Thanks Maya_2011 for editting the story and catching all my mistakes! And for making the cover! Check out her story Dragon's Treasure. It's awesome!
p.s. This is a warning to those who only leave comments to advertise their stories. Please don't post links to your stories. I will delete them. It's a bit annoying to constantly have to delete comments such as: Check out my story : <link> . Thanks in advance for respecting my work and my request.
Chapter One
No one likes being woken up at seven AM on their day off. Especially not when said person had worked a double shift in a busy emergency room right before falling asleep. But when woken up by a grumpy werewolf for a father, you didn’t give the snippy remark you had readied for whoever woke you.
My father didn't just lightly tap on my door. No. That would be too nice. My lovely father banged on the door like the house was on fire, startling me out of bed. My brain desperately looked for the danger before I realized that it was just my dad giving me his normal wake up call.
"Eddy's car just pulled up!" He yelled loud enough to ensure that I wasn't going to be going back to sleep anytime soon. "He's giving you a couple minutes to get presentable."
I groaned and rolled onto my feet. "Alright." I grumbled. "This better be important." I said to myself as I quickly threw myself together.
Eddy and I might have been dating for three years, but I still wanted to look nice for him. We were at least a few months away from him seeing the monster I could be in the morning.
I didn't have werewolf speed or energy, so it took me five minutes to put my robe on, wash my face, and straighten up my hair. I was dead tired.
When I came out of my room, I couldn't help but smile at what I saw. Eddy was nicely dressed, like he normally was. He had on dark jeans with a button up. He usually didn't have on a shirt underneath, but today he did.
I really loved that he got along with father so well. Dad didn't have a high ranking in the pack, but he pulled his weight. Eddy was the son of the alpha, he wasn't dominant enough to take the pack from his father, but he was respected for his lineage nonetheless.
They looked to be having a serious conversation, so I hung back a bit to give them privacy. I couldn't hear their conversation because I wasn't a werewolf. Yes, my father was a werewolf, had been well before I was born or conceived, but that didn't make me one.
As far as I knew, it was hard for werewolves to have kids. When they did, they were usually spoiled rotten little brats, just like I was as I grew up. I would have tried to give Eddy kids, but he wasn't ready for that. Plus, he'd have to marry me first.
If I was going to be with Eddy, I was going to try the change into a werewolf. It wasn't guaranteed, but to be with the one I loved forever, it was worth the risk.
Eddy gave me a small smile. One that I had grown to know means bad news. I offered a small smile back. I didn't want to be woken up for bad news, but if Eddy came here this early, then it had to be important.
When my dad sat back down in the couch, I knew they were done talking. Eddy motioned for me to follow him into the backyard. I knew the thin walls weren't going to keep our conversation private from my father's ears.
"There's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while." He let out a nervous breath. "It's not going to be easy."
I nodded once and wrapped my arms around myself. It was chilly, in the morning. "Just say what it is Eddy. It's really early and I'm tired."
He smiled. "I know. I should've done this sooner." He looked around nervously. Was he going to say something that was going to upset me? It would make sense from the way he was acting.
“I need to tell you something.” Eddy's tone was serious. He rarely came over unannounced, so it had to be something serious. He didn’t even call me first, which was very out of character.
“What’s up?” He was always so handsome it made me smile. I loved that his dark hair was a little long. He had those beautiful brown eyes I loved to stare into. I still didn’t know what he saw in me.
“My father just informed me that I’m getting married.” My heart started beating fast, a smile spread across my face. This had to be it. He was finally going to ask me. “She’s not from my pack. It’s called a political pairing.”
My excitement dove right off a cliff. “What does that mean?” I asked confused, shocked. I thought he loved me, that he wanted to be with me.
“I’m going to be leaving in a week. When I come back it will be with my bride.” Wow… I felt stupid. Embarrassment soon turned to sorrow as I realized that Eddy was breaking up with me. “Obviously this means we can’t be together anymore.”
