I'm BACK!!: Read Chapters 1-5

As you know by now, my name is Evelyn Rots, one hundred percent werewolf, member of the Crescent Moon pack. I'll be a rogue in ten minutes. You wonder why? Well, right now I'm deeply depressed. You see, I've been cheated by everyone who matters most to me. The ones I loved, the ones I needed to survive and succeed in life. I gave them my ultimate trust, they took it but gave nothing in return.

Betrayal has marked my entire life, from childhood to now.

My father, mother, childhood best friends and pack members, the love of my life, even my mate, they have all deceived me, contributed to my current state of mind.

Some say that when you give, you should never ask for anything in return. The Almighty will compensate you by blessing your path. Others argue that you should not count your misfortunes, only the blessings. I have yet to find out if all of that is true. But what I am truly convinced is that the Almighty has never consented to this deep pain that I now feel from this constant betrayal. NEVER! I strongly believe that He wants His creation to live a happy life and to prosper.

But maybe it was me who couldn't distinguish between good and fake. Since this Higher One and the Moon Goddess are in control of creation, I am so sure there must also be love and purity on this piece of rock called earth.

So, here I stand at the border of Crescent Moon, looking back one more time before breaking the bond with my pack and going rogue. Rogues are abandoned or runaway members of a pack, usually werewolves. And while I know that werewolves only survive in packs, I'm taking my chances.

My plan is to leave and live with humans, try a different culture, a different level of trust. I've read a lot about their way of life and I think I can do this.

Yes I can!!

Leave this stabbing pain behind and start over.

My experiences in this pack will definitely have some impact on my future life, damn sure of that! But I will protect myself this time and make sure that no one can ever harm me physically and emotionally again. Won't be difficult since I'm an experience expert, I can already smell those busters from afar.

I have no regrets. I will change and my life will be better. I will be better!

I'm in charge now, I'll fix it.

I know that no one in this pack will miss me or even want to look for me. My disappearance will be one of shrugs. That's why I didn't even bother leaving a note for someone to avoid another fake drama.

Bye Crescent Moon. I wouldn't say it was a pleasure to be a part of you. Still, I wish you the best.

My father was the alpha of Crescent Moon, but after he was murdered his sister's oldest son, my cousin took over. But he didn't hold the title for long. Months after his coronation, the second son of the Blue Moon alpha challenged him for the title, killed him and became the new alpha of Crescent Moon.

Blue Moon and Crescent Moon have ancient old family ties. That may have prompted the Blue Moon alpha male to challenge my cousin. Blue Moon is California's largest and strongest pack, they have the most skilled and loyal warriors and a sophisticated infantry. Financially strong, they have invested millions of dollars in advanced security systems and other essentials to keep the pack safe. Conquering Crescent Moon, the second largest, was an excellent strategic move to bolster the alpha family's power in the werewolf community.

And guess what, on the night of my eighteenth birthday, after I first shifted into a pure white wolf with a golden moon around one eye, it turned out that this alpha’s only son Marcus von Dyke is my mate. My wolf Becca was ecstatic, I wasn't so much. Maybe for a reason.

My father was a strong and fearful alpha, he led the pack with an iron fist, yet managed to bring prosperity to each of his subordinates. My mother was as selfish as one can be, she only pursued her own desires. Not really luna material. My two sisters are the bitches of all time. We're a product of my mother's divide-conquer power play, so she could have her way with us.

Deeply emotional as I am, after the death of my father, life for me in this tricky family has never been satisfactory.

So, my first blow of betrayal was the sudden death of my father.

I was only six, when I was told that my father, my hero, was gone. I was heartbroken when I heard this. How could that one person I loved so much left at this moment when I needed him the most and so easily without even saying goodbye?! My childish mind could not comprehend the concept of death. Cowardly wounded by an unknown sniper, my father was sent for medical treatment to a better equipped hospital with specialized personnel in the human city. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries. My siblings and I were unable to attend the funeral. This human city was nearly three days away, not safe for an entire alpha family to travel to. Another disappointment for a broken six-year-old. Left alone to consume my sorrow, no one to comfort me, I run to the forest.

