My parents found me after they moved to the slums. I was only three years old, but I was already showing signs of an early shift, which meant I could become a Gamma.
My impressive combat record showed that they were right.
I paid off the family’s $500,000 debt, and our Alpha kept giving me rewards for my great fighting skills.
My parents only liked me because I was useful to them. Other warriors made fun of them and called them dependents.
But I didn’t care. I thought that as a family, we shouldn’t keep track of who gave more; our bond was supposed to be family. In the end, this family owed me everything.
Since Robert was born, I had been in charge of taking care of him. I drove him to training, cooked for him, and washed his clothes. When I started college, I got a job at a diner to help pay for his school.
When I became a Gamma, I paid for all of his living expenses. Just the extra lessons for his private combat training cost $5,000 a month.
I bought him designer clothes so he wouldn’t feel less than the other young wolves in the pack.
He was 15 now, and I had been raising him for five years. I was his sister by rank, but I was more like his mother.
I gave my parents everything I had.
They didn’t have any savings and their income was terrible. So I sent them $5,000 every month from my combat pay.
I bought them a nice car to use every day. I also paid for their mother’s rheumatism and father’s heart problems.
I took care of all the bills and made three meals a day.
I also made arrangements for high-quality healthcare and special accommodations for their trip to Italy to make it more comfortable. The cost of travel insurance alone was huge, but I never complained.
Instead of being their daughter, I was their financial support, like an ATM that also cooked and cleaned.
The office building that the Alpha gave me helped the family make more money. Some of the most powerful wolves from three territories were on my tenant list.
Every time I won a fight, I got a lot of money. I worked hard to get better at fighting so I could support my family.
And then there was George, my friend. When we first met at the Moonlight Ceremony three years ago, he didn’t have anything. His family was even poorer than mine.
I bought him his first real fighting gear and paid for his training. I helped him move up the pack ranks.
I gave him $3,000 a month to help his family. I paid for all of his mother’s medical care.
Last year, I even put down money on a small house for them.
I never complained about helping him because he was my friend, chosen by the Goddess. I thought friends took care of each other.
I had done so much for this family and for George, but they still treated their biological daughter better than me. Diane smiled as she walked up to me. The bracelet she was wearing probably cost more than what my parents made in two months.
“I’m sorry, sister.” I might have said no if I had known that my arrival would mean you had to sleep outside in the snow. I was going to back off, but our parents said they had a plan.
She went on, “I offered to take the standard cabin myself, but they wouldn’t let me stay in the cold northern air because I’m more fragile.” I hope you get it.
Robert clung to her arm like a hungry puppy. This was the Robert I had raised and spoilt myself.
“Of course! That cold weather is dangerous. What would happen if you had an uncontrolled shift? My sister looks like an angry she-wolf, but she doesn’t. Even bad wolves are afraid of her.
Everyone laughed.
They knew full well that I was the one who had the condition that made me cold.
But they didn’t think twice about putting their Gamma, their provider, in charge of sleeping arrangements that could put all of us at risk.
George stood there without saying anything to defend me. Three months ago, during our pre-mating ritual, he had promised to protect me with his life.
My parents saw my face get darker and changed their tone. “Listen, I know this isn’t ideal, but we had to make you sleep outside,” they said. Go ahead and take that expensive combat course you’ve been looking at. Don’t worry about how much it costs.
