Chapter 1
I was an Omega. In humans terms, that meant amazing. In wolf packs, it meant garbage. I was always amazed at how silly humans were, throwing around the word that caused me the most pain like it was something glamorous. If I wasn't the runt, being an Omega would be easier. Hell, if I wasn't the Alphas daughter being an Omega would be easier. I was forced to take on the brunt of the packs aggression ever since I was a cub. It was as if I wasn't anything but a punching bag, no matter who my father was.
I was roughly pushed aside, a voice grunting in that strange language I could only understand in this form, "Get out of the way, runt."
Instead of snarling at them like my human self ordered me to, my wolf side whimpered and backed away from the carcass; ears down and back, my legs bent toward the ground in a submissive pose. The Alpha looked down at me with aggravated eyes, shaking his head in clear disappointment. It was obvious he wanted me to fight, to show them all that just because I was small didn't mean I couldn't fend for myself, but how could he expect me to do that? My brothers, sisters, and cousins were all greatly larger than me. They even joked around that I wouldn't last next winter.
It was a shame that my father had to be born with such a small thing. Our family was always large, they use to boast that we've never had a runt. Until I came along, that is. My uncle wanted them to kill me before word got out, but the elders claimed that if they did this, than my future families litter would be weak and useless.
They kept me, but my mother disowned me. She couldn't help it, her animal side screamed that she shouldn't get attached to me; that I'd die. Normally one of the submissive mother wolves would have adopted me, but the Alpha ordered against it. He said I would be stronger if I wasn't coddled, if I had to fight for everything. So far, his plan wasn't working. As a shifter, I should be as large as a tent but I was smaller than even regular wolves. Even they wouldn't accept me into their packs. Trust me, my uncle tried it once.
The bigger wolves moved away from the deer, snickering how I would have fun picking bones tonight. My stomach growled as I smelt the blood on the snouts, the meat stuck between their teeth. I licked one of the bones, pushing aside the fleshy fur parts to see if anything was left. I let out a low whimper as I could see nothing but bones that were licked clean.
A shadow loomed over me and I kept my eyes to the ground as my Alpha, my father, looked down at me with disgust. "You're only hope is one of the others finds you attractive enough to mate." he paused, allowing a wolfish laugh. "You've brought this on yourself, Bella."
I lowered my head more, accepting what he told me. "Yes, Alpha."
His teeth wrapped around the scruff of my neck, pulling me up and carrying me around by his teeth. I tried to keep my humiliation down, hoping he wouldn't notice. Pups would consider it an honor to be carried around by the Alpha. My human side was going to get me in trouble one of these days. Most shifters abandon their human side, but the conflicting voices and emotions in my head were the only ones who didn't hurt me.
After a few minutes we reached the edge of the forest. My dad dropped me harshly on the ground, making me shiver from the sudden snow. As custom, I turned my head to the ground and the side as he shifted. I could hear the fabric ruffle against each other as he got dressed in human clothes. It was a hated part by most of the pack. They preferred to be with their animal side.
My father and I looked a lot alike. We had the same black hair, sky blue eyes, and pointed nose. I didn't look anything like my mother except my wolf fur; a mixture of white and brown.
As soon as Alpha was five feet ahead of me, I cleared my head of all thoughts. My bones shifted, my claws retracted, and my fur turned into pale skin. Goosebumps broke out on my body, my teeth clattering at the sudden change of temperature. Not wanting to die of hypothermia, I grabbed the clothes from my thigh and shoved the warm track suit on.
I rolled the ends of the pants up, grimacing at how they were too long. Even in human form I was short, hardly measuring up to five' one. The pack didn't have enough money to buy me new clothes since all the other female wolves were the exact same sizes. I had to make due with what was left over.
Once I considered myself suitable, not that it would matter, I hauled myself up and walked over to my lodge. Since my father wanted me to fight for myself I had to build the small place by myself and get a small job in town to pay rent. After I got inside, I fished around in my purse for ten dollars. I was starving, and a burger joint was right down the street.
My stomach was finally full, and I sighed. See, I didn't need to fight for my food. The only bad part was that I got hell when I got back and the others smelt it on me. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I only became aware of another presence on the lone high way when I heard a growl.
Cautiously, I stopped in place. It wasn't just an animal, I knew that. Other animals could sense what we were and stayed far away from us. I got low into a crouch, and smelt the air that surrounded me. It was a shifter, a big one. I could tell it wasn't part of our pack, and that I wouldn't be able to take it on.
Knowing I had no other option, I shifted. Scraps of clothing rained down around me. Looking around with my wolf eyes, I could see the silhouette of the giant wolf a few feet ahead of me. I got into a submissive pose, one I had become quickly use to in my life.
