Forever More

"Joelle!!! Wake up you worthless swine." I hear the Luna pounding on my bedroom door, which is located up three flights of stairs in the attic. I haven't been treated very well in this pack ever since they found me in the hollowed-out tree when I was only a few months old. I will never understand how my family could just up and abandon me as a baby. I forgive them, but what did they think would happen if they put me in the hollow tree? "Joelle! I said get up right now!" I'm pulled from my thoughts by the pounding. I rush around trying to get dressed to not make her wait any longer for fear of being hit. I ran to the door, throwing it open, and out of nowhere smack! "Joelle, you are our weakest person here, so what makes you think that you don't have to pull your weight?" Pull my weight, I think, I pull more than just my weight around here. "Yes, Luna, I am sorry to not be up in the kitchen already." "Just get there now," Luna Marie says. I run past her pulling on my shoes down to the kitchen to start breakfast for the pack. As I'm scrambling the eggs I smell him, our future Alpha Lucas. I am getting ahead of myself. Let me back up sometime. As you can already tell my name is Joelle and I am sixteen years old. I live in the Firestone pack which is one of the smaller packs in the area. My family isn't of this pack and everyone makes sure to let me know that I don't belong here. The teens all pick on me because I am a lot smaller than any of them. Standing at 5 ft 2 and 130 pounds didn't make for anyone to get scared. Throw in the fact that I am wolfless with purple eyes and silver hair that doesn't scream for anyone to fear me. Other than it's not normal to have those colors. Nobody knows where my family is or what my last name is and I was found in a hollowed-out tree at six months old. How can a parent put their baby in a tree and walk away? Am I that unlovable? Will I find a mate without having a wolf? I have so many questions and no answers. Claire wanted me to come to check on you where Lucas kicked you. I stand pulling my shirt up to my breasts and I hear him hiss. It must be bad. Claire was right they are going to kill you if given the chance. I will talk to the Alpha and see if you can be sent to one of the other packs. They are having that meeting with some of the other Alphas this weekend maybe one will take you. It's okay Beta Charles I don't want to be a bigger burden than I already am. Joe, your birthday is tomorrow, isn't it? I nod my head tomorrow I will be seventeen. Yet, so is Alpha Lucas'. He will be 18 tomorrow and he will become the legit Alpha. "Oh Joelle, where is the food?" "I'm sorry Alpha, I am running late and it's not yet ready." I still have the heightened senses but not like it would be if I had my wolf. "You know that you are to be here by 4 am to start yet you still blatantly disobey me." "Again I'm sorry Alpha." I go to turn with my head down and I feel the pain when he grabs my hair and pulls me to him. "Do you think that I like being a dick to you, Joelle?" "You need to learn your place, little girl. You mean nothing to this pack. I don't understand why dad lets you stay anyway. Probably because you are the scum under his boot. You mean nothing to us. Why not just end it, Joelle? You are a burden on this pack. You don't even have a wolf to protect you." He throws me to the ground as if to show me and he starts to kick me in the ribs. He gets down to my level after a few kicks, I feel his breath on my ear as he whispers, "I wish they would have left you to die in that tree." The pain is just too much to bear. I feel my vision starting to get blurry. I can't pass out because that will just make things worse. I grab onto the counter and drag myself up until I can stand. Why won't they just let me leave and become a rogue? Oh yeah, because they will have to have more people do what I do a day. As I finish getting breakfast ready, I smell too much Love Spell perfume and know that it's Claire, my only friend here. She comes running to my side, "Joelle, they are going to end up killing you. We have to get you out of here." "Claire, you know I can't go anywhere. They will never let me leave. They don't want to have to cook and clean for themselves. And their precious Lucas would have to do things on his own." "Shhhh Joelle you don't want them to hurt you more if they hear you talking like that. I don't understand why he wants you to call him Alpha Lucas when he's not even the Alpha yet?" "He is still in line to be alpha, Claire. I have to get this breakfast done before everyone comes down." As I finish up I grab my plate and head back upstairs to make sure I'm out of the way before anyone comes down. Claire is the only one allowed to eat with me and that's if the Alpha and Luna aren't mad at me. Which it seems they are today. I hear a soft knock and thinking it's Claire I tell her to come in. "Joelle, I'm sorry that I can't help with the beatings." I hear the Beta say. "Oh, Beta Charles you scared me I thought Claire was coming up."

I wait until I can't hear anyone in the kitchen or dining room and make my way down with my dishes. I have to stay as silent as possible or I will hear about it. As I walked by Alpha Mace's office, I heard him call my name. "Joelle, please come in here." I opened the door and kept my head low. You called me Alpha, I say. I heard him walk towards me and I saw his very nice dress shoes stop in front of me. "Joelle, please look at me." My head snapped up, almost giving me whiplash. "Joe, I heard about what happened this morning." He knows that I hate it when he calls me Joe.

