MoboNovel Lite
Chapter 1 Different
Penelope
I knew I was different, but I just didn’t realize how much.
My mother, Linda, had run away from my father when I was a newborn. He abused her, and one night she ran out with me in her arms, afraid he would kill us.
She desperately ran into the woods and got the scare of her life when a wolf appeared and turned into a man.
“You’re my mate, I’ve finally found you,” he told her ecstatically.
To my mother, werewolves were part of the fantasy world. But when this wonderful man began to explain and take her to his pack, she had already fallen in love with him.
The Moonstone pack did not welcome humans, but this werewolf, Michael, was an important warrior, and it was proving difficult for some werewolves to find their mates. So they accepted my mother…and me, since I came with her.
Michael immediately became my father and treated me like I was his daughter. When the other werewolves complained about having humans in the pack, he would defend us.
“They should behave and help in the pack as much as they can,” said Ivan, the Alpha of the pack. So we did. She and I helped the Omegas with chores, even when Michael objected.
Things improved dramatically when my mother became pregnant. The pack needed more members, so when she gave birth to my twin brothers, everyone in the pack was thrilled. There hadn’t been twins in a long time, so everyone was happy to welcome my brothers, Luke and Luther.
I loved the idea of being a big sister and taking care of them as if they were my own. Sadly, I was still a child when my mother fell ill after giving birth, and she finally died.
My father was devastated, and for a while, everyone thought he would die of grief as well. But he was not going to leave us alone; he loved all three of us, and he had to fight for us.
So, I became the only human in the pack. And with the death of my mother, many in the pack began to wonder why I was still there.
At first, I didn’t notice, because my father was always looking out for me and defending me. But over time, I began to realize the looks, the laughter when I walked by, the comments.
“She’s just a weak human, someone we always have to protect because she can’t defend herself.”
“Besides, look how fat she is! She must be eating all our food!”
I would hear them say, “She’s a burden and a good-for-nothing.”
As I grew up, I helped my father with my brothers while he trained the warriors. Werewolves were very active and agile; they were trained from a young age, and their bodies were athletic and fit. On the other hand, I… I wasn’t exactly that. I was on the verge of puberty, and I could see that my body was starting to change. I was a chubby little girl, but as I got older, I began to show curves and rounder shapes.
I tried to find my place in the pack, but all I got was rejection. By night, I helped the Omegas, but even they didn’t like me. They would hide my clothes, steal my things, and I would go home to cry in secret.
I was at the bottom of the social circle, and it would never get better. Because… how could I stop being human? How could I stop being who I am?
“If we’re ever attacked by enemies, she will be the first to fall,” the girls in my class laugh. I had no friends, and no one would talk to me.
“Imagine that chubby girl running and getting caught by the rogues!”
“They’ll have a feast when they go to eat her!” Others would say and laugh.
“She will never have a mate, who could be unlucky enough to be her mate?”
My father always used to say, “They don’t know what they’re saying, Penelope… you’re a wonderful girl, and I’m sure they’ll see that one day.” But I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. In this world, it was all about strength and having your wolf, and I would never have any of that. But what hurt me the most… was that I would never have a mate.
The relationships between werewolves and humans are very unusual. I dreamed what it would be like to have a mate, a companion who would love me for who I was, unconditionally.
My only refuge was my father and my brothers. I loved to take the twins into the woods and tell them what little I remembered of my mother. We also saw the animals, and usually, wolves came to see us.
“See that? They are your wolf ancestors, but they don’t transform into human form.”
“Will you have your wolf, too, Penny?” Luther asked me, and I smiled sadly at him.
“No, little one, but you guys are going to be very strong wolves.”
“Nate told us we were going to be warriors like daddy!” Luke said happily as he watched the wolves from a distance.
“He would need us when he becomes an Alpha, surely you can be a warrior too, Penny!” said Luther excitedly.
Nathaniel Connor. Son of Alpha Ivan, and future Alpha of the pack.
He was older, a strong boy. Even as a teenager, everyone listened to him. He was smart, respected, and loved. As for me… he acted as if I didn’t exist.
