Chapter 1

chapter 1

. . .

Carmen

“ I ’ll call you later,” I said quickly into the receiver as I hung up. Harsh knocking sounded on my bedroom door before he barged in, eyes blazing with anger.

Henry, the leader of all packs, wasn’t happy about my best friend and her pack escaping the compound. I had to warn her what was happening.

“Where’s Ruby?” Henry demanded, his voice low and threatening. His eyes bore into mine, searching for any hint of deception.

“She’s on her honeymoon!” I shouted, now fed up with Henry. If he thought he could bully me like other omegas, he was completely wrong. At the same time, I wondered why the hell he was so concerned about her whereabouts.

“Don’t lie to me, Carmen,” he snapped. “You were just talking to her. This is crucial.”

“I’m not lying,” I said, breathing hard. I just wanted him out of my apartment so I could have some peace.

Earlier today, he had been questioning me in my living room until I’d had enough. I shouldn’t have called her, but I didn’t want to give out information that could get her or her pack in trouble. Henry walked into the living room of my tiny apartment, and I followed.

“Do you want some water or something?” I asked flippantly, just to show him he wasn’t welcome.

He took deep breaths; his short, angry frame looked almost comical as he stood in my sparsely furnished living room.

He grabbed a sofa pillow and began ripping it to shreds. Feathers flew everywhere.

I stood there frozen. What the hell was his problem?

“No, I do not want water,” he gritted out.

I stared at him, shocked while he breathed hard, his face red with fury. I didn’t even want to question him. At this point, I just wanted him gone. He was like an angry toddler.

“Okay,” I said in a low voice.

He dropped the remnants of the pillow and rubbed his face vigorously.

“I don’t understand why the packs are leaving the compound,” he said. “Am I really such a horrible pack leader?”

“Of course not,” I lied, trying to appease him even though I knew he was wrong for not allowing the packs of the compound to be free.

Alphas were free to go wherever they wanted, but they had a set number of days and always needed to report at the checkpoint. On the other hand, omegas like me always needed an alpha to leave the city.

“Then tell me where the Crawford Pack is,” he demanded again.

“As I said, they’re on their honeymoon,” I repeated, terrified but holding my ground because I had no idea where they went.

His alpha scent of tobacco filled the air as he stalked toward me. I tried to move farther away, but my back hit the edge of the kitchen counter. Henry gripped my arm, and I gasped when he became physical.

This alpha was seriously losing his mind.

“Let us both hope you’re telling the truth because if I ever find out that you’re lying to me,” he hissed through gritted teeth.

“I swear I’m not. I don’t even know where they went,” I said, and something about my final answer seemed to appease him. He released my arm and nodded to his three guards.

Without another word, Henry and his guards left my house through the front door. I stood there for a second in pure shock before finally running over to lock it. I sagged against the door as I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself. I had just been on the phone with clients for my babysitting business before Henry showed up.

This afternoon had turned into a complete nightmare.

As I collapsed onto my squishy couch, I glanced around sadly at the feathers scattered across the floor. My place wasn’t great, with wear and tear everywhere. The dirty yellow wallpaper hung from the walls, was dotted with small holes. This apartment was the most affordable option I could find on my own until my business would take off. I tried to process everything that had just happened.

Even if I knew where Ruby went, I would never tell Henry. He was officially out of his mind.

My legs shook once the adrenaline wore off. I managed to walk to my mini work table in the corner of my living room, which was covered in papers.

Glancing at the schedule, I saw that I was assigned to care for an omega and her newborn baby overnight, but I was far too shaken to handle it.

Picking up my phone, I dialed Gracie, one of my beta workers.

“Hey, Gracie,” I said hesitantly. “I’m really not feeling up to sitting tonight at Luna’s house. Would you mind taking over for me?”

“Of course!” Gracie replied cheerfully. Her passion was babysitting, and I was so happy to have found her to help. “Take care of yourself. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

“Thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief as I hung up the phone. With my evening free, I decided to visit my family, only two blocks away.

It had been a while since I started my babysitting business and even longer since I’d seen my family.

I quickly removed my nose ring in the bathroom mirror, knowing it would only trigger a rant from my mom about how trashy it was. I just wanted to see my siblings, not spend time arguing with her. Dealing with Henry today was exhausting, and it was one of those moments when having a pack of alphas to protect me would have been wonderful.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a pack.

I made sure to lock up after I left since I was living on the sketchier side of town.

As I stepped outside, I was glad to get away from my home for a bit. I needed to forget about Henry and his ambush. He was an asshole, and thinking about that helped me avoid crying or breaking down.

I made my way between the closely packed buildings as the sun began to set. The gritty sand crunched beneath my feet with each step, and the air carried a faint scent of sweat and dust. I knew I was getting close to my mother’s apartment when I heard Francine’s excited shrieks.

My nine-year-old sister was always staring out of the window people watching .

“Carmen!” she squealed, throwing open the door before I could even raise a hand to knock. “You’re here!”

“Hey, Franny,” I smiled, ruffling her hair affectionately as I stepped inside.

My mom's voice immediately rang out from the depths of the apartment.

“Take off your shoes!” she snapped without looking up from the couch, where she was meticulously applying nail polish. I complied silently, not wanting to upset her. Our relationship had always been tense, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt like I’d done something that made her happy.

Her alphas, who were my fathers, had left her years ago for another omega, and it was just us. I was pretty sure that had made my mom bitter over the years, even worse than she usually was.

As I walked into the living room, I was greeted by a giant portrait of Henry. Mom loved our alpha leader for some reason, and his image seemed to cover every available wall space. My stomach churned just thinking about how awful and selfish he was.

