Picture of Tae on top.

After the party last night, all my energy was drained, I felt lazier than a slug. "Come on Evangeline! It's already 12:30! You can't sleep in all day!" Charlotte whined as she tried to drag me out of bed. I groaned and tried to resist, grabbing on to my sheets fruitlessly, "No, It's too early! 5 more minutes!" Charlotte grumbled and pulled me harder, "I already gave you 30 minutes more. I was supposed to wake you up at 12:00! Now come on! Get up!" I groaned, "No..." Charlotte sighed, "You asked for it." My eyes popped open, "What...?" Before I do anything, Charlotte jumped on my bed and started tickling me. I burst out laughing and rolled around as her fingers danced on my sides, successfully turning me into a laughing mess. "S...to...p!" I managed to scream out. Charlotte laughed and stopped tickling me, finally having mercy, "Next time wake up when I tell you to so I won't resort to torture wake up methods." I gasped for air, "Tha..t's no..t fa..ir!" Charlotte laughed and stuck out her tongue, "Too bad, now hurry up and get ready Evangeline! Lunch is ready." She then skipped happily out my room, leaving me with me, myself, my wolf and I.

I did my usual morning routine, put on some comfortable clothes and headed downstairs, fresh and ready for the new day. "Hey! There's our new warrior!" exclaimed Tae when he saw me. "Good morning Evangeline!" said Sydney, Jamie, Jake, Tae, and Blake. I smiled, "Good morning, guys!" Charlotte snorted, "Good morning again sleeping beauty." I laughed, "Hush Charlotte, you know very well that I value sleep more than anything. Anyways, what's for lunch?" Sydney grinned, "I made a quinoa salad, hot dogs and a side of sweet potato fries." I smiled at her, "Sounds great! Thank you, Chef Syd."

Once everyone was settled at the dining room table, I decided to announce something very important, something that I believe that my new pack deserved to know. I took a deep breath, "Guys, first of all, I wanted to say thank for understanding that I haven't shared anything about my past. Thank you for never pressuring me to tell, you guys are really amazing people. You accepted me and welcomed me, a stranger to your pack even if you barely knew anything about me. Today, after lunch, I want to tell you my story. I'm ready to tell my story. You guys saved me and mean so much to me, so you all deserve to know more about me and my past." I said, no hesitation in my voice. I was finally ready to tell them about my past, a tale that I have not told anyone for a long time. Everyone smiled at me. "Thank you for trusting us enough to tell us about your difficult past, Evangeline. We are so happy and grateful for you to be a part of our pack now, our family," said Charlotte with the brightest smile I have ever seen on anyone's face.

After lunch, we all gathered in the living room, everyone waiting for me to tell my story. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment. "You can do this Evangeline!" my wolf encouraged me. I breathed out and opened my eyes and met many encouraging smiles, "Take your time Evangeline, tell us when you are ready. It can't be easy to tell such a sad story." Blake told me sincerely. I nodded my head, a sad smile on my face as I recollected the past memories of my family, getting ready to tell them, "I'll start now, I'm ready." Everyone paid close attention and listened quietly.

"I was born into a Beta werewolf family. All my family, from parents to cousins has Beta blood. My parents were the respected and loved Betas of my old pack, The Moonlight Pack. My parents' names were Evelyn and Axel and I have an older brother named Alexander, Alec for short. We were a typical happy family, I remember my dad taking me to the park every Sunday, so play on the playground with me. My mom and I would always bake together, making cookies and cakes for the whole pack. No matter how busy they were as Betas, they always made time for my brother and I. I love them, everyone in the pack did. My parents would always help anyone in need and never acted superior towards the rest of the pack just because they were Betas." I paused for a moment, tears dripping down my face as I talked about my extraordinary parents. I took a shaky breath, "I'm sorry... it's just hard for me to talk about my parents... I have never been able to talk about them to anyone." Sydney handed me a tissue and smiled gently at me, "It's okay Evangeline, like Blake said, take your time." I blew my nose and wiped away my tears, "Thank you Sydney. I'm ready to continue now. As I was saying, my parents were loved by everyone in the pack so when the accident that took their lives happened, it affected and touched everyone. It was like a black cloud constantly overshadowed the pack as we mourned. I suppose that I should tell you about the accident... It happened on a Friday, on a cold and a frosty December morning. I remember that day, snow and ice covered the territory. My family was all warm and cozy inside, drinking hot chocolate by the fire and listening to Christmas songs. When I finished my hot chocolate, I asked for more as any little child would. My mom's hot chocolate was delicious, filled with warmth and smoothness. I recalled that my mom told me that she didn't have any chocolate left to make some for me so I, stupidly threw a tantrum. My dad hated seeing me sad, I was daddy's little girl so if he could, he would give me the world. Therefore, my dad convinced my mom to head out to the store to get some chocolate for me, little did he know that ice and frost covered the streets making it extremely dangerous to drive. Alec and I watched as my parents slipped on their coats and boots, little did we know that it would be the last time we would ever see them again. My mom kissed us goodbye like she did every time she leaves and my dad gave us each a loving hug. Alec and I waved goodbye from the window as we watched the car pull out of the garage and make its way down the street. Alec and I decided to start a game of Monopoly while we waited for our parents to come home. They never did." I took a shaky breath as cascades of tears fell down my face like an unending waterfall. "I have to continue on, I can't stop now," I told myself, taking a deep breath before starting to speak again.

