Chapter 2 MEMORY LANE

BIANCA'S POV

"Get this filthy thing out of my sight!" He pointed at me, and then at my folks.

My father was enraged, but Jack's position in the pack was much higher than his, so I understood he had to tone down his reaction. Mother gazed at us, stunned.

Susanne approached me and embraced me. When she opened her mouth, I knew she was planning to call Jack furious names. I shook my head.

"Don't bother," I murmured.

Susanne gave me a concerned look, but she withdrew.

"What's happening here?" The Alpha's voice resonated in the square, booming and commanding.

Jack stood proudly when the Alpha moved toward us. A giant of a man, the leader had a long, shaggy beard and similarly ragged eyebrows.

"I will not accept her as my mate," Jack stated, staring at me. It didn't seem like he felt any regret for his actions.

I gazed up at the Alpha, wiping my tears away. He had a cruel demeanor.

"So you would rather not mate with this mutt?" The head of our pack asked Jack to confirm his decision for the last time.

"I won't," Jack answered decisively.

I was sad and didn't know what to do. Why did fate have to hitch me with such a horrible person out of all the wolves in the pack?

I sent a prayer to the Moon Goddess. Obviously, no answer came. Regardless of whether the Moon Goddess felt Jack would be a good partner for me, and I for him, he'd already made up his mind. And nothing was going to change that.

Also, he'd already dismissed me; such an extreme motion was conclusive.

"Then there's no place for the crossbreed in our pack," the Alpha's words severely impacted me.

I opened my mouth to protest why the Alpha would remove me from the pack unceremoniously, but I was being misunderstood entirely. Since Jack didn't want me as his mate, I would have to abandon my life here. I was going to leave behind my folks and my livelihood.

Also, where else would I go? There was no place in Dartmoor that would accept a rebel-a wolf shifter without a pack. A rebel was untouchable, disregarded by everybody.

My dad rushed to respond. While I was lost in my thoughts, he challenged the verdict. I could hear him screaming at the top of his voice; he was not scared to confront the Alpha.

I stood there with tears drowning my cheeks, trying to figure out my next move.

"Why? On what basis are you dismissing my daughter from the pack?" My dad asked.

"I have neglected how you weakened your bloodline for a long time. You brought this animal that is neither completely a human nor a wolf shifter into our clan, however if she has not proved deserving of her fated mate, then there's no place for her here."

The Alpha's words were cold, and I felt their conclusiveness. I had never seen somebody squabble with him and emerge from the argument victorious. The Alpha's statement had more weight than the law itself.

Perhaps, if he said there was no place for me in the family, I needed to leave. I would be somebody with nowhere to go.

I stared into the mirror, checking out the scar on my cheek. Jack had dismissed me because of my crossbreed nature-something I had no chance of impacting.

I had sustained a lot of injuries while fighting off a bunch of marauders at the Flintwood Sugar Plantation.

Throughout the year, I still had bruises all over. People normally stared at me in shock and disgust, gossiping among themselves about my weird appearance. How was my fated mate going to accept me in this state?

The Alpha gave me the rest of the day to leave. With nowhere else to go, I made my way toward Del Rio, a port town.

Dartmoor Island was the only spot I could imagine that somebody like me could call home: somebody who had nothing, somebody who was completely alone, without trust in others and without hope. This crushed animal was who I was now. I was no longer under the delusion that I deserved the attention and acknowledgment of others.

The boat hit the wharf, jolting me back to reality.

I hoped the mariners would put down the ship's anchor. I waved at the captain and advanced onto land.

I needed to wait a second to become accustomed to being on stable ground again. I put on my knapsack with a few provisions I had taken with me, and I left the boat.

I also hoped that these steps in the right direction meant I was leaving my previous life behind completely. I was ready to start all over again here on Dartmoor Island, the forbidden gem of the South Pacific.

I was still hoping that the island would end up being a good spot for me.

The captain's words were still on my mind. His advice reminded me not to expect much from the island's occupants. The port buildings stood void, and the street I followed north was congested with vegetation. Hopefully, soon I would find the street that extended west to the Belmont pack. I hoped they would accept me and wouldn't discard me like my former pack had done.

Maybe I could make a deal with them and simply live alone in some isolated spot on the island.

I had been walking tirelessly for ten minutes when the hedges to one side stirred, as I was about to cross the community's town hall. About seven men wearing black vests and khaki short jeans emerged. They were all wolf shifters; the creature inside me recognized them as members of my kind.