I could see him laughing at the jokes others made about me, and when I cleaned his room, he didn’t even see me. In general, I was worse than nothing to him.
I was so lost in thinking about Nate and how attractive he was, his blue eyes and strong arms, that I didn’t notice the wolves were gone when I heard a noise. “What was that?” I asked.
We hadn’t had an attack in a long time, but there were always rogues trying to take over our territory. I don’t know if it was instinct or fear, but I grabbed the boys and started running.
“Penny, what’s wrong?!” they yelled. I heard loud footsteps and howling, and I had to take drastic measures. I found the largest tree and pulled the children up into the branches.
“Kids! Climb like we always practiced, head to the higher branches,” I told them. They loved to climb, so I tried to make it like a game.
“Come on, Penny!” they called out. When I got to the first branch, I saw them: Rogues, coming to attack. I couldn’t communicate with the pack, so I started screaming as loud as I could. “They are coming to attack us, rogues are attacking!” I shouted in desperation. Suddenly, a wolf tried to catch up with me as I continued to climb. I could see its sharp teeth as it growled at me.
Far away, I could hear the cries of the pack as they prepared to fight. I worried about our father, who would surely be at the front of the battle.
But suddenly I saw something strange: other wolves were coming, more organized, with spotted fur. And they didn’t seem to be rogues. They encouraged the others and seemed to indicate certain points of attack, but they did not join the fight.
…
When we finally returned to the pack, I saw that it had been a terrible attack. When my father saw us safe and sound, he looked relieved.
“Penny! Oh, children!”
I saw the Alpha and his son, with wounds from the battle. The wolves were howling; there were many casualties and many dead. It had been a savage attack.
“Where was the human?!” Alpha Ivan asked, shaking with fear and anger.
“I was in the forest and saw the attack coming… I screamed as hard as I could, but…”
“If only she were a werewolf, she could have saved us!” a werewolf began to say, and I could hear the others agreeing with him.
“My daughter saved her brothers and protected herself!” my father shouted, standing in front of us. My brothers were frightened and hid behind my legs. “She brought us this misfortune!”
“How convenient that she wasn’t here when the rogues attacked! Everyone knows that humans are treacherous!” others shouted.
“It wasn’t just rogues! There were also… other wolves that seemed to be from another pack… they had spotted fur and were organized, not like the rogues…” I explained.
“You mean us?” another Alpha appeared. Karl was tall and blonde.
“Your insinuations are very serious, human. The only wolves with spotted fur are from the Crimson Fangs pack, and they were the only ones who came to help us,” my Alpha said. Now, everyone looked at me worse.
“But that’s what I saw!” I said in despair.
“She’s just a human! She doesn’t know our ways!” the others shouted. I had no witnesses except my brothers, but they were so young.
“You have endangered everyone. Control yourself, human,” ordered Alpha Karl.
“I’m just trying to help…” but I knew it was not my place, I was a nobody. They were Alphas. I could not question their position and their decisions. And that’s when Nate spoke.
“How dare you judge our ally? He’s a pureblood Alpha! You’re just a human who couldn’t even warn us in time! You can’t run, you can’t defend yourself against anyone, you’re just a burden to us!” he shouted angrily. I could see the hatred and anger in his eyes.
“She’s a useless fat human!”
“She’s a liar!” shouted the others.
…
I spent the next few days in the dungeon while my father tried to intercede for me, to no avail.
“They’re going to take you out of the pack, Penny…it was the Alpha’s decision, the Crimson Fangs pack pushed for you to leave,” he told me. I could see the rage and sadness in his eyes.
“I can go to my grandmother’s… in the town nearby, Belle Springs,” I said.
“We’ll go with you, the twins and I,” he told me with conviction, and I became desperate.
“No, no… You have to stay. A wolf who leaves the pack is a rogue. The twins will be safe here. Just be careful…”
Later that night, the pack took my stuff and burned it in front of me as I cried.
“Get her out of here, son… and may she never come back,” Alpha Ivan said.
Nate grabbed my arm and dragged me to the perimeter. I signaled my father to do nothing as I watched the twins in despair.