Walking as far as my little feet could carry me, I found myself two hours later on a hidden cave near a lake. It was all furnished with a stove, kitchenware and a bed with the softest mattress I’d ever felt. Tired as I was after that long walk, I lay down and rested for a while, when a noise disturbed my sleep. When I opened my eyes, I saw a middle-aged man with a boy sitting on a small wooden log in the cave. They didn't see me right away. When I greeted them in a low voice, they turned their heads at me in surprise, eyes wide.

“Who are you, little one?”, the mid-age man asked. "I'm Peter and this is my son Michael". That's how I met my boyfriend for the first time. I learned that his father was the chief warrior of the pack and that they often came to the cave for camping. Because I was not of the age to be trained, Peter has not seen me before.

After this encounter in the cave, Michael and I became inseparable.

The second betrayal and the rest of them came several years later.

Through the years, Michael helped me tremendously in coping with my father's ‘early leave’. Our bond grew closer and closer, and when I was 16, we confessed our love to each other and became lovers.

No, it was actually me who poured out my heart for him.

Everyone expected us to be mates on my eighteenth birthday. Not happened.

Michael is two years older than me and on his eighteenth birthday we already didn't feel the pull. So it won't be there when I'm eighteen. After this setback, I felt a change in Michael. By asking him about this several times, he denied that anything was bothering him. "It's all in your head, honey," he would say. “We may not be destined mates, but I'm so damn grateful for your love. It couldn't get any better”, Michael assured me time and again. On the night of my seventeenth birthday, we became intimate. It wasn't as hot and steamy as the girls' story, but gosh, what you don't know, you don't miss, right?! I loved Michael very much. We promised to work on our relationship, move in together after graduation and build our own little family. The right things girls like to hear, our dream life.

It was the new academic year when the siblings Mark and Annelise enrolled at our university. They were children of the second warrior in command of my pack, just came back from living abroad. Michael and I instantly clicked with them. Annelise and Mark became our best friends. We were a team, often had sleepovers, went on camping trips and studied together. When someone saw one of us, they were sure the rest must be somewhere nearby. We were that close.

Michael continued with that weird behavior, but still brushed it off like a fantasy from my side. It one time I called Michael on the phone to tell him I planned to stay in bed all day. “Honey, I want a long deep rest. It's raining outside so my warm sheets are so tempting", I told him. Michael joked about my laziness and decided to do the same. "Just think of us in bed together, enjoying this sweet cold afternoon, okay?!" After reading a bestselling novel for three hours, I was feeling a little restless.

Against our plans, I decided to spend my night cuddling with my boyfriend. Planning a surprise visit at Michael at night, I whistle my neighbor friend Nick, and with puppy eyes I beg for a ride on his wolf.

Nick is five years older than me, had me on his back since he first shifted. I think he loved it as much as I do, he never refused me when I asked him for a ride. “Are you sure you want to surprise your boyfriend, Eve?”, he warned. I should have paid attention to that specific tone in his voice, but I was so excited about my surprise that I honestly missed it.

So, I stepped off in the yard of Michael's house, pecked the wolf on his snout, and returned to my mission. To access my lover's bedroom, I climbed the drain pipe to his bedroom window. Just as I drew one foot into the room, half hanging over the windowsill, my eyes widened in horror. ‘What the hell!!’, it buzzed through my head. The love of my life was banging hard on someone's back, I could see the ass go up and down from the ramming strokes.

Michael's head was thrown back in ecstasy and his fierce actions dealt hard blows to his partner's butt. That one was holding onto the desk, wearing a black leather bandage suit with cuffs and ropes. Michael pulled on two ropes that were connected to the neckband of the costume. “Harder, go faster!” I heard a husky, stimulating voice. I could not believe my eyes!!. In their sex, they used a lot of lewd words that I had never heard in my life. I must have made cried out loud, because Michael yanked his shaft out of the ass he just worked out and immediately jumped in protective mode in front of his sex partner. Rooted to the ground, I kept staring at him. "I'm so so sorry you got to know it this way", Michael stammering apologized. When I bent my head to see who my sex rival was, I expected to see at least one of the pack sluts who were always challenging me for Michael. But I almost went into cardiac arrest when I saw none other than Mark. Marc, a man!!!

‘Michael is gay!!’, my subconscious registered.

