Liam

My seventeenth birthday is in two days. I really hope I find my mate so I can take over as Alpha. It's a stupid tradition, honestly. I'm ready; I've been training my whole life.

My mom has planned this huge party, inviting all the unmated, of-age she-wolves in the pack. She's even invited she-wolves from other packs. My parents have been having secretive, hushed conversations lately, and they won't tell me what's going on.

"I'm bored. Let's do something fun!" Gwen chirped as we entered the rec room.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked, looking at her. The rest of our group joined us on the couches as I turned on the flat-screen TV.

"Well, we could mess with Traitor Girl," she shrugged. "That always gets a laugh." She wasn't wrong. Lately, though, every time I see someone tease her, or I'm mean to her, I get this weird feeling in my chest. Maybe I should see the pack doctor.

"What do you have in mind?" Damien asked, now eager to join Gwen's plan.

"Have any of you seen where she sleeps?"

Azalea

I let out a breath. That should do it for tonight. I looked at the mountain of clean dishes on the counter. I can come down a few minutes early tomorrow to put them away.

Alpha Robert and Luna Lyssa were hosting extra people at the pack house, probably for soon-to-be Alpha Liam's seventeenth birthday party.

Two months and five days…

I'll be seventeen in ten days. But there won't be a party, or cake. I hope there won't be a mate, either. For most wolves, your seventeenth birthday is when you start searching for your mate—your one true love, given by the Moon Goddess. I don't think the Moon Goddess cares about me anymore. I wouldn't want my mate to be anyone in our pack who thinks I have "traitor blood" anyway. They'd treat me the same as, or even worse than, everyone else. Finding a mate would only complicate my plan, and I don't want that.

I headed to the attic. I just wanted to sleep. Tomorrow, I have a long list of things to do before Liam's party, and I'm not excited. I managed to repair my textbook well enough that I hopefully won't have to pay for the damage, and my tailbone seems to be mostly healed.

I don't know why, but as I climbed the attic stairs, something felt wrong. My stomach churned the higher I climbed. I don't have wolf senses, so I couldn't tell if someone had been here, but something was off…

I peeked inside and looked around. Despair washed over me. Someone had been there.

My mirror lay shattered on the floor, surrounded by shards of glass. My blankets were tossed everywhere. My two pillows were ripped, with stuffing spilling out. I panicked as I saw my clothes strewn about the room.

Oh no… Please no… Just not that…

I ran to my desk, its drawers hanging open, ignoring the glass under my feet. My history report lay torn to pieces. That didn't matter right now. I frantically searched the drawers, but my stash box was gone. Oh, Goddess, no….

I searched the already ransacked room for it. It was gone. Everything was gone, and I was almost out of time. What would I do when I left? I couldn't bear to stay past graduation.

Tears streamed down my face. I don't cry. I don't let anyone see me cry. I bury it and remind myself of the plan. But the plan won't work without any money. I couldn't hold back any longer. I slid down the wall, hugging my knees to my chest. I cried all the tears I'd held back for years.

I was running out of hope. I was running out of time. Why now? What did I do? When would it be enough?

I sobbed until there were no tears left. I noticed cuts on my feet from the glass. I carefully made my way around the glass to find my broom and swept it into a pile to deal with later.

I went to the omega showers. There was a small first-aid kit I could use to clean my feet. I sat on a bench, pulling glass shards from my feet and bandaging them. Small sobs continued, but I stopped fighting them.

When the bathroom door opened, all the blood drained from my face, and I felt nauseous.

Liam

I couldn't sleep; I couldn't get comfortable. That weird feeling in my chest kept returning.

I decided to go to the showers. I always preferred the omega showers. As I passed the showers on my floor, I heard voices and didn't want to be bothered. All the she-wolves running around were getting on my nerves. I decided to go to the omega showers; it would be late enough that no one would be there.

I walked in and saw her sitting on a bench with a first-aid kit. She seemed to be bandaging her feet. She looked up at me with dull green eyes, paling at the sight of me. Her face was tear-stained and puffy. Had she been crying? Why was she bandaging her feet?

Oh Goddess. Shit.

Mom's going to kill me. We never intentionally hurt her badly. We definitely never made her cry—at least, not that we knew of. She must have stepped on the broken mirror pieces. Damien didn't knock it over on purpose; he's just…big, and that space is small. But none of us thought to clean it up.

I walked to the bench and sat opposite her. She quickly tried to put away the first-aid kit and leave. I reached out to stop her, and she flinched away. Fuck. That feeling again. I just wanted to make sure we hadn't hurt her too badly, so I wouldn't get a lecture tomorrow.

"Let me see," I said as softly as I could. She slowly shook her head. She stood as if to leave.

"I won't hurt you; I promise. Just let me see your feet," I tried again, realizing I couldn't remember her name. She'd always been Traitor Girl, and we'd never bothered to learn her name. She looked at me, clearly deciding her best course of action. She sat back down and carefully lifted her feet.

"Thanks. Let me just see how bad it is…" I said cautiously as I reached for her foot. She closed her eyes, turning her head away. I could see her whole body tense as I touched her.

I examined her feet. She's lucky for a girl without a wolf. Nothing seemed too deep, and most of the bleeding had stopped. I removed the soiled bandages and re-dressed her feet, trying to make it comfortable for her to walk. Wolves aren't good at first aid because we heal so quickly. If she had a wolf, her body would have started healing already. She'd be fine in an hour or so. Without a wolf, this will take a week or more to heal.

"That should help," I said, closing the first-aid kit. She looked down at her feet, then set them on the floor. She stood to leave, giving me a slight nod but avoiding eye contact.

Before she could leave, I said, "Wait! I can't remember your name." She stopped and looked up, puzzled. I saw defeat in her eyes, like she was broken.

"Azalea," she whispered, barely loud enough for my wolf hearing to catch. Why didn't I know how pretty her name was?

She turned and left. The ache in my chest intensified, and I couldn't figure out why. I took a cold shower and went back to my room.

I hope she doesn't tell Mom about her room and the mirror. I don't want an earful when it wasn't my idea. Gwen found the money and took it. Not that I tried to stop her or anything….

Azalea

"Wait! I can't remember your name," he said abruptly, making me freeze. I turned to see him looking at me. I couldn't read his expression and still couldn't figure out why he helped me.

I couldn't decide if it was more insulting that he couldn't remember my name or if he was playing some kind of game. If I didn't tell him, he might get upset, and I don't make a habit of upsetting Alphas.

"Azalea," I answered quietly, my voice trembling. I turned and left quickly, fresh tears falling.

I returned to my attic and my bed. I grabbed a pillow and tried to replace the stuffing. I found my blanket and shook it out, making sure there was no glass on it.

I lay on my lumpy bed and looked out the small window.

Two months and four days; I was getting close.