AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
Pearl
Some might have said I had a death wish since I walk alone through the forest to my house every night. They would have been right, but they didn’t understand that it was a balm to my soul. The solitary stroll calmed my wolf and me as we made our way to our childhood home that had, sadly, seen better days.
It was home though, and that was what I couldn’t give up.
‘Or won’t.’My wolf grumped, pushing against me until I felt like I’d bust out of my skin.
‘Calm down! We’ll run when we get home.’
She settled a bit, but I could feel her annoyance.
The truth was, the pack ran nightly, but I never joined them. Being ostracized made one leery, but they also kept detailed records of each wolf and its markings. My wolf was all white, and while that wasn’t unusual, it wasn’t common either.
White wolves had a certain stigma about them. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, and the best way to do that was not to run with the others. There was another reason, but I wouldn’t allow myself to think of him. The bastard who betrayed my family to our pack’s alpha to better his own standing. He’d been my best friend, and now just the thought of him made me sick.
My wolf whimpered in my head, not daring to contradict me.
I’d cut him out of my life, and I would be damned if I ever spoke to that son of a bitch again.
My wolf retreated, knowing I wouldn’t be good company with him on my mind.
I let the silent walk do what it had always done—soothe my boiling temper. The moon was high in the sky already, the leaves of the trees casting shadows on the forest floor. I breathed in the scents—leaves and wet dirt, with just a hint of the rain that fell early in the day.
Delicious.
A tingle ran down my spine when my dilapidated home came into view. It had seen better days, but I did what I could to make it livable. It was covered in ivy, like the forest was determined to reclaim it. The windows were dark, but that didn’t bother me. If the lights were on, then I’d be concerned.
Do no harm but take no shit.
That was a phrase I grew up hearing from my father. You thought the thirty-year-old washed-up quarterback was a sad story? It had nothing on my father. He used to be in the upper echelon of the packs. An enforcer.
A century and a half ago, an incredibly strong alpha male changed things. He took the bond away from the alphas of that time and gifted them to the wolves he deemed worthy. He dispersed those who actively worked against him, letting them be absorbed into other packs. He didn’t stop there though. He tasked those wolves with acting as pack enforcers. Basically, spies working toward redemption. They were to remain secret.
It was a good idea in theory, but corruption runs deep in the packs. No one knew who the enforcers were, they just knew they were among the pack. My father had worked his way up the ranks, doing everything he could to show that he was trustworthy and deserving of respect.
Growing up I was repeatedly told not to tell anyone about the history of my father’s side of the family. My siblings and I were careful not to say anything or do anything to make anyone even suspect what we were.
I only told one person. A person who was part of the family. It was the biggest mistake I ever made. Telling Rylan, the person I trusted the most, that my father was an enforcer and that he knew others.
Soon afterward the pack enforcers were stripped of their duty and basically cut out of the pack. I was seven when my father lost his station. My family watched as he wasted away, sitting in his easy chair, drowning his wolf in alcohol and drugs.
I was eleven when he died, sending my mother into a spiral that ended with her taking her own life. Regardless of my father’s actions, he was her mate, and being without him was torture she wasn’t strong enough to handle.
Over the years, my siblings grew up and moved away. Most found mates or love, one even found a human to shack up with, but I didn’t.
The only thing I’d managed to find was a love for reading and a few close friends. They didn’t know my history and never would if I could help it.
I rounded the house, preferring to enter the house through the back door. I set my bag by it then went about stripping my body naked. A shiver moved through me, not from the cool temperature of the season but from pure excitement.
My wolf surged forward again, filling me up until I knew that this time I’d probably burst. The change came, splitting my skin open so my muscles and bones could rearrange themselves into another form. White fur erupted all over my body, causing me to shake off the temporary itchy feeling.
We bounded off the porch, my wolf ecstatic to be free of the confining human skin. I chuckled, receding so she could do what she wanted. I could relate to the trapped feeling. Being alone had felt like a sort of prison that I couldn’t escape. The Moon Spirit only knew how frustrating it was to hold everyone at a distance, always watching my back.
A howl from the pack’s run echoed through the landscape, causing my wolf to freeze and tilt her head. I mentally shook my head at her; we couldn’t go with the others, not yet. She whined in reply but reluctantly agreed with me. It wasn’t time.
A breeze picked up, ruffling our fur and bringing with it an unfamiliar scent. Another wolf had been close. We trotted off into the woods surrounding the house, nose to the ground, following the unfamiliar scent.
