Helena's POV
The moon hangs heavy in the night sky when I finally make it home. Every window in our small house remains dark, which tells me everything I need to know. My mother isn't sleeping peacefully in her bed. She's out somewhere, drowning herself in cheap liquor and cheaper company.
I pull out my phone, expecting the usual string of drunken voicemails begging for a ride home from whatever dive bar has become her sanctuary tonight. The screen stays blank. Seven years have passed since my father fell to those rogues, and seven years she's spent systematically destroying everything he built for our family name.
My feet drag across the uneven ground as I approach our front steps. The wood groans under my weight, a sound that mirrors the exhaustion settling deep in my bones. But just as my fingers brush the cold metal of the door handle, something stops me dead.
Aria erupts in my mind like wildfire. My wolf thrashes against the barriers I've built, her desperation so intense it steals my breath. I stumble backward from the door, my hand falling away as she claws her way to the surface.
The shift tears through me without warning. My bones snap and reshape themselves while my skin burns as white fur pushes through. The fabric of my clothes shreds against my expanding frame, and consciousness slips away as Aria takes control.
'What's happening?' I manage to ask her through our mental link.
'Mate,' she snarls, her voice rough with need. 'Our mate is close.'
Aria launches us into the dense forest surrounding our property. Her nose stays pressed to the earth, following a trail only she can detect. Then her head snaps up, and she releases a howl that echoes through the trees before charging deeper into the darkness.
The scent hits me like a physical blow. Rich sandalwood mixed with something distinctly male floods my senses. Through Aria's eyes, I see him.
A massive black wolf stands motionless in a small clearing ahead. His head tilts at an unnatural angle as he studies us, those intelligent eyes taking in every detail of our form. Then the air shimmers around him, and suddenly Alpha Leo stands before us in all his naked glory.
My pack's Alpha. The man every unmated female dreams of claiming.
Aria immediately drops into a submissive posture, exposing her throat while backing away several steps. Alpha Leo circles us slowly, like a predator evaluating potential prey. His cold gaze never wavers from our wolf form.
'Are you certain he's our mate?' I whisper to Aria.
Before she can respond, Alpha Leo's voice cuts through the night air. "Shift. Now."
The command slams into us with the full weight of his Alpha authority. Aria has no choice but to retreat, leaving me naked and vulnerable on the forest floor. I stay crouched low, using what little coverage my position provides.
"So," Alpha Leo's voice carries a dangerous edge. "You're supposed to be my mate?"
I force myself to meet his stare. Those ice-blue eyes hold no warmth, no recognition of the bond that should exist between us. Instead, I see something that looks suspiciously like disgust.
"Answer me," he snaps when I remain silent.
"Yes," I whisper, the word barely audible.
"Stand up."
Another command I can't resist. My legs shake as I rise to my feet, my arms crossing over my chest in a futile attempt at modesty. My curves make the task nearly impossible, and I know he sees everything.
"You're the dead Delta's daughter." He states it like an accusation rather than asking a question. I nod anyway. "I can only hope you inherited more from your father than your mother."
Heat floods my veins, and my hands curl into fists at my sides. "My mother is grieving."
Alpha Leo's laugh holds no humor. "Your mother is a whore who spreads her legs for any pack member willing to buy her a drink."
"Funny," I snap before my brain can catch up with my mouth. "I was thinking the same thing about you."
The words hang in the air between us, and I brace myself for his rage. Instead, he throws his head back and laughs with genuine amusement. Then he moves, closing the distance between us in one fluid step.
His body heat washes over me, and Aria whimpers with desperate want. I try to maintain my defiant stance, but his nearness and that intoxicating scent make my knees wobble.
His fingers grip my chin, forcing my head up. I glare at him with every ounce of hatred I can muster, though I suspect the effect is ruined by the way my pulse races beneath his touch.
My tongue darts out to wet my suddenly dry lips, and Alpha Leo's mouth curves into a cruel smile.
"I won't be kissing you," he says casually.
My jaw clenches. "Good, because I never asked you to."
His fingers fall away from my face. "Please. Your body is practically screaming for my attention."
"I'd rather choke on dirt."
His hand wraps around my throat so fast I don't see it coming. Tears spring to my eyes as his grip tightens, cutting off precious air. "You'll learn to show proper respect, little wolf."
He releases me abruptly, and I collapse to my knees, gasping. A spray of dirt hits my skin as he kicks it in my direction before stalking away into the darkness.
"What the hell just happened?" I croak to the empty forest.
'You made our mate angry,' Aria huffs in my mind.
I struggle to my feet, brushing dirt from my skin. "I'd rather live as a rogue than be mated to that bastard."
My voice carries through the trees, and I know Alpha Leo heard every word. I don't care. It's the truth.
I make my way back toward the house without shifting. Aria would only run straight to the pack house and grovel for his forgiveness, and I refuse to give him that satisfaction.
As I emerge from the tree line, headlights sweep across our driveway. A car pulls away while my mother stumbles around our front yard wearing nothing but a short skirt and lace bra.
"Perfect," I mutter. "The ideal end to this disaster of a night."
I cross the yard and grab her shoulder. She spins around and backhands me across the face. Her diamond ring catches my cheek, and I feel warm blood trickle down my skin.
"Where were you?"
I glance down at my naked form. "I went for a run."
"Don't lie to me," she screams. "I can smell male all over you. I didn't raise you to be some common slut."
I step back, wiping blood from my cheek. "That's rich coming from you."
Her eyes flash with fury. "You were a mistake. Your father would still be alive if it weren't for you."
"It was a rogue attack," I remind her steadily. "It had nothing to do with me."
"You're even more stupid than I thought," she sneers. "Get out of my sight."
"Gladly," I snarl back.
I turn toward the house and notice a letter with my name scrawled across the front hanging on our door. I tear it free and storm inside, leaving the door wide open behind me. My mother can take care of herself tonight. I'm done playing nursemaid to her self-destruction.