Mated to a Broken Girl
Prologue - the Introduction
Hello, lovelies! Welcome to the newest installment in the All Her Secrets series! As I mentioned in the preview of the book- the first chapter of each new story will be used to set up, give background information, and also a little sneak peek into what you can expect to see in the next ten chapters.
Mated to a Broken Girl is going to center on Grace and Jess- the couple you have the most information on from All Her Secrets. If you read that story, you’ll know that Grace and Jess told Pigeon they met five years before and had been dating for three years. In reality, they met four years ago and, after an extremely rough start, began dating. They had completed their Mate Bond when they met Pigeon, as evidenced by their matching "tattoos", or Marks.
Before they met or even knew the other existed, Grace had grown up as the daughter to a relatively powerful bloodline in the Dark Runners Pack, although they were nothing horribly special. As one of the three Delta families, which makes them fall just below the Third- or Gamma of the Pack.
Grace was painfully normal. She had a storybook childhood- happily Mated parents, two overprotective older brothers, best friends with the Alpha’s twin sons the Beta’s daughter, she even babysits the Gamma’s kids. There was no traumatic event, no debilitating attack on the Pack, not even a fear of attack. Her older siblings- Johnny, who is four years older, and Ethan, two years older- found their Mates, Allie and Vera, and settled into Pack life as warriors.
Growing up with two older brothers, Grace developed her amicable, effervescent nature quite quickly. She was in the Homecoming and Prom Courts- there wasn’t a single student in any of her schools that had a single bad thing to say about her. As Tyler’s training to become Alpha intensified, he began to pick out his future Advisers. Grace was selected and trained to become the next Communications Liaison- replacing Luna Faeth's sister.
As a part of her training, Grace was often included in the introduction of new wolves or other Packs to the Alpha family. And it was during one of these would-be-typical introductions that she met Jess.
And Grace’s life was irrevocably changed.
Jessica came from a small Pack in northern Canada- the Snow Howlers. Traditional idealism taken to the farthest ends of the extreme, the Pack had separated themselves from the modern world, becoming completely self-sufficient. Jess’s father had been killed in an accident by Mortals just a week after she was born, and her mother was a mere Iota, hoping Jess’ beauty would allow her to marry well and move up through the ranks.
While her mother had his sights set on Luna, Jess had set hers set far lower. Omega- knowing that would be her position if anyone were to ever find out she was not the typical wolf. She was gay, and that was unacceptable- two female wolves could not produce a child together, therefore making their relationship worthless in the eyes of the Snow Howler Elders.
For years she kept quiet. For years she suppressed her wolf- Winter, whom she had named for the grey-brown, unremarkable fur color she carried. It was never an easy thing to hide, especially when Jess had gotten herself just drunk enough to forget why she had to hide. She kissed a girl that night, and her life quickly spiraled downward when the Alpha’s son caught them together.
After a public shaming and immediate demotion to Omega, a year of torture followed. No mercy was shown to her, not even by her own mother- who had effectively disowned Jess. One year in a four by four silver barred cell, the Pack spent her time breaking Jess and Winter into fragments so small they could not possibly be put back together- molding them into the female that was most desired in the Snow Howlers- silent and compliant.
The Elders had thought that after a year, they would have changed their thoughts, their ways. Their hearts.
The Elders were wrong.
The night she was released quickly became the night she ran away. Jess forced Winter to come forward. For the first time in too long, they Shifted and began to search for a home who would accept them as they were.
When she was caught by Dark Runner patrols while trying to get to the West coast, she was bleeding, missing patches of fur and her ribs protruded so sharply they would have bruised another person. Shown a touch of mercy by the patrol leader, she is brought to Washington to speak with the Alpha.
Grace had turned eighteen six months before Jess was brought in for questioning. Jess was barely legal- two weeks between her birthday and her capture. So how are two wolves, still so young but born with their Fates intertwined, supposed to overcome scars left behind?
And how can Jess expect herself to be the normal, happy Mate that Grace deserves, after years of suppression and torture?
How can someone so clearly broken fall for someone so impossibly different?
Someone so impossibly perfect?
