The Cursed Gift

Chapter 2

Evelynn’s father brought food back from the packhouse cafeteria after meeting with the beta. The kitchen made spaghetti and meatballs, one of her favorites. The aroma of fresh marinara sauce and garlic bread filled the cabin, making her stomach growl.

They ate in comfortable silence, Evelynn not daring to ask if the beta believed the lie.

The next morning came too soon. Light pierced through the dirty windows, giving a harsh and unwelcome start to the day. Evelynn stretched from the depths of her warm sleeping bag and groaned. Her body ached from sleeping on the hard wooden floor.

She put her glasses on and looked around with sleepy eyes. Her parents had tidied up the living room already, and now a low hum of voices drifted from the kitchen.

“Good morning.” She yawned and plopped down on a chair. The conversation instantly changed.

“I bought bagels from the local bakery. Want one?” her father said, and she nodded. They ate together, too tired to speak. The only sound was the soft rustle of newspaper pages turning in her father’s hands.

“What are your plans for today, Evie?” her father asked after a while.

Evelynn shrugged. “Probably organize my books and...”

“And helping with cleaning and unpacking.” Her mother cut in, emphasizing the word, and without looking up from her Styrofoam coffee cup.

Seeing his daughter’s bummed-out expression, her father added, “I don’t start work until Monday, so I’ll see if I can get some spare pieces of wood to make you some bookshelves. You can help me with them.” He smiled once he saw the small flicker of excitement sparkle in his daughter’s eyes.

A knock at the door sent a jolt of tension through the room. They all knew the Alpha was coming in the morning to pay a visit, but they didn’t expect him this early.

One look from her mother caused Evelynn’s shoulders to sink. Great, not again... She shoved the last bite of her bagel into her mouth and hurried into the living room. Digging through her bag, she found a pair of her worn knitted gloves and quickly slipped them on.

Another knock, and her father opened the door. “Oh, good morning, Beta Phillip. Please come in.”

“Morning, Paul.” A tall, lanky man stepped into the living room. “Sorry it’s so early; I wanted to make sure you were settling in before I started my duties. We brought the mattresses you requested.”

Behind him, three boys a little older than Evelynn trailed behind, looking bored. Evelynn eyed them suspiciously while they completely ignored her.

“Thank you kindly, Beta,” Paul said, giving a small bow. Several warriors brought the mattresses in, and Tara excused herself to show them where to put them.

“Beta Phillip, let me introduce you to my mate, Tara Cane,” Paul said. They shook hands, giving each a warm greeting.

Evelynn eyed the man from her spot on the floor. The beta wasn’t what she expected. His eyes were kind, and his smile was sincere. He wasn’t dressed flashy in an overpriced suit, just a pair of dark denim jeans, a simple dark green button-down shirt, and work boots.

“And who is this lovely young lady?” He said, smiling down at her.

“This is our daughter, Evelynn.” Her mother said. The fake, practiced smile slipped into place.

Beta Phillip extended his hand. Evelynn stood slowly, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Her eyes locked nervously on the beta’s outstretched hand. She took a deep breath before giving it a delicate, almost hesitant handshake.

His brow furrowed slightly at the gloves.

Seeing that Beta Phillip was about to ask questions, her father stepped in. “Like I said last night, Beta, Evelynn gets sick easily, and she’s not fond of physical contact, so she wears gloves.”

“She’s scared of germs?” One boy blurted out. Beta Phillip smacked him hard on the back of the head. The boy winced, rubbing the spot with a scowl.

“Sorry, Evelynn. Don’t mind him. Let me introduce you, since you will all be going to school together soon. This is Midas, Alpha Malcolm’s oldest son. My son, Leo. And their friend, Henry.”

Evelynn’s eyes flickered to them. Midas stood tall, his expression unreadable. Leo looked relaxed, with a hint of warmth in his gaze. And Henry... He was smiling, but it didn’t seem genuine.

“They’ll all be starting leadership training soon,” Phillip continued, then turned to the boys. “Make sure you look out for her at school.”

A small bubble of hope blossomed in Evelynn’s chest. School?! She will get to go to school again?!

“I homeschool Evelynn since she’s sick so often.” Her mother said quickly, popping the hope bubble just as fast with the usual lie.

