyed reading and learning, but she thought I was just complicating things for myself. I was trying to figure out a way to make things easier for me.
• “Jordan says your dress looks like you are going to a funeral, Bailey.” Morgan teased, fluffing up my curls again. My long brown hair fell in thick, unruly curls down my back. They drove me mad at times, especially when my brother and sister decided to mess with them.
• “Oh well, I wore a dress, like you asked.” I snapped, moving away from them, feeling angry already, so tempted to turn around and walk home, only to be pulled back by my mom.
• “We are going to wish Miles a happy birthday. You will stay for a while at least. I do not need to explain to your aunt and uncle yet again why you have walked out at a social event, Bailey.” Mom warned me, her tone sounding grumpy.
• I swear she had to have read my thoughts about leaving the party already. I am sure she hated having me as a daughter, likely wishing for one who was more sociable and one who enjoyed being a part of everything instead of one who would rather have her head in a book.
• “Aw, Happy Birthday, Miles!” I heard my sister squeal from my side. I swear she spoke at a pitch so high only dogs could hear. Goddess knows why she is so excited. It is only his birthday. He likely doesn’t even care; he never normally does.
• As I looked up, his blue eyes were locked on me. I raised my gaze to meet his and could see his eyes shift to a darker blue.
• Was that his wolf? I saw a snarl across his face as he suddenly stormed from the room. What the hell was that about?
• ‘Get out here.’ Miles suddenly linked me with his mind, and I have to say he sounded far from impressed. That, combined with the angry expression on his face, told me something was off. Would he have rather wished I had not come? Well, he was not the only one.
• ‘What?’ I questioned, completely confused. Was he annoyed over how I had dressed, too? Jeez, it was just a dress. Does it really matter? I would go home if it were.
• ‘Outside now.’ He demanded once more, sounding even more irritated this time, making me realize I had little choice but to follow his orders, so I snuck away from the ongoing party back to the doors of the packhouse.
• I spotted Miles pacing at the bottom of the steps, his expression a mix of confusion and anger. What did he want from me? Was I just a target for his frustration? No way was I going to be that person. Just as I turned to leave, he caught my eye.
• “Fucking took you long enough.” He snapped.
• I frowned, unsure what this was all about, but it was making no sense to me as I looked down toward him from where I stood at the top of the packhouse steps. His blue eyes shifted to the dark blue once more, like they had inside, taking me by surprise. His wolf is clearly lingering.
• “What is wrong, Miles? Do you want me to get Jordan?” I asked.
• “No, I do not! I do not want anyone to know this.” He snarls, a growl slipping from his lips, though I do not know whether that was aimed at me or whether his wolf was angry at him.
• “I don’t think I understand…” I began.
• “You soon will.” He sneers, and I look at him in confusion. Nothing he says makes sense to me until he continues. “Only today did I realize. The thought makes me sick. Why our own moon goddess would play a trick like this on me, I don’t know. I am an Alpha. A fucking Alpha. I deserve a strong mate. A beautiful mate to be proud of. Not some feeble pathetic wallflower.”
• My body trembles at his words. No. I had yet to gain my wolf. I have yet to learn this. Why… Why him, of all people? “I am your fated mate?” I question with a shaky voice. “Are you sure?”
• “Are you fucking doubting me?” he yells. “And you won’t be. The moment you have your wolf, I will decide when the time is right to reject you.”
• My heart twists and contorts at the thought. Rejection was meant to be the most painful thing possible. Why would he want to reject the mate chosen for him by our moon goddess? Am I truly so repulsive?