Evelyn used the oven mitts to remove the fresh dinner rolls she’d been making for her family’s meal. She looked at the golden brown tops and breathed in the sweet scent. There was nothing Evelyn enjoyed more than when she opened the door and took in the pleasant smell of whatever she had baked. She turned to her mom and showed her what she had finished.

Her mother, Jane, glanced over and her face lit up. “Oh Evelyn,” she cried. “They look delicious, as always.”

Evelyn beamed and brought them to the counter to cool down. She leaned over her mother’s shoulders and looked at the dinner waiting before them. Spaghetti and meatballs. Again.

The Alpha cut back on the budget for food often. He did that every few months to keep others in line. Especially her father, Scott. Evelyn frowned and felt her heart sink. It was because of her.

She pulled away from her mother, but she sensed something was off with Evelyn and turned to her. “Evelyn, sweetie, you’re not blaming yourself again, are you?”

“I mean…of course I am,” Evelyn shrank into a chair at the table. “You had to move from the pack house to this little cottage at the edge of the community, because of me.”

“We moved because we wanted to,” Jane corrected, coming to her daughter’s side. “Your father and I adore you.”

Evelyn continued to frown. “Don’t you ever regret…having me?”

Jane’s eyes flashed yellow as her expression turned far more serious. “Never.”

“What about dad? Does he feel remorse for letting you…you know…sleep with a human to have me?”

“Not even for a moment,” Jane brought her daughter into a tight squeeze. “We wanted a baby. Not a wolf. Not a human. A child. And you were our blessing. The sins your father and I committed have nothing to do with you, and I am certain the Moon Goddess Artemis would see it that way as well.”

Evelyn didn’t have the heart to tell her parents that the other wolves had pasted more paper to her window from the outside with various messages about their disgust with her. No matter what they did, it would never stop. The couple suffered because she’d been born human.

Their alpha pressured them into having a cub, but Scott couldn’t get his mate pregnant, and because of pressures from the unforgiving leader, they searched for a human who looked like her father Scott, and Jane slept with him while she was in heat.

It had caused her partner an incredible amount of pain, but they both remained strong. The likelihood of their offspring being human was slim. Wolf genetics were notoriously powerful. They could pass the child off as a blessing of their mated bond.

Artemis had cursed them for their grave sin, though. And Evelyn was born. Human and with not even the scent of a wolf. What had happened came to light, and the community shamed Beta Scott and his mate.

Somehow, they stood tall and proclaimed baby Evelyn as their child. But at what cost? The pack had never welcomed Evelyn. Infact, she never left this little cottage unless she was with both parents. An attempt on her life was common place, but her parents protected her endlessly for the last twenty-one years.

She hugged her mother and squeezed back. Evelyn didn’t know how much longer she had. The time for her to leave was approaching, and the escape plan was coming to fruition. Jane and Scott already had been in contact with a trusted rogue friend who would take Evelyn to the city, where a small rented room and a job in a kitchen awaited her. It had been the best her parents could do for her. A life free and safe from all the enemies lurking within this clan.

She sighed and nodded. “I’m sorry, mom.”

“Don’t be,” Jane expressed, placing a kiss on her daughter’s forehead. “You are an exceptional young woman, and too good for the likes of a place like this.”

“Thanks, mo- “

The sound of the front door had silenced Evelyn. The cottage door slammed open, hitting the inner wall. She jumped, but Jane sniffed the air. “It’s your father. Scott, what’s wrong?”

Scott rushed into the kitchen, and reached Evelyn’s side, and embraced her, relieved to see her safe. He turned to his mate, his face serious and grave. “There is a much larger pack invading our territory, and they are capturing and taking everyone they can, and killing those who refuse. This is our chance to get Evelyn out of here once and for all.”

“But we’re too far from a human city to do this on foot, even when shifted,” Jane cried. “And we have other clans of land to cross to do that. Someone along the way would kill Evelyn for sure.”

Scott shook his head. “She will die if she stays here. I’d rather risk it out there than here.”

Jane nodded, and both they turned to her and their serious faces made Evelyn’s pounding heart beat harder. “Let’s go,” Evelyn agreed.

The beta and his mate stripped and shifted, and the three hurried from the cottage and moved into the forest. Her parents ran beside her, but they also nudged her along, encouraging her to quicken her pace. She did her best, but the trees were thick, and she had to duck her head. Still, she felt a hot liquid run down her face from where a branch had scratched her brow. Not having time to stop to check it, she ignored it as they continued.

It couldn’t have been over ten minutes, but Evelyn, who’d never gotten the chance to run free, found her legs aching, and her lungs burning for air. She tried to slow down, but her mother encouraged her to continue. She was terrified, and a chill ran up her spine when she heard the distance howl of a wolf.

Her parents stopped and turned around, which forced her to slide to a stop. She could see several wolves approaching, and the terror worsened. Her father faced back to her, and with his snout, he pushed her to run. Her mother growled, warning the enemy’s away, giving Scott another reason to carry on.

She wasn’t dumb. Her parents planned to stay behind to fight while she ran. How could she leave them? They were all she had.

When she refused to go forward, her father snarled at her, which made her jump and began running fast enough until she almost tripped over her own feet. When she didn’t, she found the pace she could keep up with, but she realized her parents had fallen behind, and when she turned to look, she slammed into something ahead of her with full force, making her fall to the ground. She nearly hit her head against a root as she fell. Evelyn stood back up when she noticed the tall, imposing figure standing in front of her. She’d crashed right into him. Evelyn shifted to run away, but he grabbed her and pulled her back, pinning her against his firm body.

Her heart raced in terror as he towered above her and she tried not to be as frightened of him as she truly was, but the fact he had one hand on her throat sent chills up her spine. He easily twisted her around to see her parents, pinned down by several other werewolves.

The man pressed his nose to her neck and took in a deep breath, and then pulled his face away from her. “A human?”

He looked at the two being held down. “Are you the beta?” They directed the question to her father, but Scott, being stubborn, only offered a growl. He tightened the grip on Evelyn’s neck, forcing her to gag. “Are you the beta?” he repeated.

Scott made some low growls, the language of the wolves. She’d never been able to understand. “And your daughter. Where is she?”

Both parents looked confused, but the werewolf didn’t look to be tolerant of insolence and turned back to her throat. “This girl must be of importance if you were so willing to help her escape. What is she, your pet?”

Her parents would never admit to her being their offspring. Evelyn, being a random slave, made her less of a target than finding out she was their human daughter. Jane communicated this now, Evelyn still not understanding.

“Your family chef?” he sneered. “Never heard such nonsense before in my life.”

He released Evelyn and dropped her in front of her. “I can smell both of you on her. The girl must spend a great deal of time with you two. But there is no other wolf scent on her, though. So where is your child?”

Her father shifted and bowed his head. “Our daughter has been gone for weeks. She left our pack to travel around. We do not know where she is.”

The man growled in annoyance. “Well, you better get in contact with her.”

He reached down again and grabbed Evelyn by the collar of her shirt and pulled her back to him. “Tie them up and put them with the others. Lock them in when we return home. I’ll keep this little thing for now. Maybe she will shed some light on where your daughter is.”

Evelyn’s heart raced, and she shook her head, not wanting to be separated from them, or be abducted by this pack. To make things more intense, he tossed Evelyn at another werewolf in human form. “Take her to the car and let’s go."

“Yes, Alpha Kieran.”

Evelyn got one last glance in her parents’ direction, her eyes blurred with tears as they forced her away from Scott and Jane.