Chapter 2

• My chest heaved my body ached as if I’d been beaten with rocks. Something wasn’t right. I shot up from the soft bed and adjusted to the dark room. It was too dark to be my basement room. The upper window on the right that let the moonlight in was missing. I swung my legs off the bed and stood. I willed myself to scan my surroundings but… it didn’t work.
• Sometimes I forgot what I was now.
• Barefoot I slowly found my way to the wall. I patted the space looking for a switch but instead, I found a door. I rattled the handle but it wouldn’t open.
• “Dad’s going to kill me.”
• Why was the room so dark? I walked cautiously back to the bed. I patted my jeans and my phone wasn’t there. I grabbed my sticky shirt. I froze. Half of my shirt was gone.
• “Crap.”
• I gasped when the door jiggled. I crawled backwards and hit the bed. Light burst into the dark room. I hugged myself to cover my naked belly. The man in the centre of the doorframe took a step forward. I swallowed the lump in my throat. He was over six feet. I barely made out the colour of his hair –blackish brown— he flipped on a switch and kicked the door shut.
• “Want to talk now?” He barked.
• His green eyes held venom. He wore a vest that showed off his massive sculptured arms painted with black and white tattoos.
• “Where am I?”
• He chuckled, “I’m the one asking the questions here sweetheart.”
• “I’m not going to give information to a stranger!”
• “You’re the stranger in my pack, sweetheart.”
• I swallowed. His pack? He could be a high-ranked beta or worse. The Alpha. Dad wanted me to stay clear of the Alpha for as long as possible. I’m dead as soon as I get home.
• “All right, we’re going to try this again? Who are you, rogue?”
• “I’m… I’m not a rogue.”
• He rubbed his bearded face and chuckled. “You’re not one of mine I would know.”
• I guess I was a rogue but I couldn’t tell him where I came from.
• “You got yourself a nasty cut from your partner there.” He stared into my eyes it made my cheeks turn red.
• “Partner? They attacked me!”
• “And you fought back? Interesting. What’s your rank?”
• I swallowed. I sucked my lips in.
• “What’s your rank?” He barked.
• “Uh…”
• A knock came at the door.
• “What?” He barked without taking his eyes off me.
• “Roman’s going crazy. He lost something.”
• No! I’d been gone all day.
• The man shut his eyes and rose. “This isn’t over, little one.”
• Little one? I frowned. He did look like he was over seven years older than me. Dad didn’t talk much about the Alpha at least when I was around. He slammed the door shut. He was crazy if he thought I would be here when he got back. Dad would tear the pack up looking for me. I grabbed a chair from the desk in the corner and tucked it under the doorknob. My shoes were gone. Good one on their part.
• I pulled open the curtain and watched as the Alpha and a couple of his men climbed into massive SUVs and drove off. They wouldn’t be dumb enough to leave a prisoner in the house alone. I pulled up the window and peeked out of it. Thank goodness I was on the first floor. A beta wolf was situated at the front door. It was now or never.
• ***
• I came out of the bathroom at the same time the door upstairs slammed so hard it rattled the house. Dad was home. I pulled on a sweater and long pants to hide the cuts I got from running in the woods.
• I slipped into some socks after gathering my courage and making sure my lies were in order.
• “I knew that girl was trouble, darling, we had a simple plan,” Marcella said before I entered the room.
• I rolled my eyes and stepped into the living room. Marcella my stepmother had over-the-top platinum blonde hair and wore six-inch heels and designer clothes. Rachel was more similar to Marcella in terms of materialism and Jade had her mother’s sour attitude but at least Jade wasn’t fake. Rachel didn’t live with us but she was here a lot which was a reason I couldn’t have the upstairs bedroom but I didn’t mind. The basement afforded me with more than enough privacy.
• Her daughters were in the living room as well when I entered. Silence fell in the room the second my presence was felt. Dad’s wild eyes landed on me.
• “Well, there she is Roman. I told you there was no need to worry.” Marcella smiled at me.
• “Excuse us,” Dad rasped.
• “But Roman—”
• “Now Marcella,” he deadpanned.
• Rachel stood first. “I have things to do anyway.”
• “It’s not like we won’t all hear it,” Jade said as she marched up the stairs.
• She had a point. Rachel left out the front door and Marcella made it as far as the kitchen.
• “Uh… hi Dad?”
• He took one threatening step forward. “Hi, Dad? That’s all you’ve got Summer? Are you fucking kidding me? I nearly tore this town apart looking for you.”
• “I was looking for a job. I went out and lost track of time. I’m not a kid.”
• “Why didn’t you answer your phone when I called?”
• I bit my bottom lip, “I was busy like I said.”
• He took another step forward and lowered his voice. I wanted to believe there were some things he chose not to tell his wife.
• “Who did you speak with?” He asked.
• “I’m not dumb enough to go around telling people my issues.”
• “You’re a smart kid, Summer, but death is a possible consequence for a wolf like you.”
• “I know.”
• “You need to trust me, Summer.”
• “I’m tired of being locked up. I’ve accepted my fate you should too. Can I go now?”
• “Kid…”
• “Dad?”
• “You’re not leaving this house for the next two days.”
• “What? You’re grounding me? You know I’ll be twenty-one soon right?”
• “The full moon’s coming. The shifters ran wild in this town. We can talk again after that.”
• He marched off leaving me alone. I sat on the couch and held my head in my hands. My Dad was a general in the army he would hear about a she-wolf escaping. Coming here, the deal was for me to lay low. After what happened in my mother’s pack I was walking on thin ice and at any moment I could fall through the ice and freeze to death.