Sloane Hartwell is the niece of Roman and Samara Hartwell. She is descended from a long line of pure Alphas who shift into the rare white wolf. At the tender age of eight, Sloane found out that her mother and the man she thought was her father were responsible for the death of her mother’s parents and brother, the Alpha heir. She also discovered that her mother murdered her birth father, thinking that he was not an Alpha. When her Aunt Samara returned, her mother and mate were both killed for their betrayal.

Sloane worked hard to be worthy of becoming a white wolf and on her tenth birthday, when she got her wolf, she anxiously raced to see if she’d done enough, only to be disappointed that her wolf was a normal wolf.

Benedict Winslow, V is an Alpha heir in a very long line of Alphas. His family is well known in the werewolf community, his bloodline going back so far that he’s practically werewolf royalty. Benedict has been watching Sloane for years, seeing how hard she works, how strong she is, and how she doesn’t take crap from anyone. He appreciates her toughness and her love of family.

When he invites Sloane to his eighteenth birthday party, his family is less than pleased. Unwilling to offend her powerful family, they allow her to stay, only to find out that Benedict feels the pull to her as a mate. However, Sloane doesn’t feel worthy of having any mate, much less someone like Benedict. When she pushes him away, he refuses to let her go.

Can Benedict convince Sloane that he truly wants her as his mate? Can Sloane let go of the pain of her past and allow herself to find happiness?

: High School

Sloane

"We heard your father was a murderer."

“Yeah, and your mother was too.”

“What does that make you? Huh, Slade?”

“Fuck you,” Slade snarls. He’s not afraid of these ranked wolves, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t get hurt if they jump him. There are five of them and everyone of them is three years older than he is.

“I mean, if you’re offering, feel free to get on your knees,” one of the guys says, grabbing his crotch while the others laugh.

"Say it again. I fucking dare you," I say, striding up to the group of ranked members who are seniors, like me, and have surrounded my brother who is a freshman. I don’t hesitate to pull my fist back and punch the Beta taunting my brother in the face. I hear the satisfying crack of his nose breaking before blood begins gushing down his face and clothes.

All of them turn and look at me, taking a step back. I have a reputation of being able to put any wolf of any rank on their ass and it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve put more than one on their ass at the same time.

"You're not so big and bad when it’s someone your own size, are you?" I ask, turning my body to stand in front of Slade.

“You fucking bitch!” the Beta roars.

Every one of these assholes knows I can kick their ass. I've made sure I'm one of the strongest warriors in my pack and every pack. At first, it was to try and get the blessing of the white wolf from the Moon Goddess. But when I got my wolf, Aisling, at ten, she was a regular wolf. The disappointment hit me, deep in my soul.

I might have stopped training so hard at that point, except there was no way to stop the rumors that blew through my school like wildfire. My uncle may be a very powerful werewolf, and no one would DARE say anything in front of him or my Aunt Samara. But here in the school yard, no one gives a fuck. And now that my brother has started high school, the taunts have turned to him as an Alpha heir. He’s my younger brother and my need to protect him is strong. The older wolves taunt him and if I’m not watchful, I have no doubt that they would attack him.

My younger sister Aria has had it easy. She was raised with Theo, my aunt and uncle’s first born and heir to their pack. She has always called our aunt and uncle, mom and dad. But Slade and I haven't had it so easy.

“You’re going to regret that, Moaning Sloane,” the Beta grunts. He pulls his fist back, ready to try to get a punch on me. I say try because I already know I’m faster than he is.

"Lay a hand on her. I dare you," Benedict Winslow, V says. His voice is deadly calm, cutting through the noise of the onlookers who have started to surround us. He’s casually leaning against a wall, watching the interaction.

I bite off the growl. What the fuck is he doing here. Again.

"Sorry, Alpha Benedict," the Beta says.

He doesn’t say sorry to me. He doesn’t apologize to Slade. He only apologizes to the Alpha he’s afraid of pissing off. Fucker.

“What’s going on here?” I hear our principal ask. The crowd is thick enough that he can’t see us yet. My best friend, Scarlet, comes to stand beside me, quickly checking on Slade before putting her shoulder to mine, ready to fight with me.

“Get Slade out of here. Now!”

“But Sloane ...”

“Please, Scarlet!”

