Chapter 1

"Arty?" Calls my father in his deep voice that could carry through entire valleys. "Come here, sweetie."
I hastily fold up the sheet in my hands, drop it in the basket at my feet full of the folded washing, and hurry into the house. I leave the basket on the kitchen counter top, and rush into the next room, where my father sits, a newspaper in hand, glasses perched on top of his crooked nose. I kneel at his feet, staring at his booted feet, showing my submission to him as the higher power. My father's the beta of our pack, the Green Ridge Pack of this region. 
"Arty, rise." He instructs. I raise my face and sit down, crossing my legs under me. In his lenses, I see my own reflection: the thick brown hair, leaves caught in my locks, the dark amber eyes. Those eyes are unique among my mind, since most of our eyes shift back to a human colour. But mine never do. As soon as I first shifted into my dappled grey coated wolf, a rare colour on it's own, my icy blue eyes changed to amber. 
"Arty." He clears his throat, folding his newspaper on the seat next to him. "You are coming with me to the meeting tonight."
My eyebrows flicker with surprise: tonight, my alpha, Cameron, is signing a treaty with our neighbouring pack, the Green Brook Pack. It's an important meeting, so why am I going? 
"So will your brother." He continues. "Please go and fetch him so I can tell him the news."

Slowly, I get to my feet and move towards the stairs in the corner of the room. I drag my feet up them, my whole body screaming for me not to go to him. Begging me not to. 
I get to the landing and walk to the door opposite the stairs. I raise a hand to knock, but the door opens before I can make a sound. I stare up into my brother's blue eyes, my arm still poised in the air. He looks at me, a small, sadistic grin growing across his face. 
"Hey, sis." He grins, his long fingers wrapping around my wrist that's in the air. I swallow, trying not to show him my fear. My brother, whose name is Aiden, is 2 years older than me at 18. Though he's seen to be ice and friendly, only I and my mother know the truth. That he's a monster. 
His fingers tighten on my wrist, burning my skin with the friction of his movements. I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. He pulls me into his room and slams me up against the wall behind the door. 
"What do you want, Arty?" He asks quietly. I try to tell him that our father wants him, but I can't seem to speak. My voice is paralysed by fear. Aiden leans in closer, his body pinning mine right up against the wall so I can barely breathe. Though Aiden has never actually hit me, he uses these threatening techniques on me instead. He does the same with my mother, because he knows she'll never report him because who would believe it? The beta's only son, abusing his wife and daughter? It would seem like she was lying. 

"Dad wants you, Aiden." I manage to force the words out past the fear. "It's urgent, okay?"
"Thanks for telling me, Arty." He says, pushing me to the floor before walking out of his room, slamming the door shut. I lie there for a second, scrunching up my eyes, taking refuge in the black behind my eyelids. Then I get up, smooth down my skirt and walk out of his room, shutting the door behind me neatly like nothing ever happened. 

Downstairs, Aiden's eyes brighten as he's told about us coming to the meeting. 
"Thank you for this honour, father." He bows his dark head respectfully. My father nods, and then shoos us away to get ready.