The mirror showed a stranger: silver hair, ice-blue eyes, and wolf ears that marked me as an omega. I adjusted the sailor hat, pulling it low to hide the dark bruises blossoming across my face. Being an omega in the wrong pack meant you were either a punching bag or a godsend. I was the former.

"Omega! Get your ass down here!" David's roar shattered the silence, pulling me from my self-pity. My step-father, a constant fixture in his armchair with a beer, was only ever interested in me when it was to inflict pain.

I hurried down the hall, bracing myself. He scowled, tossing a beer bottle that narrowly missed my head. "Get me another beer."

In the kitchen, the fridge was mostly empty. I grabbed a fresh bottle and returned, only to be sucker-punched in the gut. I coughed, a metallic taste blooming in my mouth as I hunched over. David seized my hair, yanking my face close to his.

"If I get another call from the Alpha's son because you're being disrespectful, I'll let them take you to the dungeon. Do you understand?"

I gritted my teeth, nodding, my eyes burning into his. He roughly shoved me away. "Good, now get out! You're ruining the mood."

I bolted, the door slamming behind me. Running down the street until my lungs burned, I finally slowed, my breath ragged. School. I was already late, but it hardly mattered. No one cared if I was there or not.