Betrayed AGAIN!!

It was the last I saw of Michael. I cut all ties with him, as well as the rest of my team, because I strongly believed they all knew about this. For me they were involved in this betrayal, because they never told me or even hinted at it. They just fake a friendship, never came clean with me. I blocked them in the pack mind link and phone contacts. After this I stop attending college physically and continued my studies online. All went good and I graduated on time with good grades.

Michael often tried to contact me. He left notes in the mailbox, on my car and even sent one with a delivery person. Neglected.

Later, when all the tongues were ready to come loose, I heard that the whole pack knew that Michael was gay. He moved on with me because that was an opportunity to be close to the alpha family. Mating with me would upgrade his status and authority in the pack.

My eighteenth birthday was approaching and since I had no close friends nor a loving family, I decided to stay in bed dreaming of the perfect birthday I would celebrate sometime in the future. I promised myself that one day, I'd throw a lavish party with all the alphas and lunas from the surrounding packs present. They would give me a lot of expensive gifts because I love exquisite stuff, like limited edition jewelry, clothes and cars.

Expensive wine and exotic dishes would be served in abundance and live music bands would complete the party. A ceiling-height birthday cake would be in the center of the room for everyone to take a bite. I sigh. ‘That day is in front of us’, my wolf Becca comforted me. "Be assured I'll be there too, shaking my ass on the dance floor," she joked.

In the afternoon I had dinner with my fake sisters and mother.

We lived in the same pack house as we did when my father was alive and the alpha of this pack. The new alpha had another one built where he and his family lived. We were left to live peaceful lives, the new alpha never posed a threat to us as we were the old alpha family. Maybe because we are all women without any training in combat, just beautiful flowers, with the same routine: eating, sleeping, shopping and studying.

It was close to midnight when we heard a hard knock on the door. Confused we looked at each other, none of us was expected a visitor. My mother opened the door and three warriors stood there. “Ma'am, your daughter Evelyn needs to pack all her belongings and come with us!” the warrior commanded. We all stared at them startled. “Packing?” my mother stuttered. "Why? We haven't done anything wrong. Please, we just want to be left alone. We're legitimately part of this pack!", my eldest sister Elisa screamed. We all freezed, unable to move for fear of the worst. "Please don't mind my youngest sister, I'm going with you," my second sister Elidya offers. ‘Interesting’, it flashed through my mind. They'd been teasing me all day that I might find my mate from today on. So far none of them manage to find one of their own, although they are older than me.

“Orders from the alpha male. Miss Evelyn must come with us," the chief fighter repeated irritated. "If she doesn't cooperate, we'll have to take her without her stuff or kill you if you get in our way." After these words I jumped up. "I'm going! You don't have to kill anyone," I growl. I walked to my room and packed my things in three suitcases. I left two cases behind, only carried one with clothes for a week and a handbag with my bank cards, ID, passport and other official documents. As I drag my suitcase to the stairs, I see a warrior reached out to help. I nodded gratefully at him, greet my mother and siblings, and promise to call as soon as I found out what's going on. Outside, my things were already in one of the two vehicles. As I sat down, the car immediately moved toward the new pack house. “Do any of you know what's going on?” I asked frightened. "No. We got no explanation for this operation. Just carry out the strict order," the driver claimed.

I had no choice but to wait until we arrived at the pack house and face whoever ordered my relocation. After less than five minutes the car halted at the front porch. I've never been in there, only seen it from the outside. It is built mansion style, with huge pillars and a large balcony. The veranda is large enough to accommodate at least fifty people.

I followed the warriors into the building and came to a halt in front of an impressive high wooden door. Greek letters were artistically engraved into it making it look very expensive. The chief warrior motioned me to stay in place as he entered the room. After a while he came out. “You are expected,” he said holding the door open for me. I entered a large, bright office with huge bookcases on the walls. As I looked around to find someone in the room, my gray orbs met some sea blue ones.

Marcus, the alpha male! It was as if electricity was radiating through my body, my head spinning and my knees felt like jelly. “This is ridiculous! Can't be true!”, I whispered.

