Rejected By The Pack, Claimed By The Kings

The ESCAPE

CHAPTER 1: THE ESCAPE

The beat from the speakers of Gaia’s old SUV was the only thing drowning out the silence of the highway. Beside her, Amari Vance, her Black and Japanese "ride-or-die" best friend, watched the GPS. In the back, the twins, Mateo and Luna-Sol, were a chaotic mess of bickering and magic. They were leaving the Alpha Pack behind—the pack that had rejected Gaia’s claim and treated her family like outcasts.

"They thought they could bury you, Gaia," Talia whispered from the backseat. "They forgot you were a seed."

The beat from the speakers of Gaia’s old SUV was the only thing drowning out the silence of the highway. Gaia gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles a deep bronze against the black leather. Beside her, Amari had her combat-boot-clad feet up on the dashboard, her mixed Black and Japanese features illuminated by the neon glow of the GPS.

"Six miles until the campus gates," Amari said, her voice a sharp contrast to the low growl of the engine. "Six miles until we aren’t just 'the rejects' from the pack. In six miles, you’re just Gaia—the girl who’s going to ace her Bio-Chem finals and maybe accidentally set a rug on fire with her mind."

Gaia let out a small, breathless laugh. "It was one rug, Amari. And I was ten."

"And you were a hybrid who hadn't learned to ground her Puerto Rican temper yet," Amari teased, though her dark eyes softened. She reached over, placing a hand on Gaia’s shoulder. Unlike Gaia, Amari was a pure wolf, but her loyalty was stronger than any blood-bond the Alpha Pack tried to force on them. When the pack turned its back on Gaia’s family, Amari didn't even pack a full suitcase before jumping in the car.

In the backseat, Talia stirred. Gaia’s mother had been quiet since they crossed the state line. For her, leaving wasn't just a fresh start—it was a severance from everything she had known.

"We're almost there, Mami," Gaia murmured, catching her mother’s eye in the rearview mirror.

Talia reached forward, brushing a stray curl away from Gaia’s face. "The Earth Day child," she whispered, her voice like a blessing.

"They thought they could bury you, Gaia. They forgot you were a seed."

As the sign for the university loomed ahead, Gaia felt the familiar hum of her magic—the "witch" side of her—vibrating in her bones, while the "wolf" side paced restlessly in her chest.

The Alpha Pack might have rejected her claim, but as they pulled onto campus, Gaia knew one thing for certain: She was done being forgotten.