That's only for people who care about me. And let's face it, he doesn't give a crap about me. "What do you mean sir?" "I heard how you were late for work." "Yes, Alpha. I was late this morning. I received extra chores from the Luna." "Good now on to what else I called you in here for. My Beta seems to think that you have become more trouble than you are worth." "Yes, I understand sir." "He has brought up a good point. I will see if while at our meeting one of the others will take you off our hands so you can't mess up Lucas' birthday this weekend. So you need to be ready to leave when one of them takes you and not complain about it." "Yes, Alpha." "You know Joe (he's trying to rile me up) I will be glad to be rid of you before Lucas' eighteenth birthday." "Yes, Alpha." I look back down because honestly, it's making me uncomfortable to look into this man's eyes. All I see is evil seeping from his soul. They say the eyes are the window to one's soul. I would believe it. This pack needs to be wiped out except for a select few. I forgot to mention that Claire is Beta's daughter but she hasn't found her mate and her mother died in childbirth. It's just Claire and Beta Charles now. Maybe they will come with me to the next pack. I doubt Alpha Mace will lose his Beta. "Joelle, are you even listening to me?" "Yes, Alpha you asked if I was heading down to do chores and set up for your meeting with the other Alphas." "Alpha?" We both spun around to find that the Beta was standing in the doorway.

"What is it, Charles?" "Well, Alpha we had one more Alpha RSVP." "WHO?" The Alpha roars. "Alpha Zander sir." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Alpha grow pale. "Hh-h-he is coming?" "Yes, sir he sent in the papers just now." "Why? Why is he coming?" I know just from the name whom they are talking about. Alpha Zander Joesph Hellborne of the Brimstone pack. He is the alpha of the most feared pack in Colorado. It's said nobody knows how big his pack is for sure but we all know that it's huge. That's not all of it though, he's only twenty-two years old. "Joelle!" I jump and look at the Alpha which I shouldn't have in his current state or at least the backhand to my cheekbone let me know. I fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes. "Get up and go do your chores," he growls. I scramble to my feet and grab my dishes racing down the stairs two at a time.

Zander's pov
 "Tell me again why I had to come to this pack Derrick," I say to my Beta. "Well, Zander that little sh*t stain of a son that Alpha Mace has is turning eighteen Saturday and it's an alpha meeting along with him needing allies. And don't forget you still are looking for your mate." "Look, Derrick, I have almost had it with trying to find her. What if she is dead?" "Just one more time Z. You are my very best friend and I just want you to be happy." "Fine just this last one and if I don't find her I will just choose Elizabeth back home. She's our best warrior and the strongest female. She will make a great Luna." "Okay Z you win. After this, I won't bring it up again." "Let's just get to the hotel before I beat you a**." "You wish Z! I'm too strong for you." They play box each other laughing without a care in the world. They make it to their rooms saying they will meet back in the morning to head over to the Firestone pack. "Moon Goddess if you can hear me let me find my mate this weekend. I have to find my Luna." Zander decides that it's best to shower now than wait to do it when he wakes. After his shower, he sends one more silent prayer to the moon goddess before he drifts off to sleep. "Wake up Z it's time to start getting ready to head to the packhouse and meet the other alphas." "Yeah yeah Derrick, I hate you man you know that right?" "Nah my man you love me." "Come on let's go, dude." He runs from me when I growl and fling my pillow at him. "I'm going to beat your head in my guy," I mindlink him I hear him laughing at me. I get out of bed and dress in my best because let's face it they need to know whom they are messing with when it comes to me. I walk out at the same time as Derrick and make our way down to the elevator and down to the SUV. Derrick hates the way I drive so he drives us and a few of the warriors I brought with us to the packhouse. I smell her before I see her apples and cinnamon but when I see her stand there with her head bowed I already know who and what she is to me. 
 "MATE," I hear Ben my wolf and I say at once. I hear a grasp and I see the prettiest purple eyes look up at me. "MATE," we say again. I figured out she knew who I was when she passed out and I just barely made it to her in time.


I studied her face and noticed a black and purple bruise on her face. "Who hit my mate," I growl? "Ummm umm well she was late to do the chores so she needed to be disciplined," Alpha Mace says. "So you hit her in the face?" "Yeah, well she needs to learn her place," that little coward Lucas was next to speak. "Z, if you don't rip him apart I will," says Ben. I'm about to lose control when I hear a small gasp from my young mate. I look down as her eyes flutter open and I see her purple eyes up close and I know that I have finally found my mate. "What is your name little one," I ask her.

