I was one to talk. I’d do the same for Mira under any circumstance. Still, she shouldn’t have come here. This was my battle to fight, and she could get in serious trouble if she was seen standing up to the beta’s son. She’d already been punished once by the alpha—she didn’t need another mark against her.

“Mira,” I said under my breath. She twitched, so I knew she’d heard me, but didn’t turn to acknowledge me. “You need to go,” I continued, though I knew she wouldn’t listen to a word I said. “Please.”

“If you have a problem with Ayla, you have a problem with me, too,” Mira said, and dropped into her own defensive stance. She really wasn’t going to let it go. I sighed and followed suit, raising my fists again.

Brad looked between us for a moment and laughed. “Neither of you would win. You don’t even have your wolves yet.”

“Yeah, but we’ll still whoop your asses a little bit,” I said, forcing the words out through the lingering pain with a wild grin. Then I let my eyes drop. “I bet at least one of us could get a knee to the balls, with yours just hanging out like that.”

Brad growled at me and his hands shifted into claws. Mira glanced over at me like, Really? I shrugged. She was going to get on my case about being mouthy when she was almost as bad?

She rolled her eyes but then turned to Brad and added, “Do you really want to risk it right before the Convergence?”

Lori ground my camera into the sand a few more times before stepping back over to Brad. “It’s not worth it,” she murmured, just loud enough for me to hear. “I think she got the message.”

Brad looked between the two of us, and then back at Lori. “You’re right. She’s not worth our time, and with any luck, she’ll soon be some other pack’s problem.”

He shifted back into a wolf and the others followed him, then they sprinted back up to the rocks and into the bushes. Just like that, the tension bled from the air, leaving my entire body throbbing with pain, and a broken camera all I had to show for my smart mouth.

My shoulders sagged, and before I knew it, my knees were giving out. I searched around in the sand to examine the shattered pieces of my camera, but there was nothing salvageable. I let them all slip through my fingers as I blinked back angry tears.

Mira crouched beside me, resting her hand on my back. “Goodness,” she muttered as she took in the bruises forming on my arms. “What did you say this time?”

“They just came out of nowhere,” I said. “Even if I’d been nice they still would’ve gone after me for something.”

“You know, if you didn’t torment them, they’d probably leave you alone in the first place,” Mira said. “I keep telling you this.” She helped me stand, leaving her hand on my shoulder as I swayed, trying to catch my breath and balance.

“I can’t help it.” I wanted to pick up more pieces of my camera, but what would be the point? Lori had broken it beyond repair. “They say such stupid shit. They’re practically begging for me to call them out on it.”

“They shouldn’t be talking about you like that. You’re the alpha’s daughter, and they need to answer for that.”

“Yeah, right. You know my dad’s even worse.” I glanced down at my arms. The new bruises only added to the fading ones from the alpha. As long as I could remember, he’d been making bruises all along my body. Never my face, though. He did have appearances to keep up, and beating your daughter didn’t lend itself kindly to the gracious alpha persona he worked hard to protect. But everyone knew he treated me like an outcast, and he didn’t care when people like Brad behaved the same. Mira was angry for me, but I’d long since accepted the fact that I’d never be the daughter he wanted. It was my lot in the world, and I tried to take it in stride.

I knew why he beat me, even though it didn’t make any logical sense. I hadn’t asked to be born half-human, but Dad loved to punish me for the affair he’d had with my mother, even though I’d had no say in the result. Everything about me was a constant reminder to him of his mistake. My birthday outside of the Cancer sign dates, my lack of Zodiac mark, and my absence of pack abilities made it easy for him to hate me.

His mate, Jackie, even seemed to find my red hair offensive. I fingered a strand of it, whipping around in the light breeze. It set me apart from everyone else in the family and served as a constant reminder that Dad had screwed up and gotten some human pregnant. I’d tried to say that one time, when I’d been angry and my mouth had—once again—taken over. All it had earned me was a shot to the face from Jackie.

Mira was still focused on the bruises, fretting over them like the mother I’d never had. “They should look better before the Convergence,” she decided finally. “You’re lucky that I decided to come have a swim before we leave tomorrow. Who knows what would have happened if they had their way with you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said, shrugging and making my way back over to my shoes and jacket. “The bruises just prove that I’m not a true Cancer. I could call up the armor if I was.” The crab armor was a Cancer ability all pack members had from birth, allowing them to protect themselves. All except me. I sighed. “At least once I get my wolf, I’ll heal faster.”

“Lots of things are going to change after the Convergence,” Mira said softly.

The Convergence happened twice a year, at the summer and winter solstices, where all twelve Zodiac packs gathered to discuss issues, recognize new pack alphas, and bless newborn babies, among other things. This Convergence was at the summer solstice, the day before the start of Cancer season, and it would be in Montana, in the Sun Witches’ territory.

Mira and I would finally get our wolves at the Convergence too, now that both of us were twenty-two and considered of age. We were the only Cancers getting our wolves at this Convergence—all the other pack members got theirs at the winter solstice. Except me, of course. I’d been born in March, another sign that I didn’t belong in this pack.

As for Mira, she should have gotten her wolf at the winter solstice too, but she’d been forced to wait another six months, all because her father had challenged the alpha on something he didn’t agree with. Mira hadn’t been involved at all, but Dad knew punishing her was a blow to her entire family. It wasn't fair, but that's how our alpha worked. And when he gave an alpha command, we had to obey.

There was one other event at the Convergence too, the mating ritual, when anyone who had gained their wolf could try to find their fated mate. I hoped beyond hope that my mate—if I had one—would be from another pack. I’d do almost anything to get away from my dad and the rest of the Cancer shifters.

“I hope we’ll get mates from the same pack,” Mira said, her thoughts following the same vein that mine had. She’d said it so often that I almost expected it. I made a noise of affirmation but didn’t say anything. I wanted to stay with her, of course. But if she ended up having a mate in the Cancer pack and I didn’t, it wouldn’t make me too sad. Getting out of here was top priority.

It was the one thing my father and I agreed upon. He wanted me gone just as much as I wanted to leave. “I hope you’ll end up as some other pack’s problem,” he’d started saying the moment I’d turned twenty-two.

Thinking of my father sent my mood spiraling. I had to get back before he sent someone to get me. I turned to Mira and gave her what I hoped was a convincing smile. “Whatever happens at the Convergence, we’ll always stay friends and never lose touch.”

Mira hummed happily, taking my hand in hers and leading us back up the beach. I knew she meant well, but once she settled in with her mate, things would change. They always did. We’d drift apart, even if we did end up in the same pack, and the thought sent a shiver of wrongness through me.

I glanced back at the ocean and the scuffed sand where Brad and his gang had come after me. Will I ever feel like I truly belong anywhere?