In My Eyes

Chapter 1

"One of the greatest tragedies in life is to lose your own sense of self and accept the version of you that is expected by everyone else."
- K. L. Toth

Chapter 1

The sun beamed through the window of my bedroom brightly, casting a ray of light on my skin and warming me. I turned onto my back and stretched. And then the sound of birds chirping filled my ears. I hummed with contentment at this first pleasant moment of my morning.

I wished to stay in bed longer and let sleep overcome me once again, but I knew it would be a bad start to the day if I didn't get up now. So, I reluctantly crawled out of bed and headed for the bathroom, and hopped into the shower.

I washed up quickly and got out to dry myself off, though some moisture still clung to my skin because of the humidity. I walked back to my bedroom and got dressed quickly.

I spent a little longer picking my outfit than I normally would since it was the first day of senior year. I pulled on a pair of mom jeans and a green halter tank before throwing on a beige crocheted cardigan over the top. And for shoes, I pulled on a pair of sandals.

I let my red hair flow down my back in waves and added a tiny bit of makeup to my face, but tried to stay natural.

After I was finished getting ready, I walked down the hall to my brother's room.

I knocked on the door and got no response so I entered the room. When I opened the door, I saw that he was still laying in bed, attempting to savor the last moments of sleep before beginning the school day.

I walked over to his sleeping figure and poked his shoulder a few times and then eventually resorted to shaking. And his eyes began to flutter open and he let out a big yawn.

I chuckled. "Morning, sleepyhead," I spoke.

"Morning," he responded in a grumbling fashion.

"First day of school and I don't want to be late," I spoke and yanked him out of bed.

He grumbled again and then stumbled off to the bathroom to take a shower. I heard the water turn on and walked out of his room, heading downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast.

I was the older of us two and I had just turned eighteen a few days prior. Most people would have been excited about the coming of age, but I was more nervous than anything.

Given that we were werewolves, once we turned eighteen, we would be able to find our mates and high school was the main hunting ground for that kind of situation. So, I was anxious. I wasn't sure I really wanted to find my mate quite yet.

However, I was excited to be going back to school. Summer had been... difficult - to say the least. Nathan and I were happy with each other's company, but our parents were less than loving people.

To a normal pack member looking at the Beta's family, we looked rather happy.

Five years ago that was the truth.

We appeared to love each other and enjoy spending time together. We attended pack events together as a unified front. My father, Richard, would sober up for a day, and my mother, Cara, would step out of the cavern of her bedroom and we would step into the light of day to play dollhouse for a short bit. But that act would fade as soon as we stepped back into this house.

Behind closed doors, we were living in our own personal hell.

Cara was a reserved coward and hid in her bedroom most days unless she was required to show her face to the pack for some event. She slept through most days and then exited her bedroom for dinner, but would return immediately afterward.