"You can't keep fighting my battles for me, Sloane," Slade says quietly.

"Watch me, little bro. Get back to class before you get in trouble," I tell him.

I'm constantly being sent to the principal's office. I don't care that half the time it's because I'm covering for Slade because someone was bullying him. No one needs to know that. I'm the troublemaker. He's the future Alpha.

Once they’re gone, I turn, facing the principal who is striding toward us, eyes locked on me. I glance at the Beta, seeing him smirk, like he already knows I’m about to be the one who gets in trouble and he’s the one who will walk away like he’s a fucking victim.

“Sloane Hartwell, why am I not surprised?” the principal growls.

“Principal Rollins, I can explain ...” I begin.

“Don’t bother. I’ll be calling your uncle. Again.”

“It wasn’t her fault,” Benedict says, pushing off the wall and walking over.

“Alpha Benedict?” the principal asks, looking from him to me. “What do you mean?”

Benedict turns to look at the Beta. “You started it, right Louis?”

Louis presses his lips together tightly. “Yeah, that’s right,” he growls.

Principal Rollins looks from Louis to Benedict to me, then back to Benedict. He looks like he wants to argue, but no one argues with Benedict Winslow. His family line goes back so far that he and his family are considered werewolf royalty. If I had been blessed with a white wolf, I might have been considered something similar. But since I wasn’t ...

Aisling whines in my head.

‘It’s not your fault, Ais. It’s mine. You’re perfect. I was the one unworthy of a white wolf,’ I tell her.

‘You’re perfect for me, Sloane.’

Goddess, I love my wolf.

“Fine, but I don’t want to hear of any more altercations where you are involved, Sloane. Do you understand me? And your uncle WILL hear about this.”

“Make sure he hears about the part where she broke a Beta’s nose. Perhaps you should contact Louis’ father and let him know that he got his nose broken by a she-wolf because he was running his mouth again,” Benedict says, making the others around us laugh.

Louis narrows his eyes at me, and I know this isn’t over.

“Get back to class!” Principal Rollins bellows and everyone scatters.

Principal Rollins looks at me. “If your father wasn’t who he is ...”

“He’s not my father. He’s my uncle. Everyone knows that,” I snap back.

“Stay out of trouble,” he growls, before spinning on his heel and storming away.

I turn and look at Benedict. "Why are you always where I don't want you to be?"

"I thought I was helping."

"Well, I don't need your help," I say pushing past him.

He grabs my arm, spinning me around to face him. My fist comes up, ready to punch him, but he doesn't flinch.

He smiles, his gaze falling to my lips. "What would it be like to kiss a woman as passionate as you, Sloane?"

"Well, hopefully someday you'll meet someone as charming as I am and find out. Since I have no interest in you, let go or I will punch you. Principal Rollins would love nothing more than have a reason to expel me.”

He holds me there a moment longer, his smile full of challenge and promise, before letting me go.

I turn and begin striding away.

"You know, when someone helps you, it’s customary to say thank you," he calls out behind me.

Instead, I give him the finger and keep walking. I swear I hear him chuckling, the bastard.

: Sloane

Benedict

“What’s up with you and the girl?” Ellis, my future Beta, asks walking up beside me. I’d felt him close by, ready to jump in if needed. Not that I would need him. He probably has the cushiest Beta position in the country, being my Beta. No one goes against me.

“The girl has a name. It’s Sloane. Use it,” I growl.

“Okaaaaay. What’s up with you and Sloane?” he asks.

“Nothing. But let it be known that if I catch an upperclassmen harassing a freshmen, specifically Slade Hartwell, they will become persona non grata with me.”

He looks at me, like he can’t believe I’m serious. But the look I give him would make a lesser man flinch and cower away.

“Okay, you’re the Alpha.”

“That’s right, I am.”

“So, you’re protecting her AND her brother now? And you’re still going to tell me that there is nothing between you two?” he asks.

“Have you ever seen me hanging out with her?” I ask, dodging the question. He’s a good enough Beta to see it.

“You don’t have to hang out with her, Ben. It’s obvious you’re drawn to her. Forgive me if I don’t see the attraction.”

I turn and look at my Beta. “Really? You don’t see the attraction? You think you could take her?”

“In a fight?” he asks, frowning.

“Yeah,” I say, already knowing the answer. Sloane is well known for her extreme fighting skills. She’s fucking impressive.

