Chapter 1

“Ugh, you’re so pathetic, I swear,” my twin sister, Alison, said from a distance after I clumsily hit the side of a table causing two wine glasses to fall to the ground and shatter, the sound echoing loudly in the early evening calm, drawing a few glances from nearby guests. “I honestly have no idea why Father keeps you around. You belong in the streets. So razz.” “I’m sorry,” I said softly just as she neared me, lowering my eyes because I had to remember that she was my better. Father said so. “I’ll take care of it.” “You better.” The disgust in her tone was evident and I recoiled. I had no idea why she hated me even though I’d done my best for us to get along. For some reason, she seemed to think whatever I had was contagious and she stayed away from me as much as she could, only talking to me if absolutely necessary. We were the most unalike twins ever. “Here.” She held out her hand and when I glanced up, it was a cup. “Your medicine.” I reached forward to take it, throwing my head back and gulping down the foul-smelling liquid. Alison said I’d had a terrible disease when I was younger and Father spent a lot of money making sure my medicine was available so I didn’t die. I didn’t remember said disease, however, and since she was the same age as me, I didn’t see how she remembered it but it was one of the few times she talked to me and so I gladly humored her. “Thank you,” I said, my gaze on the ground. “Whatever.” After she turned and walked away, I lowered myself to the ground and began to pick up the broken shards of glass. As an Omega in the strongest werewolf park in the world, especially one who couldn’t transform, I was, quite frankly, the outcast. The one person nobody could get rid of, and so resulted in being the pack’s errand girl. Never mind that my father was second in command—Beta. I winced as a thick shard cut into my skin, causing blood to rise and spill. Lifting my finger to my lips, I sucked on the skin. Tonight’s celebration was going to be a success. I made sure of it. Father was going to be proud of me. I and the other Omegas had been tasked with the preparations. The decorations had already been set and the food was ready. The pack home’s garden looked almost surreal under the lights. The event was to celebrate the Alpha’s four-year anniversary victory over his evil and malicious older brother, who’d sought to kill him and destroy their pack. Everyone knew the story of how our Alpha fought bravely and took the pack back from his power-hungry brother before banishing him. No one knew what became of said brother. I’d only been eighteen when the war happened and Father had only recently begun letting me out of the house. Satisfied that the pain had reduced, I gathered the shards and dumped them into a thrash. “We’re ready,” another Omega, Jane, said to me. Then she looked me up and down. “Aren’t you going to change?” I stared down at my knee-length gown that was frayed at the ends and my worn-out boots. It was the best dress I owned. I looked back at her own sky-blue dress that flowed to the ground, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “I am.” Jane looked unconvinced. “You look like Cinderella when she was a maid. Don’t you have anything better to wear? What about your sister? Can’t you borrow one of her dresses?” “You know I can’t touch Alison’s things. She’ll kill me if she finds out.” “I still don’t get it. Are you sure you’re twins? You both look nothing alike and you even act different. She’s cold and manipulative but at least she’s bold. Whereas you are…” I tried to hide it but the words stung. Jane didn’t need to complete her sentence; I was weak. I couldn’t fight back or defend myself because I didn’t know how to. Years of living with my father and sister had turned me into a puddled mess of low self-esteem. I was a twenty-two-year-old wolf who hadn’t transformed one day in my life. Alison was right; I was pathetic. Then the event was starting and whatever response I had died away in my throat. I looked up to see my father climb to the make-up stage he’d specifically asked me to construct because he wanted to shine. The rest of the Crest pack gathered and in less than two minutes, the garden was full. “Good evening, everyone,” my father said, his deep voice echoing. “Thank you all for gathering here tonight to celebrate the anniversary of our beloved pack’s victory against those who wished to end it. My name is Robert Shelby, your Beta, and I’m proud to say one of my daughters was in charge of making certain today was a success.” I smiled. He was finally going to see I wasn’t useless like he thought. That I could actually get something right. “Of course,” he continued, a wide smile on his face and a gleam in his eyes, “I have two daughters. While one is concerned with being a strong wolf and bringing pride to the family name, the other is more interested in blowing balloons and hanging lanterns.” The crowd burst out laughing and I exhaled deeply, my eyes stinging. I would not cry. This wasn’t anything I’d never heard before. My father’s favorite pastime was making a mockery of me. But when I looked up and every eye was turned to me, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. The laughter increased. Just like I’d always done, I told myself that it was just a harmless joke and my reaction to it wasn’t my father’s fault. So, I wiped my tears, turned and headed for the food stand to join the other Omega. That was my place. “Wow,” Jane said once I reached her, her eyes full of pity. “Your father’s a real jerk.” I gave her a stern look. “Don’t.” She seemed to understand my meaning because she let it go. After that incident, things were relatively calm. I received some comments about how I should drop dead so at least I’d do something right but other than that, everything was calm. The food was amazing and the pack was having a good time. Despite whatever my father and sister thought, it felt good to be a part of the pack in some other way that wasn’t being made fun of. It was going too well, in fact. I supposed I shouldn’t have been too surprised when disaster struck. Sounds of distress began to echo amongst the crowd and then finally the smell of smoke reached my nostrils. My heart picked up a beat. What was happening? “Someone started a fire,” Jane said, running towards me frantically. “The decorations are on fire!” Shit. People began to run, screaming as the fiery decorations fell from above to the chairs and tables covered with tablecloths and they too caught fire. It was pure chaos. Oh, God. My father was going to kill me. He’d never let me out of the house again. Whoever had started the fire had done so purposefully; wolves hated fire. I was doomed. “Oh, God,” I whimpered, watching in horror as angry flame ate through the garden like a hungry beast. Even the beautiful flowers weren’t spared. “Hmm,” Alison said, suddenly appearing by my side, arms crossed under her breasts and a speculative grin on her lips. “What do you think Father will do to you as punishment? Throw you out or lock you up?” And then I knew. It was her.