Chapter 6: Worthless Runt

Tori’s POV

Another day, another dollar and today must have been my unlucky day. Currently racing along the inside of my room, I’m completely thrown all around while frantically trying to get myself ready. Having slept past my usual alarm clock, I now see it read 9 am, which meant I was super, super late in helping my father.

“Dad’s going to kill me!” I cry, continuing to race about my room. Opting for black boxers I quickly move to throw them on before grabbing a pair of dark wash bootcut jeans, my black sneakers and a red button-down shirt all while leaving the top two buttons undone to showcase the necklace I had gotten from Jake.

Once dressed, do I quickly move to do a once over within my bedroom mirror. My hands quickly combing through my hair before moving to run from the room. Today being relatively important for our pack as our pack was hosting our yearly paper lantern festival and I was in charge of helping my father with getting things ready for the event.

Racing down the stairs, I’m instantly greeted by my mother.

“Morning sweetheart, you do know your late right? Your father’s been looking all over for you” replies Layla to her son.

“I know mom, sorry. I somehow overslept and didn’t hear my alarm go off” I move to say back to her, quickly moving to kiss her cheek goodbye before rushing for the door. The need to be quick now rising as Dad was probably wondering where the hell I was.

Once clear of the house do I move to scold myself once again, “I seriously can’t believe that I overslept today.” My legs now carrying me through the openness of our pack. Our pack relatively modest in terms of size but not at all little like most other packs.

The Shadowridge Pack being one example where their pack was slightly bigger than ours and their future Alpha of that pack, a complete and total mystery all wrapped up within itself, yet with Jake, Jake was considered more Alpha than I could ever want or need, so the Alpha of Shadowridge didn’t concern me in the slightest.

Thinking of Jake, I resist the urge to blush, moving to shove that thought away instead. The need to focus on other things now rising as I move to spot the pack house. Our pack house, again modest to most people but big enough to house the Alpha and his family along with the future Beta, Gamma and Delta of our pack. My future home.

Sighing, I try not to think too much within my new role as future Gamma of our pack. A part of me knowing that much could happen between now and when it came down to me accepting my new role, a role that came with big responsibilities and shoes to fill.

Lost in thought, I slowly fail to hear someone else approach me until suddenly it’s too late, and I’m instantly shoved towards the ground. My face hitting the grass and dirt as I hear it, that one voice who made it their mission to make my life a living hell.

“Oops, so sorry…” laughs the voice. A voice I instantly knew for as long as I could remember. Lilyanna.

Growling at the person in question do I move to stand back up. My hands moving to dust myself off as I move to lock eyes with Lilyanna. Her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Lilyanna” I growl, annoyed by her presence.

“Freak” laughs Lilyanna.

“What do you want now Lily?”

“Me? I should be the one asking you that instead” taunts Lilyanna, amused by my lack of concern.

“I’m here to help my father, Lily” I admit, using her nickname Lily in short of Lilyanna.

“Oh right” smirks Lilyanna. “The worthless runt of our pack. Guess you better get a move on then before daddy disowns you for being late, you freak.”

Resisting the urge to punch her dead straight within her face, I’m about to say something back to her when the voice of my father finally calls out to us.

“TORI? HURRY UP, WE NEED YOU NOW!”

“COMING!” I move to shout back, my eyes never leaving Lilyanna’s as I do.

“Better run along you worthless runt. Don’t keep Gamma Austin waiting now” laughs Lilyanna. Her shoulder bumping into mine as she moves to leave, clearly on a mission of her own as she moves to leave me alone once more.

“Bitch” I murmur, my eyes still on hers even as she walks completely away from me. “I’ll show her just who’s worthless around here.”

Just then my father moved to yell again.

“TORI!” yells Austin, his voice clearly not happy with his son’s tardiness as I carefully move to make my way over towards him.

“COMING”

Knowing it was better to pick and choose my battles wisely do I move to approach my father slowly. A part of me knowing better than to disobey him when he was angry. A slight frown rising along his face the closer I got to him.

“Your late. You were supposed to be here early,” grunts Austin to his son, disapproval evident along his face.

“I know. Sorry dad. But I overslept this morning. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Sighing, Austin moves to run a hand carefully through his hair, his expression still not happy with his son’s tardiness before speaking. “I know son. But as future Gamma of this pack, it’s important for you to be punctual. Especially with the neighboring packs arriving for our paper lantern festival.”

Shocked by this newfound information, I don’t realize that our yearly tradition would now be seen through the eyes of other packs as normally it was just our pack that celebrated it by those of Ambersky.

“What changed?” I quickly ask my father.

“Pardon?”

“I said, what changed? Normally only Ambersky participates in our yearly tradition, no one else does” I say, a part of me now wondering why the sudden change.

“Because of Jake, Zak and Alex. Each of them are now 20 years old and within the proper age limit to find their mate. So, Alpha Dawson has decided to extend the invite to our neighboring packs as well” explains Austin to his son, not fully understanding his son’s concern in the matter.

Frowning at the news, I try not to let my father’s explanation get the better of me. My chest stinging with the newfound information even as I try to ignore it for the time being.

“So… it’s now become a mating game now?” I ask, clearly not amused by this.

“Yes. In some way I suppose it has. But Tori, you have to remember that there already 20. You on the other hand are only 14, you’re still young enough before you have to worry about finding your mate. They on the other hand must start looking.”

Still not liking this newfound news do I try to change the topic instead. Deciding that I needed a distraction from all the pain I was now feeling, especially when thinking about my friends and them possibly finding their mates. A part of me feeling as if Jake, Zak and Alex should always be mine and no one else’s.

“So… who’s all attending then?” I ask, wondering if my father knew that bit as well.

“Shadowridge is for sure coming, as young Alpha Duncan is at the fine age of 22, and has yet to find his mate as well, so he along with a few others shall be attending this year’s event in hopes of finding that special person” admits Austin again.

At the mention of Shadowridge attending does a small shiver quickly make its way down along my spine. The thought of Aaron Duncan sending tingles along my body and not in a good way either. Now 22, Alpha Duncan was slightly older than my friends yet magically hadn’t found his mate yet seemed oddly strange when others claimed that he did but rejected them due to rank.

But with neither known to be true nor confirmed it made it harder to prove to the rest of the packs. So, like any good person would do I move to change subjects again.

“So, what shall I do then?”

“How about helping with setting up the lights?” asks Austin knowing that his son was very capable of doing those.

“Sure, I can do that for you dad.”

Then with that said, I move to do what was asked of me, not wanting to dwell on anything else for the rest of the day if I could magically help it.