CHAPTER 1
RAVEN’S POV
I was jogging through the woods around our territory when I knew I was approaching the packhouse again for the second time this morning.
I planned on running straight past, but that was before my 27-year-old Adam came out onto the front veranda.
“RAVEN!” He yelled, so loud it caused all the birds to fly off of their trees and away from the packhouse.
I jogged up towards the house and he was standing there with a ferocious look on his face like he was ready to attack me.
“What crawled up your ass?” I asked.
“What the f**k are you doing out here?” He asked.
“It’s 6am in the morning. I’m jogging. Like I always do at 6am in the morning.” I said, like I was pointing out the obvious.
“You know that we have a lot to do today. We are having a party tonight. It’s not just a party, it’s a f*****g black tie ball and I just found this dress on your bed.” He said, throwing a black off the shoulder party dress on the ground.
So I stomped over and picked up my dress and started wiping the dirt off of it.
But Adam jumped over the side of the veranda and landed behind me and grabbed me around the back of my neck.
“Don’t think for one second that you are wearing that piece of trash dress tonight.” Adam growled in my ear.
Without hesitation, I threw my elbow back and plunged it straight into his stomach and he fell back enough so I could turn around, but he still had my hair in his grasp, so I punched him in the face and kneed him in the stomach before he fell down, taking a chunk of my hair with him. So I leaned over and got in his face.
“I don’t give a s**t if you are the next Alpha of this f*****g pack Adam. Stay the f**k out of my way and stay the f**k out of my room.” I said.
I stormed into the house and upstairs to the fourth floor.
When I got to my room I slammed the door and locked it. Not that it would be able to keep a werewolf out, but it might give everyone the idea that I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.
I went into my ensuite bathroom, had a shower and washed my hair.
When I got out of the shower I dried myself off and my ass length snow blonde hair with streaks of blue through it.
I wrapped a towel around me and I went to the walk in robe where I got dressed into a pair of jeans, a black singlet top and a black leather jacket with boots. And I made sure that my opal pendant was straight on its long gold chain that hung down around my stomach. The last thing that my mother ever gave me.
I grabbed my bag and I went downstairs and the dining room was full of people.
I sat at the very end, which is where I ‘belonged’ apparently but once I looked up at Adam and saw the bruises I left on his face I had to stop myself from laughing. And he refused to look at me.
“Raven. Don’t forget about tonight. We’re throwing that party. There are going to be a lot of Alpha’s and their people with them.” Dad reminded me.
“Oh yeah. That’s right. You’re trying to find mates for all of my charming older brothers and sisters because they are so lonely.” I said, feigning sympathy for my siblings.
“You will attend and you will be on your best behavior.” Dad warned.
“Sir, yes, sir.” I said, saluting him in true military fashion before I turned around and I walked out of the house.
I walked to school which took me half an hour because it was on the other side of the pack and when I got there my friends were waiting for me outside.
“Hey, it’s about time you got here. We thought you might have gotten into trouble again.” Maddy said.
“No, not yet.” I smirked.
“So, does that mean we are still on for tonight?” Corbin asked.
When we got to my locker we were standing around talking for a bit while I got my books out and we saw a few of the jocks coming down the hall and my other friend Reed tried to get out of his line of sight.
“Hey Reed, hiding behind the Alpha’s daughter isn’t going to work, loser.” Johnny said.
“I wasn’t hiding.” Reed said.
“Who cares if he was?” I asked.
“Because that would make him the biggest wuss in the school. Hiding behind a girl.” Johnny said.
“Well, it beats looking at your ugly mug.” I said.
“Are you really letting a girl fight for you right now?” Johnny asked.
“He’s not letting me do anything. No one has to ask me to stand up to a bully.” I said.
“Well, that just makes him pathetic.” Johnny said, leaning closer to my face.
“Don’t be so humble Johnny, you’re not that great either.” I said.
“At least I don’t hide behind a girl.” He said.
“Yeah, that’s because you’re 200 pounds overweight. There’s no girl around here that you can hide behind.” I said.
My friends tried to cover their mouths and not show that they were laughing, but when he saw that we were creating an audience and he wasn’t going to win an argument against me, he huffed and turned around and walked off.
“He’s gonna get me alone now. And beat the crap out of me.” Reed said.
“Make sure you keep a sharpened pencil in your pocket. It’ll work as a weapon at the last second.” I said.
“Thanks. I’ll do that.” He said.
By lunch time I had tried to stay awake in all of my classes and I was glad to finally be able to get something to eat and we all sat at our usual table.
“So, I saw Adam walking around the school this morning. Showing off a nice black eye and cut lip.” April said.
“So, he’s the one that got to you this morning.” Jake said.
“Why does it matter? I took care of it and there’s nothing you can do to stop the future Alpha? So there was no point in telling you.” I said.
“Raven.” Someone said, behind me.
I knew the voice, so I turned around and Adam was standing there looking down at me and all of my friends.
I heard all my friends stiffen in their chairs and I glared at him.
“What the f**k are you doing here?” I asked.
But he grabbed my arm and lifted me off the chair and dragged me out of the cafeteria and out of the school building altogether, until we were standing out the front of the building.
“Get off of me weirdo.” I yelled, yanking my arm back.
But he slapped me across the face without any warning.