(Bella's POV)
The late afternoon sun slanted through my window as I rummaged frantically through my dresser drawer. My black lace bra – the only decent one I owned – was missing. Again. A quick glance at my phone made my heart race. William and Sarah's engagement ceremony would start in less than an hour.
"We don't have to go," Gina, my wolf, whispered in my mind. "Why torture ourselves?"
I wanted to skip it too, but not showing up would only give them more ammunition against me.
William. My chest ached at the thought of him. He was my boyfriend just two days ago. We'd been together since we were fifteen, shared our first kiss, first love – or what I'd thought was love.
But when our wolves awakened, everything changed. He wasn't my mate, but... this was not the worst thing.
"It doesn't matter if we're not mates, Bella," he'd said that night in his car, his hands suddenly everywhere, ignoring my protests. His usual gentle blue eyes had turned dark with something that scared me. "We can still have fun. Come on, baby, after five years, don't I deserve this much?"
I'd managed to push him off and run, my heart breaking with every step.
The next morning, I'd gone to his house to return his jacket – my last attempt at a civilized goodbye. The sounds coming from his bedroom had stopped me cold. Through the cracked door, I saw them: William and Sarah, tangled in his sheets.
It's only been one night...
"Bella!" William had spotted me, but instead of shame, his face showed only annoyance at being interrupted. Sarah had simply smirked, running her fingers possessively down his chest. "Well, since you're here... Why don't you join us? Sarah's my true mate, but we've discussed it. You could be our... special friend."
The casual cruelty of it, the way they both looked at me like I was some toy to be shared. Sarah's triumphant laugh followed me as I fled, tears blinding my vision. The memory still made me sick.
"Stop." I shook away the memory, staring at my reflection. The simple black dress hugged my curves – curves that William once said he loved.
My golden eyes, so different from the pack's usual browns and blues, were bright with unshed tears. Brown hair with natural red highlights fell in waves past my shoulders, framing what Sarah had mockingly called my "exotic" features.
"You're beautiful," Gina assured me. "Too beautiful for them."
But beauty meant nothing without status in the wolf world. And I was nobody – the foster child taken in by the Bennetts, a low-ranking family in the Shadow Pack. Martha, my foster mother, didn't even have a wolf. And George, my foster father, gambled away what little status we had.
As for my adoptive brother... A muffled grunt from upstairs made me freeze. The rhythmic creaking and heavy breathing – I knew those sounds. James was at it again.
My stomach turned as memories flashed through my mind – his hands "accidentally" brushing against me in the hallway, his eyes following me to the bathroom, the clicking sound of his phone camera when he thought I wasn't aware. Just last week, I'd caught him trying to pick the lock on my door in the middle of the night.
"Let's get out of here," Gina growled in disgust. "Before he comes looking for more."
The worst part wasn't even his perversion – it was remembering how he used to be. The little boy who'd sneak me food after Martha's punishments, who'd cry if I got hurt. Now he was just another monster in a house full of them. I grabbed my purse and slipped out quickly, my lip curled in revulsion.
The pack hall glowed with fairy lights as I approached. Music and laughter spilled from the open doors. Wolves in their finest clothes clustered in groups, all of them radiating the easy confidence of those who belonged.
"Well, look who actually showed up!"
Sarah's voice cut through the crowd like a blade. She descended the main stairs like a queen, her champagne dress probably worth more than I made in a month at the café. "Couldn't stay away, could you?"
Her pack of followers flanked her, all perfectly groomed, perfectly bred pack daughters.
I kept my chin up, refusing to let her see how much her words stung. "I came to show my respect to the Gamma family."
Sarah's perfectly painted lips curved into a cruel smile. "Respect? Is that what you call throwing yourself at William? We all know what you are – a gold-digger from a worthless family. Your mother doesn't even have a wolf! Did you really think you could rise above your station?"
Her friends circled me like vultures, their laughter sharp and mocking.
"Unknown origin bitch..."
"Probably a half-breed..."
"No wonder she's mateless..."
Sarah picked up a glass of red wine, swirling it as she circled me. "You know, Bella, I almost feel sorry for you. It must be... difficult, knowing you'll never be good enough. Not for William, not for any respectable wolf."
She paused, her smile turning vicious. "But then I remember how you tried to seduce my mate even after he found me."
"That's not what happened," I said, my voice barely steady.
"Oh?" Sarah's eyebrow arched. "So you didn't come to our house that night? Didn't try to join us in bed?"
