Star Cursed

As a Zodiac Wolf, my fate was tied to the stars. Too bad my stars were more crossed than aligned. Being the outcast of the Cancer pack had taught me that all too well.

The sea lapped up to meet my bare feet like an eager puppy trying to gain its owner's affection. I dug my toes deeper into the cool sand and looked out over the water. It was beautiful, I couldn’t deny that, but not in the way the rest of my pack said it was. Members of the Cancer pack talked about its call, like something deep inside of them being answered. For me it was a pretty picture, nothing more. I could photograph it all I wanted, but I never seemed to capture the essence of what they were talking about.

My only hope was the upcoming Convergence, which would unlock my wolf. If I could feel the connection to the sea that the rest of my pack did, maybe they would start to feel like my own people as well. Right now, they were no better than strangers. Sometimes, more like enemies.

I shoved the loneliness aside. It could easily consume me, if I let it. Instead, I focused on the dark ocean once more, trying to frame a shot. The moon just brushed the horizon, casting out reflections onto the water that shifted with every breath of the sea. It really was peaceful, and even if I didn’t feel a pull to the sea, I did feel it toward the moon. That alone let me know that I belonged in the Cancer pack, even if nothing else did. Not that anyone else in my pack agreed with me.

I lifted my camera, deciding to try and snap a few pictures before the moon rose higher. I should have been home packing for the Convergence, but here I was, taking pictures instead. I’d use any excuse to get out of the house for a while.

I held my breath as I took the shot, trying to get it crystal clear. I snapped another one in quick succession, just to be sure, and lowered the camera so I could look at the tiny screen. Before I could decide which photo was better, a rustle from the bushes alerted me that I wasn’t alone. I turned away from the water, trying to see what had caused the disturbance. For a moment, nothing moved and I figured it must have been an animal.

Something dark burst out of the brush, and I took an involuntary step back. A large gray wolf bounded toward me, and three more dark shapes joined it in a rush of fur and claws. Damn. It was too late for me to run, and I didn’t have shoes on, besides. While it was fine to run around on the sand barefoot, I couldn’t say the same about the sharp rocks above. If I wanted to make it to safety, I’d have to cross them.

The four wolves surrounded me like I was their prey before shifting back into their human forms. Their leader, Brad, was muscular and intimidating even when he wasn’t in his wolf form. With blond hair and blue eyes, he would be handsome if he didn’t look like he was always about to pick a fight with someone. The other two men were his thugs, Owen and Chase, and they sneered at me from their much less attractive faces. Brad’s mate Lori made up the fourth member of their group since she always clung to him like a barnacle. They were all naked after their shift, but none of them were bothered by that, and they displayed their Cancer symbol proudly—their Zodiac pack marks. Brad had his mark on his chest, while the others had them on their arms. Then there was me—I didn't have one at all.

“Ayla,” Brad said my name like a snarl. “What are you doing out here all alone?”

A pang of anxiety went through me. Brad was never friendly, and he wouldn’t be talking to me at all if he didn’t want something. Being the son of the Cancer beta, he looked down on me. I was technically above him in rank, but no one cared.

Lori giggled and tossed her perfect strawberry blond hair. She stood at Brad’s shoulder, a possessive hand on his arm. As I tried to gauge my chances of escaping unscathed, Owen and Chase leered at me. They all ran in the same circle, the sons and daughters of the most influential Cancer pack members. I was the only one who wasn’t invited, even though I should have been at the forefront, being the daughter of the alpha. Having human blood made me the outcast of the pack instead.

“I asked you a question, mutt,” Brad snarled, kicking sand at me.

Swearing under my breath, I held my camera higher, trying to avoid getting sand onto the lens. Wesley had just bought this lens for me the last time he’d visited, and I couldn’t let these idiots mess it up.

“I’m sorry,” I snapped back. “I didn’t realize your stupidity required answering. Anyone with two eyes and basic brain function can see what I’m doing. But you’re obviously missing one of those. I’m still not sure which one.”

Brad moved too quickly for me to counter, shoving me to the ground. I hit hard, my elbow taking the brunt of the trauma as I held my camera up in an attempt to save it. This was exactly why Mira told me to keep my mouth shut, I thought as I tried to roll away—and directly into Chase’s foot. Shit. He kicked me hard in the stomach and pain shot through me as I instinctively curled in on myself.

“Where’s your Cancer armor?” Chase asked as he kicked me again. “Oh right, you don’t have any.”

I gasped in air, trying to catch enough breath. “Thanks for the reminder, asshole,” I managed to get out.

As he kicked me again, I curled around my camera, trying to protect it and the softest parts of myself. The others joined in, and I gritted my teeth and resigned myself to the beating. It wasn’t any different than other beatings I’d endured. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe through the pain. Soon it would be over. They wouldn’t kill me, no matter how much they hated me. For better or worse, I was still pack.

That plan was shattered the instant my camera was ripped out of my hands. My eyes flew open, and I struggled to my feet, pushing Chase and Owen away as Lori dangled the camera in front of me.

“You like taking pictures, don’t you, little mutt?” she asked.

“No!” I yelled, reaching out for my camera, but she tugged it back and out of reach. “You can do whatever you want to me. Just let me have that back.”

Lori dropped the camera into the sand. “I don’t think so. The mutt needs to learn her place, once and for all.”

A handful of blows from Brad came, hitting my back and sending me to my knees. I could only watch as Lori stomped on the camera with her shifter strength. The sounds of glass and plastic breaking were worse than the sounds of flesh on flesh.

Something inside of me broke. That camera was my only connection to the outside world, to a world where no one judged me for my half-breed heritage or for being born under the wrong stars. It was the only thing that brought me joy and gave me the smallest semblance of freedom.

I snarled, baring my teeth at the four of them, ready to fight. They must have sensed the change in my demeanor because they stepped back and fell into defensive positions. I couldn’t take all of them—hell, without the Cancer crab armor they had, I could hardly take one. But the rage that boiled in my blood wouldn’t let me just walk away from this like everything was okay. Something dark inside me woke up and rose to the surface, something wild and dangerous, just begging to be released. A power I’d felt before, that was always just out of reach. Maybe now was the time. Tension simmered in the air, snapping back and forth between all of us, waiting for the perfect moment to break.

“Hey!” The shout was distant but enough to distract all of us.

Lori turned away from where she still had her foot on the broken shards of my camera and snarled something unintelligible. My best friend Mira ran toward us, long black hair streaming behind her like a curtain. She had her bikini on as if she were coming to swim. Really? I couldn’t help but think. At a time like this? I knew she loved swimming, but we were all getting ready for the Convergence.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Mira asked, coming to a stop beside me. Her eyes were on the other wolves, but I knew the question was for me.

“Stay out of it, Aquino,” Brad snarled. “You’ll walk away from this if you know what’s good for you. We’re teaching the mutt the lesson she’s been begging for from the moment she was born.”

“No way,” Mira said. Stubborn, loyal Mira. She never knew when to back away from a fight, especially when I was involved. She had my back, even if she didn’t agree with why we were fighting.