Half Breed

ONE

My father had been driving around for hours, occasionally cursing at the small screen connected to his dashboard that showed the notifications on his phone. I kept trying to tell myself that we weren't lost but I was sure we had taken the wrong turn more than twice

Unless he was doing this on purpose.

My father did what he knew best and muttered under his breath and cursed at my uncle over the phone a few times.

"Dad, where exactly are we going?"

"You'll find out eventually, just don't get too involved and don't compromise yourself."

I slowly rolled my eyes beneath my sunglasses and my lips tightened.

My family had ingrained it into my mind that rogues would always be the enemy to the rest shifters.

I was itching to get out of my human skin already and it had only been twenty seven hours since we arrived on foreign soil.

Even though I shouldn't have, I marvelled at the pristine and even roads when we went through the city. I wasn't used to seeing neatly placed buildings and well built houses. Rogues lived spread out and scattered, with no community to build on like packs did. 

"Are you listening?"

"What?" I ground my teeth.

My father and I...tolerated each other. We never got close and he always indirectly blamed me for my mother's death. He raised me enough to be well educated and defend myself but nothing more. It was my uncle Mikhail who did the rest. My mother's brother.

He was a man of carefully crafted words that always had me hiding behind my father when I was a little girl.

"We're moving. Now." He announced.

My father suddenly parked and jumped out. The road was silent and the trees at the edge of the forest were still. We'd finally reached our destination it seemed.

He walked around the car and opened my door. I pursed my lips and jumped out, leaving my sunglasses on top of my head.

A sharp breeze hit my face and my wolf stirred to attention. The wind carried various lupine scents that we were not familiar with and my hackles rose instinctively.

"Let's go, Alyssa." My father whispered.

I met his gaze for a quick moment but he looked away, my expression most probably reminding him of my mother. My uncle always reminded me how much I looked like her and how much my father hated it.

Good. I wanted him to suffer a little bit.

He sprinted and disappeared within the trees and I shot after him, letting the wind whip my hair free of its ponytail. I couldn't let myself enjoy the rush of weaving between trees at such a speed that to human eyes, everything would be a blur.

I didn't have time to even think about how much I wanted my wolf form to feel the damp moss beneath my feet or catch the elk that had stopped chewing at the scent of us a few yards away. Because within minutes, we approached two wolves who were guarding one of many entryways into a pack.

The wolf with dark brown fur, stood from his sitting position and sniffed us out, stopping us from taking another step forward.

"I'm here to take this one," My father pointed to me, "to the Alpha."

The wolves looked at each other before they shifted. They both covered their nakedness with articles of clothing that lay in wait for them on the ground before approaching us. Corded muscle rippled with each step they took until they were both towering over me.