“What am I supposed to do?” I didn’t want to cry, so I just got angry. I absolutely hated crying, about anything. “I can’t just turn off how I feel for you. I’ve loved you for years and you just want to leave me for some stranger? Do you even know what she looks like?”
He shook his head. “I know this will be hard for you, but this is the sacrifice I have to make for the pack’s wellbeing. I know it’s not fair to you.”
My jaw dropped. “Of course it’s not fair! How can you just turn it all off? How could you act like you don’t care for me?” I was devastated. I could feel my heart breaking in my chest.
“I can’t just turn my feelings for you off but this is different. Once she becomes my mate, it will be only her I love. That’s how this pack magic works.”
I had absolutely no choice in this. The choice was made. The plans were set. He was leaving me. He didn’t even look sorry, regretful, or hurt that he was forced to leave me. “Are you going to tell her about us?”
He nodded. “If she asks I will.” I looked down. I was being tossed away like some old toy he grew tired of. “Are you okay? Ems?”
Oh, now he feels sorry for me.
“Why would I be alright?” I yelled as I stood up. “You’re leaving me to marry someone else. All this time we’ve been together, for nothing. Three years of my life have been wasted on waiting for you to decide if you wanted me. I want you to leave and never talk to me again.” Any sadness evaporated as my temper grew hotter. The temper I inherited from my father definitely made itself known now.
“You know you don’t mean that.” He suggested gently.
“Oh, but I do.” I walked into the house, to the front door. “Alpha’s son or not. I want you gone and I don’t want you to call me. It would be best if you forget I exist!”
I held the door open and motioned for him to leave. My father spied over his newspaper at us. Eddy looked at him and sighed. Dad just moved his paper back up and cleared his throat.
I tapped my foot, getting his attention. “Fine.” Eddy said obviously defeated. “I’m sorry Emily. I didn’t plan this.”
“Just. Leave!” I screamed. Then he walked out the door.
I waited until I heard his car start and take off down the road before I ran to my room and cried. I turned my phone off. There was little doubt that my best friend, and werewolf, Nicole was going to call me. She had to know what he was coming here to tell me.
I sat on my bed in shock. How could this have happened? How long had Eddy been stringing me along? He had been distant for a couple of weeks. Even his normally high sex drive had been almost completely diminished.
Did the whole pack know?
I put my head in my hands. If the whole pack knew, then how was I ever going to show my face again? Of course they'd side with Eddy. He was actually a part of their pack. I was just a human. It didn't matter that I had grown up around these people. Pack was pack. I was human and therefore unable to become pack.
When the door to my room opened, I didn't look over. There would only be two people who would come into my room now. My dad or Nikki.
The lack of noise that came with my father told me that it was Nikki who had come in. She sat on my bed and wrapped her arms around me.
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you what was happening."
If it hadn't been for the door squeak as it opened, I might not have known she came into the room. She was always sneaky, even when we were kids. But now that she was a werewolf, she could move around without making a sound.
I huffed. "It doesn't matter anyway. If he loved me he wouldn't have left me, no matter what."
She sighed, "I'm still sorry."
I nodded once and rested my head against her arm. It was nice to be comforted by someone. Dad wasn't good with sad feelings. He locked himself away from everything when he was sad, so he avoided people when they were sad. He just didn't know how to deal.
"How long ago was this all arranged?"
"It's almost been a month. It was really hush-hush until two weeks ago when everything was arranged and agreed to."
"Eddy should have told me a month ago. I had a right to know." I huffed in anger. "I don't appreciate being left in the dark for so long."
She smiled and nodded. "I know."
"Why didn't you tell me something was going on?" I wasn't mad at her. I had a pretty good feeling that if she could have told me, she would have. Probably as soon as she found out.
"I was bound under alpha’s orders."
I nodded. I knew what that meant. Even if she wanted to, even if she tried to, she had been bound by the alpha’s order to keep her mouth shut. It had been Eddy's job to tell me the news and the jerk had waited until he was leaving to get his new woman!
