Chapter 5

I stood trembling as Julianne marched across the grass. She didn't say a word until she reached me, her hand lashing out to snag a fistful of my hair. She dragged me toward the edge of the lawn, my scalp screaming in protest, until we reached the driveway. She pointed at the ground—a mess of dead grass, brown leaves, and dried mud from the morning's rain.

“What do you call this!?” she shrieked, her voice cracking with fury. “I told you I wanted this done before I got back, you worthless, lazy parasite! Explain yourself!”

“I’m sorry!” I cried, reaching up to claw at her wrist, trying to loosen her grip. “I didn’t think you’d be back so early! Let me just mow the lawn, I’ll be right on it—”

“It’s too late for excuses!” She shoved me, hard. I hit the concrete driveway with a bone-jarring thud. “You’ve been out here for hours. All you’ve done is the flowerbeds. That doesn’t take a whole morning, Libby. So, tell me... what were you really doing?”

Something in me finally snapped. It wasn't a slow burn; it was a volcanic eruption. The years of grief, the months of slavery, and the morning's horrific violations collided in my chest. Deep in the dark of my mind, Mya stood up, her fur bristling, her teeth bared at the woman standing over us. I was done. I was done with the secrets. I was done with the shame. I stood up, ignoring the sting in my knees, and looked Julianne dead in the eye. I saw her flinch—just for a second—at the sheer hatred burning in my gaze.

“Firstly,” I snarled, my voice vibrating with a power I didn’t know I had, “You seem to forget who I am. My parents are dead, but their blood is mine. I outrank you by birthright, even if you’ve spent the last year trying to bury me alive in this house.”

Julianne’s mouth fell open, but I didn't stop.

“Secondly, you aren't my mother, and that thing standing behind you isn't my father. You have no right to command me, and you have no right to cage my wolf.” I took a step toward her, watching her eyes widen. “And thirdly? You want to know what I’ve been doing? While you were playing politics at the packhouse, your 'darling' James spent the morning beating me. And when he was done with that, he followed me into the shed and he raped me.”

The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating. James, who had been lingering in the doorway, turned a sickly shade of grey.

“He doesn’t love you, Julianne,” I spat, the words like venom. “He’s a dirty, opportunistic predator. He told me he was going to make me his 'special girl.' I wouldn't be surprised if he’s already done the same to Louisa.”

Julianne went white as a ghost, her gaze darting between me and James. James began to splutter, his face twisting into a mask of faux-outrage.

“It’s lies! All of it!” he roared, looking at Julianne with desperate, simpering eyes. “Yes, I hit her—I had to teach her a lesson for the way she spoke to you! But the rest? I wouldn’t go near that freak, let alone touch her! Not when I have a woman as beautiful as you, Jule. She’s jealous! She’s trying to tear us apart!”

Julianne’s shock curdled into something far worse: denial. She reached out, resting her hands on James’s trembling arms, her eyes snapping back to me with a murderous, orange glow.

“You pathetic, jealous little bitch,” she whispered. “You really think anyone would believe you? You’re lucky I haven’t killed you already. But now? Now you’re going to wish you’d died with your mother.”

The air around her began to shimmer. Bones cracked and skin stretched as Julianne surrendered to her rage, shifting into a lean, vixen-red wolf. She snarled, her fangs dripping. I didn't hesitate. I broke the one rule that had kept me safe. I let Mya go. The shift was agonizingly beautiful. My white fur shone in the sun, my black-tipped ears pinning back as I stood my ground. I was smaller than her, but I was pure, concentrated fury.

Behind her, James shifted too—a massive, smoky grey beast. And then, a third shape cleared the garden fence: a chocolate-brown wolf. Louisa. I was outnumbered three to one.

I didn't wait for the attack. I turned and bolted. I cleared the perimeter fence in a single, desperate leap, my paws thumping against the pavement as I tore down the suburban street. Human neighbors froze, dropping groceries and stopping cars as four wolves streaked through their quiet lives like a nightmare made flesh. I hit the open fields at the edge of the territory, my heart hammering. I was fast, but they were gaining. Julianne was a streak of red in my peripheral vision, driven by a need to silence me forever. I headed for the Great Forest, my only hope for cover.

My muscles screamed. My lungs felt like they were filled with hot coals. Just as I reached the treeline, a stray root caught my paw. I went down hard, tumbling down a steep, debris-covered embankment. I landed at the bottom in a heap, the world spinning.

I couldn't get up. I lay there, panting, watching as three heads appeared at the top of the ridge. Julianne, James, and Louisa stared down at me, their eyes cold and unforgiving. James tensed, his front paw hovering over the edge, ready to make the final descent to finish me off. Suddenly, he froze. A sound like a cannon shot—the crack of a heavy branch—echoed through the trees. From the shadows of the deep forest, three massive, dark-furred wolves slinked out. These weren't city wolves. They were larger, scarred, and radiated a primal power that made the air feel heavy. James, Julianne, and Louisa looked at the newcomers, then back at me. Without a sound, they backed away from the ridge, disappearing into the safety of their own territory.

They left me behind.

I turned my head slowly toward the strange wolves. They were circling me now, their heads low, their golden eyes fixed on the white-furred stranger bleeding in their woods. I was no longer being hunted by my family—I was now at the mercy of the wild.