Brian is a prominent member of his community. He is a businessman. He drives a flashy car, waves around his excessive amounts of money, and likes to pretend his perfect little life doesn’t include magic, vampires, or werewolf daughters.
Until a week ago, I’d been his estranged and forgotten daughter.
Not anymore.
Not since my mom died.
I rub at the ache in my chest.Why didn’t you warn me about him, Mom? Why did you keep him a secret?
You’d think given everything I’ve been through, the guy would cut me some slack. He’d … I don’t know, try and get to know me.
I huff out a breath and try to squelch the flicker of hurt inside my chest. Mom can’t answer my questions. She’s dead and I’m here.
Emotion clogs my throat.
Dammit.I shouldn’t care if I’m not good enough for the guy. I’m here. That means something, right? I mean, he technically fought to get me here.
Brian could have left me back in Star Valley, Arizona. I could have spent the remainder of my senior year as a ward of the Pack. Though, if I’m being entirely honest with myself, I would have preferred it. I need a Pack. There, I’d have Josué and Damien and Kai—my friends—people who actually care about me. I’d have my Alpha. My Clan.
But minors don’t get a say in these kinds of things. My Alpha— Emmett Quinn—fought to keep me. He tried explaining to Brian why I should stay in Star Valley. Gave him all the assurances in the world that I’d be well cared for. But in the end, Brian was blood. And I guess it’s true what they say. Blood is thicker than water. Emmett didn’t have a leg to stand on once Brian decided I was going home with him.
If Mom were here, she’d tell me to be strong. To be brave. She should be here. But she isn’t, so I need to be brave on my own.
Alrighty then. I can do that.
What alternative do I have?
Natalia picked out my first-day-of-school outfit. It feels weird. Going to school. I know humans do this, but Pack education was always done at the Compound. I never went somewhere else to learn about English or mathematics. The entire concept seems foreign. But today will be my first day at Hellbound High.
Yay.
I hate the outfit. The wardrobe. The makeup and perfumes that itch the inside of my nose and irritate my wolf senses. But when I hinted that it isn’t really my style, Natalia scowled as if I’d offended her and then proceeded to remind me that I need to let go of my past and embrace my new life.
She hadn’t meant to hurt me with her words. At least, I don’t think she did. Natalia doesn’t strike me as a cruel person. But she thinks my life before the here and now is beneath me. Beneath the Kline name. Neither she nor Brian do a good job hiding their disdain for all things paranormal, and after she told me how lucky I am to be reunited with my father and went on and on with her assumptions about how horrible growing up must have been—living with a Pack of wolves—I decided it was easier to just go along and not rock the boat.
I’m seventeen so I’ll be starting school as a senior. I’ll be eighteen soon and after graduation, I can go back to my old life. I can leave this house. This town. These people.
I’ll go back to my Pack and then I can grieve.
I leave my long, dark brown hair down, using the flat iron Natalia gave me to straighten it into sleek, glossy strands before applying a hint of makeup.
I need to make a great first impression.Urgh.As if I care what any of these people think of me. This isn’t me, and while I hate that, I also know I don’t really want to be me right now. I don’t want to be the girl who lost her mom to a freak run-in with a troll. The girl whose boyfriend dumped her the same night when she caught him sharing skin privileges with another Packmate. Oh, and did I mention he screwed around with my one and only female friend? The jerk cheated on me. With her. And then he had the audacity to dump me.
Now, I get to go to a weird hybrid school and live with a parent I barely know who’s doing his damndest to pretend my wolf doesn’t exist. The cherry on top of the sundae that is my life.
My shoulders slump. I grab my new, pale pink backpack—so not my color—and pull on a pair of strappy sandals. They’re so not practical. No way they’ll last. One unplanned shift and they’ll be shredded. With sneakers I can slip my feet out quickly if I’m in a pinch and need to shift. These have so many ties and buckles they’re like Fort Knox refusing to give up my feet.
A sigh escapes me. I know I should be grateful. They’re nice. But all the money and high-end stuff makes me uncomfortable. I didn’t have stuff like this growing up. Mom was a single mom. She worked two jobs to make ends meet and while the Pack looked out for us, we were still responsible for our own finances. We had a roof over our heads and food on the table, but we didn’t have money pouring out for frivolous things like over-priced shoes that were easily ruined.
I head out of my room, jogging down the stairs on silent feet. Two of the steps creak, but I know which ones they are and easily skip over them. Natalia stands by the marble island, a wide smile on her face and no Brian in sight. She hands me a travel mug. “Here, darling. I made you some coffee. We need to get going so you’re not late for your first day.”
I accept the drink knowing she doesn’t realize shifter metabolism burns through caffeine too quick for it to make a difference to my morning. Back home, I’d makecafé de olla. A spiced coffee sweetened withpiloncillo. But I only drank it for the flavor.
I follow her, scanning the room as I take a sip of the sickly sweet coffee.Yuck.I would have settled for a cup of black coffee and I’m tempted to pour it out and grab a fresh cup. But I don’t. That would berude.
Natalia sees my wandering gaze and answers my unspoken question. “Your father is at the office already. His schedule is pretty full and your arrival wasn’t”—she pauses—“planned.”
I press my lips into a thin line. No, it certainly wasn’t. I bet he loved gettingthatparticular phone call from social services. I’d stayed with Josué’s parents the first week after Mom died while they confirmed my paternity. Dear old Dad had to be sure. I’d hoped to stay with my best friend through my senior year; Josué’s parents had been on board with the idea and while we weren’t in the same Clan, their Alpha was willing to make an exception until I hit eighteen. Then I could move into my own Clan house. But as soon as the test came back confirming Brian Kline is my father, that option was thrown out the window.
