I turned nineteen this year, not that anyone cares. I know no one cares…that's just how things are here. I'm nothing special either. I don't have any parents anymore…not since I was thirteen; that's another story though. I'm sure you're wondering what happened after that whole mess, with Rumen I mean. Well, to put it simply, he did imprint. It's a very delicate time in a werewolf's life, albeit very temperamental as well. We never know when or with whom we might imprint. It's more complicated than you think though. See…females never imprint – the males do. It can be years before this happens, and it is a rare enough event. The thing is, however, imprinting only occurs when it wants to. For it to happen within a pack…well, that's pretty damn special, don't you think? Not necessarily. Let me explain the hierarchy.

The alphas – you've met them – are Rumen and Tess. Rumen is a tall man, in his twenty-sixth year. He's got the permanent bedhead look going for him with a constant five-o'clock shadow. He's the kind of guy that sports the long hair, just over his shoulders. He's built too; we've all seen him naked at least once. The same goes for Tess, his favorite girl. She's a typical blonde girl with creamy skin; she's a bombshell made in a man's heaven. She's got a real swing in her walk, hard to tell if it's voluntary or not. Tess is only twenty-three, but she's sharp. That's Rumen and Tess though…dream couple from Hollywood.

Next comes Rex and Skylar, both twenty-seven; they take the secondary positions as Betas. Rex is Rumen's older brother and he's a hell of a lot larger. The two aren't quite twins, but the similarities are there. Compared to Skylar, the second commanding men are night and day. Skylar's bite is much more to fear than Rex's, which you wouldn't assume outright. Skylar hides his toned body well, but his level of intelligence is more to fear.

Including the top four, there are ten people living in our one, two-floor house. Rumen and Rex's father, Jared, comes next. He's well into his forties, but he's very perceptive and powerful. He still looks like he's only thirty… Amy is around Jared's age and just as dangerous. She has a sixteen year old, Amanda; she looks just like her mother despite her awful attitude. Then we have twins. Ella and Elijah are both ten, orphans like me.

You know who comes last, right? Yeah, that would be me.


Toni had been in the shed for three days now. It was smaller than she remembered despite its lack of storage items. There were two pairs of scissors and a clipping tool that she used to remove taller plant limbs. There was also a lawn mower, the type she had to push around; it did its job. Perched near the high corner above her head was a window. It didn't open and the glass was surrounded by a veil of spider webbing. Toni was sitting on the dusty flooring, made from old wood that had given her a nice round of splinters when she wasn't careful. She was on the thinner side these days, though she'd always been a small girl. Still, she could tell that her weight had dropped again. Her olive skin did not hide starvation well, but the natural hunger screaming for mercy inside her was almost second nature. Her clothes were loose when they should have been fitting her body perfectly. This past month the scraps had been very low, lower than normal. Job hunting was something reserved for the older members, even though they had trouble keeping them. They never allowed Toni this privilege, especially now.

Two days ago she wanted to change this. She tried sneaking out of the house, both hungry and anxious. She was capable of working…she just needed to find a place that would accept help. Rex had caught her that morning. He had her by the wrist, then by her hair. When he'd dragged her up the stairs she got bruises that she still had on her knees. They still hurt. Then what happened after…the way Rumen had looked at her. It was a mixture of confusion and relief. She could still feel the pinch of Tess' fingers around her neck… When the subject of imprinting came up, no one expected Rumen's answer to be so weak. Never in the three years she'd been a part of the pack did she heard the man say "I don't know".

They locked her inside the old shed to keep their problems separated. If what Tess said was true, Toni knew she was in danger. Tess might kill her if she didn't leave. But Jared wouldn't let her leave. No, he chose to lock her up instead while he sorted things out with his son. Toni knew she should have been afraid for her life, but all she could really think about were the twins. Ella and Eli managed to sneak out a time or two the first day to keep her company. That was all they could do since sneaking food in and out was impossible. At this point, Toni wasn't sure if she could eat at all anyway. She was tired; all she did was sleep on and off for the last few hours. She was staring up at the window now, her legs pulled towards her chest. The sky was darker than the last time she remembered.

The lock on the door was pulled back suddenly, sending Toni backwards with a jolt from the surprise. A few chains rattled against the door and then her amber eyes were greeted by the fading daylight. Standing before her was Jared. He held his hand out, a gentle smile brightening his charcoal irises. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Had to keep you somewhere away from all the insanity." He got down onto his knee as he held both hands out, palms facing the sky. "It's okay…come on."

Toni went forward with a crawl, and then placed her hands in his. She could barely stop her body from trembling. Jared pulled her to her feet slowly and draped his arm over her shoulders.

"Keep your head down," He muttered.

They went through the back door of the house, where the kitchen was. The smell of a stew filled Toni's nostrils and her mouth was suddenly overcome with an excess of saliva. There were others in the kitchen though, and she did as Jared instructed. Head bowed, she forced down the watery substance growing in her mouth. No one spoke when they passed, but she could feel their eyes burning into her. When they came into the living room, the silence stopped. Toni could hear rapid pacing upstairs and she could smell Tess from across the room. She felt the woman's glare on her back, but no words came. Toni suddenly wondered whose cycle was coming up next…she'd lost track without the calendar to look at.

Jared stopped at the base of the stairs and removed his arm. Out of the eye of the others he brushed a long strand of hair away from her face. When he spoke, his smile was encouraging. "Rumen is up there… He wants to see you."

Toni's blank expression departed, replaced by one of panic. When she spoke, she barely recognized her own voice. "N…I can't. I can't go up there. He –"

"He won't do a thing." Jared assured her. "I promise." He pushed her onto the first step, standing back against the wall. He gave her a nod and waited.

Toni swallowed again, a sweat building on the back of her neck. With trembling hands, she went up.