Beta Phillip nodded. “Ah, I see. Well, my wife is our pack’s doctor. You should take Miss Evelynn for an examination. She might be able to help.”

“We’ll do that, thank you, Beta,” Tara said with a small bow.

Midas hadn’t taken his eyes off Evelynn. He wasn’t sure what to make of her. She didn’t look sickly, just scrawny and quiet. Mostly, she just looked awkward. She was small, with black hair that reminded him of raven feathers and the deepest sea-green eyes he had ever seen. They caught the morning light, revealing faint flecks of gold. She was cute with glasses, but not beautiful.

“Once Alpha Malcolm gets here, you can pledge your loyalty and join the pack. Are you sure you want to live all the way out there?” Beta Phillip asked, turning his attention to Evelynn’s parents.

Evelynn inwardly groaned. She hated this part. She’d done this once before, and it made her feel so uncomfortable. To join a pack, you had to drink the Alpha’s blood. It always seemed so unsanitary to her. Germaphobe or not, it was just icky. What were they? Werewolves or vampires? Her brain wandered off, thinking about all the potential ways they could join a pack without drinking blood.

“Don’t worry, it really isn’t that bad,” Leo said suddenly, seeing her grim expression and reading it wrong. “Our pack uses a chalice for the blood, so you don’t have to drink from the Alpha’s arm.”

Evelynn blinked. Huh? Her mother nudged her on the arm. “Oh okay. Thank you.” Evelynn whispered, not sure what else to say.

The adults exchanged pleasantries while Evelynn and the three boys stood in a tense, uncomfortable stare-off. She struggled to come up with something to say. Since she always avoided people because of her curse, she became pretty awkward in social situations.

Ok Evie. You can do this. Think. Be cool. Just introduce yourself... again... She gave herself a small pep talk before saying the complete opposite of what she wanted to say. “Did you know werewolves have over 200 million scent cells? That’s why our sense of smell is so good.”

Then... Silence.

The conversation stopped, and everyone turned to look at her. Heat flooded her cheeks. She dropped her head and let her shoulders slump forward.

A single snort broke the tension. “Nerd,” Henry whispered.

That earned him another smack. Evelynn looked up slowly, only to see Midas scowling at her and Leo looking amused. Great. She thought. In every pack, the Alpha and Beta sons were always the popular kids. Now she just went and labeled herself... ‘the weirdo.’

Thankfully, the moment was saved by the Alpha’s arrival. Alpha Malcolm was the typical Alpha in Evelynn’s eyes. With his imposing height, broad shoulders, and piercing stare, he was the very image of what human children had nightmares about. It was the opposite compared to Beta Phillip’s friendly demeanor.

“Phil, let’s get started. I have things to do.” Alpha Malcolm said as he unpacked the chalice and knife from a small wooden box he had brought.

The ritual only took a few minutes, swearing loyalty to the Moon Lake Pack. One by one, Alpha Malcolm cut their palms and mixed their blood with his in the chalice. When he cut Evelynn’s palm, her parents held their breath. Evelynn’s lungs finally exhaled when she realized she didn’t have a vision. She nodded at them with a smile; her parents let out a grateful sigh. After drinking the blood mixture, she grimaced. Uncomfortable pain shot through her mind as the new pack link snapped into place. Her knees felt weak, and her father grabbed her elbows before anyone else could.

When everyone finally left, Evelynn flopped on the couch like a limp noodle. She was worn out already, and it was only nine in the morning. How could she make such a fool of herself? Now the boys were going to tell everyone what a freak she was. She looked at her open wound on her palm; the small cut from the knife was still bleeding. She threw her head back and closed her eyes. I wonder if I can find a hole to bury myself in...

Her mother sat next to her with the first-aid kit. Since Evelynn didn’t have her wolf yet, her healing abilities were those of a human. Evelynn winced when the antiseptic swab touched her hand.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Her mother said, reaching for the gauze to wrap her daughter’s hand. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Easy for you to say; you didn’t spout out random facts like a dork. Now they will think I’m a weirdo and stay away from me.”

“Maybe that’s for the best.” Her mother finished up, then headed to the kitchen, leaving Evelynn with her thoughts.

How am I going to make friends now?