Page 1 of Haze

Lena

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO

Today is my birthday. They don’t celebrate it. No one celebrates worthless things.

Jimmy knows, and he tried to make it special. So I get to play with his remote-control truck while he cleans his room. It’s really cool. I like how the big wheels run over the rocks.

Dad has been reading his newspaper, sitting in one of the chairs on the patio. I run Jimmy’s truck up over the ramp, and movement distracts me. Dad lunges toward me. I wince, turning my head away from him, trying not to curl up in a ball or run away.

“Kathleen Meredith! What did I tell you?” Dad snarls.

I was trying to be good. But I wasn’t strong enough. I’m never strong enough to stand my ground.

My wolf and I shrink away from his words. I can’t help it.

Cowering only makes Dad angrier. The more angry he becomes, the harder it is to not cower.

“That’s it. Enough.” Dad’s Alpha command quakes through my body.

Inside, my wolf whimpers, and tears make the afternoon sun brighter. I squint and blink through the sunlight. I know it’ll make Dad more mad, but I can’t help it.

Dad wraps his big hand around my wrist. His fingers dig into my skin, and his long legs walk fast. Trying to keep up, I don’t bother asking him to slow down. It’s another weakness. I’m too small and too slow. He drags me across the lawn into the trees. Ferns rustle loudly but not enough to drown out his growl.

The path leads down toward the other houses on the property, where the rest of the pack lives. The houses aren’t as nice as ours. But the people seem much happier. When I’m allowed to play with them, they’re nice. Jimmy, my older brother, gets to play with them more. He’s stronger than me. Not as strong as Cade, our older brother, though. Why couldn’t I have been like them?

“You will learn, Kathy,” Dad growls at me.

His growling gets louder as we walk until he makes the forest seem quiet.

My wolf struggles and tries to pull me to the ground. She can’t help it. We’re both afraid. Why is he doing this?

Stopping abruptly, Dad jerks me up by the arm to keep me from falling to the ground. “You’ll see why you can’t behave like the worthlessness your wolf is.”

My wolf whines. We don’t like being called names. It’s not fair. We’re trying. It’s hard to be perfect all the time.

At the edge of the woods, he makes me stop. Standing in the tree line, we have a perfect view of the first house on the left. It’s white and little. Olive lives there. She’s really nice. She’s flawed like me, but because she’s older, Mom and Dad let her take care of me sometimes.

A black car is parked in front of Olive’s house with two men standing by it. They’re wearing suits, but they don’t look like good ones. Mom would say they’re raggedy. The men are slouchy and not nice looking.

Olive comes out of the house. She has her red backpack and keeps her head down, not looking at anyone.

Her dad makes her stand in front of one of the men. That man lifts her chin and looks her in the eye. When she fights his gaze, he laughs. With his other hand, he makes her open her mouth.

We’re too far away. I can’t hear what they’re saying. But why are they doing this? They’re hurting her. Why is Dad letting them hurt her? I want to ask him, but Dad’ll tell me to be quiet and mind my place.

One of the men pushes Olive toward the car.

Her mom comes to stand outside. She’s crying. Where are they taking Olive?

The man comes back from putting Olive in the car. He’s holding a big envelope. After he pulls out a bunch of money, he hands it to Olive’s dad.

Her dad flips through, counting.

“That’s what happens to wolves like you.” Dad has sharp, angry words.

My wolf whines. “I don’t understand.”

“We can’t have any of your kind in this pack. We are strong. I am The Leviathan. I am King. Your wolf is a reflection of mine. If you can’t make yourself strong, I’ll have no choice but to sell you off like Olive,” Dad growls.

---