Chapter One
Louise's POV
"Bitch!!!?"
The word slices through the air for the second time.
I'm still seated at the dining table when I hear it. He's on the porch, voice sharp, full of irritation. He probably wants me to go feed the chickens .
I don't rush. I don't flinch.
"Coming, Dad," I answer calmly.
His response comes exactly as expected.
"Who the fuck is your father?" he snaps. "I sure as hell didn't give birth to a whore."
Silence follows.
With a slow breath, I push my food aside and stand up. There's no point replying. There never is.
I head out to the poultry and start my work. I feed the chickens, refill their water, and collect the eggs carefully, one after the other.
Today is bountiful.
Nearly a hundred eggs.
I stack them properly and head back inside to get ready for work.
At the park's training center.The moment I pass him at the porch, to get into the house, I feel it.
His gaze.
Hateful. Filled with disgust. Locked on me like I don't belong.
At least no words were said.
He wasn't always like this.
When I was little, he was a good father. Patient. Protective.
Then the incident happens. The one that takes my mother's life.
Everything changes after that.
Now he hates me.
He doesn't care if I eat. Or sleep. Or exist.
Some days, I'm certain he wishes I'd died along with her.
Kyle's POV
Another breathless moan fills the room.
I exhale sharply, already annoyed.
She lies there on my bed, trembling, breathless, useless. Just like the others.
"Get out," I growl
.
She snaps out of whatever fantasy she's in, scrambling for her clothes before rushing out. I don't even glance at her.
I can't remember her name.
I don't care to.
A knock sounds at the door.
"Alpha," Dave says from the other side. "Are you done getting dressed?"
A low growl rips from my throat.
Another meeting. Another lecture.
The elders won't stop pestering me about a Luna. The pack needs one for this. Needs one for that.
I'm getting sick of it.
If they keep pushing, I might just wipe them all out.
"Come on," Dave adds. "How long does it take you to get ready?"
pull on a long-sleeved white shirt and my trousers, then open the door.
Dave stands there, looking annoyingly cheerful. Always resilient. Always able to smile, no matter what life throws at him.
Something I never manage to keep.
"So," I ask, "what's the meeting about now? Are they planning to dethrone me if I don't get a Luna?"
He scoffs. "You know they only threaten you like that to scare you. And you don't even flinch."
Then his tone changes.
"But today, they're trying a more emotional approach."
I narrow my eyes. "Which is?"
"Elder Mareth will be in attendance."
I groan. "Why are you people still stressing that old woman?"
Dave exhales sharply, then snaps.
"You need a Luna. The pack needs one. You can't keep banging women up like there's no tomorrow and pretend this won't catch up to you. You need to settle down"
He stops himself.
Immediately.
"Sorry," he mutters.
Anyone else would already be dead. But Dave is different. We've known each other since birth. Grew up together. Trained together. Bled together.
He knows where the line is.
"So," I say coldly, "what have you all planned?"
He smiles slightly. "You'll see, Kyle."
Then we step into the council hall.