The Price Of Power

Chapter 1

"Natalie! Wake up! You're going to be late for school!" my mom shouted, banging open my bedroom door loudly. "What are you doing still in bed? You have to be at school in twenty minutes!"

"I'm enjoying my last morning before I'm eighteen," I told her, keeping my eyes shut as she threw back the curtains, letting the morning light come streaming in through the window.

"It's really not the end of the world," my mom huffed. "Now get dressed; your dad made breakfast."

She closed the door with a loud click, thundering down the stairs and turning on loud music so I couldn't go back to sleep. Groaning, I removed the covers and climbed out of my warm bed. Spring was almost here; the snow had melted. It was that fun time of year when you needed a sweater and long pants in the morning, but you were too hot by the afternoon. There were only a few months left of school, and then I would be done and learning what it meant to take over this pack.

I dressed quickly, the scent of bacon wafting up the stairs and creeping under my closed door. I never missed an opportunity to get breakfast made for me by my dad. Plus, if my Uncle Caleb was coming over, I needed to get down there quickly, or nothing wouldn't be left. Swinging my backpack over my shoulder, I took one last look in my vanity mirror positioned against the wall of my walk-in closet. My blue eyes looked piercing against the contrast of my pale skin and red hair, pulled half up so the bottom half hit halfway between my shoulders. The two things I got the most compliments on were my eyes and my hair. Since I could remember, people would stop me and tell me how stunning my eyes were and how they were just like my dad's. The same thing happened with my hair, especially when it was slightly curled; older women would fawn over it and say how lucky I was to have such beautiful hair passed down to me.

Heading down the stairs, the music was still blasting when I entered the living room and the kitchen where my parents were cooking together. I watched in horror as my dad went up behind my mom and smacked her a** as she was washing dishes in the sink. She laughed and used her powers to spray him in the face with water, causing him to grin and go in to grab her.

"Goddess! I'm right here!" I yelled out the pounding beat of the music. They turned around to look at me, too distracted by each other to notice I was in the room.

"Sorry honey," my mom shouted, pointing at the volume dial on the stereo and using her telekinesis to turn it down. Setting back my backpack next to my chair, I sat at the island, and my dad started putting waffles and bacon on a plate for me.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" my dad asked, sliding the plate across the counter at me. Looking down at the food, I swallowed and tried to find words to answer him. That's what everyone kept asking me at home and school. Was I excited for my birthday tomorrow, when I would turn eighteen, receive my wolf, and discover what this big secret was all about? Before I could muster up a fake smile, there was a banging on our door. Without an answer, it flew open, and in came my Uncle Caleb, Aunt Danny, and cousin Aria.

"Sweet! Just in time for breakfast!" Caleb cheered, nearly running towards the sizzling pan on the stove. Aria slid into the seat beside me, giving me a soft smile. Aria had turned eighteen eight months ago, received her wolf, and found her mate all in one day. Her mates were Ladreo and Josh's adoptive son, Harrison, who was the same age as us but slightly older like Aria. It was strange to see them apart since they had been joined at the hip ever since.

"Morning," she grumbled. My dad was sliding another plate across the counter to her, and my mom was trying to shove Caleb from the kitchen.

"Caleb, let the kids eat," my Aunt Danny barked, clicking her tongue and sounding so like her mom that it was scary.

"So, how's the almost birthday girl?" Caleb asked, ripping a piece of bacon from the frying pan and running before my mom could stop him. She could have easily knocked him on his a** with her powers, but she never did when he was involved.

"Um, I'm fine," I said, taking a large bite of my waffle so I didn't have to answer anymore.

"Girls, eat quickly; you're going to be late," Danny said, standing on the other side of the island with my parents.

"It's not like we're going to get in trouble," Aria replied, cutting her breakfast before eating it. It was true; no one wanted to punish the Alpha's daughter, whose mom was also primordial. That didn't mean I was allowed to slack off or misbehave; my parents had raised me knowing I would one day lead this pack and that rules were meant to be followed but also bent when needed.

"That doesn't mean you can be late or cause trouble; you are both held to a higher standard than that," her mom scoffed, shaking her head as my dad handed her a plate of food. Another knock on the door cut off her scolding, which would have continued. My uncle was the fun parent who didn't care if we came home past curfew or forgot to test when we got somewhere, but my aunt was the hammer; she had to be. My dad went to open the door, and it was Harrison standing on the other side.