‘MATE!!’, Becca yelled and went wild. ‘Move forward. Hug him! It's our mate!'. Instead, I took a step back. The alpha male rose slowly from his seat, taking a few long strides to face me. He is killer handsome, about six feet tall with broad shoulders, his voluminous muscles revealed his superb body condition.

"MINE!", his powerful alpha voice sounded. To say I was scared is an understatement. All these years after the change of power, my family has never mingled with the new pack leaders. We were now ordinary pack members with a faded status. To avoid any suspicion or conflict, we separated ourselves from the new alpha family, so I’d only saw this alpha male from a distance at pack occasions. Never talked to any of them nor closed to them.

So this was my first time standing face to face with the alpha male. His formidable looks made me want to run for my life, but knew it would be futile. His alpha speed was much more advanced than mine. So I kept staring, totally numbed.

“Evelyn, it's been two years since I've waited for this day. On my eighteen birthday, I sensed you were my mate. I've waited patiently and now the day has come to claim you as mine," he explained softly. “I know you were crazy about that gay guy. But now you have to forget your past and live in the present. You are MINE now!”, he continues in a somewhat warning tone.

Really, I just didn't know what to say. I'd be lying if I said I was prepared for this or even suspected that I’d be a potential luna. After Michael I never thought about having a mate again, I just couldn't see myself in that position. But now he stands before me and claims me. Scary as hell!!

As I stood there like an iceberg, suddenly people burst into the office.

Looking closely, I know this must be the alpha family. "She is so beautiful!", I hear a middle-aged lady say in awe, staring at me. She must be Marcus' mother, the luna. She grabed me in a bear hug, caressing my head. Five other younger women came close to us, checking me from head to toe.

At one point they jumped on me and hugged me too. With this warm welcome, I expected my life to be more fulfilled in this house. With a timid, uncertain smile I greet them.

“Dear, I am Marcus's mother, luna Philida, and these are my daughters Janet, Janice, Joy, Janic and Jovan. Marcus is my only son”, she laughed. "I'm Evelyn," I stuttered. “We know, honey. Let me take you to your room". As we walked to an elevator to go to the seventh floor, they touched my hair and arms and inspected my body. I felt very uncomfortable, it was all a bit too much. It was as they were inspecting the incoming merchandise. When we arrived at the fifth floor, I got out of the elevator and saw a range of doors, at least eight or ten. At a red one I saw a plate with my name on it. "Yes honey, Marcus set up this room for you last year after you turned seventeen," explained Luna Philida.

‘Had he paid more attention, he would have known I hate the color red", I thought.

My suitcase was already in the room. I looked around and immediately hated the room. The colors didn't match at all, too bright, even the sheets were ugly. In retrospect, I think this must have been a sign of what was about to happen.

After showing me around, they all left allowing me some privacy. I unpacked my bag, took my toiletries to the bathroom and hanged my clothes in the spacious walk in closet. After that I took a warm shower and wore a mid-knee sundress. Time to face my new family again. Back in the elevator, I decided to go back to the alpha males' office, as I don't know how to find my way around the pack house yet.

Standing at his door, I hesitated to knock. I mean, I just didn’t know if he's happy that I'm his mate and wanted to see me. After all, I am the daughter of the former alpha and perhaps not the most favorable to have as a mate. He must have smelled me, I thought. “You can come in, Evelyn. I was waiting for you”, I heard him saying from the other side of the door.

I stepped into the office and walked to his desk. Marcus got up and came in front of me. He looked deep into my eyes and tenderly took my face in his big hands. At that moment I felt his lips gently caress mine. “Evelyn, I know you have to get used to living here. We're going to take it easy and try to get to know each other better," he promised. "Now I want to know if you're willing to accept me as your mate".

"Yes", I replied shyly. For a moment I shuddered and felt a stranger strength come over me I closed my eyes until it faded When I opened my eyes I saw Marcus going through the same process "Now that we have accepted each other we can work on the mating "Don't worry, we'll take it easy at our own pace," he assured me.

I sighed with relief.

No, I wasn't a virgin since I wasted that on Michael. But I also didn't plan on jumping from one bed to another. Marcus took my hand and we walk outside to the kitchen. "Hungry?". I nodded. I sat down on the kitchen island and watched my mate preparing dinner for me on my birthday.