"The Alpha called my brother and at the end of the phone call, my brother was crying. I have never seen my big brother cry before. I asked him what was wrong and that's when he started yelling at me. He said that it was all my fault and that he hated me with all of his heart. I was confused and didn't know what he was talking about, I had no idea that I would never see my beloved parents again. His words hurt me deeply though, Alec never snapped at me like that before, being the little sister, I was always showered with love and adoration from my big brother. Alec ordered me harshly to go to my room and stay there. I did as I was told, not wanting to upset him any further and quickly ran up the stairs. I heard the front door slam as my brother left the house and soon the house filled with a deafening silence. When are mommy and daddy going to be back, I wondered to myself as I played quietly with my dolls. I played by myself until night fell and the bright moon shone in my room. I was hungry, so I walked downstairs, I froze on the last step of the stairs when I saw my brother and the Alpha in the living room. My brother had his head in his hands but when heard my footsteps, he looked at me with bloodshot eyes, "You! I told you to stay in your room! You brat, you never listen." He yelled at me. I flinched at his tone but softly asked him, "Why are you crying, bubby?" That set him off, he approached me, his tall figure shadowed my own little one, "Why? Well, I'll tell you why you brat. You killed our parents! It's your fault! It's all your fault! You annoying spoiled brat. Your stupid chocolate cost them their lives! They are dead because of you Evangeline! !" He screamed. I backed away from him, "Dead?" I whispered, the reality was slowing sinking in. I burst out into tears and fell in a heap on the floor as I started to mourn my parent's death. I blamed myself, even as a little girl, I knew that if I didn't ask for more hot chocolate, my parents would still be here and alive. My brother sneered and said, "I hate you, you are not my sister anymore. Get out of my sight. You disgust me." The Alpha watched the whole scene without uttering a word, but I remember clearly, he looked tired and devastated. I ran up to my room and cried on my bed for what seemed like hours. My parents, my heroes, are gone." I sniffled, struggling to get going and Charlotte took my hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

"I was not allowed to attend the funeral, my brother didn't allow it so I watched the ceremony by my bedroom window and mourned with the rest of the pack. I watched as they lowered the caskets deep into the ground and darkness, I watched as one by one pack members dropped roses into the holes, I watched as my big brother fell to the ground in tears, I watched as everyone lifted shifted to their wolves and lifted their snouts up to the sky, letting out a long, loud and heartfelt howl. A howl filled with love and admiration for my parents, their Betas. After that day, my brother ignored me and never once talked to me. It hurt me more than he could ever know. My big brother ignoring me was almost as painful as losing my parents, I felt like I had also forever lost my brother. Without the care and love of the only family member I had left, I had to take care of myself, cook for myself, shift for the first time by myself and grow up by myself. It was hard. As I got older, I started to abuse by my own pack. The rest of the pack members, especially my brother and his friends would hit me so severely that there were days when I could not even get up. Bruises, scratches, whip marks and scars covered my body and I never allowed my wolf to heal them. I wanted her to save as much energy as possible so that one we could run away. I was not allowed to eat with everyone else, some days I was not even allowed to eat. Worse of all though, I was not allowed to have any friends. Anyone that acted friendly towards me would be punished by my brother, the new Beta of the pack. I was excluded from all activities including training and ceremonies. My brother kicked myself out of my own room and moved me to the attic. I was expected to clean, cook and serve the pack. Only my wolf, Winter, kept me company all of these years."

Blake asked me softly, "Evangeline, did you ever find out about the accident?" I nodded my head, "I did. I overheard my brother telling the Alpha's son, Xavier, about the accident while I was cooking lunch for myself. My parents were driving to the store when a deer ran in front of the car. My dad drifted the car in an attempt to save the deer but he lost control because of the slippery ice on the road and collided with a tree. The accident was futile and took my parents' lives instantly. The only one that survived the accident was the deer." Charlotte squeezed my hand, "Did the adults ever do anything to help you? Why didn't they protect you?" I sighed, "As I said, my parents were loving my the whole pack, they had to find someone to blame so they turned to me. Many allowed their children to treat me badly, but some adults, like Nurse Lucie, cared about me and my well being. But there wasn't much they could do for me."

By the time I was finished with my story, everyone had tears in their eyes. "I can't believe someone so young and amazing like you went through all that alone," Jamie told me, as she wiped her eyes. "You're not alone anymore, never again," Sydney told me, sincereness and pure love in her voice. "You're stuck with us forever now!" said Tae jokingly, trying to lighten up the mood. "Like glue!" added Jake, struggling to hold back tears. "Yeah, we'll always be there for you and protect you," Blake told me sincerely. Charlotte sniffled and pulled me into a hug, "You're not alone anymore, you have us now." I smiled and hugged her back, "I am so lucky to be a part of this pack. I love you guys." Everyone joined in the hug, "Thank you." I whispered as a final single tear dripped down my face.