He grits his teeth. “No.”

“And that doesn’t intrigue you? How many Alphas have you seen her take out?” I ask.

“She’s strong, I’ll give you that. I’ve never seen her go up against you, though.”

“I’ve never given her a reason to go against me,” I say, turning to go to class.

“Afraid you might not be able to defeat her?” he asks, grinning.

In truth, I’m not sure I’d be able to keep my wolf from kissing her. Marrok has been drawn to Sloane and her wolf since the first time we saw her nearly eight years ago. He never tires of watching her and he’s insistent about us watching out FOR her.

I love my wolf, and I trust him implicitly. He’s never let me down and, as usual, he was right about Sloane. She’s incredible. I know the story of her past, everyone does. People used to tease her about it until she started knocking other wolves out with one punch. Then she got the reputation as a troublemaker. But the reality is, she doesn’t put up with anyone’s shit. No one’s. She doesn’t care who she knocks on their ass. She doesn’t care about your rank, your family, or how strong you’re supposed to be. If you go after her, or someone she cares about, she’ll take you down without a second thought or a moment’s hesitation.

“Maybe one day I’ll get to find out,” I say, heading to my next class.

Since we’re both seniors, I have several classes with Sloane. She has always ignored me in class. I don’t take it personally. She ignores anyone who isn’t Scarlet or Slade.

Scarlet is another wolf I’ve spent a lot of hours watching. Her dedication to Sloane tells me even more about the woman I’m so intrigued by. Scarlet is well liked by many people in school. She’s very outgoing and popular. But she’s never once turned her back on Sloane and surprisingly, Sloane hasn’t turned away from her. I find the dynamic of their friendship fascinating.

“Hey, Alpha,” a she-wolf says, drawing my attention away from Sloane but not before I see her roll her eyes.

I fight the grin as I turn the woman speaking to me.

“Hey, Christa.”

“So, I was wondering, I mean if you don't have any plans this weekend, would you like to come to my pack Saturday night?”

She’s biting her lip in a way that’s probably supposed to be sexy, or maybe demure. I can see her friends behind her watching the exchange. I get a lot of invitations to visit she-wolves in their packs, especially as it gets closer to my eighteenth birthday.

‘No,’ Marrok growls in my head.

I ignore my wolf. He only seems to have eyes for Sloane these days.

“Is there a special occasion I’m not aware of, Christa?”

She smiles. “It’s my birthday.”

“Ahh. I see.” And I do. She’s hoping I’m her mate. But I know, even without Marrok growling that he’d never accept her as his mate, that she’s not for me. Christa is more interested in the title of Luna than actually being one. My family is well established in the werewolf world. When I take my Luna as a mate, she will need to be the kind of woman who is ready and willing to work hard for the rest of her life. There are parties, political soirees, important events hosted by my pack with very important members of the werewolf community invited. Any Luna of mine will have her work cut out for her. She won’t be able to sit like an ornament on my arm. She will have a full-time job running the pack and managing outside requests and demands on both us and our pack on a daily basis.

My eyes flicker back to Sloane. She’s already a woman who works hard every single day.

I shake my head. My parents might disown me if they could hear those thoughts. Sloane is thought to be a troublemaker, her parents are known murderers. She’s not someone who would make a good Luna.

Marrok begins growling in my head, not caring if our parents approve of her. And I have to admit, I’m not sure I care if they’d approve of her either. There’s just something about Sloane that I’m not willing to walk away from.

“I need to check my schedule, Christa. But, if I can make it, I’ll be there,” I tell her, knowing that I have no intention of going.

“That’s great! I hope to see you there, Alpha.”

I take the seat beside Sloane. She always sits in the back of the room, probably not wanting anyone behind her that she can’t see.

I lean over, keeping my face forward. “How’s the hand?” I whisper as the teacher calls the class to order.

“It’s fine,” she says, crossing her arms over her body defensively.

“So, what are you doing this weekend?” The words come out of my mouth before I can stop them.

She slowly turns and looks at me. “There are any number of girls in this room who would swoon for you to ask them that question. I’m not one of them, so why don’t you just run along and find someone who is interested, because I’m not.”

