Josephine Cromwell- or Jossie for short was the most beautiful she-wolf in Rabidcrest pack.
Standing at about five eleven, she had the eyes of pearls and the hair of a raven's wing. Her hair touched her stomach in length. She was skinny. Clearly not fed right. That didn't stop her from her beauty. She had pale snow-white skin and plump nude-pink lips. They were kissable. She described them as so once in a mirror. Josephine's favorite color was black and that was all her wardrobe consisted of.Except no one saw her for her beauty. Instead they saw her for her name. Particularly her last name, Cromwell. Everyone in Jossie's pack knew that the Cromwell bloodline descended from the dangerous rogue pack run by her great grandfather Marcus Cromwell.And, Rogues were known to be terrifying night-stalking killers. They are werebeasts. Practically rabied infested. They were sociopaths.But, Ms Cromwell wasn't anything like the rumors held her accountable for. She was shy. Timid. She didn't know how to react to her pack mates. She was bullied daily. Spat out when in public. She found life difficult. She sometimes wanted to run away. She was given a title of omega when she passed the age every wolf turned. For some reason Josephine didn't turn that year... or the following years after.Everyone saw her as cursed. Wretched. The goddess wouldn't even bestow the gift of the wolf onto her. Even though her ancestors were pure-wolf blood.Her mother HATED her. Her mother hated everyone. Her mother hates her father. Even if they were clearly soul mates. Her home life was up in flames.The morning her life turned upside down was this particular morning. One where she found her father dead. It was little known to her but at the time... it was a blessing in disguise. Her father was the only nicest man she'd ever known. He cared for her deeply and in return she loved him with her whole heart. He was the only one keeping her in that wretch pack.Her father. Standing at six-three, he was rather short for an alpha. But, in his height he made up for it in his strength. He was built wide and heavy with muscles. He was a good two-fifty. It would take a heavy-built man to take on Alpha Cromwell. He had night-shade black hair. Something his favorite daughter seemed to take after. And, his eyes were like the ocean's blue. Sadly, Josephine took after her mother's eyes.She found him in the kitchen. Where a fight broke out. The kitchen's contents were destroyed with blood, claw marks, and glass from the glass cabinets were scattered amongst the tile.Josephine didn't cry when she stepped over the glass to get to her father's body. Her eyes were blackening as she shouted for help. Her heart raced as she pulled out a kitchen knife that was directly in her father's chest. She threw it three feet away. And, that was where it all began.Her mother found her first. She'd also be the first to accuse her. Moments later the whole pack would be there to see what the Cromwell daughter did to her OWN father.Her father was also... the alpha of Rabidcrest pack. And, her mother who was the luna. Josephine was being set up for her father's murder.Mrs. Rabidcrest didn't take up her mate's last name. As Luna of Rabidcrest pack she always thought it would be befitting to be married to the pack and not to a Cromwell. April was an older woman, yes. She was oval shaped from having twins in her early thirties. She never lost her baby weight. She was tall for a female. About five eleven. She had pearl eyes. A trait Jossie inherited. April had no spring traits... But, her name was chosen because of the month she was born. It didn't represent her. She was a cold-hearted woman. An ice queen, Jossie nicknamed her. April had the same shaded hair as the snow piled up in winter. The color of snow that was so deep it prevented you from going outside to play. And, as a child... Jossie was always kept inside."Execute her," Her own mother would say. Not that it mattered that Josephine was the pack's next heir. The alpha's luna would give the order. Her daughter was nothing to her. She never liked Josephine. Maybe it was because Josephine disappointed her. Her first born turned out to be a female. After her mother explained how she found her husband to her pack. Josephine would not be given a voice, a trial, or an ounce of pity from her pack mates. They only saw her as a dirty Cromwell. A dirty Cromwell, her mother made sure to remind them about.Like all mob mentality she'd be dragged to the town square. A good mile down the street from her family home. Even though there was evidence... Josephine wasn't the killer... they believed she had something to do with it. They believed she was just as guilty by her name alone. Josephine cried in pain as her back was scraped up from the ground that they cold-heartedly dragged her over. Her scent would fill everyone with disgust in the pack. Because, they recognized her as 'just another fucked up Cromwell'. Or 'the woofless omega bitch'. Insults would be ridiculed throughout the mob gathering around the square.It didn't matter to them that Josephine was her father's favorite daughter. They saw this girl as a curse."Momma... Please, I'm innocent," she would try to explain herself but be silenced by their insults. She was forced up into a stage pre-made for the arrival of the Lycan king. He wasn't expected into the territory for another week.There, her mother would stand up on stage and circle her weak first-born, wolf-less, and shameful daughter. She'd cry softly as she dared not look into her mother's eyes. Her mother Mrs. April Rabidcrest would yank out a silver-bullet gun and point it close to her forehead then look at the crowd."Is this what you want?" She would ask and smirk as her pack would shout for her to do it. "To kill the last Cromwell?" Although... Jossie wasn't the last Cromwell. And, this wouldn't be her last day alive."Kill her.""Kill her.""Kill her."The pack would continue to chant.This is what the pack wanted. Her mother eagerly parted her lips in a smirk. She looked towards her first-born. Jossie's mother showed no sympathy towards her own daughter. That much was clear. She wanted to get rid of the last Cromwell. The Cromwells... that haunted her life since the beginning of her courtship with Alpha William Cromwell. Who could ever love that beast? Or any of his