: 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.

: Family and Judgement

Benedict

“Sweetheart, we’re having an important political dinner this weekend. I don’t know if you have any plans, but you’ll have to cancel them. This is important,” my mother says when I walk in the door after school.

Oh darn. I won’t be able to go to Christa’s birthday party. What a disappointment. Not!

“Of course I’ll be there, mother,” I say, kissing her cheek as I pass.

“Bene! Wait up,” my sister, Bethany, says as she rushes into the house behind me.

My mother decided that we should all have ‘B’ names, Benedict – my father, Benedict – me, Beatrice is my mother and that left Bethany for my sister. Personally, I’d love to have pups someday with names that begin with ANYTHING other than a B.

“What happened with Slade? I know you know,” Bethany says. She and Slade are in the same year. It’s another reason I don’t like upperclassmen bullying freshmen. What if they were bullying MY sister.

“Slade Hartwell?” my mother sneers. “Is he as much trouble as his sister is? You should stay away from him, Bethany.”

“Oh mother, stop it. You’re the one who is always saying we should be above such things a judgmental behavior, but look at you. You’re ALWAYS so judgmental of the Hartwells,” my sister says, challenging my mother. I’ve notice that since she’s gotten her wolf, my sister has become quite vocal about the things she doesn’t like about our family.

Personally, I silently applaud her. I can’t speak out like she does. I’m too much in the limelight. But my sister has nothing to lose by being herself.

“Not the Hartwells, darling, just those adopted children of theirs, Sloane and Slade. Those two should never have been allowed into the packs. They’re nothing but trouble. I heard that Sloane girl beat up Alpha Carson’s Beta. What self-respecting girl does that?”

“Perhaps the better question, mother, is how did Alpha Carson’s Beta get beaten up by a girl?” I ask, jumping to Sloane’s defense. Honestly, I do it so often at school that it almost comes naturally for me now.

“Oh, not you too, Benedict. That girl is trouble with a capital T. You both need to stay away from them.”

“Let me ask you something mother. Would it change your mind to know that Louis and four other ranked members surrounded Slade, a freshman like Bethany, and were bullying him when Sloane entered the situation and punched Louis in his face, protecting her brother? Would it?” I ask already knowing the answer.

My mother can’t STAND Sloane and Slade. But she would never say anything outwardly in case she offended Alpha Roman and Luna Samara. Goddess knows we can’t afford to get on the wrong side of the most powerful pack in the country. But that doesn’t mean that my mother, who says we should not be judgmental, doesn’t have whispered conversations with her friends about why those two should never have been allowed in the packs to begin with.

My mother presses her lips together, knowing there is nothing she can say that will sound anything other than judgmental, before spinning on her heels and walking out of the kitchen. Her heels clap sharply enough on the tile floor, echoing around the room as she leaves, to tell me she’s not happy without having to say a word.

“Is that what really happened?” Bethany asks.

“Yeah, that’s what really happened.”

“Good for Sloane. Louis is an asshole,” she says.

I grin at my sister. “Don’t let dad hear you using that kind of language.”

She looks at me and smirks. “Where do you think I learned it from?”

I laugh and my sister kisses my cheek. “Don’t become like them. Please Bene. You’re better than they are. I mean, dad’s okay, but mom’s a shit,” she says.

“Good to know that I’m okay, but what did your mother do now?” my father asks walking in.

I glance at my sister who sighs heavily.

“I don’t appreciate her double standard, Dad. It’s not fair.”

“Who is her double standard against?” he asks.

“The Hartwells,” she says, watching our father carefully.

Our father, who used to being under constant scrutiny, doesn’t flinch and the look on his face doesn’t change. But I can see the tension in his lips. I probably wouldn’t recognize it if he hadn’t spent years training me to keep my face steady in the face of any type of news. Sometimes I wonder if he doesn’t ask my sister questions like this just so he can practice keeping his face from reacting to whatever is said to him.

“I’m assuming you’re talking about two Hartwells in particular?” he asks, his voice carefully modulated.

“Of course,” Bethany says.

“On that note, I’m out of here,” I say.

“Really Bene, you’re leaving me? You know dad agrees with mom on this.”

“And yet, you still brought it up,” I say, kissing the top of her head and nodding at my father before walking out.

“I didn’t bring it up! He was eavesdropping!” she calls as I head to my room.

It’s a good lesson for my sister. She needs to remember that there are always ears around and she should be careful of what she says, even in our home.

The rest of the night I spend doing homework. I’m not sure how many people in the school know that I’m currently in line to become Valedictorian, or that Sloane is hot on my heels to overtake me. Since I love a challenge, I have no intention of losing. But I’m not even sure SHE knows that she is in the running for Valedictorian. The only reason I know is because Principal Rollins called me into his office and practically begged me to do whatever was necessary to ensure that I became Valedictorian, so he didn’t have to give that title to Sloane.

A part of me wonders if he would fudge the numbers to make me Valedictorian even if I didn’t surpass Sloane. Since I would never want to get the title without earning it, I’m doing everything in my power to make sure that I do.

The next day at school is pretty much the same as usual, except I notice that Slade is walking around campus completely unmolested by upperclassmen.

“Thank you for getting the word out,” I say when I see Ellis.

“I’m not going to lie, there was a lot of grumbling about it. But you know that no one will go against you.”

“I do,” I say, watching as Slade passes some upperclassman. They try to stare him down, but no one says a word and he doesn't flinch at their glares.

“What if that was Bethany, Ellis? What if it was her or your little brother who was being bullied. Wouldn’t you want someone to step in?”

He sighs. “Yeah. Yeah, I would.”

Everything remains calm until after lunch. Then, I feel something from two of my pack members. As I hone in, I realize it’s fear.

I growl, following the pull to my pack members who are obviously in trouble.

“Alpha, what’s going on?” Ellis says, rushing up to me.

“I’m about to find out,” I snarl.

When I walk out of the hallway into the area where the school has its lockers, I’m shocked to see four she-wolves on their knees with their necks raised in submission. I stomp forward, pushing through the crowd who goes silent at my approach.

When I finally get through the sea of people, I’m shocked to see Sloane in front of the she-wolves. Her aura is so strong that it’s nearly suffocating. She’s the one forcing the she-wolves to their knees.

“Sloane!” I bark. “Let them go!” I command, letting my Alpha aura out.

When her eyes meet mine, I realize it’s not Sloane who is forcing the girls’ submission, it’s Aisling.

“No,” she snarls at me.