Shattered Ascension

Chapter Three

The rising sun wasn’t a pleasant welcome to the day. She knew the pack would come for her and she felt her freedom slipping out of her fingers. Her mother told her about pack rules and gave her the option to join when she was a girl. Yet, the savory tastes of freedom called to her. She didn’t need to be weighed down by the responsibility that came with being a wolf. Sawyer knew she had a mind of her own and her mother said the pack wouldn’t bode well with her stubborn attitude.

She kicked off her covers and stood. Anger burned in her chest and stomach as the events of yesterday raced through her mind. The wolf was toying with her, but she didn’t know why. He almost seemed surprised by her change, but he would have known she was a wolf.

She sauntered into the kitchen and grabbed a hardboiled egg out from the fridge. She put a piece of bread in the toaster and grabbed a plate from the cabinet before slapping a slice of cheese on the small dish. Ruby said to come in a couple hours late and she was more than happy to oblige. When the toaster popped, she placed the bread on the plate, then the egg, and lastly the cheese. If it wasn’t in that particular order the sandwich would fall apart.

When would they come for her? Goosebumps ran up her arm as the dish clattered in the sink. She’d wash it later. She moved to the dresser and pulled on her dark blue jeans and a purple blouse. She pulled her long red hair into a bun before grabbing her purse and walking out the door.

The short walk had her on edge. The bakery felt far, and she expected a wolf to jump out from every alley. Every noise caused her to tense. When her hand rested on the doorknob of the bakery she sighed. Her travel was wolf-free, aside from her. She walked into the store and smiled when she saw Ruby behind the counter, she was resting her stomach on the counter.

Ruby’s brown eyes rested on her. “About time,” she said with a smile on her pale lips. “You can take over.” She hobbled over to a nearby table and sat. “Curt burnt the first batch.”

“What? He never burns them,” Sawyer said, her voice light.

“We had a late night.” She wiggled her brow at me.

“TMI Ruby.” Sawyer laughed as she walked behind the counter. Soon people would pile in for breakfast, like they usually did around eight AM.

Ruby laughed. “Don’t you want to settle down?”

Sawyer shook her head. “Eventually. I’ve still got time though.” She hadn’t been in any serious relationships for a couple of years now. All the men she dated weren’t quite right. Either, they were overly involved suffocating her or they were too aloof. She was sick of the dating scene. Maybe it was the small town and lack of eligible bachelors that caused her singleness. Whatever it was, she didn’t care that much. She was happy with her life as it was.

“Twenty-three is the new eighty,” Ruby said with a raised brow.

Sawyer frowned as she looked over at her friend. “Thanks,” she said, her voice flat. Ruby was only a few years older than her, but she was married at eighteen. Sawyer couldn’t imagine being tied down that young.

“I’m just trying to help. You have a man chasing you and plenty more to choose from.” Ruby half smiled at her. Sawyer knew she meant well, but sometimes this topic irritated her. She wasn’t concerned with getting a man or getting married. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to get married.

Ruby was a great person, but she had a small-town mentality. It seemed as though the goal of every woman in this small town was to get married and start popping out babies. Though Sawyer spent most of her life in this small Massachusetts town, it didn’t mean she had the same goals. Her parents made sure she saw and knew about the world beyond the confines of Austin, MA.

“I appreciate your concern,” Sawyer said. “But I doubt I’ll die alone. I’ll at least get a dog.” She laughed and Ruby snorted. Sawyer wasn’t worried about her future or love life. If she wanted, she could get a man, but she didn’t.

A bang sounded from the back room. Sawyer and Ruby locked wide eyes. “I’ll check on him,” Ruby said as she slowly pushed herself off the chair.

“You can’t even bend down.” Sawyer frowned as Ruby hobbled toward her.

“Moral support.” She gave Sawyer two thumbs up before disappearing behind the door that led to the kitchen.

“Moral support,” Sawyer scoffed followed by a short laugh. The jingle sounded and Sawyer turned to face the door. “Crap,” she muttered.

A tall man with silver hair walked in. His muscles rippled through his tight-fitting white shirt. His brow was furrowed as his steel gray eyes watched her. For an older man, he was attractive. His long square face and pristine jawline would knock the socks off any girl, except her. He was the beta of the pack and he took no prisoners.

“Miss Valentine.” His deep voice sent shivers down her spine. “I’ll take a green tea and your company.” He motioned toward a table by the window, the place Reece always sat.

“Coming right up,” Sawyer said as she moved to the coffee machine. The water quickly boiled, and she poured it into the cup before adding the tea. She didn’t understand why people enjoyed green tea, to her, it tasted like grass. With cup in hand, she walked over to the table and sat across from him.

He took the cup from her and sniffed it before taking a sip. She hadn’t poisoned it, the thought of adding a sleep aid had cross her mind though.

“You hardly seem surprised by my visit,” he said.

“We both know why you’re here, Brom,” Sawyer said, the annoyance in her voice was evident as she spoke.

He half smiled at her. “It was all a guessing game.” He leaned back in the seat. “When you’d screw up. Honestly, we were surprised you lasted this long.”

“Had you done a better job keeping strays out, I wouldn’t be in the mess,” she snapped, feeling a growl rising in her.

Brom chuckled. “There were no rogues.” He took another sip of his drink. “You violated the agreement and must pay the consequences.”

