Josie
The summons came at sunset.
My mother answered the call with a tight, bitter smile. My father barely looked up from his newspaper. Me? I just stood frozen at the sink, water running over a chipped plate I hadn't realized I was still holding.
"The Alpha wants to see us," my mother said, like it was a dinner invitation. Like this wasn't the moment everything would change.
I dried my hands slowly. "Why?"
She turned to me, lip curling. "Maybe he's finally come to his senses. Maybe he's realized what a stain you are on his legacy."
I didn't answer. I'd learned long ago that silence was safer than truth.
The walk to the pack house was quiet, but not peaceful. Every step felt like my bones were grinding together. The cold evening air couldn't soothe the burn in my chest. My parents walked ahead, upright and smug, like they were already rehearsing the speech they'd give—just the poor, disappointed parents of a broken, impure omega.
The guards at the door didn't even look surprised to see us. One of them nodded grimly and opened the door without a word.
The pack house was buzzing with quiet tension. Alphas moved like shadows through the halls, nodding respectfully at each other, avoiding eye contact with me. I shrank into myself, wishing I could disappear entirely.
We were ushered into a room with high ceilings and a long polished table. The air smelled like leather and power. At the head of the room, Varen sat with his arms crossed, flanked by Thorne and Kiel—two of the pack's most powerful enforcers, and his closest friends. Dangerous. Deadly. And tonight, watching everything with razor-sharp focus.
I kept my eyes on the floor as we were led forward.
"Alpha," my father began, bowing his head in a show of false humility. "Thank you for seeing us. We wanted to address some… concerns."
I knew that tone. Polite. Poisonous.
Varen didn't speak. He gestured with a single hand, allowing him to continue.
My mother stepped forward, voice trembling with righteous disgust. "Josie has always been difficult. Secretive. She's never respected our home, our rules. And now, with this bond… it's dangerous. We fear she might be manipulating the triplets for her own gain."
I clenched my fists at my sides. The weight of their lies, their polished cruelty, made it hard to breathe.
"She's always been weak," my father added. "Unstable. The shame she's brought on our name…"
"I'm not unstable," I said, barely louder than a whisper.
My mother scoffed. "Don't interrupt, girl. You should be grateful we even brought you here."
"I didn't ask you to," I said, louder now.
Varen's eyes never left me. Calm. Sharp. Like a predator watching its prey. But something burned behind his gaze—something I didn't understand yet.
"Please," my father said with a sigh. "We only want what's best for the pack. And clearly, Josie isn't it. She's not fit to be at the center of something this important."
I waited for the blow. For Varen to nod and agree. To cast me aside like they always said he would.
Instead, he leaned back in his chair.
And smiled.
Not kindly. Not gently.
Like someone about to flip a table over and watch the pieces scatter.
"That was a beautiful performance," Varen said, voice smooth as silk and twice as cutting. "Really. Heartfelt."
My parents blinked.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small silver device.
"I especially liked the part about her being a stain. And the bit about manipulating us? That was gold."
My mother's face drained of color. "What… is that?"
"A recorder," Varen said lightly. "You've been quite talkative the past few days. Makes things easier."
"You—you can't—"
"Can," he interrupted. "Did. And now the pack will hear everything you said. Every slap. Every threat. Every disgusting little thing you thought you could bury under 'concern.'"
Thorne's grin turned wolfish. Kiel cracked his knuckles.
My father tried to step forward. "This isn't—this is slander!"
"It's truth," Varen said. "And I'm done pretending otherwise."
He stood, slow and deliberate.
"By my authority as Alpha, I hereby strip the Starlights of their status and holdings. You are exiled from this pack. Effective immediately."
My mother's gasp shattered the silence. "You wouldn't—!"
"I just did."
"You filthy little—" Her hand lashed out toward me.
But this time, she didn't connect.
Thorne caught her wrist mid-swing and twisted it back, eyes gleaming. "Touch her again, and I break every finger."
She screamed, trying to wrench free. Thorne held her like a child throwing a tantrum.
"You'll regret this!" my father barked. "You'll regret crossing us!"
"I don't think so," Varen said, stepping closer. "From now on, you're marked as omegas. The lowest rank. No privileges. No power. You'll be lucky if another pack takes you in at all."
My knees wobbled.
I didn't know what to feel. Relief? Terror? Disbelief?
My mother spat at the floor near my feet. "You did this. You. You always were a curse."
The words hit me harder than her slap ever did.
But this time, I didn't cry.
I didn't shrink.
I just stood there, staring at the ruins of what used to be my life. And then, slowly, I turned away.
Thorne pushed my parents toward the doors. Kiel stood at my side, one hand on my shoulder—not heavy, just there.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"For what?" he said.
"For being… me."
Kiel's gaze softened. "You survived them, Josie. That's more than most would've managed."
Varen held the door open for me.
"Come on," he said. "You don't belong there anymore."
---
The pack house wasn't home, not yet.
But it was warm. The walls weren't paper-thin, and no one yelled when I took too long in the hallway. I was given a room—not a closet—and a soft bed that smelled like lavender and safety.
Still, I couldn't sleep.
My chest felt too full, like every emotion I'd shoved down for years was fighting to surface all at once. I kept waiting for someone to knock on the door, scream at me, drag me back.
But no one came.
Until they did.
A soft tap tap tap on the window.
I sat up in bed, heart pounding.
There, standing just outside in the moonlight, was Kiel.
He smiled, small and secretive.
"Come with me," he whispered. "There's something I want to show you."