“It was a simple question, Sloane. I wasn’t asking you to mate with me. I was just asking if you had plans for the weekend,” I say, trying hard not to get defensive at her response to me. I’m not used to women, any woman, blatantly rejecting my advances.

She gives me the fakest smile I’ve ever seen, then bats her eyes in a ridiculous parody of the girls around the school. “I plan to work on my sparring so I can take down even more Alpha assholes. How about you, Alpha Benedict?” she says in a voice that is about two octaves higher than her normal voice.

“I was just trying to be nice, Sloane,” I say, feeling defensive. I’m unused to being blown off and disrespected like this.

She turns and faces me, all falsity gone. “Stop toying with me, Benedict. Otherwise, I might lose what very little respect I have for you,” she snarls, then turns back to the front of the classroom.

I sit back, not at all sure how to respond to someone who is not only unwilling to accept my friendly advances but is also so obviously unwilling to even entertain a conversation with me.

And more than that, I have no intention of letting Sloane Hartwell lose what little respect she has for me just because my pride is wounded. For some reason, her respect means everything to me.

: Uncle Roman

Sloane

I somehow made it through another day of school. I can’t wait for graduation. One more month, then I’m free.

Of course, that also means that Slade will be on his own in high school, but I have to hope that Uncle Roman will work with him enough over the summer that he’ll be able to defend himself once I’m gone.

As soon as I get in the backseat of the car and see Uncle Roman’s disapproving glance in the rearview mirror, I know that Principal Rollins called him.

“You want to tell me what happened today, Sloane?”

I don’t look at Slade who is in the front seat. I don’t want Uncle Roman to know that I keep getting in trouble because he’s being bullied at school. I can’t help what happens next year, but for now, I’m more than capable of keeping it between me and Slade.

“Some Beta got mouthy with me, and I taught him a lesson,” I say, not at all sad that Beta Louis had to have his nose reset before going home. I wonder if he told his father that it was Sloane Hartwell who broke it, or if he made up some lame excuse about tripping and falling.

Uncle Roman sighs an exhausted sigh. “Sloane ...”

“Don’t worry, Uncle Roman. I didn’t kill anyone, and in a month, you won’t have to worry every time your phone rings on a school day,” I say, not wanting to hear it for the hundredth or maybe the millionth time.

He twists, putting his arm on the back of Slade’s seat and turning all the way around to look at me.

“You know I love you, right? You know Aunt Samara loves you?” he asks me.

I do know. I know they’ve never treated me any differently than they’ve treated their own pups. They offered to give me their name, which I accepted. They told me that I could call them mom and dad, but I’ve never been able to do that.

“I know,” I say softly, looking out the window.

“If you ever need to talk ...” he begins.

“I’m good.”

I glance at Slade, who gives me the look like he wants to tell them the truth, but I subtly shake my head before looking back outside.

“You’re a strong wolf, Sloane, but you can’t take on the world.”

Yeah? Well, maybe the world should stop trying to take me on. Maybe then I wouldn’t have to put on such a tough exterior all the time.

On the ride back to the pack, I vaguely listen to Uncle Roman talking to Slade. Instead, I wonder why Benedict Winslow is suddenly showing an interest in me. Why the hell was he asking what I was doing this weekend? It’s not like him to try and embarrass me. Up until now, that hasn’t been his style and he almost seemed ... hurt that I didn’t jump when he wanted to talk to me.

For some reason, he always seems to be around when Slade is being bullied and I’m punching some asshole’s lights out because of it.

And I catch him watching me. A lot.

I snort. Maybe I should just spar with him and help him get it out of his system.

“What’s funny, Sloane?” Uncle Roman asks. He doesn’t miss much, I’ll give him that.

“What do you know about the Winslow family?” I ask.

“The Winslows?” I’m thankful that he’s driving. If he wasn’t, I’m sure his gaze would be intent on me. “They are very well established in the werewolf community, they are a powerful family, although not as powerful as we are.”

I know a lot of our pack’s power comes from Aunt Samara. She has a white wolf like my mother did, all the way up until she murdered her mate, my father, because she didn’t think he was ever going to have a pack. Apparently, the most important thing to my mother was being a Luna. She even betrayed her wolf, causing her to lose the blessing of the Moon Goddess and making her a regular wolf, just like every other she-wolf. Just like me.

Aisling whimpers in my mind again.

