Different

In most people’s lives, witches, vampires, and werewolves are just characters in a story. But in my world, they’re as real as the air I breathe. And I happen to be one of them—well, half of one, to be precise.

My dad was a werewolf, and my mom was human. It’s not common for a werewolf to have a human mate, but it happened with my parents. Their story, though, is a bit different.

In the werewolf world, it’s unusual to be mateless by the time you hit twenty-five.

My dad was twenty-six and still without a mate. So, he chose a she-wolf from his pack, Jen, and made her his mate.

They had a daughter, Tessa. But not long after Tessa was born, my dad found his true mate—my mother. He left Jen for my mom, and they had me.

For a few years, things were good. Dad lived with my mom but still played a part in Tessa’s life.

But then, everything fell apart. Tessa’s mom, consumed by jealousy, killed my mother.

In a fit of rage, my dad killed Jen. But what no one knew was that Jen had found her mate before all this happened.

She was so obsessed with my dad that she ignored her mate, denying him the love and attention a mate deserves.

On the day Jen died, her mate was there. He watched her die, and in revenge, he killed my dad.

Some say my dad didn’t fight back. Others say the wolf who killed him was of high rank—maybe an alpha or beta.

After that day, my dad’s brother, Raf, and his mate, Sam, took in both Tessa and me. They raised us as their own.

Since Raf was the top warrior, we lived in the pack house with the beta family and the alpha family.

Raf and Sam have a son, Julian. The betas have two sons, Parker and Wayne, with Parker next in line to be beta.

The alpha family has one son, Alex, who’s been away for the last ten years for some special alpha training that future leaders have to go through.

It’s been nineteen years since my dad died. Tessa is almost twenty-two, and I just turned twenty.

Tessa and I don’t get along. She’s the outgoing, cheerleader type, while I’m more of the quiet, introverted type.

We both have dark brown hair, thanks to our dad, but that’s where the similarities end.

She’s tall, I’m short.

She’s thin, I’m curvy.

She has blue eyes from her mom, and I have brown eyes.

We’re both beautiful, but in completely different ways. No one would guess we’re half-sisters unless we told them.

Because we’re so different, Tessa often gets her friends to tease me.

But this isn’t one of those stories where the bullied girl turns into a badass. It’s just Tessa and her friends who make fun of me, and I usually just shrug it off. I’d rather not argue with her.

Tessa can be petty and holds grudges. Most people think I’m the older one because I act more mature.

Tessa throws tantrums that make her look like a toddler—foot stomping and all.

I do my best to help out with pack duties. I cook, clean, and when I’m not doing that, I train with my uncle and Julian.

Being part human, I’ve had to work twice as hard to keep up with the other wolves. But it’s worth it. I love my wolf side and the friends I’ve made along the way.

Julian is my best friend. He’s the only one I confide in about Tessa and her friends being mean to me.

I think that’s why he’s taken me under his wing. If Tessa and her friends get snippy when he’s around, he gets very protective.

Tessa spends her time shopping and checking out the male wolves. She never joins in on the workouts, but she likes to watch the guys walk around half-naked.

She can’t cook to save her life, and she doesn’t do any of her own chores. I can’t remember the last time she washed her own clothes.

She’s one of the pack gossips and tries to get involved with the beta brothers.

You could call her a rank chaser. She only tries to seduce alphas or betas when they visit. Sometimes she’ll go for omegas, but that’s as low as she’ll go.

She won’t give anyone else the time of day. Sometimes I think she’ll end up with an average wolf as a mate.

I feel a bit sorry for whoever her mate is because I’m pretty sure she hasn’t saved herself for him. Who am I kidding? I know she hasn’t.

As for me, I haven’t even had my first kiss. I love the idea of mates, and I can’t wait to meet mine.

Being half human and half werewolf is rare, so I had to visit another pack where another half breed like me lived. Raf wanted me to see that I could fit in just like a normal wolf.

To find my mate, I have to physically touch them. It’s a bit of a bummer because normal wolves can just look at each other and know if they’re mates.

Since learning this, Raf, Sam, and Alpha Ben have made it mandatory for me to shake hands with every unmated wolf in our pack and any unmated visitors.

But I still haven’t met my soul mate.

I won’t give up like my dad did. I’ll wait until I meet him. I know he’s out there somewhere.

Besides, I still have five years until it’s considered nearly impossible to find your mate. So, I’m confident I’ll find him soon. I can just feel it.