Chapter 1

• The sharp sweet smell of mint wafted into my nostrils as I emerged from the bottom of the lake and I breathed it in greedily.
• Meadow Lake was indeed a gift from the gods because no scenery on earth could match this paradise.
• As I floated on the surface of the water, I couldn't help but admire its skyline silver color.
• The wide span of Tuscany-blue sky, the surrounding hills, the waterfall, and the old giant Douglas fir trees gave me a eureka moment.
• It was here alone that I found solace.
• I closed my eyes to breathe the freshness in and my heart bobbed at my most cherished sound, the shimmering emptiness of space.
• Exactly this day, about seventeen years ago, I lost Mother.
• I never got to meet her because I was the cause of her death.
• She died birthing me and rumor has it that that day was foreseen by pack mother to be a day of atrocity. The elders of the pack said while mother was in labor, pack mother refused to tend to her, instead, she kept howling "Katára" repeatedly
• while pointing at mother until she put to birth.
• As for my father, no one, not even the all-knowing alpha of the pack knew who he was and he never came to find me.
• I was alone in a pack filled with the worst mix of people who had no human empathy left in them.
• Each day had its own narrative whether it was humiliation or thrashing, I always got it coming.
• And I blame it on my physique no surprise; I mean I was a magnet for torment.
• My pale skin and small statue screamed “come get me” and no matter how frivolous the incident,
• it will always end up in me being beaten to near death.
• Everyone in the pack had at one point in time partaken in this act except Tyler, our Alpha.
• But what’s the point of being an Alpha when you have no idea that one of yours is tortured routinely?
• At this point in my life, I just felt dejected and I learned to enjoy the pain inflicted by every blow, kick or strangle.
• It all felt like a fit punishment for what I did to mother.
• I felt very distant from my wolf since my transformation and as each day passes, I feel more distant from her.
• “Look who we have here”, an annoyingly familiar voice interrupted my peace jolting me back to reality.
• “Little Miss Kaya sneaked out for a me time,” the voice added.
• Without looking in that direction I knew that voice belonged to Luta, beside him were Jeremy and Danni and they were all Betas.
• No one in our pack dared to cross the trios as they were well known for their ruthless nature. And unfortunately, I was their punching bag.
• The trios dived into the lake and as they made their way toward me, I held my breath bracing for the worst.
• It was evident on their faces that they could sense the mixture of fear and hatred that poured out of me. The smirk on Luta’s face confirmed it all.
• “Mind if we join in… Key,” Jeremy teased as they circled me.
• “I was just about to take my leave” I croaked attempting to swim towards the shoreline.
• Just I as turned to make a run for it, I felt a piercing pain on my wrist followed by a vicious tug plunging me deep into the lake.
• My heart raced and my chest tightened as Luta squeezed the breath out of me.
• I kicked my legs furiously to escape but his strong hands were safely secured around my neck.
• I decided that this was it me so I calmed and waited for him to get it over with. In the darkness, head downward, while I paused, I felt a slow torrent of water going up my nose.
• ‘This is it, Kaya.’
• I thought to myself as I slowly drifted away, incapable of determining whether I was breathing in or out.
• Unexpectedly, I felt an unbelievable relief of being hauled to the water's surface causing me to forcefully cough and gasps for air at the same time.
• As I regained strength, I looked up to see the blue glow in their eyes as they stared at me.
• “Don’t you ever turn your back on me you bitch”, Luta growled.
• “The next time you disrespect us like that will be the last breath we will breathe the same air. Get the hell out of my sight, you freak!”. Spat Jeremy.
• I mustered the little strength left in me and swam for an exit.
• Every stroke towards the shoreline felt like a step towards death itself.
• I never understood why I was treated terribly by the people in my pack.
• Every passing day left a scar both physically and mentally draining the life out of me.
• And I believe that’s the reason I have failed to connect with my wolf side.
• I made it out of the lake and dashed towards the massive packhouse situated uphill and without looking at where I was going, I bumped into what felt like a wall. Everything froze at that instant and I think I heard one of the trios curse under his breath.
• I regrettably looked up to see the scariest yet intoxicating golden eyes stare back at me.
• It was Alpha Tyler, the first True Alpha in our clan who killed the preceding Alpha of the clan.
• Rumor has it that Tyler was a Beta and he single-handedly defeated Zerx, the last remaining Eta in our settlement. Tyler was indeed feared by all wolves in our clan most especially me.
• This is the first I stood this close to him. He, well, was different from everyone else.
• He wasn't necessarily handsome in the traditional sense, but he had a look that might make him stick out in a crowd. He was light-colored, nearly white.
• His light-toned face contrasted brilliantly with his unfathomable, golden-brown eyes.
• If you stared into his eyes for a while, you could become lost in them since they were so expressive and profound. He had that expression on his face that is indescribable in words, almost like a trace of pain in his sparkling eyes but it went away just as quickly.
• "I-I'm s-sorry." I managed to utter huskily before zooming out.
• Thankfully, darkness had, set in, and unnoticeably, I made for my room which was indeed the smallest,
• but to me, the coziest of all the rooms in the pack house.
• Situated in my shabby chic room was a dresser, a bed and a chest of drawers; connected to the room was a kitchen and a bathroom.
• Using the washstand, I splashed water on my face as memories of my near-death experience swamped my mind. In all of this, what I couldn’t shake off was that piercing golden eyes staring back at me.
• I splashed more water on my face and stared at the pale figure in the vanity mirror.
• Bright red haird and a set of intense green eyes stared back at me.
• As I stared, tears streamed down my freckled soft cheeks.
• I hated being me, being in this pack, being utterly alone.
• I hated being Kaya Daygon.