I sighed and laid down. "I'll be fine Nikki. I just need some rest."
She smiled weakly. "Alright. Just call me if you need me. I'll be right over."
I nodded and hugged my friend one last time. "Thanks Nikki. You're a great friend."
She nodded and left my room as quietly as she came.
The next few days all seemed to blend together. I don’t know how long I laid in bed. I know that my dad tried to get me to eat with little success. If I ate more than a bowl I was running to the bathroom to throw up.
I didn’t bother turning on my phone. Nicole came over a few times after I didn’t answer her calls. She’d check on me, watch TV in my room and go home when it started getting dark. I felt bad that I was ignoring her; I just couldn’t muster the energy to get out of bed.
Then one day the boulder of depression that was stuck on me, lifted. I woke up about 10am and I felt better. I was still depressed, but I had the energy to at least get up and fix myself something to eat. Dad watched me walk into the open kitchen from his favorite chair. He watched me cautiously as I got out things to make a sandwich. I must have really had him worried. He didn’t take his eyes off of me. I was sure if I disappeared into the pantry for longer than a minute, he’d follow me in to make sure I was still there.
“So how long have I been in bed?” I asked, not bothering to look at him. I knew he was paying attention, waiting for me to say something.
“Three weeks.” He said carefully.
That was surprising. It didn’t feel like three weeks. It felt more like 4 or 5 days. My depression had been worse than I thought.
“So that means Eddy and his new woman are back in town.” I said, trying to stay neutral.
I could see him slowly nod in my peripheral vision. “They’ve been back for a week.”
Eddy really left without saying anything else to me. I didn’t believe he had ever really loved me if he could just forget about me so quickly.
“Are they going to have a big gathering with the two packs?” I knew the rituals. Anytime someone joined the pack, or left to join a mate in another pack, there was a gathering.
He hesitated. He didn’t want to tell me. “Yes, in a couple of days.”
“Am I invited?”
He sighed. “You aren’t technically pack, but you can be my plus one.”
“Would it make things tense?” That idea made me smile. I would love to watch some of those wolves, who took pride in their control, squirm.
He got out of his chair. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. The last thing I want to do is have you back in that bed for a month. When you see them it might make it worse.”
I shook my head and concentrated on my sandwich. “I won’t do anything. I’m numb to all of this now. I want to meet the woman who’s taken the place I wanted to be in.”
He stared at me as I put things back where they belong. “I want you to think about this before you decide you want to go.”
I nodded and took a bite out of my sandwich.
It was time to change the subject. “Is Nikki with Mike?” They were always together.
He nodded. “Probably.”
“Alright. I’m going to give her a call and hook up with her for a while.”
He nodded and cautiously watched me walk to my room. I had a feeling he was going to be watching me very closely for a while.
I turned my phone on and waited for it to load all the text messages that had piled up in the past three weeks. They were all from Nikki. I didn’t bother reading them. I just deleted the whole inbox and sent folders.
She picked up her phone on the second ring.
“Emily!? Is that you?” She sounded excited.
“Yep. Just turned my phone on.”
“How are you? It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve talked.”
“Yeah, I know.” I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like a huge mess. “What are you doing right now?”
“It’s Saturday,” she said like I was dumb. Every Saturday the pack went to the lake and had fun.
“Would it be weird if I showed up?”
“It’s weirder that you’re not here. Mike’s on his way to here. Do you want him to swing by and pick you up?” Her chipper tone made me feel better about going.
“Sure, that’d be great.” Then we hung up.
With his super werewolf hearing, my dad probably heard the entire conversation.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea Emily?” Dad said from around the corner.
“It’s a trial run. If I can’t handle this, I’m just going to have to stay away from wherever they are.”
He nodded. “Alright. A test run. If you need me to come pick you up, just call and I’ll be right over.”
I smiled slightly at him. “Alright. Can I have some privacy while I get ready?”
He nodded and went back into the living room.