Scum (Book 1)

6. Breadwinner

Cheyenne’s POV



My punishment hasn’t been as bad as I thought it’d be, because Alpha Liam actually hurt me, and I truly needed time to recover. I almost couldn’t go to school the next morning because of the pain, but I forced myself through it, and four days later, I feel well enough not to wince every time I get up.

Honestly, this situation has been more like a vacation, and while I feel bad about not being able to help my family, this couldn’t have come at a more crucial time. The amount of extra credit assignments I’ve been able to turn in have my teachers impressed, and I have successfully been exempted from my A&P final.

Still, I’m not used to sitting around and doing nothing, so I have been walking around the territory, finding quiet places to sit and study with my brand-new laptop. It’s like I have a library at my fingertips, so if I need clarification on something, I can easily look it up, which is extremely helpful.

Liam’s POV

I was tired after yet another few hours of lecture from my father about ‘abusing’ women. He doesn’t understand why I’ve partnered males and females for sparring, and while a few other girls have gotten hurt, Chey was the most seriously injured, which doesn’t help with my father's attitude.

My father loves her probably just as much as he loves me, and there was even a time when people thought he was going to promote Dallas as alpha, because that’s how fond of the man he is.

Sadly, those wild imaginations caused my father to distance himself from D., not wanting the situation to turn hostile.

Dallas is one of my best friends, and would make an amazing gamma, but he’s not interested in recovering his family’s lost honor. All he cares about is being a good pack member and son.

However, those rumors were widely spread enough to damage the relationship between him and Kelvin, and so far, we haven’t been able to go back to how it used to be.

Thinking of Dallas, I catch a whiff of him and Cheyenne’s scent, but when I approach, it’s just the girl, who as usual is wearing her brother’s clothes.

Her arm is still in a sling, which I feel terrible about, so I feel the need to apologize again, but I’m also unwilling to disturb her.

It’s rare to see the girl sitting in one place, and honestly, she looks a little healthier, which I can attribute to the ‘punishment’ I gave her.

I’ve forgotten that Cheyenne is a pack fighter, who regularly works the patrols, and although she can’t see me, she’s looking in my direction, fully on guard.

“Who’s there?” Cheyenne hasn’t come into her wolf, so she can’t smell me the way I can smell her.

Before our first shift, we are just like any other human, but after, our abilities are heightened. However, before that, our wolves ‘come in,’ meaning that we can mentally communicate with them.

I was seventeen when that happened, and with it, I noticed that I was faster and stronger. I wonder when Chey’s wolf will emerge, because I would love to spar against her when it does.

“You’re in my spot,” I say, making Chey gasp. She starts frantically packing, drawing my mind to the conversation I overheard. “Stop,” I command, making the girl freeze. “I haven’t claimed this area; I just like coming here to unwind.”

“I’ll get out of your way then.”

“There’s enough room for both of us. Stay; I can lean against another tree.”

“I wouldn’t want to disturb you, alpha.”

“Chey, can you please stop being so formal with me? Your brother is one of my best friends, and honestly the way you act toward me makes me feel like a jerk. You’re practically my little sister.”

“I’m sorry alpha, but I am rankless. I won’t embarrass you or this pack by dropping your title.”

“So, you’re willing to be disrespectful because you don’t want to be disrespectful?” Chey looks up at me wearing such a confused expression that I burst into laughter, embarrassing the poor girl. “All I’m asking is for you to relax around me. No need to always be on guard; just treat me the way you treat my father.”

“Like an uncle?” Chey questions, and not seeing the problem, I nod.

She relaxes again, and just like I said, I sit against another tree, but curiosity soon overtakes me, and I move closer to see what she’s working on.

It’s definitely schoolwork, and I find myself a little bit disappointed that she isn’t stalking people on social media like most people our age.

“Do you do anything fun?” I question, slightly feeling bad for the girl.

“I’ll have fun when I’m older,” she replies, and I find myself snatching her laptop from her. “Have I done something wrong, alpha?”

“Yes,” I practically shout. “Cheyenne, you’re a pack warrior; what happens if you never make it to ‘older?’”

“It’s my duty to die for my pack,” she replies, and while she’s serious, I laugh at her. “Alpha?”