Her voice is like smooth velvet when she says "Joelle, Alpha Zander." "Please don't call me alpha. It's just Zander to you." I look to my Beta who doesn't look too happy and is fighting for control to protect his Luna. "You need to show that punk who we are," Ben tells me. "Silence!" I roar more talking to Ben but hey if that little twerp shuts up and stops talking about my mate like he is I'm going to hurt him and end up going to war. On second thought I know exactly what we will do. I gently pick up my frail mate and freeze when she jumps at the contact. Sparks and warmth are the two things I feel for sure but there is one other feeling I can't place. Wait.... she's grateful. Has no one stood up for my tiny wolf? "Oh her wolf isn't tiny my man," Ben says. "What? Let me see Ben." "Nope, not until she is safely home with us. Zander, you honestly have no idea what our mate can do. However, she doesn't know what she is capable of just yet." 
 She's better than we could have ever hoped for in getting a mate. "Joelle and Willow are still getting to know each other." "What do you mean?" "How old are you little wolf?" "Seventeen today Alpha." "Today is your birthday," Alpha Mace asks? "Yes, Alpha, Alpha Lucas and I share a birthday." "Wait a minute you call him Alpha?" Ben is about to come unglued if we don't hurry this meeting up and I get her home. I race to a chair and sit my little mate on my lap. She doesn't weigh enough. She's too skinny. She moves to get up but I hold her still. "Now can we get this meeting over with so I can get my mate and go back to our packhouse?" "Ummm I don't understand Alpha Zander," the spineless idiot Alpha Mace says to me. "What's not to understand Alpha Mace? After this meeting is over with I will be taking my mate and her things and we are leaving." "She can't just leave." I go to speak but my little mate begins to shake with rage and I hear the meanest growl I would ever think my sweet girl could have made and she jumps to her feet in a hot second. "Oh, I can't leave?" "Joelle, what's wrong honey?" "They were going to kick me out after this weekend anyway." "Why you little ungrateful....." "I wouldn't finish that sentence towards my mate if I were you young wolf," Ben growls. Yep, he's at the surface clawing to rip this little worm to pieces. I push her behind me as I stand, "I think you better back up young Alpha before something or someone makes you, I tell him. This is MY MATE and you will respect her and her wolf." "Wolf? What wolf? She is wolfless." All I do is smile, are you sure? "Joelle, my love can you tell me what I smell like to you?"

Joelle's pov (earlier that morning)
 "Hello, little one." "Who said that?" "It was I says the voice inside of my head. I am your wolf. My name is Willow and we are going to do great things together you and I." "Where have you been? I waited for you to show up and you weren't there." "I know little one I know. However, you will understand soon enough why I didn't make myself known. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. You will see what we are capable of in no time little one. We are very special you and me. We are going to change the world. Things are about to get better for you in the next few days." "Willow, what color are you?" "Oh goodness here let me show you. Let's shift and go for a run." "We can't do that the warriors are patrolling the grounds as we speak." "That's okay little one, I'll show you something you have that is very rare. We can mask that you have a wolf and mask our smell." "Let's go outside already then," I say. I sneak down the stairs and out the back door. Listening to everything now that I have my wolf. I hear the rain gently tapping on the tin roof, I smell the fresh-cut grass, and I see the beautiful creek down the path. But what gets me is I feel powerful. I feel like I can take on the world. "Now Joe, what I need you to do is take a deep breath and relax. You won't feel a thing. I will shield you from the shift. Remember just breathe and relax." As I breathe in and out I try my hardest to envision what she will look like. "Okay, open your eyes little one." Opening my eyes I see that my paws are completely white but almost glitter with silver. I step back inside our minds and let Willow control our movements. "Let's run to the creek," I say. Upon our arrival, I see the purest of the white wolf that glistens silver in the moonlight. "Something you should know little one is that you are a hybrid. Half wolf half-witch and you will be getting your powers in the next few days. Let me show you one of my favorite powers you have. Shift back and I'll explain." "I don't have any clothes, Willow." "Just shift back and you will see." As I shift back I realize I am in a gorgeous light blue dress. "I have clothes, Willow." "Yes, little wolf you do.... but that is just one thing you can do. I want you to close your eyes and imagine blue flames in your palm." I close my eyes and start to feel the palm of my hand become warm but not burning. I open my eyes and see that there are blue flames in the palm of my hand.

"We should get back before anyone notices you are missing," Willow tells me. I shift back into my beautiful wolf and we run back to the house. I have never felt this free. Could it be true? Could I be something more than I am? Could I truly leave this place and be better off?