Serena

The rickety bed frame groaned beneath me as I surfaced from sleep, the familiar springs digging into my spine. What I hadn't grown used to was the sound that assaulted my ears the moment my eyes cracked open.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!"

I winced as Lily's voice pierced through my skull, off-key and enthusiastic. My younger sister stood at the foot of my bed, beaming as she held a plate of leftover pancakes from yesterday's breakfast, two wild red cherries perched on top.

"Your birthday cake," Lily announced, thrusting the plate toward my face.

I stared at the offering. "Lily. It's six in the morning."

"I know! I wanted to be the first to wish you happy birthday!" She climbed onto the bed, settling cross-legged beside me. "Eighteen, Sera! You're officially an adult now. That means..."

"That means after I graduate in three months, we can get the hell out of this pack." I took the plate from her hands. "These look like they've seen better days."

Lily's face fell. "I tried my best. I even put the last remaining sprinkles on them but they melted into the syrup."

I spotted the faint rainbow-colored smears on the plate and felt a pang of guilt. "They're perfect, Lil. Thank you." I took a bite, chewing mechanically.

"Don't say things like that," Lily said quietly, hugging her knees to her chest. "About leaving. You know I hate when you talk about it."

"Because you don't want to leave the pack?"

"Because I don't want to leave you."

I set the plate aside and pulled her into a rough hug. "You won't leave me. We'll leave together. That's the whole point."

She grumbled into my shoulder. "It's not that simple. You think they'll just let us go? We owe them money. Lots of money."

The familiar rage bubbled up. The inflated bills. The crushing taxes. The way Alpha Kieran drained us dry while we lived in the Poor District with the other omegas and lowlifes.

"We'll figure it out," I said, forcing a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "I always do."

I went to the freezing bathroom, taking a quick bath because we had no heater. When I was done, I looked in the mirror. Six foot one. Tall for a girl, tall for most guys too. My hair was a tangled mess of red atop my head. I had dark circles under my eyes, a sharp jawline and a mouth that would never stay shut.

I sighed. "Can I skip school today?"

No, you can't. Raina, my wolf, spoke up. You need to pass so you can leave, remember? And at least try to be excited. It's your birthday.

I snorted, yanking a brush through my tangled hair. "Freedom. Right. Because eighteen years of poverty just magically disappear when you graduate high school."

You're impossible.

"And yet you're stuck with me."

Lucky me.

I pulled on my worn jeans and the only decent shirt I owned, the one with the hole under the arm I'd patched three times already. My gaze drifted to the small wooden pendant hanging around my neck, the only thing I had of my father before he died for the pack.

Lily had already gone to school because I was always late and she was the good kid. On my way out, I spotted a half-smoked cigarette squashed into the dirt near the porch steps. I picked it up, lit it with the lighter from my jacket pocket, and took a drag.

Ewww, Sera. Put that out. It's disgusting. Raina huffed.

"It's my birthday."

That's not an excuse to destroy our senses.

"At least then I won't be able to smell the garbage from the dumpster next door." I dropped the cigarette anyway, crushing it under my boot, and started walking toward school.

The school gates appeared ahead, and I kept my head down as I approached, trying to blend into the crowd of students streaming through. It never truly worked.

I'd barely reached my locker when a hand slammed into my back, shoving my face into the cold metal.

"Well, well. If it isn't the district trash princess."

Cole. Of course it was Cole.

I turned, my cheek already throbbing. He was flanked by his usual hyenas, all sneering. Cole himself was a few inches shorter than me, but he made up for it in pure cruelty. His father was a high-ranking noble who would never believe his son's misdeeds.

"I heard you've been working in the pack's hotel recently," Cole said, stepping close enough that I could smell his cheap cologne. "Do they pay extra if you open your legs?"

I forced myself to stay still. "Move."

"Or what? You gonna hit me? We all know how that ended last time."

Don't fall for it. He's trying to bait you.

But it was already too late.

"Just let me through," I gritted out.

Cole's smile turned cruel. He lunged forward, shoving me into the lockers again, harder this time. I felt something warm trickle down my cheek.

"Look at that." Cole laughed. "Bleeding over a little push. Typical omega trash." His eyes flicked down to my chest, and he grabbed my pendant—the one last thing I had left off my parents—tearing it off my neck. "Nice necklace. Did you steal it from one of the men you sleep with?"

"Give. That. Back."

"No.” He hissed, throwing the pendant to the floor and stepping on it. “You don't deserve to wear something..."

I didn't wait for him to finish before I headbutted him.

The crack of his nose was the most satisfying sound I'd ever heard. Blood exploded across his face, and he screamed, both hands flying up to cup the gushing mess. His hyenas scrambled backward.