Alpha Riley

Riley “Runts aren’t much better than rogues. I don’t know why you don’t just leave!” Caleb’s face was millimetres away from mine and I knew closing my eyes would just make it worse! When I didn’t respond to his usual threat, he smacked the books right out of my hands before walking away laughing. His friends commented on my choice of clothes which wasn’t new to me as well, while I bent down to pick up my papers that were strewn all over the floor. I could fight him. I could tell him what a bastard he was. I tried that before, but it didn’t end well for me. My parents and siblings turned on me and believed I was to blame for the abuse I had been taking from our pack all my life. I wasn’t like any of them and that fact caused huge fights between my parents, since my dad loved to blame my mother for me. He was convinced I wasn’t his child. My mother blamed me whenever they fought, since it was my fault that I wasn’t born a boy. I was the runt of the omegas of the Ironclaw brotherhood. The youngest sister of six siblings, nobody really liked me. Not even my parents. Not that they had a very high standing in the pack in any case. My four brothers were gamma guards, and they were the pride of our family. Her sister was a spoiled brat that got everything she wanted even though I was the youngest. Nobody had much hope for the young nerdy girl, and they made it abundantly clear. Being bullied by Caleb was part of my daily life. I tried my best to avoid him at all costs, but he somehow always found me. His abuse didn’t end with threats. The one and only time that I reported his behaviour to the Luna after my parents were clearly not going to do anything about it, she told my parents and I had to be punished for speaking against my future alpha. I was continually facing the brunt of Caleb’s cruel jokes, and all that kept me going was the fact that the moon goddess had a destined mate for me out there somewhere. If the moon goddess didn’t care about me, at least I could go out into the world as soon as I turned eighteen and build a life for myself. I made sure I was a straight A student in all of my subjects, since it was my only way out of there if I didn’t find a mate. I stuffed my stuff into my locker and made my way home. Unlike everyone else, I had to walk. I stopped taking the bus the day Caleb’s wannabe girlfriend attacked me. The woman nearly took my eye out because I dared glare at Caleb whenever he started with one of his little tirades! I enjoyed walking home since I could walk through our beautiful forest, and I dreamed of the days when I would be able to run with the rest of the wolves. I knew deep down they wouldn’t let me, but I still hoped they would. Today was going to be that day. My family had forgotten that it was my sixteenth birthday and I would finally be able to shift, but I still hoped that someone would remember. As soon as I got home, I took a shower and changed. I had foolishly convinced myself that the pack had planned a surprise party for me, since they always had a huge celebration for anyone who could finally shift. As I walked into the dining room, however, it quickly became clear that they had all forgotten. I made my way to the back and grabbed a plate, and I was just about to grab some food when a huge growl echoed throughout the room. Everyone went silent, and all eyes turned to Caleb. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him! “Mate!” He growled, but he didn’t look happy, and I was on the verge of tears! Sometimes males felt the bond long before females did. It was usually because they were a little older than the females. He closed the gap between us and tightly gripped my upper arm, making the plate shatter on the floor. “I, Caleb, future alpha of the Ironclaw brotherhood, reject you, Riley, as my mate!” It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. I just gaped at him. I couldn’t feel the bond. I couldn’t reject him. My mind went blank as he dragged me out of the dining room, and we were followed by our parents. From what they were all saying, it was clear that nobody wanted this union. I hadn’t uttered a word. I was in shock. The moon goddess wasn’t indifferent to me. The woman hated me! “I can’t stand the sight of her!” Caleb’s voice echoed, and our parents went silent for a moment. “We will keep her in her room until you decide what you want to do.” In the blink of an eye, my father gripped me the same way Caleb had before, and I was dragged off to my room like a little ragdoll in the arms of a young child. I didn’t know what to say. My parents weren’t going to come to my defence. His parents would never have accepted me even if he did. There couldn’t have been a worse outcome, and I wasn’t even old enough yet to figure out if he really was my mate or not. I considered running, but then I would give them what they all wanted. They could declare me a rogue and that would be that. I looked around my room and realized that I didn’t have much. If I decided to run, it wouldn’t make a huge difference. This was not my home! These people never cared about me! I was scared. I didn’t know what to do and as I looked at the moon just outside my window, I started to shift for the first time. It was incredibly painful. It should have been one of the most precious nights of my entire life, but just like the rest of my life, it wasn’t. Since we could shift at any time, our rooms were reinforced and there was no way I could get out. I wouldn’t even be able to have my first run as a wolf straight after I shifted for the first time. These people stole that one ray of light from me! Caleb stole that one little piece of happiness!