“Come,” Francine said as she tugged on my hand, leading me towards the small bedroom she shared with Lena, my nineteen-year-old sister. Lena was sitting in front of her vanity, applying makeup with shaky hands. I noticed a small bruise under her eye and frowned in concern.

“Hey, Lena,” I said softly, trying not to startle her. “Where are you going tonight?”

“Um, I’m meeting the alpha I’ve been dating,” she replied nervously, avoiding eye contact with me. I instantly wondered what the hell was going on and if she was okay.

“What happened to your eye?” I asked.

“Nothing, I ran into a branch like a dumbass,” she said quickly. “Don’t worry about it. ”

“Who’s the alpha you’re dating?” I persisted. She’d never dated a pack before, and I was officially worried for her now.

“I’ll tell you when I’m sure of him.”

“Will we ever find out who he is?”

“Maybe,” she said evasively, quickly applying foundation over her bruise.

Francine and I exchanged worried glances as I sat on the bottom bunk next to her. My little sister changed the subject, sensing my concern.

“Do you want to see the charm bracelets I got from school?”

“Sure,” I answered with a tight smile, but I was worried about Lena the whole time Francine talked on and on.

Later, after spending about an hour with Lena and Francine, I prepared to leave. But as soon as I was about to exit the home, my mom stopped me.

“Carmen,” she said. “Have you found yourself a pack yet? Even Lena knows how important it is to be mated.”

“No,” I said.

“Well, you need to get started,” she said disapprovingly. “You’re getting older, and you don’t want your alphas to get disgusted by you in just a few years.”

I rolled my eyes, holding back my tongue. I didn’t want to insult the status of her relationship because it was too heartbreaking—even for me.

The night I found out that my three fathers had left, I wasn’t sure if it was because Henry commanded them to do it or if they did it on their own. I was ten years old at that time, and I never forgot when my mom explained that I would never be seeing my fathers again.

It was dark by the time I made my way back to my place, a sense of unease settling in my stomach.

Nightfall was never my favorite time, especially with the possibility of alphas lurking around. My scent blockers had been on for nearly eight hours, and I knew they would start to wear off soon.

As I approached my door, I noticed a wolf prowling nearby. His ripped ear was unmistakable—it was my landlord. He’d been hitting on me constantly since I moved in, and tonight was no exception. He shifted into alpha form, and I quickly turned my gaze away from his nakedness.

“Really?” I exclaimed, feeling disgusted. “You think that’s going to impress me?”

Tim laughed, his voice dripping with arrogance. “Aw, come on, Carmen. Better get used to this view since you won’t be packless forever. I could be your alpha.”

“Will you move out of the way?” I said, trying to focus my eyes on his face instead of his small dick.

“Actually, I have to talk to you about something. I saw Henry come by your place,” Tim said. “Are you in any trouble with the law or whatnot?”

“What the hell?” I sighed, rolling my eyes. I didn’t have the time or the energy for this right now.

“You heard me.”

“Well, I’m not in any trouble,” I said.

“That’s all I needed to know, omega. Have a great evening then,” he said with a scowl as he shifted back into wolf form and bounded down the street.

God, he was such a creep .

It was like I had no privacy around here, and I quickly ran into the house and locked the door with shaking hands. I caught a whiff of Henry’s lingering scent in the air, and my nose curled in disgust.

Determined to cleanse my home, I grabbed some sage from the kitchen and lit it, allowing the fragrant smoke to fill the air. I waved the burning sage through each room, focusing on purging Henry’s presence from my safe space. Once I finished, I began the tedious task of vacuuming up the feathers strewn about from the shredded pillow and cleaning the rest of my apartment.

It felt like an obsession, but I needed to erase any trace of him. After an hour of cleaning, I finally decided that I was done. Everything was put back the way it was. My orange couch was tucked into its corner, and the non-matching patterned rug was straightened out again. The feathers were all gone, and I decided to take a shower to get rid of all the bad memories.

The hot water was soothing against my skin as I lathered the soap all over me, vigorously washing every inch. Afterward, I crawled into bed, unable to shake the memory of the conversation with my mom about finding a pack to mate with.

There wasn’t a pack I wanted to be with, except for the alpha who rejected me four years ago. Suddenly, the memory of his rejection flooded my mind:

It was my eighteenth birthday, and Tyler had promised me a night out while I waited at home for his phone call. He said he would be here at five. I redid my makeup a million times, but he still wasn’t here.

Suddenly, I received a call from my friend Jessica.

“Hey Jess,” I said.

“I know where he is.”

Driven by frustration and confusion, I searched for him, only to find him at a sleazy strip club, hurling dollar bills at half-naked dancers.

"Tyler, what are you doing?" I shouted over the music, tears streaming down my face. "You're supposed to be my mate!"

He laughed cruelly, his eyes cold as ice. "Run along, little omega. Only alphas in here. ”

“She’s clearly not an alpha,” I said, glancing at the smiling dancer, who was oblivious to our argument.

“Well…”

"How about us?" I choked out, unable to comprehend his heartlessness.

“There is no us,” he said coldly, dismissing me as if I meant nothing.

“You kissed me, though.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. Haven’t you ever kissed anyone before?”

The rejection hurt deeply. My heart ached as tears rolled down my face from his cruelty. Biting my lip, I rushed out of the strip club, never wanting to see his face again.

The memory of that night still stung, and I hugged my pillow tight, trying to hold back fresh tears.

I really thought Tyler was my destined mate, but he’d shattered that dream with just a few words. Now, even after all these years, it was hard to give my heart to an alpha, and I never wanted to be in that position again.