Angrily, I realized I couldn't hear any of my pack in the area. Wasn't one of them supposed to be patrolling right now? Alpha would be mad we had let another shifter get on our property and from the smell of the air, there was a lot more.
The wolf scooted closer, making me let out a whimper. His cold nose touched my gray fur, smelling me. His sharp incisors came into view, and I knew he could tear me up with one bite. The teeth in question bit my ear softly, making me look up at him.
His eyes weren't at all mean, they were brown and playful. His tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, reminding me of a dog. He was the same size as my father, and from the dominant air around him I could tell he was the Alpha of his pack.
A sharp growl appeared to my right, and my eyes popped over. Andre was suddenly at the other side of the forest, his sharp teeth barred in a warning. He barked "Get away from her, mutt!" at the shifter above me. Andre was my oldest brother, set to take over the pack after our father died. We had pretty much the same fur, except his was a lighter color with blotches of white in it.
The wolf next to me growled back, his once brown eyes turning gold. He crouched low, his posture saying "Fight me for her."
I suddenly blanched. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was he going to make me his next meal? I whimpered at the thought of being a snack for this giant beast. Andre was clearly as confused as I was, with his head tilted to the side. Before he could reply though, large horse like thumps sounded from both sides of the forest. Both packs were coming, and it sounded like they were all out for blood. Even if I wasn't valued amongst the pack, I was still a part of it. The warning from the elders was still fresh as yesterday, if I died early than the rest of the packs litters would be as screwed up as I was.
My brother let out a wolfish smirk, and I could hear him say "You're going to get it now, punk."
The other wolf was still crouched over me, not ready to leave his snack. I was so confused, five minutes ago he seemed like he was just being friendly, but now...
The packs were here, my family growling. The wolves next to me growled and moved uneasily amongst the bushes. It was as if they didn't want to fight us. I heard a pop, and smelt the almost rancid, to me, smell of human in the air. A tall man with tanned skin petted the shifter above me, making him calm. "Back down , Jacob that's an order."
Jacob growled a warning at Andre, before backing out of his crouch and standing slightly farther away from me. Now I was even more confused. Jacob reeked of dominance, how was he not the Alpha?
With Jacob not hovering over me, I tried to get up to run back to my family. Sharp teeth wrapped around my neck, holding me back down. Whimpering, I realized it was once again Jacob. Carefully, I crouched down farther so there wasn't a centimeter of my lower body not pressed against the ground.
I heard another pop and felt that my Alpha had shifted. Both Alphas stepped toward each other, but I couldn't watch the confrontation as my head was still being held. Even with my wolf hearing I couldn't understand what my father was saying, Jacob's breathing was so loud in my ears.
"Family and friends, I would like to introduce you to the Colorado pack." My father shouted, eliciting howls of welcome from my pack. We've long since lot connection with all our brothering packs, making this an honorable occasion. Too bad I couldn't enjoy it since my neck was busy being squeezed still.
Finally, the other Alpha turned around. He growled, "Jacob, what did I tell you?"
I could sense that Jacob rolled his eyes before letting go of me. Was it bad that I was afraid to get up? I let out a low whimper, waiting for someone to give me an order. 'Every time I act on my own I just get in trouble.', I mentally snorted.
"Andre and Max will take you home, Bella. We will have a serious chat about this when I return." Alpha ordered, gaining looks of eagerness from my siblings and cousins.
Great. Just great. I let out a little sigh, thinking of the last time we had a serious chat, and Andre nudged me with his nose to get up. "Come on little sister, let's go before the wolf decides he's hungry again." Max laughed in our minds, pushing me forward to follow Andre.
"I apologize again for Jacob, he didn't mean to attack your pup." The other packs Alpha said, shooting me a sympathetic glance.
I blushed as my father laughed, lowering my head in shame. "Bella isn't a puppy, she's a runt." I flinched as he pretended to kick my side when I ran past.
Jacob let out a whine, restlessly getting up and down from the ground.
From the eyes of my pack, I watched the rest of the confrontation. Alpha had invited them over for dinner tonight, making me let out a whine. Great, they'd probably partake in the "serious chat".
"It's not like you don't deserve it, runt." Max bit at my back haunch, but I held in my yelp of pain.
"Leave her alone, Max. You'll get to rip into her later." Andre growled reasonably, trying to practice being a fair leader long before his time.
At least I have something to look forward too.
Hi, everyone. I just want to say that I'm sorry this was taken down before it was finished. I never told you guys but I was pregnant with twins and recovering from a C-section. I asked my husband/Dom to post the new chapter I had written a while ago and he clicked delete. While he swears it was an accident, I'm not entirely sure since he was mad at me and couldn't punish me. :P Anyway, I hope you still like this! And welcome new readers!