The Lost Howl

Chapter 1: Suck it up, Princess!

Chapter 1: Suck it up, Princess!

Ten years later...

"Give it a rest, Hailey. You're going to break a limb again," Shea, my best friend, lectures me.

I ignore her and continue running on my hands toward the creek but everything becomes blurry when the blood rushes to my head. Still, I don't quit.

I see the familiar shoes in my path and try to dodge him. Unfortunately, he's quick at tripping me up. I lose my balance and fall flat onto the ground.

I roll over onto my back and stare up at the devil himself. "I hate you."

"You should watch where you're going next time," Dominic shrugs and then retreats with an award-winning smirk.

A new shadow fills my vision. I glance up to see the blond-haired, blue-eyed idiot next. It's none other than Marcus, Shea's man. "Guess you lost the challenge, which, in turn, means you don't get to leave the site with us today when we go hunt, which, in turn, means you go without food," he taunts.

I fold my arms across my chest and glare up at him as he hovers above me. "That's not fair. Domidick tripped me. You all saw it."

"Suck it up, princess," Dominic teases before he registers my words, his grin faltering. "Find a different nickname for me!"

"Your turn to suck it up, domiprick," I reply, using his own words against him. I glance up at him again, my vision still fuzzy. "Hold on. What happened to your face? It looks deformed." I pause. "Oh, wait..." I drawl in realization, "that's right, you always look like that. Never mind."

Dom rolls his eyes and flips me off.

Shea arrives at my side, worry embedded in her blue eyes. She shakes her head at me before helping me back up to my feet.

"Your mate and Dom are picking on me again," I complain to her, readjusting the white cap that I've always worn since a child. "I refuse to lose. I did not just run on my hands for that long for no reward."

"Marcus, let her go with you guys. Just this once," Shea pleads with him. "She's never left the territory before. Besides, we all know she'll go anyway, even if you say 'no'."

Marcus sighs. "Shea, I would, but here's the thing, while she was walking on her hands for the past thirty minutes, Dominic thought it would be a great time-saver to just go hunting anyway...and I agreed."

I open my mouth to insult them but no words come out.

"You mean to say..." I finally clear my throat, "...that while I was successfully winning the bet so that I go can hunt with you two, you two went off to go hunt without me anyway?"

"Yup. Pretty much," Dominic answers, unfazed.

"It was his idea! Kill him, not me," Marc points to Dominic in panic, hiding behind Shea.

I grit my teeth in frustration and clutch my hands into fists. "Well, one of you is about to die!" I growl, suddenly feeling the shaking coming on.

I try to suppress my inner-wolf but it's too late for that. Unfortunately for them, I begin to transform into my pure-black wolf.

"Sh*t! This is the fourth time this week that you guys have made her turn for no reason! Alpha is going to be so pissed, and I'm not taking the fall again!" Shea remarks, leaving the scene.

Most of the time—okay, almost all of the time—Shea is never part of the fights. However, we always make her take the blame because the rest of us can't afford to get into anymore trouble with thee Alpha. He'll kick us out of the pack. I can't afford to lose another pack. This pack has become my family.