Unbreakable

      Everything was hazy. All I wanted to do was scream, but I wouldn’t let them know that they hurt me. I ran instead. Subjected to another prank at my expense, I bolted from the pack house and headed straight for the woods. I could hear them laughing and hollering from the distance, but I drowned it out. I refuse to let them see how much their hatred affects me. I am 19 years old and still have no wolf. I have the scent of a werewolf. I was born of two werewolf parents, why can’t I shift? They are the pack Beta’s for crying out loud. The elders said they could sense her and then said it must be a problem with the human stopping my wolf from wanting to be an active part of my world, but why can’t I talk to her? Why does she hate me like everybody else?       As I arrived at the lakeside, a waning crescent moon peeked out from behind the clouds and caught the edge of the lake as I approached it. The diamond shaped lake glistened allowing me to see my reflection. My red hair was thick with pine needles from the spruces that whipped across my face on my way here. My bright blue eyes are dull, red, and puffy, displaying the pain I try so hard to hide when stuck around others my age. Scratches littered my pale cheeks and a circular shaped dark red mark upon my forehead reminded me that moments earlier 3 boys from the dorms attacked me in the stairway with a damn dart gun with a flag on the missile with the Crescent Rain symbol. It was just a suction cup, so whatever. But they thought it would be funny to light it on fire. I of course screamed and burnt my hands to remove the flaming intrusion from my face.          When caught by Alpha Tomas entering the stairway, they said they wanted to see if it would scare me into shifting. You would think that being the Beta’s daughter that he would at least reprimand them, but he laughed and told them that they mess with me at their own risk. He merely implied they would have the wrath of the Beta’s to deal with, but after reaching out so many times when put down like this they started to deal with the problems as though I was the cause rather than the victim. I feel so stuck. I dropped down and sat by the lake. I removed my shoes and socks and slipped my toes into the crisp, cool, water. Taking time here always calms me.         I reached into my bag and pulled out my foundation and a brush as I started to pull myself together. The less my roomie knows, the better. As I started to look more like myself, I heard movement in the bushes. Rogues never make it this far into the territory, so odds are those boys are back for more. I threw my tiny backpack on and started to jog casually as if I hadn’t heard a sound. As I continued on, the sound definitely followed. With no wolf to protect me I was terrified of what the wrong person would do to me if they caught me alone at night. Out of the bushes sprang a golden wolf with white paws and I breathed a sigh of relief.                “Tatum, dear Goddess!! You nearly gave me a heart attack, what are you doing here?” I practically screamed at him while walking over to stoke his fur. He whined and laid down for me to hop onto his back.                “I went to back our dorm and heard Aaron laughing about a flaming flying flag that was aimed at you. Are you okay?” he asked through the mind link. I sighed and complied with his wolfs request to hop on his back. “Same old problems. I will leave here someday. I am not meant to be here Tater”.                “You belong with this pack, with your family, with me”. Tatum came to a stop outside the packhouse and went behind a tree to shift. He came back in one of the spare tees that are kept in clothes lockers across the territory and a pair of girls shorts.                “Tate, are you serious right now? I can see EVERYTHING” I pretended to avert my eyes while he laughed and did a small twirl. He was a thin, tan, and ridiculously tall man in human form. I think last time I asked he said he was 6’8”. He is a pack warrior so his chest has a visible 8-pack despite his thin frame. His dad is the pack trainer and grounds keeper, and he is the spitting image of him. They don’t see eye to eye since Tate came out and told his father he was rejected by his mate. It wasn’t the rejection that drove the wedge in their relationship, but the fact his mate was a male.                “You just wish you could pull these off like I could.” He practically strutted all the way up to our dorm. Usually, males and females would share separate dorms, but Tate and I both tend to make people uncomfortable. After 3 of Tate’s prior dormmates refused to live with “someone like him” he was given a private room. I should be staying in the Beta Suite with my parents, but at 19 who doesn’t want to room with their gay best friend until they find their mate, right? As we got ready for bed Tate continued to dance in the shorts he had claimed from outside and grinned at me like Cheshire cat. I was already winding my long hair into a ponytail. It was still wet from the shower, but I didn’t care. I was so tired and drained from today’s events. I dreaded what tomorrow would have in store. “Tate”, I whispered as I crawled into my bed. “Hmm?” he grumbled half awake. “I’m going to apply for colleges across the state in the morning.” Silence followed by light snores took over the room and whether or not he heard me, I was determined to make a change for myself. I could only hope my bestie would be along for the ride.