“No! No, Penny is our sister!” they shouted in tears.
“You’re a burden; the pack will be better off without you. You are nothing to us! And he’s not even your father! Go back to your people, you filthy human!” Nate said hatefully to me.
I was a teenager, still a child. And I walked away, alone, towards the town. My heart was heavy with pain. Now, I was an outcast, without a family. A stupid, lying, good-for-nothing girl, according to them.
That was the day everything changed. I thought I would never again be a part of the werewolf world. But the past would come back to me in the worst way.
Chapter 2 The meeting
Penelope
Many years had passed since the exile. My grandmother had passed away, and I was now living alone in her small house. It was a simple life, saving up for college by working in the only restaurant in this small town as a waitress. “Penelope, thank goodness I found you! The restaurant is booked this week for a very important meeting with businessmen and CEOs from nearby towns, and I need everyone to be at their best!” That was my boss, Jack. He’s a very kind man who considered me a part of his family.
“You’ll all be getting new uniforms, and there’s a list of tasks for you to distribute to the other waitresses. You know I trust you. You’re the best, so I’ll leave you in charge,” he said, winking at me.
“Of course, Jack,” I said, glad to be of help.
“Did you hear, Penny? Some CEOs are coming to town! Such wonderful news!” said Marianne, my fellow waitress and best friend.
“I hope they’re hot, young, and rich! And I hope our new uniforms will show off my best attributes. You know I need a boyfriend!” she said happily.
My friend was short and thin, with curly hair that fell down her back. Her round glasses made her look innocent and nerdy. She was also the best girl in the world.
“I just hope they come in plus sizes… and not miniskirts,” I said.
“What are you talking about, girl? I wish I had your curves, Penny!” she said, bumping her hips into mine, and I laughed.
I hadn’t changed much over time. I was still the curvy girl, now with even more curves. But now I didn’t feel too bad about it… or at least I was trying to.
When I got home, I looked in the mirror and thought about that important event in town. My quiet life was much better since I had left the pack.
My long dark blonde hair, my broad chest, my hips, my wide legs… here, no one was laughing at me. I was just Penny the waitress, the girl who lived alone near the woods.
Suddenly, I heard a noise. When I opened the door, I saw two boys I knew very well standing in the doorway, wearing only tiny shorts.
“Thing One and Thing Two! What are you doing here? And why are you wearing such tiny shorts?” I asked my brothers, laughing and giving them a big hug. The twins had grown quite a bit; to me, they looked like giants. “Of course, we came to visit you!” Luther said.
“It’s your fault for leaving those shorts on your porch! They don’t fit us anymore, we’ve grown, sister!” said Luke, almost insulted. I looked past him to my dad, who was getting out of the car.
“It’s so good to see you, Dad…” I said as we hugged.
Of course, they came to see me whenever they could. We were a family on weekends, holidays, and any other day. I loved them so much; they were my boys.
“My little pumpkin! As you can imagine, the boys wanted to come in their wolf form. They wanted to come and see you for days, but they were training,” Dad explained. “Come on, let’s have dinner.”
We had a happy dinner as a family. While my brothers prepared to sleep over at my house, my father spoke to me alone.
“I just wanted to tell you, Penny… I heard there is going to be an Alpha meeting here at Belle Springs.”
“Alphas? Ohhh, the CEOS are Alphas…” Thinking about it, it made sense. This town was pretty much the closest neutral spot to many packs. A simple, stupid human town.
“I thought it’d be better to warn you… You know… just be careful and don’t let anyone bother you, okay?” he said worriedly, kissing me on the cheek and leaving me to my thoughts. “It’s just an Alpha meeting… most werewolves won’t even remember me,” I repeated to myself as I tried to sleep.
…
“Moon Goddess! Are you going to eat all my food?” I yelled in the morning as my brothers wolfed down the breakfast I had prepared for them. They were now attacking my fridge.
“We have to grow up, sister! Besides, you cook delicious food,” they say with their mouths full. I kissed them goodbye to go to the preparations for the big meeting of the Alphas, called businessmen for humans.
