“Jin is to be treated like another member of our pack. She is to be respected and welcomed,” Hunter said in an authoritative tone.
“Yes, Alpha,” the group of werewolves responded in unison.
Hunter knew it would take some time for his pack to relax about having a demon living among them, but at the very least they would treat her with respect. He would not tolerate Jin being mistreated. Hunter squeezed Jin’s shoulder and he led her back down to the ground before he stepped away from her. He was going to go down and greet all of his pack members, as was customary after assembling them together. It was a way for them to all feel closer.
Jin stood there, quietly observing everyone. She watched as Hunter and Sam laughed around the other pack members.
“You look lovely. Next time, we will have to go shopping together,” Kristen said as she tugged Garrett toward Jin.
“Oh, thank you. I’ve never worn a dress before,” Jin smiled timidly.
“You look amazing. Don’t worry. We have a nice pack here,” Garrett said, standing at Kristen’s side. “I’m Adam and Winston’s father, Garrett. And of course, you already met the light of my life.” Garrett smiled down at his mate, then lookedback at Jin. “I hope you like it here.” He nodded to her and then walked toward Hunter to greet his nephew as the King of the Werewolves.
Jin didn’t look directly at anyone, but she could feel their glares. She could feel their distrust. Of course she wouldn’t be welcome here. She was a demon. All species hated demons. She was always lumped together with them. Even though it was demons who mistreated her, she was still just like them. She bit the inside of her lip. Would they ever really grow to accept her, or would they only tolerate her because of their alpha?
“Do all demons have green hair?”
Jin snapped her gaze downward to a little boy who was pointing at her hair. There was at least one who wasn’t afraid of her. She smiled. “No, this is special to me. It’s the same color as my mother’s hair.”
“Your mother has green hair too?”
“Had. She died when I was young,” Jin said with a soft smile. She looked at the little boy who slightly frowned. He had light blue eyes and red hair. He was maybe around six years old.
“Zain.” A woman walked up and grabbed onto the boy, flashing a nervous glance at Jin. “Come on Zain, let’s not bother her.”
For a moment, Jin was going to tell her he wasn’t bothering her, but when she caught the woman’s worried glance, there was no need. She wasn’t worried about the child bothering her. She was worried about him being near her.
“The dress looks great on you.” Susan smiled as she admired Jin in her new dress and nodded in approval. “We have to get more just like this, only in different colors.”
Jin raised her hands up. “No more shopping for me, at least not for a while.”
“I love shopping, so I’ll pick clothes up for you. I know your size now, after all.” Susan winked.
“Sues!”
A couple of young men waved her over and she nodded her head toward them. “Want me to introduce you?” Susan asked, looking back at Jin.
“Oh, no thanks. I was actually about to head back inside real quick.” Jin smiled as she watched Susan walk away. She wasn’t about to make things more awkward by greeting people who didn’t want to meet her. In fact, she felt like an outsider out here, since the other pack members were giving her a wide berth. Those who were not the alpha’s closest pack members didn’t greet her at all.Maybe it would be best for me to live outside the pack. Then I wouldn’t bother anyone but would still be close by in case Hunter needs me.
She smiled to herself as she walked back to the pack house, presumably unseen since she was of course someone not worth paying attention too. She knew she couldn’t really leave and live outside of the pack. She felt an unwavering duty to be by Hunter's side, safeguarding him from any harm that might come his way. Yet, an undeniable heaviness weighed on her spirit, casting a shadow over her determination. Having pictured things going so differently, she now realized she’d had unrealistic expectations of how things would be once she found Hunter.
She felt the wind swirl around her, as if it was telling her it was still there, an invisible presence she only noticed when it wanted to remind her that she wasn’t alone.
She walked into the quiet, empty pack house and headed for the washroom. Leaning her hands on the cool porcelain, she glanced upward into the mirror and watched her reflection as a stray tear slid down her face. Another followed it. She raised her hand and brushed the annoying feelings away. She should be used to this by now. Why was she always expecting more than she deserved? Her nose burned as her chest tightened. Sheturned on the cold water and listened to the trickling sound in the sink as she reached her fingers into the cool liquid. She cupped some in her hands and splashed it on her face, then grabbed a towel and patted her cheeks dry. Her eyelashes were still damp, and her eyes were slightly red. She wouldn’t be able to go back out there. Anyone who looked at her would be able to tell she had been crying.
She sighed and walked out of the washroom, straight into something hard. She stiffened as she realized it was a person. She looked up and saw Chasen looking down at her. His jaw was taut, his eyes studying her face.
“Did someone say or do something?” A low growl ripped from his throat.
She looked down at her feet. “No,” she whispered, chewing on her inner lip and toeing at the ground.
Chasen had noticed immediately when she began to trail away from everyone, so he followed her. He could see the evidence of crying on her face and immediately became angry, thinking someone had said something to her. He felt instant relief when he heard that wasn’t the case. She was upset, though. His lips curled downwards as he looked at her.
“What is it, Jin?”
She felt the sting in her nose and eyes again. She wrapped her arms around herself and continued to look down at the ground.
“It really isn’t anything. You shouldn’t bother worrying about a demon like me.” The bitter words just flowed out naturally.
