Moon Touched (Zodiac Wolves: The Lost Pack #1)(4)

A knock came at my door, shaking me out of my thoughts. I went into instant panic, picking up my bag and getting ready to bolt the moment the door opened.

“Ayla?”

I smiled at the voice and relaxed. My brother Wesley was the only person in this family who wouldn’t hurt me. “Come in.”

As he stepped inside he grinned at me, his smile almost exactly the same as I remembered from my childhood. He was four years older than me, but he’d always seemed so much bigger, even before he shot up during puberty and filled out with lithe muscle. He’d moved out to his own apartment a few months ago, and it felt like I never saw him anymore, even though he came back and visited fairly often. He had made growing up here better, and other than Mira, he was the only other person in the Cancer pack who gave a damn about me.

“Wesley!” I cried, launching myself into his arms. He hugged me tight, a bit too tight, and I hissed in a breath.

He pulled back, his face pulling down into a frown. “You’ve been beaten up again.” He looked back toward the door. He hated how our father treated me, and always tried to be kind to me to make up for it. It was almost enough.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” I said, pulling at the string of my bag. My travel and photography books were sitting beside it, still waiting to go inside. I was hesitating on bringing them with me or leaving them here. They’d be heavy if I had to do any serious walking, but now that Wesley was here, I knew I’d have to bring them with me. There was no other option.

Photography had always been my passion. I loved being able to capture beauty in one still shot, to present it to the world through my own eyes, and Wesley had been sure to nurture that. Dad had always made it very clear I was an outcast, especially in my own house. It was a good year if he bought me new clothes—after I’d stopped growing, he’d sometimes go years without getting me anything new. Even when the seams were ripping and there were obvious holes, he kept forcing me to wear them. Food was kept to a bare minimum as well, and beyond that all the other luxuries I should have enjoyed were absent. No phone, no computer, not even when I’d needed it for school.

The moment I’d turned sixteen, he’d sent me to work at the grocery store in town, and had the entire paycheck funneled to him. Payment for putting up with me, he always said. Having him as a father and the alpha of my pack made it impossible for me to do anything else. I couldn’t fend for myself or go behind his back, because he was the ultimate authority. All he had to do was use his alpha command, a unique power gifted to the alphas of every pack, and everyone had to do what he said. Including me.

Wesley had been the only one who had ever bought me anything nice. When I’d shown interest in photography at a young age, he’d sneaked me books on the subject. I’d poured over them, devouring each one voraciously. Oftentimes, he’d take the old ones back and bring me new ones, since having too many books would raise Dad’s suspicion. But the ones I really liked, he let me keep. He’d even faked breaking his phone one time so he could give it to me, and when I’d told him that I wanted to go to the local community college, he’d bought me a camera and said, “Do it.”

The only reason I’d been able to graduate with a degree was due to his help. He convinced Dad that it wouldn’t do for the alpha’s daughter not to go to school, and our father reluctantly allowed me to go. I got an earful all the time about what a waste of money my education was, but it was worth it in the long run. I ran a hand over the books, watching Wesley smile as he remembered bringing them to me.

“You pack your camera?” he asked.

“It got smashed.” I looked down, sadness filling me. If I’d just kept my damn mouth shut, I’d probably still have it. I pushed the emotions down. I couldn’t let anyone see how much Brad and the other bullies affected me, not even Wesley. I gave him a smile, trying to make it convincing. “At least I don’t need it for school anymore. I can just use the phone camera, even if it’s old.”

“You would never have dropped it,” Wesley said, frowning again. “Who broke it?”

“No one,” I said, shrugging. I tried to play it off, overly casual, but Wesley had always been good at seeing through my lies.

“I know you’re not going to tell me.” He sighed and I relaxed, not wanting to try to evade the questions. It was still early, and I wasn’t awake yet. “When I’m alpha of the Cancer pack, things are going to change. They’ll be better, I promise.”

I huffed and shook my head. “I’d like to believe it.” I stuck the books into the pack and zipped it shut again. “Who knows when that’ll be, though.”

My only hope now was being mated at the Convergence. If it was with someone from another pack I would get to leave Cancer territory, but even if it was someone in this pack, I’d never have to return to this house. It had never felt like home, anyway.

I looked up at Wesley and gave him a crooked smile. “Hey, if I do get mated to someone from another pack, maybe I can buy a new phone so we can stay in touch. One that isn’t cracked this time.”

Wesley laughed, though it seemed more forced than usual. I knew he wanted me to stay here with him, but he just didn’t understand. As kind as he was to me, it didn’t make up for everyone else being total dicks all the time.

“You should do that.” He paused, running a hand through his shiny brown hair. “I came up to get you. Mom and Dad are already in the car, and you know how they hate waiting.”