Escaping my mate

Growing up I always wanted to run, to get away, but wolves are pack animals, so I was doomed to spend my whole life under the werewolves who govern our territory.

I was born a beta.

the daughter of a true warrior, so someday I would follow in his footsteps.

my days consist of school then training, I couldn't stand it, I was going to be 25 this year, and this was the year I get my wolf and once I had her I would be free.

I would run and never look back.

I've been babysitting for Luna for a bit after training and saving money for my plans, I have over 4000$ saved in a lock box under my bed.

I have everything planned, once I have my first shift I'll run and run till I get over the borders of our pack territory, once I'm over I'll reject the pack and be free, find the closest human town and get a simple job, save up and go to art school, that's my real dream but no one understands or will listen, it's always about what my father and the alpha have planned for me.

mother would understand if she was still here, she was killed by a rouge attack when I was 13, if she had lived my father would never have cared what I did with my life since she was pregnant with his son, my little brother, who would have been the next beta and I would have been at art school.

I sighed flopping down into my bed, my nose buried in a new how-to-draw book my friend melody had smuggled me during a lecture this morning.

it was amazing the techniques they demonstrate I would have never thought to use.

relaxing into my pillow I began to drift off when I heard the front door open and close loudly telling me Dad was home.

I quickly got up, gathering my art book as fast as I possibly could, then started shoving them into the secret hiding hole I made by pulling up one of the hardwood planks covering my bedroom floor under my bed.

hearing my dad's heavy boots coming up the stairs I was struggling and started to panic if he caught me with anything that has to do with art I'm pretty sure he was burning it.

sweat was dripping down my face when my door knob started to turn just as the board slid back into place.

dad never knocked, and I don't think he ever would if I'm honest with myself, he came right in so I pretended to be doing pushups on the circle rug in the center of my bedroom.

"Hey, dad" I cheerily greeted him wiping the sweat on my brow with the back of my hand.

"hey," dad replied his eyebrows ascending into his hairline.

"What yah doing kid?" he questioned.

"oh just getting some reps in before bed, it helps me sleep" which wasn't a lie, honestly I loved working out the way my muscles stretch over bone it was a soothing pass time.

"well alright then, I guess I'll call you down when dinners here" dad replied before heading out of my room.

I let out a sigh of relief and slowly stood from my floor, turning back around and going to retrieve my sketchbook.

no interest in really finishing my workout.

my hands shook while I flipped through to where I left off on my drawing.

I'm not afraid of my father, I know that if he finds out I won't hesitate to tell him what I want out of life, but even though he can be strict sometimes, I know he loves me very much, but he would never accept me as an artist.

the door opened again, my eyes flicked up to see my father come in, his shoulders tense and his lips pursed.

"What is that?" He growled and I frowned as he pulled the sketchbook out of my hand.

the look of disappointment on his face made my stomach go sour.

"Dad, I can explain" I began, but he raised his hand to stop me.

"Essie don't even speak, this trash is not welcome in my home!" he screamed the last word,

" I don't understand why you can't just accept what you are" the look in his eyes made me shrink back.

tears threatening to fall, " please dad this is all I want" I choked out, trying to keep calm.

his jaw set as he looked down upon me like a child. "you are a disappointment and you know it"

this was the first time he had spoken to me this harshly, and I could feel myself breaking under his words.

"Dad!" I cried out as he ripped my sketchbook in half destroying years of work.

"I wish your mother hadn't left me, then I would have a competent child, a worthy child, a son! not a worthless airhead daughter who would rather play with crayons than run a pack!"  Dad bellowed at me, throwing the pieces of ripped paper against the wall.

"you will never amount to anything, you're too lazy! too obsessed with art to care about your responsibilities! You're useless! I never should have trusted someone who doesn't appreciate their family!" He finished his rant pointing his finger at me angrily.

he slammed the door as he left locking it behind him.

I felt empty as I picked up the torn pages of my book clutching them to my chest, tears fell silently down my face.

walking over to my bed I climbed up curling into a tight ball nestling the art to my breast tightly trying to put it back together somehow, though shortly after laying down sleep took hold of me, sending me into dreamless darkness.

I woke to a stabbing pain in my spine and chest, it was spreading through my body,

making me unable to move and unable to breathe.

I thrashed in the blankets trying desperately to find any kind of comfort, anything to ease my suffering.

The sharp pain in my back increased tenfold as my legs twitched and jerked, my eyes screwed shut in agony.

my body was soaked in sweat.

then I began shaking uncontrollably, I was scared, was I dying?

"Essie breathe" a calm voice spoke,

"who's there?" I cried.

that's when the first bone broke, a blood-curdling scream echoed in my room.

the pain increased tenfold, then vanished, I stood on my bed on all fours.

confusion clouding my thoughts, what just happened?

"you had your first shift" spoke the same voice again.

"What?" I replied but my lips didn't move, what the hell was going on?

"I am nissa your wolf" she admitted, but that couldn't be right my first shift wouldn't be for another month.

"how- why?" I asked, shock still having a hold on my mind.

" not really sure I've heard of some she-wolves shifting early but mostly alpha wolves"

she said and I could feel her shrug, I started to come around slowly, I wonder what I look like I thought.

"Why don't you take a look?" Nissa said with a sense of pride.

but when I tried to move my body I fell forward hitting my muzzle on my nightstand, which caused nissa to burst into laughter,

"hey give me a second I'm new to this" I whined licking my nose with my now oddly long tongue.

it took me a few tries but after a minute or two I was moving around like I had been a wolf my whole life, I stepped up to my closet that doubles as my mirror and gasped.

there I was. light gold fur, white-tipped ears, and muzzle with a white belly and white paws, but that wasn't even the most surprising thing about nissa she was massive, no wonder it took me so long to get a hold of walking I have to be about 5 feet tall that's a foot shorter then alpha pascal.

my eyes remained the same mossy green same as my mother's,

"now that you can walk, can we run? please please please!?" nissa begged me, she sounded so excited how could I tell her no, the only problem is how do I get out of the house, my doors locked from the outside and my window is way too small.

"Oh, I have an idea" nissa whispered mischief heavy in her tone,

"what?" I replied, she shifted her sight to my laundry shoot that led to the basement.

" oh hell no!" I exclaimed,

"oh yes!" Nissa giggled.

God, I felt so silly. Nissa had convinced me to shimmy my large self down the laundry shoot and now, I'm stuck.

"Okay smart wolf, what the hell do we do now?" I remarked with a growl.

yet I waited and Nissa was silent.

"Hello? anyone in there?" I teased.

"yes now hush Im thinking" she snapped, great I thought I smelled something burning.

"you know I can hear you right" nissa growled, she didn't sound pleased, which made me giggle.

"We need to shift back" she finally managed to say.

"wait what? that's gonna hurt!"

I shrieked trying to squirm away but was stuck firmly in my spot.

"just trust me, and close your eyes" she instructed, I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth in anticipation of the excruciating pain.

my body tensed and my heart pounded faster in fear.

I waited but all I felt was a quick stabbing, kinda like that random pain y