Beauty and the Rogue (Undergoing Editing)

Chapter 1

Audrey's POV

I groaned as I woke, the sun gently streaming in through my grey curtains. Sneaking a glance at my clock that read 8:30 am Saturday morning, I rolled back over and pulled the covers over my head, willing myself to forget another night of restless tossing and turning.

The nightmares came and went as they usually did, unforgiving and unrelenting. Much like many other things in my life, there was nothing I could do to stop them.

After about 20 more minutes of failed attempts at going back to sleep, I groaned and rolled out of bed and stripping to jump into the shower.

I dreaded Monday, my first day at a new school. For the seventh time, I was starting at a new school but this year, finally, as a senior. I hated always having to move around, never staying in one place for very long.

Getting out, I quickly pulled on some skinny jeans and a loose t-shirt and headed down the stairs of my small, mostly empty apartment. Since my parents kicked me out when I was fourteen, I was used to living on my own for the past four years and last week I had finally turned eighteen.

My family's werewolf bloodline dated all the way back to the beginning of the shifters existence but I hadn't shifted for the first time until I had turned 15. Because of my late change, my parents assumed that I was "defective" and considered me a disgrace. They had thrown me out into the world to fend for myself. They couldn't have a weak daughter living under their roof.

Honestly, it was easier this way. I didn't have to worry about having to follow orders or having a curfew. I could do whatever I wanted and I really didn't care what other people thought about me.

I ended up settling in this small town in Nevada for multiple reasons. The main reason being it's quaint, "off-the-grid" vibe. I needed to lay low and preferred to stick to myself, so small towns were my thing. A perk of this part of town was that just about everything I needed was in walking distance, convenient enough for a girl without a car.

After stopping at the locally owned coffee shop down the street, I made my way down main street getting my bearings of the town and eventually finding a grocery store not too far from my apartment. As I grabbed my few bags of purchases, I began making my way out as I passed a group of 3 guys and 2 girls just walking in.

There was a subtle shift in the air as I neared them. They carried an air of superiority around them, making it obvious to me that they were all shifters. Everyone in close proximity was sure to acknowledge their presence when they entered and left. I couldn't help but gaze at them as I walked by my eyes quickly scanning the group of guys, being careful not make it obvious.

There were 5 of them. The men were tall and thick with muscle, the girls looked athletic and able to hold their own. Each one carried their own specific scent, but they were more difficult to distinguish walking in together with the wind at their back. As my eyes traveled over the group, they seemed to settle on the male without a girl on his arm from a beat longer than the others. His dominant aurora involuntarily sent chill bumps down my arms as my feet carried me towards the males and the doors. My ears grew hot as my wolf grew increasingly unsettled the closer we trecked towards them and the only way out of the building.

Keeping my head down, I veered as far as I could around them and picked up the pace to walk through the doorway. Once outside, I drew in a deep breath in an attempt to calm my anxious, fluttering heartbeat. I had been lucky in the past, very rarely running into other shifters in the previous towns that I had settled in. It seemed I wouldn't be that lucky this time.

Making it back to my apartment with my grocery bags, I unloaded my purchases onto the kitchen counter before putting them away and all but throwing myself onto the small, uncomfortable couch that I found at the goodwill in the next town over.