Chapter One

Skylar

The flashing of the fluorescent light in the cemetery served as a reminder that everything was fleeting.

When I couldn't tell the difference between truth and fantasy, I relied solely on the defective lamp. And at that moment, I wondered how much.

There was life in that last lightbulb, as if that were my primary concern right now.

The raindrops that fell from the grey sky enveloped the xenon streetlamp, seemingly comforting it. The sun was supposed to shine in the summer, but the dreary, rainy weather proved otherwise.

They say that both the good and the bad in life are fleeting, but why does the latter feel permanent?

"Skylar," my closest friend's familiar voice snapped me out of my daydream. "Let's head back inside."

When I heard his voice, I narrowed my eyes at the boy in front of me. Ryder, the Alpha's younger brother and my longtime best friend, looked at me with sorrowful eyes.

His emerald green eyes were stained scarlet red. His dark wavy hair was soaked with rain and hung over his eyes. He appeared weary.

"Already?" I inquired, my voice hoarse.

"It's getting late," Ryder said, reaching over and holding the umbrella over me. "The rain is growing heavier, and you're getting soaked. We should go back inside before you get a cold."

Instead of taking the umbrella, my gaze shifted to the ground. My gaze wandered across the flower-covered dirt until the tombstone came into sight.

The inscriptions on the rock were obvious at first, but they gradually blurred as they registered in my thoughts.

Clara Margaret Brooks. My Mother.

My knees gave way, and I found myself clutching to the soil for dear life, praying with it to give my mother back.

My previously suppressed tears suddenly broke free, and my shouts of pain rang through the downpour.

"Skylar, please," Ryder murmured, attempting to grab my arm to persuade me to stand.

His attempt failed, and I sunk further into the mud, crying for the only person I'd known my entire life.

Three days ago, I came from school to find her comatose at home, with no explanation. For sixteen years, that woman was my family. My only family. Now that she was gone, I didn't know what to do.

Where have the pack's orphans gone? There were no orphans in our pack. When you lost your parents and had no blood relatives, you had to leave. Given that I fit the latter description, I realised there was no room for me in the pack.

The strong grasp on my shoulders ripped me away from the world within my thoughts, directing my attention back to Ryder.

His lips make a line. "Nora is worried, let's head home now."

"We can't leave her here, Ryder," I said in a panic, looking up at him.

Ryder let out a nervous breath. "Come on, Skylar."

"Everyone has already left. "She'll be alone if I leave," I pleaded, tears welling up in my eyes.

"She's gone," Ryder murmured quietly, his voice breaking. "She's not coming back."

My brow furrowed at his words, and I turned to look at him. Tears blurred my eyes, making the boy in front of me appear hazy. "Why?" I asked him, perplexed. "How could she just leave like this?"

"Come here," he murmured, before kneeling beside me and placing his hands on either side of me, pressing me flush against him.

I wasn't sure how long we were in that position, but I poured all of my emotions into my best friend's shoulder. After my tears had dried, Ryder pulled me up and led me away from my mother's new home.

My extremities were chilly and numb. The grey skies were shrouded in a black mantle. The further we went from the cemetery, the more my heart hurt. She was actually gone.

There were a lot of unresolved questions. I was enraged. I got hurt. I felt lonely. The recollection of that final word caused me to cry softly into Ryder's chest as he carried us back to my home.

It was terrible of me to think that way while I still had Ryder and Nora, my other best friends. But without my mother, everything else seemed incomplete. And it was incomplete. Without a family, how was I supposed to fit in with the rest of the pack? It was impossible.

Nora was waiting for us at my place. She covered me in a blanket and sat me on a stool near the kitchen island. A dish of hot food was placed in front of me, but I just stared at it, absentmindedly. As expected, my best friend of the past five years jolted me out of my reverie.

She tucked a strand of her auburn locks behind her ear and looked at me with her large brown tapioca pearled eyes. The girl sat alongside me, placing a hand over mine, before muttering, "Nothing I say will cheer you up, so in the meantime, make sure you eat and take care of yourself." I am not losing you as well."

"Ave," I whispered to her. "She's gone."

Nora gave me a forlorn look. "Baby girl, she will always be with us, you know that."

"I don't know if I can do this, Ave."

"Of course you can; you have to. We'll get through this together, all three of us."

Nora, Ryder, and I had met at school. All of us have yet to find our matches. Even though we were the same age, I felt like they were always looking out for me.

Before I could say anything to the couple, Ryder spoke. "All you have to focus on is getting your health back on track. We'll deal with the rest later.

Nora nodded in agreement. I knew they were discussing my position in the pack. It was a given. We didn't need to talk about it openly to understand.

The pack relied heavily on familial relationships because only families could keep Wolves strong and alive.

A lone orphan wolf at the age of sixteen did not exude strength, and it was the polar opposite of what the pack desired. It would jeopardise the pack. I would obstruct the pack.

"Whatever happens, we're here. "We will protect you," Nora promised me with a mournful smile.

"And you will be staying here, with us," Ryder added, his face serious.

I knew they were trying to be optimistic for me, but the terror in their eyes spoke otherwise. The three of us understood that once you became a lone wolf, you no longer served a purpose in the pack. It was a unique situation, as most Orphaned Wolves had other blood relatives to turn to.

Aside from Ryder and Nora, who were not my blood relatives, I had no one to rely on in this pack.

"We don't know what will happen," I whispered in hushed tones after what felt like minutes, the words spilling before I could stop myself.