“Stay here, behave yourselves. If there are Alphas around, be careful, and leave some food outside for the wolves.” Wolves and other animals sometimes came to visit me. I didn’t like going deep into the forest, but I liked being near them. That day, I worked hard to make everything perfect. I was already nervous, and everyone in town had great expectations of the rich CEOs coming to this small town.
Everything was ready by the time we started seeing big and expensive cars and vans arriving at the restaurant. The men and women getting out all had one thing in common: they looked unnaturally strong and attractive. I knew the reason, of course, but the others did not.
“Hell, where did these CEOs come from?! They look like gods who came down from Mount Olympus!” Marianne told me excitedly.
“Maybe celebrities… good Lord…” Another waitress stared with her mouth wide open.
“Come on, girls, we have a lot of work to do,” I replied, arranging the tables.
“I’m serious, Penny! I mean… have you seen them? Those men are huge, and their muscles are works of art… and those tattoos… good God….” she said breathlessly, starting to sweat. Suddenly, Jack appeared quite nervous. “Penny… we’ve been arranging the tables, but could you stand at the entrance and welcome them?” Jack asked me.
I didn’t like the idea. My goal was to stay in the kitchen and behind the bar as long as possible so no one would see me, but he was counting on me. I couldn’t let him down.
Suddenly, I found myself as the hostess at the entrance of the restaurant, while these magnificent beings watched me as if I were a dead fly, sizing me up. I was just in my old waitress uniform, worn and ugly.
One by one, I started calling out the names of the Alphas I had on a list, indicating their seats and tables. But my heart stopped when I came to a name I hadn’t expected to see.
“Nathaniel Connor?” I asked in a shaky voice, as the rest of the Alphas stepped aside for him to pass.
And that’s when I saw him, the son of the Alpha, in all his magnificence.
Nate had grown even more majestic and, contrary to my case, had become even more attractive. He had gorgeous dark hair, and his blue eyes practically sparkled.
He looked tanned and ridiculously muscular. His shirt struggled to contain him, and I could see tattoos along his neck and chest. He was much taller than the rest, and he walked knowing he was an important, strong, and attractive man. He was so hot that I could hear the women sigh just looking at him.
Of course, this had to happen. I should have known. If all the packs in the region were coming… Moonstone had to come. But I thought maybe it would be his father and not him, though I had to assume that he was old enough to become the Alpha.
As soon as he laid his eyes on me, I saw his confused face. He certainly hadn’t expected me to be here… and the look on his face was one of annoyance and even disgust.
I felt myself shaking, and when he came closer, I took several steps back in fear. Pictures of him dragging me out of the territory and leaving me in the middle of the night in the woods kept popping up in my mind.
“You… here…” he said as if he saw his worst enemy.
Nate didn’t say anything else, but he looked me up and down. I could see his eyes darkening; it seemed like he was avoiding breathing, so he wouldn’t smell my human scent. He only seemed to react when his beta, Roger, spoke to him. “Thank you, we will go to our post,” his beta said. As I watched them leave, Nate tensed and kept looking at me.
I called the other Alphas. Of course, Crimson Fangs. Karl’s son, Alpha Marco, showed up. He was easy to recognize with his blond hair.
“Ohh, but what do we have here? The chubby human? The liar…” he whispered to me with an evil grin. I didn’t answer but stood there dejected and trembling.
When I went to the bathroom, I felt desperate and couldn’t stop crying. My nightmare was back, and in the worst way, I couldn’t believe my bad luck!
“Come on, Penny! They have nothing to do with you, and they have no way of hurting you again. They will have their meeting and leave like nothing happened, and you will never see them again,” I kept telling myself.
On my way out, I bumped into Jack, who seemed to be looking for me.
“Are you okay, honey?” He looked worried.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine… Did you need anything?”
“Yes, the new uniforms arrived a little late, but they’re here… the only problem is that this is the largest size,” he said, handing me an outfit, and I was already afraid that it wouldn’t fit.
