Within

Beginnings

In retrospect, you could say all went to shit at the Harvest Festival.

The morning of the Harvest Festival started with Beta Harrison barking orders about what would be expected of us during the ceremony. The whole pack would be attending, which meant the border security would be more lax.

"You must remain vigilant" He spoke while walking through the organized lines of young pack warriors "It might be a celebration but it doesn't mean you can lower your guard." He looked each of us dead in the eye as he passed, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation.

When Harrison turned around, away from my side of the crowd to invade the personal space of some other poor lycans I started to hear snickering coming from somewhere at my side. I could've probably seen who it was from the corner of my vision if I wasn't blind from my right eye.

I wasn't about to turn my head just to see who was stupid enough to whisper in the middle of Harrison's morning rant, no need to give him any more reason to single me out. I remained still as a statue, focusing on my ears. I wasn't in wolf form, but some of the enhanced senses came easier to me than to other lycans. One of the only benefits of being an early shifter.

By the voices I could tell the idiots were probably Drake and Maxim, our amazing future Betas.

Fucking assholes.

Of course they didn't care for whatever Harrison was going on about duty and protocol, those two were probably leaving their positions as soon as the Festival started, just to get drunk with the other close friends of our Alpha.

Alpha Aaron himself has never seemed to be a bad person, but the company he kept was the worst. Those guys weren't even Betas yet and they already strut around like the other warriors owe them respect, and talk to the females like they should be throwing themselves at their feet.

The base age to be named Beta is 20 years old, which means that before the end of this year I will actually have to pay my respects to those entitled motherfuckers. How great.

From what I remember they were about one or two places to my right. I hate having them there where I can't see them. Drake and Maxim, along with Vanya, whom I could see just a few meters in front of me, learned long ago that the best way to pick on me was to come from my right side – for obvious reasons. We are all the same age and have been training together for around three years.

Their whispers continued and so did my internal struggle. What was I going to do when they became my Betas? That would be hell on earth. And not to mention Vanya's aspirations of becoming Luna.

Why did the most influential people on the pack have to be the ones who hate me the most?

Maybe I could take a position at the border, far away from the Alpha and his inner circle. But only if Harrison would allocate me there, which was difficult, considering he would never let me choose where I end up after the academy.

But no one wants to work patrolling the border, so maybe I'll end up there anyway, considering my terrible performance. If not I could always try to trick him into sending me there... pretend I actually want to work under one of the Betas. As if!

The only problem with the border scenario was Lia.

Lia would not want to work away from the main village, especially now that she finally started working as a healer. I could never leave her alone here, no matter how much I hate this place. That would make me the world's shittiest best friend.

Drake and Maxim suddenly shut up and I blinked, snapping my attention back at Beta Harrison.

Who was looking right at me.

Shit.

"What seems to be the problem, shifter?" He asks slowly.

"There is no problem, Beta Harrison, sir" I keep my face blank, even knowing it won't help me in anything. I have been a model soldier since day one, but Beta Harrison marked me down as a problem since that dinner with Beta Cassius at the Alpha's Mansion, nine years ago.

My blind eye burns at the memory.

"I think there is a problem, shifter May" he gets right on my face, spitting my name like it leaves a bad taste on his mouth "There has been a problem since you joined this academy, with your barely passable performance and disrespectful attitude" Harrison towers over me, his voice rising, but I keep my stance. The model soldier.

"This is the very first proper Harvest Festival since the passing of our late Alpha Soren. The feast of four years ago remained a private affair in respect to his memory..."

It remained a private affair because we didn't have enough food to serve a feast for the whole pack, you scumbag.

"...and now this is the chance of Alpha Aaron to return to our glorious tradition, just as grandly as his father..."

We didn't have Harvest Festivals during Alpha Soren's reign either. It was just war and then poverty. I know. I was there, starving.

"...so the last thing this pack needs is a lycan like you disrespecting its tradition by not taking your duties seriously" He growls at me, finally straightening his back. Beta Harrison knows damn well it wasn't me talking during his lecture, but his golden boys can do no wrong and any opportunity to belittle me must be taken.

"I expect you to be doing extra work to compensate for your lack of professionalism." I bet Drake and Maxim are smiling right now "Come to me after the Festival and I will assign you your penalty." He shoots me an evil look.

"Yes Beta."

He dismisses us right after my scolding, and as the other warriors leave the patio I get a glimpse of Vanya's smirk. And then I remember that I was assigned to her warrior group for the Harvest ceremony.

Great. Just fantastic.