Slaved By The Moon God

5

“I know you’re not going to tell me.” He sighed and I relaxed, not wanting to try to evade the questions. It was still early, and I wasn’t awake yet. “When I’m alpha of the Cancer pack, things are going to change. They’ll be better, I promise.”

I huffed and shook my head. “I’d like to believe it.” I stuck the books into the pack and zipped it shut again. “Who knows when that’ll be, though.”

My only hope now was being mated at the Convergence. If it was with someone from another pack I would get to leave Cancer territory, but even if it was someone in this pack, I’d never have to return to this house. It had never felt like home, anyway.

I looked up at Wesley and gave him a crooked smile. “Hey, if I do get mated to someone from another pack, maybe I can buy a new phone so we can stay in touch. One that isn’t cracked this time.” Wesley laughed, though it seemed more forced than usual. I knew he wanted me to stay here with him, but he just didn’t understand. As kind as he was to me, it didn’t make up for everyone else being total d***s all the time.

“You should do that.” He paused, running a hand through his shiny brown hair. “I came up to get you. Mom and Dad are already in the car, and you know how they hate waiting.”

Of course. They were probably already annoyed I was holding them up even though the sun had barely risen. I nodded and left my room without a backward glance. It had been a place to sleep and hide for the last twenty-two years, nothing more. I didn’t have a home, not yet. Hopefully, I’d find one soon. Of course, with my luck, I’d probably be back here once the Convergence was over.

I locked the front door behind me as Wesley walked up to our parents, who were saying something I couldn’t quite make out. Stepping off the front porch felt final, even though I didn’t know for sure whether I’d be mated right when my wolf was unlocked. Some people had to wait years ‘til their mate came of age, and a very small group of people never got mates at all. I prayed I wasn’t in that category, but it wouldn't surprise me either.

When I approached the SUV, Dad was giving me a dark look, his mouth pressed into a scowl. I could almost hear him saying, hurry up, you good for nothing half-breed. I could feel Jackie’s eyes on me as well, filled with hate as she waited for me to get into the car. I sighed. This was going to be a long ride.

I wished I could have ridden with Mira, but when I dared to ask last night, Dad growled and said I shouldn’t be associating with her anyway. Her family was at the very bottom of pack hierarchy now, thanks to her father’s actions. Besides, Dad needed me to ride with him, all to keep up appearances, of course.

There were other vehicles parked in our long driveway, all idling and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Everyone really was waiting on me. I didn’t realize so many of the Cancer pack were going with us this time. The beta and his family would be staying behind, so that meant no Brad to deal with at least, but there were several other people who would be hostile. At least I’d have Wesley and Mira with me, and the chance to meet several of the other packs.

“The drive’s going to take about fifteen hours,” Wesley said as I climbed into the backseat next to him. I’d been overjoyed to find that he was coming with us when he’d first texted me to let me know. Even though he’d gotten his wolf four years ago, he was coming for me.

“Have your bag?” Dad asked. His blue eyes met mine in the mirror. Though we shared them, I knew all he saw when he looked at me was his human mistake, not a daughter of his.

“Yes,” I said.

“And you packed everything in it?” he continued, curling his lip as if talking to me was bringing him physical discomfort.

“Yes,” I repeated.

“Good. With any luck, you won’t be coming back here. I can’t wait to hand you off to some other poor sucker. Let you be their problem.”

“Amen,” Jackie muttered, just loud enough for me to hear. I couldn’t see her, since she was sitting directly in front of me, but I didn’t dare roll my eyes. She liked to punch, and she wasn’t shy about hitting my face.

Wesley gave me a strained smile, but I looked away from him, and for once, I held my tongue. I’d never been to a Convergence before—Dad had never let me go, not even when Wesley came of age—and I could put up with their torment for a few more hours. With any luck, it would be the last long car ride with them.

As we drove, I reached for my camera just short of a dozen times before it really stuck in my brain that I didn’t have it anymore. I wanted to capture the beauty of the land zooming by, and I soaked up all the sights from the trip, trying not to miss even a second of it. When we entered Seattle, I practically vibrated out of my seat trying to contain my excitement at being there. I’d never been anywhere but the Cancer pack territory on the coast north of Vancouver, and certainly never to the States. I’d spent my life reading about cities like Seattle, and I wished I could freeze this moment forever in a photo. I even snapped a few pictures with my phone, though the quality would never come close to that of my camera.