“Cheyenne, you are a sixteen-year-old girl who hasn’t even come into her wolf yet. Why are you talking to me like a battle-hardened old man?”

“I’m pretty strong.” I start laughing louder, tickled by the conclusion the girl's mind drew; she isn’t weak, she’s just not what I described.

As I’m laughing, I notice that Chey’s hair is short, she dresses like Dallas, and she has not a feminine bone in her body.

“You should have been a boy.”

“I know,” she says with a smile. “There are more opportunities for men in this pack than for women.”

“I’m trying to fix that,” I add, becoming serious because that’s exactly what I’ve been noticing and want to change. “When I’m alpha, there will be more opportunities for women in this pack, and becoming a nurse won’t be at the top of the list.” Chey frowns, and it’s then that I remember that she’s studying in the field I just inadvertently put down.

“I want to become a nurse,” she whispers. “It’s a lucrative field, with lots of opportunity for growth. I’m the top female fighter in this pack, and I could become an instructor, but I want to help more people than I hurt.”

“That’s good to know,” I reply, actually relieved that the girl’s parents aren’t forcing her. “I just thought you would have preferred something more physical.”

“Find your Luna and hire me to protect her.” I laugh at the girl’s shameless plug, and I promise that I’ll consider her before anyone else. “In the meantime, can I please finish my homework?” Chey holds out her hands, and I return her laptop, hoping she listens to me.

Cheyenne’s POV

Being in my alpha’s personal space is something I’ve been thoroughly warned against, and I feel extremely awkward sitting close to him right now. I focus on my work, not wanting to make eye contact with the man, but my heart is beating so hard I feel like he can hear it.

“Do you do anything fun?” I’m not about to tell my alpha that his top female fighter watches beauty and hair tutorials for fun, especially because being his Luna’s escort is my backup plan. I can’t have him thinking I’m too weak to hold the position, even if it may be years away.

“I’ll have fun when I’m older,” I reply, and that results in my laptop being taken away. My eyes go wide, and I look up at the alpha, wondering what I did wrong.

He starts talking about me dying, and while that’s a possibility, the same is true for every member of this pack, not just the ones who fight.

Somehow the conversation becomes about my age and gender, and alpha Liam promises to change the way things in the pack are, which wouldn’t just be good for me, but for other women who are overlooked for scholarships.

My mother says it’s because she-wolves get pregnant too often, and after having pups, they tend to stay home with them, so investing in our education is considered a waste, but that mindset is poisonous if you ask me.

I’ve mostly been looked after by my father and brother growing up, so I know that men are just as capable of raising their babies as women are. The only downside may be that fathers are too easy to sucker.

For example, I told my father that I wanted the same haircut he gave Dallas, and he actually allowed it, almost causing a slaughter within our home when my mother came home and saw me.

It’s been two years since then, but my hair is growing back, and just in time because I overheard some of my classmates talking about their preferences in women, and none of them specified shoulder length hair.

Hopefully, I will have a mate who won’t care, but the thought of not looking feminine enough for him is kind of worrying, especially since, even Nora, has started to pay more attention to her physical appearance.

Like me, she was never really into what other people thought about her, but she told me that with eighteen only months away for her, she wants to make sure that her mate has no reason to reject her, a real possibility for women like us.

Wolves care about two things: genetics, and rank, and neither of us are highly sought-after girls. That’s why she and I work as hard as we do, because rejection is a real possibility. We both planned to fall back on our education, which has slowly slipped from Nora’s grasp after her denied application.

Now, she’s working on herself as a person, trying hard to keep her grades respectable so that she can become a medical assistant to the pack’s current head nurse. For her, there’s no other option, whereas for me, I can still turn to my fighting skills, something Nora isn’t exactly bad at, but has never been interested in.

Like her father, she believes that many issues can be talked about and worked through without violence, but sadly, that isn’t always the case. On numerous occasions, I’ve had to shove a few high school bullies who thought they were going to make my eccentric and passive friend a target.

I won’t say that I’m popular in school, but people know not to try me, because I absolutely will end the conversation with my fists.

“Find your Luna and hire me to protect her,” I reply, refocusing on my alpha, instead of falling deeper into my thoughts. He starts laughing, and I smile at him.

“Chey, you’re a weird girl.”