The crowd gasped, and I felt my face burn with humiliation. "You're twisting everything—"
"Oops!" Sarah gasped in mock surprise as she "accidentally" tipped her wine glass. The red liquid splashed down the front of my dress, staining it like blood. Her friends burst into cruel laughter.
Another grabbed her own glass. "Let me help!" More wine hit my back, and I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood.
The crowd's laughter felt like physical blows. Even the pack members who'd known me since childhood turned away, unwilling to stand against the future Gamma's mate.
Inside me, Gina snarled in fury. Fight back! she demanded. We don't have to take this!
My fingers curled into fists at my sides, my wolf's rage pulsing through our bond. For a moment, I wanted to grab Sarah's hair and showing her exactly what a "low-born" wolf could do.
But then Martha's sneering face flashed in my mind. If word got back to my foster parents that I'd attacked the Gamma's son's mate...
I took a deep breath and held myself back.
Wine dripped from my ruined dress, my hair, running down my back in sticky rivers.
"You're right about one thing," I said, my voice stronger than I felt. "I don't belong here. But not because I'm not good enough – because I deserve better than this toxic excuse for a pack."
Sarah's face contorted with rage. "How dare you—"
"Goodbye, Sarah. " I met their eyes one last time. "I hope you're very happy with William. You deserve each other."
I turned and walked away, my head high despite the wine soaking my clothes. Only when I pushed through the doors into the cool evening air did I allow my hands to shake.
A sob caught in my throat, but I swallowed it back.
I ran blindly, not caring where I went, just needing to escape. When I calmed down, I found myself in the old training grounds, now abandoned for the night.
"Hey beautiful." A voice slurred from the darkness. "All dressed up and nowhere to go?"
Three figures emerged from the shadows. Mike, Tyler, and Eric – James's friends. The smell of alcohol and Moon Mountain Tea rolled off them in waves.
"Leave me alone." I backed away, but they moved to surround me.
"Come on," Mike grinned, pulling out a wad of cash. "Five hundred for the night. That's generous for a girl with your... background."
"I'm going home," I said firmly, keeping my voice level. "You're drunk. We'll all pretend this never happened."
"James says you've been extra friendly lately," Tyler added, his eyes roaming over my body. "Says you like to watch him change..."
Disgust churned in my stomach. Of course James would spread lies about me. He'd been doing it for years, painting me as the perverted one while he was the one who couldn't keep his hands to himself.
"Just back off," I warned, trying one last time to be reasonable. "This won't end well."
"No judgment," Eric grabbed my arm. "We like them dirty. And James said we could... borrow you. For the right price."
"They're not going to stop," Gina purred, bloodlust rising. "We could end them, No one would find the bodies until morning."
She was right. I'd tried playing nice. Tried to avoid trouble. But as Mike's other hand groped for my breast, something cold and dangerous unfurled inside me.
"Please don't," I said softly, but this time it wasn't a plea. It was a final warning.
Since childhood, I'd hidden my true strength. When the other pups struggled with basic combat training, I had to deliberately miss my strikes. When teenage wolves boasted about their first shifts, I pretended mine was difficult and painful.
Every instinct, every natural ability – carefully concealed. It was easier that way, safer. Being underestimated meant being overlooked. And in a family like the Bennetts, being overlooked was survival.
But seeing the entitled lust in Mike and Tyler's eyes and the cruel anticipation in Eric's smirk, I realized something: people like this would never stop. Give them an inch, they'd take a mile. Show weakness, they'd exploit it forever.
"No more hiding," Gina whispered, her bloodlust matching mine. "Show them what we really are."
A cold smile curved my lips as I assessed them with new eyes. Mike favored his left leg – an old training injury I'd noticed during pack spars. Tyler's reflexes would be dulled by the Moon Mountain Tea coursing through his system. Eric was the strongest, but also the slowest.
Two minutes. That's all I'd need. Break Eric's knee first – he'd fall left, creating an opening. Mike's injury would make him hesitate. Tyler would be last, his drug-addled reflexes too slow to save him.
Mike ignored my warning. He leaned in close, his breath hot on my neck. His hands slid up my thigh, and the last thread of my patience snapped. A hint of my true nature flickered in my eyes – ancient, dangerous, thirsting for blood. Mike must have sensed the change because he flinched back slightly.
"WAIT!" Gina suddenly tensed. "Someone's coming. Strong. More dangerous than any wolf I've ever sensed."