“I just…”
“Please, just try it on. All the girls are already dressed, and now the CEOs are asking us to help them with a few things. I promise I’ll give you a great bonus, Penny,” he said. Like a fool, I gave in again.
From the moment I put the outfit on, I knew it wasn’t going to work; the skirt was too tight and short, too short.
The shirt barely closed, and my chest was sticking out. How was I supposed to go out in front of everyone like this? Nate was already giving me hateful looks, and I could almost swear the rest of the Alphas were laughing at the fact that I was once part of his pack.
But honestly… why should I care? He’s nothing to me, and I’m nothing to them. They probably don’t even remember me. Yeah, that’s what I had to think.
“Go to hell, Nathaniel Connor!” I said aloud as I straightened myself as best I could and fixed my hair. When I suddenly bent down, I heard a noise. When I looked in the mirror… my shirt was torn. “What the hell!” I yelled.
The bathroom door abruptly opened. I thought it might be Jack or maybe Marianne… but I was face-to-face with none other than Nate staring at me, looking at my clothes, breathing heavily.
Chapter 3 His help
Penelope
Nate looked desperate. His hair was disheveled as if he had run his hand across his head several times, and his eyes were wild as he looked at me. I started to take several steps backward as he came closer to me.
I didn’t know what to do. I could hear him breathing heavily, and suddenly I remembered that werewolves were dangerous creatures. My body was telling me that I was afraid. As my back hit the top of the sink, my breathing became hectic. “What…what are you doing here…?”
“What the hell are you wearing?!” he asked me angrily. He looked incredibly tense, like he was trying to suppress something. I did not doubt that it was hate and disgust.
“I…” I started to speak, but the words got stuck in my throat, and I lost my breath as he leaned in.
I wanted to run away like in those cartoons where the character’s body left a mark through the wall. But panic kept me from moving. Nate moved closer to me, resting his hands on the top of the sink and bringing his face closer to my neck. I thought he was going to whisper something, maybe something unpleasant, but no words came out. Instead, I could hear his hectic breathing. I put my hands in front of me as if to protect myself, and when I pulled away from him, Nate seemed to notice and react.
“Answer me! Why are you wearing those clothes?!” he practically demanded.
“It’s my uniform…”
He looked at me closely, focusing on my cleavage. Suddenly, he sighed as if he had made up his mind. “You can’t go out like that, no way,” he said firmly, and I was lost.
What he did next was even stranger than anything that had happened in the last few seconds. I watched as he took off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
I didn’t know what to think. There was no logical reason why this Alpha who hated me so much would undress in front of me in this bathroom. I could see his tattoos, his perfectly tanned skin, some scars, and he was… absolutely perfect. His arms had veins sticking out, his muscles were ripped, and his tattoos of wolves and other figures were glorious. He was tall, and I had his chest almost in front of me. And I could tell with certainty that he was an incredible specimen. The most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life.
When he was done, he had his shirt open and a thin tank top underneath.
“Take off your shirt,” he simply said to me.
“Excuse me?” What the hell?
“I told you to take off your shirt,” he said with an authoritative voice. Did he want me to…strip? Naked? Was he going to laugh at me?
“I don’t…” I said, startled.
“I told you, the shirt doesn’t fit you. You’re not going out like that,” he said, and I heard him growl.
“It’s my uniform and I…” I started to say, but suddenly I saw his hands go quickly to the collar of my shirt.
I started to push his hands away, but within seconds, he had torn the fabric, ripped my shirt open, and the buttons flew off.
“What the fuck?!” I yelled, feeling my face turn red. I quickly covered my body with my arms. I stood there like a fool, completely exposed and half-naked in my underwear. I felt cold, and my body shook as he watched me. I could cry right now. He didn’t take his eyes off me and continued to examine me while I covered my chest and stomach as best as I could.
“How could you?!” I asked him, almost stammering, looking back into his eyes.
He didn’t answer me, but instead took off his shirt, put a hand on my arms, and helped me put his shirt on while I did my best to hide my body.
Then he buttoned it with trembling fingers, never taking his eyes off me, down to the last button, as if he didn’t want any part of me to be seen.
