The Beaten Path.

Chapter 1

Every family is meant to love and protect you. They're supposed to be your support, your reason to smile and laugh. At least,that's what people say.The fist comes at me faster than I can react, a familiar sensation I've learned to endure over the years. It's more than just the physical pain; it's the reminder of how far I've fallen in the eyes of the very people who should have been my sanctuary. My own mother's relentlessness is a constant reminder of the immense void left after losing my sister and father. Since that day, the world has felt colder, more isolating, and I'm left wrestling with a deep ache that gnaws at my spirit. I have been judged anddeemed guilty by my own pack, labeled a curse within the Skylight Pack, and it's a wound that never seems to heal. Beneaththe surface, a profound sense of isolation takes root, even as I remind myself to stay resilient. Yet sometimes, in the quiet of mymind, I can't help but wonder if I will ever be worthy of love, or if this emptiness is all there will ever be.

I'm Kelly, just 17 years old, grappling with emotions too tangled to unravel. Standing at 5'4", my pitch-black hair cascades down to my hips, framing hazel eyes that have seen too much. Yet, it is the weight of being a teenage werewolf in my unkind world that truly defines me—stuck in this pack, waiting for the day my fate might change when I finally meet my wolf.I'm part werewolf, but I won't meet my wolf until my 18th birthday. Sometimes, under the moonlight, my skin catches the light unusually, like it's reflecting silver radiance, but I brush it off as a trick of the shadows.

A pack is like a family, not always by blood, but by bond. We're supposed to protect one another. That's not how it feels for me.Since I was eight, I've been the outlet for everyone's anger, including my mother's.I dream of leaving, of escaping the pain—until reality snaps me awake with my mother's shrill voice.

"Kelly! Get downstairs or I'll drag you down, you worthless child!" my mother screams.

I scramble out of bed and rush downstairs, only to be greeted by my mother's fist."Why can't you do anything right?" she growls."You were supposed to make my breakfast and clean the house!"

"I'm sorry, Mother. It won't happen again," I whimper.

She glares with hate and storms off.I make her breakfast just the way she likes, set everything on the table, and then clean up and get out of her way.I finished cleaning quickly—there wasn't much left after staying up late.

Now I can escape to my favorite spot.I change in my tiny closet-room—Mother says I don't deserve anything bigger. There's barely space for a pillow and a sheet.I grab my hoodie, leggings, and old sneakers, then slip out the back door and into the forest toward my secret paradise. It's a quiet lake with a waterfall and a hidden cave—my private escape when reality is too much.I sit under the willow tree and let myself drift into sleep.

At the sound of Alpha Joe's voice through the pack link, I jolted up from my nap and listened carefully.

"Mandatory pack meeting in five minutes. Pack house. Now," Alpha Joe announced.

I got up and sprinted to the pack house. I arrived in the nick of time, 4 minutes to be precise. I looked around the room to see ifI saw my mother anywhere. I spotted her standing beside Beta Sister Karen.I walked over to them and bowed my head in submission. They just rolled their eyes at me and turned to face Alpha Joe.Alpha Joe stood before the pack, clearing his throat to begin.

"The Blood Night pack will visit in three days. Dominic, their future Alpha, is seeking his mate. Prepare."Alpha Joe finished his speech, turned, and walked off the stage.

He went where my mother, Beta Zac, his sister Karen, and our Luna Lisa stood. They all greeted Alpha with smiles. He nodded and smiled in return, but when he saw me standing there,he looked at me with hate.He turned and slapped me, sending me stumbling into Jarred, who shoved me down and kicked me, yelling insults.I curled up until he stopped. In pain, I looked to my mother for help. She only looked bored.

Alpha Joe sneered, "You'll never be Dominic's mate—no one could love you."

Once he finished, they all turned away and went into the pack house.I limped home, patched myself up, and let my tears fall in the shower.After I bandaged my ribs and stitched my lip, I collapsed into bed.

Werewolves heal quickly, but not before turning eighteen. This development marks a significant transition into adulthood and the unlocking of their full supernatural potential, a key milestone in werewolf lore. In our pack, this shift signifies the start of heightened abilities and responsibilities. The age threshold, consistent across the werewolf community, encapsulates the transformative journey that each young werewolf undergoes, bridging childhood and the weightier challenges of adult pack life.Tomorrow is my eighteenth birthday. I hope meeting my wolf and mate will let me escape this hell.With that, I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.