Page 3 of Wolf Heart

“I think I should show you what the real world looks like.”

He throws me to the ground, and I skid along the dirt before coming to a stop. He’s going to kill me.

“Stop,” I half-shout, half-scream.

“Make me,” he challenges.

“Casey,” the Alpha bellows from the end of the path and all the wolves around me slump their shoulders. “That is no way to treat a pack member.”

I push away until my back hits a pine tree.

“But she’s not pack, never has been.” Casey throws me a glare. “Just look at her. She can’t shift no matter how much we try to push her.”

“Tomorrow night at the bonding ceremony," the Alpha who looks like an older version of Casey with a half-bald head and eyes that are harder than coals says in a voice that doesn't give me anything but bad vibes. "We’ll bring out her wolf. Mate her with one of the packs… regardless if her wolf chooses or not.”

My heart thuds against my breastbone. I don’t want to have to be mated to anyone especially not any of these mongrels here.

“What if her inability to shift is contagious?” one of Casey’s friends asks and the others nod along with him. They’re shorter than Casey and wear tattered clothing, like refugees from some tragic dystopian novel. Anything not to stand out against the Alpha’s son.

Which is one of many reasons he hates me when I shot up two inches taller than him during puberty.

“That’s what condoms are for.” Casey laughs and cups his crotch.

Gross. Leave it to Casey to be willing to fuck anything female but mating is a whole other game. It’s locking with someone's body, heart, mind, and soul. It’s forever and only death can ease the pain. Mom told me she had to get the Alpha to do a mock bonding with her before she was able to function enough to take care of me after my father died.

Then again, a functioning alcoholic isn’t saying much.

“Other packs are joining from the area including the Crescent Moon pack.”

Casey snarls. “You’re going to give them her?”

The Alpha smiles and it has my gut twisting. “We need to let them think she’s our prize. Go get her to the healer.”

“Don’t bother. I can go myself.” I scramble to my feet and flee, not daring to look behind me. Not daring to hope that Casey won’t follow me or wait for another time to attack me. And now he wants to force me to have sex with him? There’s no way I can stop him if he and his buddies gang up on me.

I race home, tears of humiliation and frustration stream down my cheeks. I don’t know how to stop Casey or if I even should. He’s the Alpha’s son. And the Crescent Moon pack? I’ve heard they’re worse than Casey and stomp on our hunting grounds.

Mom is going to fucking kill me.

I stumble into our house and slam my bedroom door shut. I lock it, hoping to keep the others out, but the house is silent.

Once my heart stops racing, I replay what Casey did to me over and over. The look in his eyes. The tone in his voice. The rage he showed me like I wasn’t worth being alive.

I don’t remember getting into the shower or washing the blood from my face. I don’t remember getting dressed or lying down, but I do remember his words, tormenting me.

I’ll be waiting for your first heat,Junie.

I shudder. Whoever a wolf mates with at her first heat is who she will pine for the rest of her life even if she mates with another. Omegas are just built that way and it fucking sucks. Which is another reason I had sex at sixteen. I wanted it to be my choice and I’d hoped doing so would bring the heat and my wolf, but it did neither.

Hours pass by, and I finally fall asleep before someone’s shaking me and I groggily open my eyes.

“Juniper, what’s this I hear about you giving Casey a hard time?”

It’s still dark outside, and I struggle to get out of bed. I know the drill. Whatever Casey wants, he gets. I push to my feet, my jaw throbbing from where he struck me and I wobble on my feet.

“Are you okay?” Mom’s words are slurred and I know she’s been at it again. The pungent smell of alcohol burns my nose and I look away, not wanting to see her flushed face. “Answer me.”

“Yes, Mom."

The slap across my face doesn’t sting nearly as much as the too-fresh memories of this pain I’m so used to and my heart feels like it’s bruised every time she lashes out with fists or words.

“You ungrateful little slut. I bet your wolf hasn’t come out because you’ve spread your legs for every wolf who asks.”

I grit my teeth, wanting to take all the pain I have since Dad died when I was seven and throw it back in her face. Only that won’t gain me anything. She’ll still side with Casey and our Alpha no matter what they say. They could tell her I’m evil and to cut out my heart and she’d run to get the ax.

No, I’m better off trying to get into one of the other packs. I need to do it before they realize how broken I am.

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