My brow furrowed in confusion. We’d had tragedy in our pack before. A few years ago, a few kids from school had drown in the swimming hole. They were seniors and I was a freshman. Of course I knew them, but we weren’t friends. Not that the age difference was the cause of that but that’s not the point. The point is, they died within months of their first moon ceremony and nothing bad had happened. I remembered the older folks talking about how tragic it was that they were almost to their first shift. Most people seemed to think they’d have survived if they had bonded with their wolf.
Tyler was lying. They’ve never needed all the wolves before. Besides, there were only two of us who were shifting this month. Aside from me, only one other classmate had a May birthday and turned nineteen right before tonight’s full moon. And I knew for a fact, she would not care if I wasn’t there. She’d likely prefer the spotlight.
Something was going on and I needed to get out of here before it went down. “Alright. I’ll hang out here and meet you at the barn at dusk. Work for you?”
“Sure.” Tyler walked over to the shabby porch swing in the dirt next to a dozen abandoned pots and containers that used to hold flowers before my mom snapped. He sat down. “We’ll wait.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Then I realized I could sneak out the back door if he was camped out here. “You know what, not my problem. I’m going to take a nap. You assholes knock yourselves out.”
I walked back into the trailer and glanced toward my mom’s room. Her door was still closed and there was no sign that she was aware that I’d been outside talking to anyone. I rolled my eyes. What had I expected? Her brief moment of lucidity this morning was the deepest conversation we’d had in years.
Making sure my bag was secure behind my back, I walked for the back door, taking care to open it slowly. The hinges creaked and I winced at the sound. I didn’t get a foot out the door when I realized Julian was standing outside staring at me.
“Unless you’re coming out here to offer to blow me, I’m not letting you leave this place,” he snarled.
My upper lip curled in disgust at the thought of doing anything remotely intimate with him. Julian was attractive, sure. He had long brown hair, warm brown skin, and deep amber eyes. He was the kind of male most of the girls in school would do just about anything to get even one night with. Especially after he shifted. He was marked as a protector, one of the highest ranking wolves in a pack. The crescent shaped tattoo had appeared on his shoulder the night of his first shift. He’d be in Tyler’s inner circle when Tyler took over as alpha; he might even be his beta one day. Julian had shown everyone who walked by the mark after his shift, eager to impress even lowly nobodies like me.
He’d only calmed down after the next full moon, the one where Tyler had his first shift. Julian was first, then Tyler. Everyone expected Tyler to get the mark of the alpha. He never said if he did or didn’t, but he didn’t go around showing off anything after his ceremony and Julian stopped showing off his mark.
It was something I’d poked Tyler about at first, even though it cost me a few beatings. It had been worth it to find out the truth. Tyler, next in line to be alpha, hadn’t been chosen by the gods. If he had, he’d have shown everyone his moon and star tattoo. It was a mark that would appear when an alpha was chosen. Not all alphas got one, but that mark outranked an alpha without one.
That meant, one day, another shifter could get the mark and rise to take Tyler’s place as leader of the pack. A marked alpha didn’t even need to fight to the death; they would just take their place and demote the previous alpha.
In my lifetime, I’d never seen that mark. I was fairly certain Tyler’s dad didn’t have it either. I used to wish someone would challenge him so Tyler’s status would drop, but I gave up on that long ago. It wasn’t my problem. By the time someone did challenge him, I’d be long gone.
“What’s it going to be?” Julian said, moving closer to the door. “How wide can you open your mouth?”
“You’re disgusting,” I said.
“Why else would Tyler ask you to stick around if you’re not putting out?” Julian asked.
“I’m not fucking Tyler.” I wasn’t fucking anyone. Like there was anyone in this pack I was willing to get into bed with. Sure, I had desires just like everyone else, but they were mellow compared to shifter libidos. I’d walked in on classmates in the library more than once. While I might get myself off on occasion, I could wait until I was home and my door was locked.
At least that was one good thing about this curse. I couldn’t imagine having sex with any of the assholes around here. We didn’t have the concern of STDs like humans did, but I wasn’t about to risk pregnancy.
“There are other things a woman can do besides fucking,” Julian said. “I’m sure you learned a lot of tricks from your mom. My dad says she’s like a wolf in the sack, even if she can’t shift.”
Heat filled my chest and I balled my hands into fists. “Don’t talk about my mother, you piece of shit.”
“I can talk about your mother all I want. In fact, maybe I’ll take a turn of my own. I was hoping you’d join the family business and I could finally wipe that smug grin off your face with my cock, but you mom would work, I suppose.”
“Go home and fuck your own mother,” I snapped. “At least my mom is honest about what she does. Your mom is the one hiding in alley ways and sneaking around. We all know she keeps the alpha’s bed warm while your father is alone.”
Julian charged so fast I didn’t have time to slam the thin door in his face. His six-two, muscular frame was on top of me, knocking me to the ground. My arms were pinned to the floor, his knee on my gut. I squirmed, trying to angle myself better so I could kick him in the groin, but I couldn’t budge from his grip.
“Let me go,” I hissed through gritted teeth.
“Not without something for you to remember me by.” He switched his grip so one of his large hands was holding both of mine, freeing his other hand. He traced a finger down my cheek to my jaw before his hand closed around my neck. “You mutter so much as a single sound and I will snap your tiny, human neck.”
“Julian, get off her. Now.” Tyler’s voice had all the command of an alpha. Even I couldn’t help but look up at him.
Julian’s hand left my neck and released my wrists. He jumped to his feet, turning to face Tyler.
I sat up. “This is what you had planned? Let your friends throw me around one last time?”
Tyler didn’t look at me, his gaze was locked on Julian. “I told you not to hurt her. I told you we needed her in one piece.”
“I wasn’t going to hurt her,” he said. “I was just having a bit of fun.”