I could feel the heat radiating from his body and a perfume that I could not describe. He gave me his clothes, but why?
His shirt was big and practically fit me like a dress. Not being satisfied with that, he proceeded to unzip my skirt.
Moon Goddess! I panicked; he was crossing a line I was not willing to cross.
“Let go of me!” I yelled at him, and he looked at me in surprise. But he reached for my skirt again, and I slapped his hands.
“I’m just trying to help you!” he said to me, practically offended.
“I don’t need your help!” I yelled back.
He seemed annoyed but determined. He practically held me back as he unzipped my skirt slightly, and I could feel his hands putting my shirt inside. I struggled, feeling his hands on my hips and lightly on my legs until he put the skirt back on.
Somehow, I was ready. I didn’t even have to look in the mirror to know that his shirt was big enough to cover me well and that it covered more than my skirt.
“Why are you here?” I asked, watching his mouth open as if he wanted to tell me something, but couldn’t find the words. I… I wanted to be as far away from him as possible. I had too many things on my plate, including taking care of him and his Alpha friends like they were royalty.
“This is the women’s bathroom! You shouldn’t be in here!” I said. But he didn’t move. He seemed to be glued to the floor.
As soon as he took a step back, I moved away and went over to the door. I could breathe as I stepped out, away from him.
What the hell just happened? I had his shirt on…why would he do that?
I came into the kitchen, practically hyperventilating. I didn’t even have time to catch my breath.
“Penny! We need more help at the tables!” Marianne shouted.
I decided I’d better get to work. I walked back and forth delivering orders to the tables, but I could feel my knees trembling as I approached Nate’s table. He had his jacket on and was sitting next to Alpha Marco and the other Alphas. I tried to calm down as much as I could, but the situation in the bathroom made me nervous.
As soon as I approached them, they all tensed up and looked at me.
“These humans are useless.” I heard Alpha Marco say. My hands were shaking as I put the plates down, so much so that when I put Nate’s plate down, it clanged against the table.
I was really surprised when I saw his hand close around my wrist as if to give me stability. I guess he didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of the other Alphas.
“Thank you,” a long-haired, tough-looking Alpha said to me, and I couldn’t even answer him because of my nerves.
All of us in the restaurant were anxious, but I was the only one who knew what they were: dangerous, volatile, deadly creatures.
I thought the incidents were over, but soon Alpha Marco brazenly threw some glasses on the floor.
“Look how clumsy you are, human. So pathetic,” he said, and I heard some grunts.
I kneeled on the floor, carefully picking up the pieces of glass so no one would get hurt. As I was picking up one piece, I cut my finger, and when I got up, I saw that Nate had a look on his face… like he was sorry for what had happened. But neither he nor anyone else had done anything to stop it, as usual.
“Well… that was strange. I must say, they’re very attractive but rather rude,” Marianne said with a sigh.
“Did they do anything to you?” I asked worriedly as we changed in our bathroom.
“No… just complained a couple of times about the service, but where else could they go?” she told me with a smile.
We said our goodbyes. As I was putting my things away, I realized I still had on Nate’s shirt.
I couldn’t help myself and held it up to my nose. It had a fantastic smell. I don’t know what kind of perfume it was, but it was amazing.
It was already late when I was on my way out. I noticed that the Alphas had moved into a room that we sometimes use for private events.
“I see you met the stupid human who ruined your pack,” said a malicious voice in the distance. I was petrified.
“I guess she moved here,” I heard Nate’s voice.
“If she were in the Crimson Fangs, she would be dead by now,” Marco said with a growl.
“Each pack decides what they think is best,” I heard the voice of another Alpha. It sounded like the long-haired one.
I heard some snorting and then silence. But Marco was talking again; he seemed to insist on talking about me.
“Was it my imagination, or did the chubby girl smell like you?”
“I… she asked me for help. That’s why my scent was on her,” Nate said.
“She certainly needs help… but we have more important issues like the rogues’ attack and the Council meeting, don’t you think?” said Marco.
I walked quickly to the exit and almost reached the door when I heard a voice. “Penny…”
When I turned around… it was Nate.