My remarks drew Ryder's attention, and he dropped the sandwich he was chewing on down on the kitchen island, his gaze riveted on mine. His moist hair from the graves had gradually come back to life.

"I won't let my brother do that to you," he snarled, his fury palpable.

"Ryder, you can't—"

"No, Skylar," he said abruptly, cutting me short. "You're not just another wolf in the pack. You are my best friend, for crying out loud. "I will not let them do that to you."

My brow furrowed at his words, and I knew exactly who he was referring to: his family. These were the same officials who had previously sanctioned the abandoning of lone wolves.

Nora must have been uneasy with the silence as Ryder and I engaged in a subliminal staring contest. He raised an eyebrow at me, but the auburn-haired girl spoke.

"Enough has happened already," she remarked softly. "Let's deal with the aftermath later, okay?"

"Ave's right," Ryder said, before picking up the lunch he had dropped earlier. "Perhaps, we should prioritise our health for now and deal with what may happen later."

"Good," Nora said, more happily. "I'm glad that was discussed.

"Now eat!"

I sighed and switched my attention to the untouched food on my plate. As the only two people I had left in this world watched me take my first mouthful, I could feel their gazes piercing my soul. Only then did I understand how dry my throat was, and I choked on the first bite.

Nora hurried to the washbasin to get me a drink of water, while Ryder rose instantly to my help, stopping in his tracks when his gaze fell on something—on someone.

Before I could follow his eyes, a hand pressed firmly on my back, bringing my coughing episode to come to an abrupt end. My head cocked to the side, taking in the new arrival.

I gasped when I realised that the hand that had so roughly smacked my back to terminate my struggle to breathe was none other than Ryder's older brother.

Alpha Marcus.

My eyes widened with his presence. What was he doing here? Was he here to tell me I needed to leave the pack now that my mother had left? Already?

"Alpha," I responded politely, instantly rising from my bench and bowing my head slightly.

The fork that had been dancing between my fingers dropped loudly into the china dish, causing me to cringe.

"Leave," Alpha Marcus's deep voice pleaded. I knew it.

He wanted me to leave the pack since I didn't have any parents. This made sense. Nobody wanted an orphan in their group.

Before my mind could wander to another universe, Ryder grumbled, "I'm not going anywhere," as Nora said 'yes, Alpha' at the same time.

I looked at the trio, perplexed. Nora gave me a worried glance before going out the front door. Ryder stood leaning on the kitchen island, unfazed by his bigger brother.

Then I remembered Alpha Marcus had asked them to leave, not me. I wanted to feel relieved, but the confusion just grew.

Was it so bad?

"Little brother, you always find a way to get on my nerves," Alpha Marcus snarled.

Ryder snorted. "Whatever you need to tell her, you can tell me too."

He wasn't asking; he demanded. Maybe it was a sibling thing that I would never understand, but Ryder's fearlessness around his elder brother always amazed me.

Alpha Marcus snarled quietly. It made me absolutely cower back. He possessed authority, and a single growl was enough to force anyone to surrender to him. However, Ryder refused to budge in the face of the danger.

He cocked his brow towards his brother, and the two must have communicated because Alpha Marcus sighed and stroked his temple.

Clearly, his younger brother was a pain in the ass. And, obviously, that wasn't why he was at my house.

The Alpha, with grey eyes, turned his attention to me. I used every ounce of energy to compel myself to gaze at the floor rather than at him. I was

intimidated. I could count on one hand how many times I'd met Alpha Marcus.

He was six feet tall, with a body built to scare anyone, as opposed to Ryder, who was slim and muscular but not intimidating.

Alpha Marcus was serious rather than playful, in contrast to Ryder, who was rarely serious and treated the world as if it were his oyster. Both brothers were undeniably attractive.

The older brother had assumed the Alpha title over a year ago, at the age of eighteen, just after the late Alpha died, but he had yet to locate his partner. The majority of Wolves found their partners when they were eighteen, with the exception of Alpha Marcus.

"I understand you don't have parents," Alpha Marcus said, without guilt.

His words made me stiff. My gaze focused more intently on the hardwood floor. Coming to terms with my parents' absence was far more difficult when I heard it from someone else—and I resented it. I was attempting to calm the turmoil in my heart while waiting for the words I knew would come.

"Do you have any idea what happens to orphans that have no family?" "She has a family!" Ryder objected, his voice harsh.

"Ryder, I don't want to deal with you right now," Alpha Marcus muttered, directing a death gaze at the younger lad.

When I turned to look at Ryder, his eyes were darker. I shake my head at him. I didn't want to create complications for him. His brow furrowed in response, and I hurriedly averted my gaze back to the ground as I felt Alpha Marcus gaze on me.

"You have a decision to make," Alpha Marcus said, his voice authoritative. "As your Alpha, and unlike in past situations, I'm providing you two options. One, quit the flock; your existence will be erased. "You will become a lone Wolf and never return to my territory."

"And option two?" Ryder asked the question before I did.

I secretly wished that choice two was better and that Alpha Marcus would let me stay with the pack. How would I live out in the wilderness on my own?

Everyone knew that our neighbouring pack was the enemy. If I was kicked out of the pack, that would be the last of me. The enemy would.

Kill me the moment I set foot on their turf. Was I destined for a life like that? Is it fate that I will never meet my true love?

I didn't comprehend. Honestly, I didn't want to comprehend. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't what happened next.

My prayers went unanswered, and the latter alternative felt like the end of the world to me. If I thought today had been a difficult day, his remarks caused me to crumple to the ground.

He continued, "Option two, stay in the pack as my provisional Luna and marry me when you turn eighteen."