"Hello, Alpha," he said, bowing his head to my dad. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Not at all, we're just having breakfast," my dad told him, opening the door wider to let him come inside. "Do you want something? I'm sure your dad's already fed you, but we have plenty to go around."

"Not anymore!" Caleb shouted from the kitchen, elbow-deep in this third waffle. Both my mom and Danny rolled their eyes at the same time, huffing out in annoyance.

"I'm not hungry, but that you, Alpha," Harrison replied politely, standing beside Aria, who was smiling.

"How are your parents?" my mom asked, smacking Caleb with her spatula as he tried to grab another piece of bacon from the pan.

"They're good, Luna," Harrison said. "I think my dad is already on his way to the office, and my other dad had an early morning training session with Justin."

"Yeah, we have that in-person meeting today that everyone is required to attend," my mom said, putting the bacon pan in the sink. "I should probably get going for that, too."

"And we should get going for school," Harrison said. "Word is that we will be getting a new student today. I snapped my head to my parents.

"You didn't tell me that," I said, tilting my head. They usually told me if we were getting a new pack member or members. My parents changed glances before my dad spoke.

"Yeah, we're getting a new pack member, just one. He's from the Lycan pack out west, Harvest Shadow. The son of their Alpha has gotten himself into some trouble, so we've agreed to take him on here to see if we can't straighten him out. His parents think that with Sierra's powers, he might think twice before causing trouble."

"If Lycan parents can't control him, how is Aunt Sierra supposed to be any better?" Aria asked, taking another bite of her breakfast.

"Because Lycans don't have kick** powers," Caleb commented, mouth full of food. Danny came and gently smacked him upside the head. "Ouch!"

"Manners!" she hissed. Caleb only rolled his eyes and returned to shoving another waffle into his mouth.

"We should go, though; school starts in a couple of minutes," Arai said, hopping off her stool and slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

"Alright," I replied, doing the same.

"Have a good day!" our parents called after us as Aria took Harrison's hand, and we walked out the door. Our school was only a two-minute walk from our cottage; as people liked to call it, the mansion was more like it. My mom told me how my late grandfather had built it for them secretly and gifted it to them right after he died. My grandma Maria was now the principal of our school, and being the Alpha's daughter, with a primordial mom and the granddaughter of the school principal, put a giant weight on my shoulders.

That's how I felt pretty much since I could remember. My parents had always told me I was unique and had a great destiny ahead of me. They neglected to tell me why I was special, always saying I would find out when I was older. Well, one day away from turning eighteen, I still had no idea why I was so special. I didn't have powers like my mom or was a great warrior like my dad, yet they always said I had a bright future and would tell me everything one day. They even started me training with my Great Aunt Andrea on magic, which seemed strange considering I had no magic, but at sixteen, I had started lessons with her. The fear that I was wolfless was always in my mind. What a turn of events that would be, the daughter of a powerful primordial and Alpha wolf, wolfless.

The constant onslaught of hearing what I would one day know was frustrating. If they tried to keep it from me for so long, it couldn't be good, right? I didn't feel special, didn't feel like I deserved all this praise and attention from them. What if I didn't want to lead this pack? What if I didn't want to be some special wolf and find my mate? I would never say these to them, especially as their only child. It was my job to find my mate and lead this pack, at least lead this pack; I didn't have to be mated for that. I felt a menacing presence approaching while putting some books in my green locker. Looking to my left, I saw Gabriella stalking toward me, flanked on either side by her cronies, Caroline and Sadie. Rolling my eyes, I shut my locker, knowing there was no hiding from her.

"Hey, girl," she cooed, leaning up against the locker next to mine and giving me a coy but fake smile.

"Gabriella, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked, putting my bag back on my back and preparing to walk to my next class. Gabriella was as fake as you could get, pretending to be my friend. I thought doing so was going to give her some advantage after graduation since I was the Alpha's daughter.

"You're so funny, listen," she said, examining her long red fingernails. "With your party tomorrow, I was wondering if you were taking anyone as a date?"

"No, I'm not taking anymore," I told her flatly, trying to take a couple of steps around her, but she only pushed off the locker and began following me.

"That's so sad," she replied mockingly as she pushed her bottom lip out in a pout. "If that new Lycan kid is hot, he'll want to take me."

