Chapter One

I pushed a hand through my long hair and yawned loudly, causing my father to stare at me. "Surely, you can't be tired; you lie in till noon every morning!" He looked back at the TV and tutted at me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm a growing woman, Dad. It's natural to be tired all the time. Besides, I only have a few weeks before I have to go back to school, so you best believe I'm going to sleep as much as I can." The only good thing about summer was the fact that we had no education for a month or so. I usually hated it because it was far too hot. It definitely didn't feel as good as it should when we shifted into our wolf forms. In the winter, however, it was amazing.

"Yeah, yeah." His hand flapped me away. "You shouldn't be growing anymore, Isabella, you've already reached 18 and your wolf is fully formed." For once he was right. My wolf grew a ton when I turned 17. It was more my human form I was hoping would grow; I was only five feet.

"A girl can dream..." I trailed off and got up from the sofa, stretching my legs. "I'm going to bed. Do you need anything?" He shook his head at me, and I nodded, walking away toward the staircase.

"Excuse me!" his loud voice called me back in, and I peered my head around the corner, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"What is it?" This usually was the part where he would ask me to get him a beer or tell me goodnight. Usually.

"You're forgetting something." He looked to the back of the room and into our kitchen, where my dirty plate laid still out on the table. "Clean your plate, you don't want Alpha Theo to come and steal you out of your bed tonight!" Chuckling, he turned his gaze back to the TV.

"I still can't believe you actually believe that crap." I shook my head at him before I walked through and grabbed my plate, washing it in the sink and drying it.

"I don't believe it at all, but it was a good story to tell when you were little and misbehaving. You used to be so scared of the notorious Alpha Theo." I laughed along with him and turned back towards the stairway.

"Yes, but now I know it's not true. Probably just an excuse teenage girls use to sneak out of the house." I left him downstairs and walked up to my room, chuckling and shaking my head.

It was genius if that was the case. Teenage girls, around the age of 19, would disappear from their rooms for days at a time—maybe even a week—but nobody worried because it happened so often. When they came back, they'd say Alpha Theo's guards stole them from their beds during the night and took them to some kind of hidden location in an attempt to find the pack's Luna.

The Luna was the Alpha's mate. They were basically made for one purpose and one purpose only: to serve their Alpha, in whatever way he desired or wished. I couldn't think of anything worse.

Because it was a strange way to find a new Luna, it had been given a strange nickname by the pack. We called it 'The Alpha Trials.'

Nobody I'd spoken to had ever laid eyes on Alpha Theo—or knew anything about him. Some said he kept his identity a secret so that he could walk among the pack without being recognised. Some said he died many years ago. But, personally, I didn't think he existed.

I walked over to my open window and gently pulled it shut before plaiting my hair in two Dutch braids that ran down my shoulder blades, getting myself ready to go to sleep. As I did every night, I stood in front of the mirror and inspected myself. It was a good way to build self-confidence. My dad was right when he said that I didn't need to grow anymore. My body was very curvy and looked 'womanly.' This was only enhanced by my olive skin, which made everything look even and toned. For the most part, I was happy with how I looked—my strong hips and supple breasts indicated that I would be good at carrying pups and starting a family of my own.

My hand flicked the light off, and I climbed into bed, closing my eyes and embracing sleep. I could faintly hear the hum of the TV downstairs, which was more comforting than annoying. Most girls my age dreamt about their mates, starting a family, bearing pups, and serving them, but I didn't believe in any of that. I wouldn't marry my mate out of obligation. I'd marry someone because I loved them—and if I didn't love anyone, then I was fine with being alone for the rest of my life.

I would settle for no less than my partner being absolutely smitten with me and everything that I did.

I rolled over, facing the wall, shuddering at the sudden cool air that ran down my spine. 'Did I not just shut the window?' I thought to myself before I heard the floorboards in my room creak. My blood ran cold, and I laid still, in complete shock, as something rustled about behind me.

I would've turned around if I wasn't afraid that it was someone with a weapon; instead, I pretended to be asleep. I could hear heavy breathing now, and before I could leap up and attack my intruder, a wet cloth covered in foul-smelling liquid was shoved over my mouth and nose.

A male's voice filled my ears, whispering five words that struck terror to my core:

"Alpha Theo is expecting you."

I struggled in their grasp, kicking and trying to scream, but soon enough my eyelids drooped closed, my body felt heavier and heavier, and I slipped into a deep sleep.