NACRIPPER

Prologue

The sky was grey but there was no sign of rain. I could hear thundering but no lightening. The pitter patter of little feet running accompanied with the giggles. I temporarily wondered what caused the thundering but I ignored it. A huge gust of steam hit my hand which caused me to hiss in pain, taking my attention from my thoughts and back to the task at hand and I immediately retrieved my hand from the top of the pot.

Work as the pack omega wasn't easy. I had to cook and clean for the entire pack house along with the other two Omegas that I was sure hated me. I looked around the kitchen. From the soot stained walls and windows to the oven and cooker.

The chicken soup I was making for the alphas mate was done. Silently humming to myself, I served it up in a bowl and left the kitchen to take it up to her room.

My thoughts took me back to my 20th birthday where I did nothing but run to and fro around the pack house since mysteriously a mate of one of the pack leaders falls ill on my birthday. Luckily no one noticed that apart from me and I was happy because it would just increase the stigmatization I already received from the pack. Especially after not shifting on my 16th birthday like all other werewolves.

It was my birthday again today and as I knocked on the door of the Luna, the fact kept eating at me. Another year without my wolf. Everyone already called me a human, and at this point after five years I had partially given up on ever shifting, I was just glad they kept me around.

I entered the room of the Luna in the heart of the pack house and placed her meal on a stool beside her table. I bowed my head and turned to leave. The moment my hand hit the doorknob, I got this huge wave of dizziness and almost fell. Remembering where I was, I stood straight and concentrated my brain on leaving the room without accidents.

'You do know that you're blocked from the pack mindlink right now, right?' A female voice muttered, annoyance lacing her tone.

I looked to my left and right but the whole corridor was empty. I shrugged it off as I was hearing voices and continued walking slowly, still feeling the effects of the dizziness.

'Wow, I've been graded under voices.'

I heard it again but it sounded like a mindlink. Maybe it was one of the female werewolves pranking me again. Getting inside my head and pretending to be my wolf.

'I am not some childish prank.'

The mindlink doesn't connect thoughts. Whoever this was, was truly in my head. Maybe my wolf. Nah, that's silly. I'm hallucinating. Yup, that's it. It was some hallucination. Just some aspirin and water.

'Oh goddess, what kind of girl did you pair me with? One that can't tell she has her wolf and thinks she's crazy.'

'My wolf. Really? I'm listening to my wolf. What a load.'

'Yes, I'm Fallon.'

Until I have some aspirin, I'm not believing anything. I thought to myself as I continued my slow as hell descent down the steps.

'Look at your eyes on any surface.'

I listened to the voice and raised up the extra spoon I had accidentally grabbed from the kitchen while I was leaving with the bowl of soup. I looked at my face, my black hair was frazzled from the heat in the kitchen. I focused my eyes on its reflection. My hazel eyes flashed red and returned back to hazel.

Okay, I really had my wolf, cause that was weird.

'Finally. Now why were you blocked from the pack mindlink.'

As I reached the landing of the steps, I replied my wolf.

'I'm Hayley. And I'm blocked cause you weren't present. Anyway how can you tell that I was blocked.'

'Perks. I guessing you're an outcast due to my late arrival. Also you need to watch where you're going.'

As she said her last statement, I bumped into Zeke, the alpha's son, future alpha of the pack. I mumbled a quick sorry without looking into his eyes.

Mate.

I looked into the eye of Zeke and from the look he was giving me, I guess his wolf knew that too. How can a werewolf like me be mated to the alpha? And on the same day I got my wolf too. Hell of a coincidence.

Zeke was having a conversation with his wolf as his eyes kept flashing from dull grey to silver while trained on me. My skin pricked from his gaze and as much as I wanted it to stop, I never wanted the feeling to end.

'Why are you silent?'

'Cause, I have nothing to say. And it seems Zeke is talking to you.'

I concentrated on Zeke again and caught on to his words.

"I, Zeke Talon, future alpha of the Silver Moon pack, reject you, Hayley Evans, the omega as my mate."

As the word left his lips, I felt a weird kind of fire eating at me. It hit every core of my being. I saw him hold his chest but shrug it off and ascend the stairs.

I ran to my room and hastily packed my belongings. I couldn't live in this pack if my mate had rejected me. I slung my backpack over my shoulder, and left the room. It was evening and the training for the pack soldiers were about ending. I entered the forest behind the pack house and started running, crying the entire way.

The fire spread and consumed me. I reached the border of our pack. My chest hurt so bad. I took one look back, knowing that the moment I leave I become a rouge. I could barely stand. I was dying. The pain was so unbearable. Everything felt heavy. I had nothing left in the pack, no friends who would miss me if I died.

With that thought in mind, I crossed the border.

I walked a few feet and leaned against a tree. Slowly I slid down the tree not having the energy to move anymore. My hand was clutching my chest. It felt like I was almost done burning.

So it all comes back to this. I die on my 21st birthday, after finally getting my wolf, in a forest that's not on pack property.

My eyes started to close and the last thought on my mind was 'Happy Death-day to me'.