As I struggle to wake up from this nightmare, sweat drips down my face as my mind is lost in past memories. Mom and I are fleeing for our lives as the thick, suffocating odor of smoke mixed with blood wafts through the air, making it difficult to breathe. My pack is being attacked by rogues. The Alpha and other male members of the pack, including my dad, are fighting to keep the women and children safe. As we escape, I glance around for a split second and see my father fighting a scruffy-looking wolf in his wolf form.
"Dad, father, father!" I screamed, hoping he would join us, but my mother kept dragging me with her as tears streamed down my face. As we got closer to the pack border, my mother yelled and collapsed to the ground, twisting in anguish. At that moment, I knew my father was gone.
Suddenly, my mother's scream pulled me out of the dream with a start. I felt my nightgown sticking to my skin and saw my duvet tangled up with my legs. The bright light shining from the window made me realize it was morning, so I leaped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. After taking a quick shower, I walked into my wardrobe and chose a gorgeous pink lace dress that accentuated my caramel legs. Looking at myself in the vanity mirror, I whispered to myself, "I am black, I am gorgeous, and I am enough."
As I ran down the stairs, the aroma of delicious strawberry pancakes drew me into the kitchen, where my mother had prepared a platter of pancakes topped with maple syrup, ice cream, and blueberries. I couldn't help but moan with each bite, savoring the exquisite flavor.
After breakfast, I shouted to my mother that I was leaving and headed outside to wait for my best friend Luke, who had been my friend since my mother and I were initiated into the Calm Shadow Pack. The pack was entirely white, but they welcomed us, which pleased my mother because our last pack was racist and treated us terribly. The honk of Luke's truck startled me from my thoughts, so I rushed toward him and got in. I gave him a pretentious smile before quickly giving him a friendly whack on the back of his head for being late.
"You realize we might be late for school, right?" I said, giving him the stink eye.
Luke just smiled and said, "Calm down Lee, we will get there just in time." He winked at me, making me blush, but I took deep breaths to stay calm.
We arrived at school right on time, and I walked confidently into my first class, sat in my favorite spot, brought out my drawing book, and started sketching a wolf. However, my senses as a wolf made me hear a whispered conversation behind me.
"Alpha Theo will be joining the mating ritual this season."
As a wolf, I could hear them flawlessly, even if they were whispering. I had never been one to worry about such things, but now that I thought about it, my birthday was two days before the mating ceremony, and I would be turning eighteen.
"I can't wait to be Alpha Theo's mate," one girl whispered.
"Be quiet," I said in a low, annoyed tone because their whispers were annoying. I continued sketching when the room fell silent as Luke walked in confidently, looking gorgeous. Luke was the son of the Beta, the second in command of the pack, which made him exude power as he walked. The girls in his class drooled and tried to entice him, but he ignored them and walked over to sit next to me. Still dazed by his arrival, I stare at him, mouth agape, not knowing when the teacher walked into the classroom and started the class. I felt him tap my nose. He gives me a brief smirk, then returns his attention to the teacher.
Later at my locker, I heard Brittney and her minions laughing; the image in front of me hurt, causing a powerful rage to rise within me. I quickly left school and headed to my spot by the lake, where I sobbed, missing my father and my once-happy family.