‘It’s not you, Ais. I told you that. You deserve so much better. You deserve to have the stature that comes from being a white wolf. I just wish I could have given that to you,’ I tell her.

I don’t blame my wolf at all. I put the blame right where it belongs, on my mother. She did this. She ruined our legacy. My mother and Aunt Samara were the last of the white wolves, she-wolves descended from a pure line of Alphas. White wolves were well thought of and much desired as mates. Since my father was an Alpha, unfortunately born from a mistress rather than a mate, I technically should carry the white wolf gene. But because my mother betrayed the mate bond, killing my father, the Moon Goddess punished her. And apparently the sins of the mother are passed to the daughters.

I’m thankful that my sister Aria was too young when our mother died to understand the legacy that she should have been born with. She’s been raised to believe that she, like me, will have a wolf that is a regular wolf. However, I was only a year younger than she is now when our mother died. I knew about my mother’s legacy and expected to have a white wolf. But apparently, that line will only pass through Aunt Samara’s daughters from now on.

“Is there a reason you’re asking about the Winslows?” Uncle Roman asks.

“Benedict Winslow is in my class. He asked what I was doing this weekend and I was trying to decide if he was being nice or if he was trying to embarrass me.”

I watch my uncle’s eyes narrow in the rearview mirror, and I realize I’ve probably said too much. I don’t tell my aunt and uncle much about what goes on in school. There’s not a lot they can do about it and in truth, it would only make my life more difficult if they tried to step in.

“Is Benedict harassing you,” Uncle Roman growls.

“No. No, it’s nothing like that. I just ...”

I just what? Why did I fucking ask about him?

“He’s never shown an interest in me before, so I’m not sure why he’s suddenly trying to strike up a conversation with me now.”

“Did you talk to him?” he asks me.

“No. I told him to go find someone who was interested in swooning over him because I’m not,” I say, staring out the window again and thinking of Christa inviting him to her birthday party. As if she’d ever be worthy of being mated to Benedict. She’s as fake as they come, spending more time primping in front of a mirror than studying. She’s got the personality of a rock and about the same IQ.

“I don’t remember hearing that he’s been on your hit list in the past,” Uncle Roman says. I glance at him wondering if he’s keeping track of all the ranked members I’ve punched. Knowing my uncle, he probably is.

“No, that’s why I was surprised when he tried to talk to me today. He usually keeps his distance.”

“Well, from what I’ve heard, Benedict understands the legacy he’s about to walk into. He started attending pack meetings with his father in preparation to take over after he turns eighteen. I don’t know what he’s like at school or as a man, but in my interactions with him as an Alpha, I’ve been impressed,” Uncle Roman says. That’s high praise coming from my uncle.

We pull up to the packhouse and he turns around to look at me again. “So, maybe don’t break his nose until you know for sure that he’s being an asshole, okay?”

I grin at my uncle. “No promises,” I say before getting out.

He shakes his head, but I swear I see the hint of a smile on his face. My uncle has always indulged my need to be strong and even after I started getting in trouble at school, he didn’t stop training me to be a powerful warrior. Now, only he and Aunt Samara are strong enough to take on me and Aisling.

“Dad!” Aria and Theo yell, racing out of the packhouse to come greet us. He easily scoops both of them into his arms.

“How are my pups?” he asks, hugging them fiercely.

I smile. This is what a family should look like. This is what MY family should have looked like.

Aunt Samara is waiting for us on the patio.

“Welcome home, Slade. How was school?” she asks.

“Fine,” he says with the grumpiness of a teenager.

Aunt Samara takes it with a grain of salt and turns to me. “And you, Sloane? How was your day?” she asks. I can tell that she knows about my altercation with the Beta asshole, so I go for grumpy teenager as well.

“Fine.”

Rather than letting me pass like she let Slade, she pulls me into a hug.

“You know I’m here if you ever want to talk,” she whispers.

I nod, hugging her back. Her clean, fresh scent always helps to calm me.

When I pull away, she looks at me to make sure I know she’s serious before looking past me at Uncle Roman. “Hello, my mate.”

“Hello gorgeous.”

I don’t wait to hear them kissing. I know it’s coming, so I head inside.

“Oh Sloane? You’re grandfather Waylon is coming to visit this weekend.”

Great, just what I didn’t want. My biological father’s father coming for a visit.