Sawyer clenched her hands and took a deep breath. “I saved your pack members life.” A low growl escaped her.

“Regardless, rules are rules. We appreciate your help, though unsanctioned.” His gray eyes were bright as he spoke. He was glad she screwed up. To them, she was a loose end. They’d attempted to get her to join their pack countless times and each time she turned them down.

Now she had two options, comply with their rules and regulations or leave. He was beaming with pride, thinking he’d won the fiery red head. Brom had been waiting for this moment when she’d be forced to choose a side. Despite her low status, she’d be a valuable asset to the pack. Her mother was renown, until she married way beneath her. He saw the same spark in her that her mother had. However, he was more pleased by the fact the ridiculous agreement would end. He disagreed with his alpha when she approved the arrangement with the Valentine’s.

“Would you have rather I have left the child to die?” She crossed her arms, she was fighting a losing battle, but pushed forward nonetheless. Her throat tightening at the thought of joining the pack. Rules being force fed to her. Her chest ached as her freedom pulled away.

“You wouldn’t have, Sawyer,” he said, and he was right. Sawyer would never have let anything happen to the girl. “Your conscience betrays you.”

“Screw you, Brom.” She gritted her teeth. “I want to talk to the alpha.

Brom laughed but ignored her request. “The agreement said that only a single shift is required. The reason behind the shift is a moot point. You have two choices.” He placed the cup on the table and leaned forward. “Join the pack.” He smiled. “Or leave. You have two weeks to get all of your belongings out of town.” His mouth was a straight line after he finished speaking.

“Two weeks.” Sawyer’s eyes widened. She could ditch her belongings and start over. She didn’t have much so it wouldn’t be difficult.

He pushed the chair back and stood. “Pleasure talking with you.” He placed a couple dollars on the table before heading toward the door. He paused before walking out and looked back at her. “You have twenty-four hours to decide what you’re doing.”

“Get out,” she said with a growl. She didn’t want to see the smug smile on his face. When the door closed, she stood and turned. He was gone but her problems remained.

Ruby opened the kitchen door with a tray half full of muffins and cookies. “Mind helping me with these?” She asked. Sawyer nodded and moved over to her. Ruby gave her the tray and stepped out from behind the counter. “I can’t reach the lower shelves.”

“No surprise there,” Sawyer said, her tone sharp. The decision weighing on her shoulders made it difficult to tease Ruby.

“What crawled up yo-”

“Nothing,” Sawyer snapped, her agitation growing. “Just a bad customer, that’s all.”

“Nothing like one jerk to throw off your whole day,” Ruby spoke quietly.

Sawyer let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” She stood she turned to face Ruby.

“I know. Totally forgiven.” Ruby smiled at her before heading toward the table behind her. Sometimes Sawyer wondered why she even showed up for work. She spent most of the time sitting at the table and handing off work to Curt and her.

“I need your opinion.” Sawyer leaned on the counter. “What if I moved?”

Ruby’s eyes slowly widened. “You better not. I can’t survive with these people without you.” She rested her arms across her swollen stomach. “I hate these people. You are the only one I tolerate.” These people were her family and “friends.” Ruby wasn’t fond of many people and had a hard time hiding her distaste for them.

“You could come with,” Sawyer said.

“If I weren’t pregnant fat, sore, or married I’d take you up on your offer.” Ruby brushed her hair out of her face. “I am not going anywhere for a long time.”

“So, you think it’s a bad idea?”

“Terrible. Worse than the tomato muffin idea you had.” She scrunched up her face. Ruby asked for new and unique flavours and Sawyer had provided a list of different edible things to put in them. Ruby disliked all of the said ideas, but tried one, just to humor Sawyer. It didn’t end well.

“Some people like things like that,” Sawyer said. She still hadn’t decided what to do. She didn’t want to leave everything and everyone she knew, but was her freedom truly worth losing everything she’d grown to love? “I need to go do something.” Sawyer dashed out the door before Ruby had time to respond.

He looked extremely pleased when she called his name. Brom crossed his arms as Sawyer approached him. His black Corvette was only a few steps away from him and she was glad she caught him before he’d left. The last place she wanted to be was at the pack house to surrender her freedom and humanity.

“Come to a decision at last?” He asked. She wanted to punch him and scream at him, tell him to screw himself and that she was leaving forever. He could eat her dust as she zoomed out of this stupid small town and away from the idiotic wolves.

“I’m staying,” Sawyer said, her tone shaky as she spoke. She hoped she wouldn’t regret giving up her privileges for Ruby and Curt.

He grinned. “That wasn’t so hard.” He chuckled. “We will be expecting you tonight at the house. We will prepare everything you need to know.” He moved toward the car. “And, it’s joining.” He narrowed his gray eyes at her, picky at her word choice.

She didn’t want to speak those words. She didn’t want to say she was ‘joining’ because it meant that nothing would be like it was. She truly lost the ability to do whatever her heart desired. “I’m staying,” she repeated with a growl.

“I’ll let you disrespect me this once because you’re an ignorant mutt, but when you join, everything will change,” Brom said as he opened the door. “You will learn to watch your tongue. The alpha will not tolerate it.” He stepped in the car before driving off.

When she walked back inside the bakery her stomach burned with anger. Pack mentality felt like a hive mind. She prided herself on her loose lips, her ability to say whatever she wanted without consequence. Not even her parents could control her defiant mind. One would learn and it wouldn’t be her.