Chapter 3

I woke up alone in my bed. My arm was wrapped in a cast, and I had a wrap around my stomach. Carefully, I pushed myself out of my bed and hobbled over to my mirror to take in the damage. My right ear was missing a bit from the top, I was bruised with bite marks almost all over, and it looked like I had a broken arm and rib.

I groaned, pressing my hand against my mutilated ear. I bet you five dollars that one was Sandra. She acted like her lips were a gift to earth. An amused smile took over my face as I thought of how I probably messed them up.

"See? Aren't you glad you let me take over last night?" The wolf side of me snickered. I couldn't help but agree. It felt good to fight back, to stand up for myself. No matter how much more they hurt me, at least I could groan in pain with a sense of dignity still intact.

With my acute sense of hearing, I could distinctly make out the sound of the pack getting ready go for a morning hunt. Unfamiliar voices were there, so the other pack must still be here.

Knowing I couldn't shift with my broken bones, I grabbed some money from my purse. Normally, I would wait for the others to leave but today I didn't give a shit. Max was right, the runt had grown a back bone and she was using it wildly.

I was dressed in some black skinny jeans I had splurged on, and a black V-neck cross top. I had found some shoes in the dumpster in town, and proudly wore them today. Here, we didn't wear shoes. Our feet were more durable than humans, so we didn't really need them.

I grabbed one of my baggy jackets and snuck out the door. Even if I did have this back bone now, my human side wasn't as good at using it as my wolf side.

"Looks like the runts still alive." Someone shouted, disappointed. "I thought for sure that internal bleeding would take her this time."

Internal bleeding? That rose a question to my mind. Who had taken care of me last night? I usually wake up on the floor outside, naked from shifting back to human in my unconscious state. Today, I wasn't only in my room but I was dressed and my injuries were wrapped up.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I felt a presence behind me. Not wanting to get jumped in my nice clothes, I turned around going into a crouch, baring my teeth. I didn't recognize him, but his smell reminded me of Jacob that got me in trouble yesterday. My canines became sharper, my muscles tightening in case I wanted to pounce.

He wasn't about to act all dominating over me again. No way was I going to allow it.

His looks surprised me though. I hadn't gotten a good look at his wolf form the day before, but he looked different than I had imagined. Of course I had pictured the muscles, but I didn't think he was just purely muscle. He was tall, about six' three. From this angle, I felt even more short. His hair was chopped and styled into a small Mohawk. His skin was dark and tanned, like he laid out for the sun to admire everyday.

He smirked, looking like he was holding back a laugh. "Easy pup. I'm just going for some breakfast."

I let out a small growl at the name, assessing how much of a threat he could be. Come on wolf side, now is a time when I want you to be here. "He could be a threat, but you should be use to dominance. Now, if you want me to tell you how hot he is..." The wolf in me purred with delight, making me almost gag. Great, the wolf has hormones.

I came out of my crouch, retracting my sharp teeth until they were normal. "You aren't allowed to eat if you didn't catch it."

He gave me a look. "than where are you going?"

I let out a small snort. "I get beat enough so I don't really care. I'm not going to starve myself when there's a McDonald two minutes away."

Jacob let out a low growl, making me shiver. Oh, right. He's dominant, he probably gets mad when people don't follow the rules. I fought the instinct to act submissive, but didn't dare stare him straight in the eye.

"Jacob!" The Alpha of his pack shouted, coming toward us. Now that I wasn't being held against the ground or fighting for my life, I could finally get a clear view of him. Like Jacob, his hair was chopped short and styled. They looked a lot alike, the only difference was that his Alpha was shorter than him.

I kept my comments to myself, still trying to figure out why Jacob seemed more Dominant than his Alpha.

"Hello, Bella." He greeted, making me have a small smile. I wasn't used to being called my given name, I almost didn't recognize it.

"Good morning, Alpha." I replied, giving a small tilt of my head to indicate respect. Another deep rumble left Jacob, making me want to sigh. What the hell was his problem?

"What do you want, Sam?" Jacob asked, annoyance thick in his voice.

I shot him a curious look, wondering how he could be so disrespectful to his Alpha and not get punished for it. Suddenly, I was jealous. Jealous because if I spoke to anyone in my pack like that, I probably wouldn't live.

"Please, excuse me Alpha." I bowed in a submissive nature, ignoring Jacob's growl, and quickly walked away.

It wasn't until I was at McDonald's, that I realized that my cast smelt distinctly like Jacob.