Savage Instincts

01: The Alpha

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— P A R T  O N E —

L A Y L A

"Hottie McQueen is back at table five," my friend and coworker Elsie Cavanaugh said, flipping her freshly dyed pink hair oer her shoulder. She came up behind the counter to replace me for the shift.

I was already dressed in my jeans and crop top, ready to leave the cafeteria where I had been working part-time for the last three months. I waited for Hottie McQueen-also known as Aaron McQueen around town-all morning.

He was a really cute guy who was a regular here. Ever since I served him his coffee with just a pinch of salt, he gave me a smile with dimples that are to die for.

"He's late," I said, pouting to show my disappointment while I shoved my arms in my leather jacket, slinging my tote bag over my shoulder. "I waited all day. My father will be furious if I don't get back home."

"You can't be serious!" Elise rolled her eyes. "Just go and have a cup of coffee with him. I'll serve."

"Elsie, you know my Dad."

"You can't let him control everything about your life, Layla. You're soon to be twenty."

"Sorry," I give her a pitiful smile before stealing a look at Aaron who was looking at me hopefully, his gray eyes shimmering softly behind thick glasses. He was so hot, I swear. "I'm sorry. Perhaps tomorrow. Hopefully, he will come sooner."

Elsie looked like she was about to argue but decided against it. "Call me when you get home."

"I will."

I hugged her before heading out.

The cool evening breeze grazed me, enveloping me in a chill. I traversed the crowd gathered around the cafe for their late-night snacks. Fridays were the busiest for the place.

I started walking home, which was deep within the forest surrounding the town of Mistwood where the weather echoed the mood of its residents-always cloudy. Our town was situated in the Pacific Northwest and had perpetual grey skies all year long. It was bordered by the woods where residents feared to venture with rumors of creatures nestled within.

Creatures like my family.

The calmness of the forest acted like a soothing balm on my agitated thoughts. I was already worried about what I would find when I reached home.

My mother texted me to come back home urgently.

My father was the Alpha of the Nightshade pack; defying him was not an option.

Our world was different from humans, hidden in shadows. Elise didn't know who I was truly-the princess of my father's pack. She had never gotten a chance to get to know me beyond our school life.

Now, she was heading for higher studies in California while I was being left behind. My father refused to pay for any further education. In our world, we went through a pivotal moment when we turned twenty.

We went through a ritual called the Climb on our twentieth birthday. It was a spiritual right of passage to the shifter's world, making us tap into our latent werewolf abilities.

Most wolves shifted by the time they were twelve and had already found their mate by the time they were eighteen.

I was the only true blood who hadn't yet found her wolf. My wolf didn't speak to me. I felt like she was lost somewhere and no matter how much I called to her, she wouldn't come. Finding my mate was the only way I could perform the Climb. I need their wolf strength since I didn't have my own. I would never be able to shift otherwise. This was my last chance.