The Mountain Pack

Chapter 1

      My mother didn't say goodbye to me. She handed me the one bag I'm taking with me and walked back inside. I didn't say anything either. Maybe that was my fault too. I sit in the back of a black SUV with a driver who doesn't speak. His sunglasses perch on the bridge of his nose as he drives on. He seems to be powerful. It's hard to tell now. Now that my wolf is gone.
      My scenes are basically non-existent, my intuition is average, psychically I'm weaker and slower. The list keeps going. If I were still a werewolf I'd be able to sense his rank, if he had a mate or not, and other things. As I am now, I only know that he is a man, maybe mid twenties, muscular and tall. Bigger than me and silent. He locked the car as all as I got in and drove off instantly. He's pressed for time and not willing to lose the cargo. Me that is.
      As a human I've had to become observant of everything. My only advantage is to know the whole situation by what I can see. I take note of what I can. I'm not good at it, not at all really because I find myself missing things. Like I missed it when the driver removed his sunglasses. Did he just take them off? Or had they been off for a minute or two?
      Now that his glasses are off he makes eye contact with me in the rear view mirror. Brown eyes, brown hair, not pale but not tan, and then he speaks.
     "I honestly don't know what use we can make of you. You being... well human. But our Alpha's father is a friend of your Alpha and agreed to take you in. You'll be working. I don't know where though." He looks at me again in the rear view mirror but I don't respond. What would I say?
      He speaks again, "It's about a four hour drive to the Mountain Pack, we're in Washington near the boarder. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable."

      After four boring hours of a quiet radio and a silent driver we arrive at the Mountain Pack. I step out of the car and I'm greeted by cold air and a middle aged woman. "Hello, Reina. My name is Elsie and I will be in charge of you. You'll be working for me, I run the kitchen. You'll start first thing in the morning so I'll show you to your room and you can spend the rest of the day getting settled and getting to know the pack grounds."
      She turns on her heel without waiting for me to respond and I grab my suitcase and quickly follow. We enter into the pack house. I can tell it's much larger than the one from my pack. This is one of the most powerful packs. My pack doesn't know much about them because they seem to be quite mysterious.
      We walk through the house. Out of main room and to the right. Walk down the hallway and stop at the fourth door on the left. "This is your room. You saw the living room on our way in. The kitchen is just to the right of it. Report there at 5:30 in the morning to start breakfast prep." Elsie drops a key into my hand and hurried away.
      I open the door to my roomies set my suitcase on the floor. A closet and bathroom to the left on the right a bed and desk. Plain grey walls and bedding.  A single window with plain white curtains. An average room for an average person. Nothing special but I guess it will work.
      I unload my suitcase and pack my clothes into the closet. The few personal items I brought I decide to place on the desk. I brought with me one of my favorite books, the perfume I got for Christmas last year and a photo of my family. I hate them right now but I don't want to forget them.
      When I finish unpacking I step out of my room to explore. When I leave the pack house I start walking having no clue where I'm going. I pass several people chatting or walking around in wolf form. This pack is definitely larger than my old pack. Am I even part of this pack now? Or a stranger who works here?
      I walk for a long time. It's starting to get dark when I reach what must be the training grounds. I sigh heavily and sit on a bench to watch. I was going to be a fighter for my pack. I was good at it too. I watch them train in wolf form and in human form. I feel a pain in my heart that I haven't felt in a long while.
      I stand quickly and run to the woods. When I'm sure no one can see me I brace myself on a tree and I cry. Tears run down my face but they remain silent. I won't allow myself to weep. My grandfather taught me that if we allow every sad this to break our hearts then a true heartbreak will kill us. I may not be a wolf and I may not know my purpose in life or if it has any purpose at all. But I will not let this be my heartbreak.
      A crunching of leaves makes me snap my head up. I quickly wipe the tears from my face and stand up straight. Any wolf could look at me and tell I was human but I will not appear weak. A man approaches me, tall with dark hair and blue eyes. I size him and and he does the same to me.
      "You must be the girl we traded for today. I'm Ben, the beta of this pack. I heard you crying, things here aren't that awful. You'll get used to it."  He holds a hand out for me to shake it but I don't. A touch is how you meet your mate. I may not even have a mate anymore but I sure won't be putting myself in a position to find out.
      Maybe it's silly of me to think I could be the mate of a beta but I won't risk it. He smile and shakes his head. Probably guessing what I'm thinking. "I have a mate, Her name is Claudia." He says. I shake his hand and then quickly cross my arms. "I'm Reina." I say.
      He smiles again. "Well, Reina, it's time for dinner and I insist that you join Claudia and I at our home. She would love to meet you." I shake my head quickly. "No, but thank you, I shouldn't bother you." I turn to walk back to my room.
      "Reina, if I remember correctly you're a beta's daughter. We're both betas so I'm not above you in any way. I'm inviting you to dinner to meet my wife, as friends." I furrow my brows. "But I'm not a wolf, I'm not a beta anymore." I protest. Now Ben crosses his arms and mocks my stance. "Once a beta always a beta. You're coming and that's final."