"If you can snag a Lycan, go for it," I told her, looking for Aria or Harrison, anyone to get me out of this conversation.

Gabriella was the second daughter of one of our warriors, Dylan. She was the head b*tch at our school, and everyone wanted to be her friend, everyone that is except for me. I didn't care for all the fuss and attention she expected to follow her. I had enough attention at home from my parents and people wanting to be my friend only for their benefit, which is where she fell. I wasn't rude to her because there was no reason to be, but I also didn't stand by and watch her bully people either.

"What are you looking at, omega?" she barked at a small brown-haired girl who was looking at her from her place pressed against the lockers.

"Leave her alone," I shot. "She wasn't doing anything."

"You need to make sure you put them in their place," Gabriella scoffed. "They need to know who's at the top and who's at the bottom."

"I believe you're in the middle," I growled, watching her face fall and her nostrils flare angrily. She stopped, and I kept walking down the hall, turning into my classroom, where I saw Ipri and Justin's son Soran. He waved at me, his pointed ears showing under his shaggy dark brown hair, his dark skin nearly identical to his father's. He had been born a few months after I was, making him only slightly younger.

"How's it going?" he asked as I sat behind him.

"Good, I just had a fantastic encounter with Gabriella and her followers. She already has her sights set on the new kid, and he isn't even here yet," I said, unzipping my bag and pulling out my notebook and pencil.

"That's Good. Maybe he can distract her so she leaves us alone once in a while," he replied with a charming smile.

Our teacher called the class to attention, and our conversation was halted. I had always liked Soran. He was kind and gentle, probably due to having Ipri as his mom. She instilled in him a respect for the earth and Mother Nature. He had Ipri's pixie healing ability, and we were waiting to see if he would have a wolf or if he was more pixie. Their family situation was interesting; Ipri and Justin also had a third in their mix with Maralina. Their relationship was always talked about, but they didn't let it bother them, especially not with the support of my parents. Soran and I flirted most days, but nothing had ever happened between us, though I wouldn't have been mad if it did. I could see a promising future with him if I never found my mate.

Our history class ended, and Soran walked me to my locker, leaning against the one next to mine casually while I changed my books for the next class. I hadn't seen much of Aria or Harrison since this morning, but they were probably making out somewhere, completely oblivious that anyone else was around. That's always what seems to happen when someone meets their mate; they forget about everyone else. My parents had told me the stories of what they went through before I was born. Almost getting ripped apart by another Alpha. My dad nearly died the same night my grandfather had, and my mom was only allowed to save one of them. Hear how my grandmother had never been the same since he died like a part of her died with him. I didn't know if I wanted that, wanted to be that devoted to someone where if they passed, I would never be the same again. It seemed ridiculous to have a bond that was insatiable with someone.

"Nat, did you hear me?" Soran said, eyebrows raised.

"What?" I asked, shaking my head clear of my thoughts to stare into his light violet eyes, which his mom had given him.

"I said, I know you're having your birthday party this weekend, and I'll be there, but I wanted to know if you wanted to go, you know, together?" he asked, glancing down at the floor before back up to me.

"Oh," I replied, taken off guard by his question. "Sure, I'd love to go with you." He smiled wide, showing his perfectly straight white teeth.

"Great, it's a date," he told me.

Suddenly, a hush fell over the hallway, completely silent, as if someone had turned the volume off. Looking around, I furrowed my brow, trying to figure out what had made everyone go quiet. My question was answered when I saw a tall and muscular man sauntering me down the hallway. Tall was an understatement; he had to be over six foot five and enough muscles poking out of his paper-thin white shirt to crush someone in seconds. He seemed to radiate dark light like it was flowing out of his skin and casting a shadow around him. His black hair was styled perfectly, so it fell to one side effortlessly. The brown eyes started down the hallway with contempt, like he didn't want any part of this place.

His hands, which were in the pockets of his dark jeans, did not hold a backpack or book. The closer he got, the quieter the hall became. As he walked past where Soran and I stood, I saw him glance sideways at me, catching my gaze, but his face remained a mask of boredom. My breath caught in my throat, but my face stayed blank, and no thought was gone from me. Once he had gotten past, the hallway began to chatter again, people's voices returning in hushed whispers as they all talked about the Lycan that had just walked by.

"I guess that's the new guy," Soran commented, looking at me, who was still staring down the hallway after him.

"Looks like it," I said, clearing my throat and closing my locker.