offspring?How could this small girl... kill such a large man? A man she idolized her whole life? It just wasn't possible. Proof was covered up by her name alone. Because she was a Cromwell... she would only ever be seen as the main suspect. Even when the truth pointed her out as innocent.Josephine... would have to find a way to escape. If she wanted to live, it would have to be within the next minutes slipping by right under her nose.Jossie's Point Of View: I'm just a wolf-less omega bitch and a fuck-up Cromwell that's descended from a dirty rogue. No wonder my pack and my own mother... would think I'm the one that killed my father. But, I didn't... kill my father. I never killed him. He was my only friend in this pack. The only one I could relate to. I had no friends... I only had my dad. And, since I only had him... when he was gone I had no one. So, I spend my lonely hours dedicating my life to studies. I graduated early from High School with an outstanding GPA. But, even that never impressed my mother enough.So,When it came down to it...My mother didn't hesitate to accuse me of my father's death. Her hatred for me was unspoken until that moment. The moment she caught me pulling a knife out of my father's chest. It was buried deep. And, when I got it out... I heard her horrid scream. One that was dramatic. I was forced to break eye contact from my father's corpse to see her standing on the kitchen's edge. H
Continuing Jossie's POV: "Matthew, let’s start back towards the house." I felt like my heart was going to burst from my chest. I was scared of everyone but mostly afraid of myself. I tried not to let it show on the surface. My hands couldn't stop shaking from the weight of the gun. My knees barely held me upright. My back was throbbing in pain and I smelt the iron scent of blood. This was not me. At least... Not who I wanted to be. They're making me do this. With Uncle Matthew leading the way, we made our way back to my family home. As far as I could tell nobody dared to follow us. I kept checking over my shoulder the whole time. I expected them to come. Maybe an arrow would hit me in my shoulder blade... I would bleed out and scream in agony. Beg for mercy. Matthew would overpower me and take the gun away. Maybe shoot me between my eyes.I didn't kill my father. I could die at any moment being here. The longer I'm here in the pack the less likely I will make it
Continuing Jossie's POV: I didn't stop driving until I was forced to stop at a gas station to fuel up the s10. It had been an hour and a half. I turned the car off and looked around the truck for anything useful. My dad's jacket was in the back seat. I could use it to cover up my blood-stained shirt. A bottle of cologne was in the glove-compartment. I sprayed my chest down in it. The smell reminded me of ashwood. Father was always smelling good in my memories of him. I pulled up the sleeve of my shirt to have a better look at the situation I was in.'Impossible.' My arm was healed. There was dry blood from where a wound had been. It was still red and puffy on the surface area... Slight black and blue bruising of teeth marks. No way. It looks like it's been a few weeks since Matthew bit me. How the hell... I've never healed this fast before. I dropped the sleeve as a smile crept across my face. I snatched the jacket and put it on. I
Continuing Jossie's POV:Father's voice echoed from downstairs, 'Jossie'. He called for me and it must've woken me up. I was at home curled up in my velvet purple bed sheets. Tucked under my arm was a rainbow llama plushie. I stuck the plush under the blanket for security before throwing the blankets back. I crept out of bed as my head throbbed from a morning headache. 'Jossie,' his voice echoed once again. I walked downstairs and paused when I hit the last step of the staircase. 'Jossie.' His voice was there again. I couldn't help but to feel deja vu. "Dad?" I asked as I eyed down the kitchen. My heart raced in my chest. 'Jossie,' he whispered out. "What is it dad?" I wondered as I walked towards the kitchen. 'Don't go in there.' I should have listened to the warning. I passed down the hall leading to the kitchen. I wanted to see what was there. The kitchen seemed to grow farther away. I kept walking towards it but never reached it. My feet began to ach
Jossie's POV: I spent the afternoon shopping for essentials and clothing at a nearby superstore. Then took Jered's advice and parked at the place he recommended for a good apple pie. It was Tolen's Diner. A restaurant serving between the hours of seven in the morning until seven at night. It would be a good place to work at. I could tell as I entered the place and sat down in a corner booth by a window in clear view of the truck. I'd ask for an application after I checked out the food here. The restaurant was color coded in navy blue and bold yellows. It felt warm and inviting to be in. It had a class of family generations to it and I could tell from the pictures hanging on the walls. A Filipino woman with caramel colored skin greeted me when I sat by myself. She looked to be in her early twenties. With chocolate colored eyes and brown hair that was toned on the ends. She had shoulder length hair. It was straight with bangs grown just slightly out to bro
Continuing Jossie's POV: I was running. My heart raced in my chest. I could hear it closing in on me. I was frightened like prey. My airway was thinning. I couldn't breathe. Every breath I took it wasn't enough. I wasn't getting enough oxygen. It was killing me. My body ached. I was running for what seemed like forever. My paws hit the same path of a deer. It was leading me deep into the forest. Behind me I could hear growling. I was afraid to quit. I can't stop. I can't slow down. I have to keep running.I tripped as the ground fell out from under me. I went tumbling into a thick bush before I hit running water. It was deep. I came up out of the water begging for air. At the top of the trench I could hear my stalker pacing after me. The water was taking me away. I was escaping. The wolf stared me down. It's eyes glowed a yellow hew. The forest had been pitch black before. I dreamed in black and white... but its fur seems darker than black, like it could be color to my
Continuing Jossie's POV: Nathalie's home was in a nearby apartment complex. She lived on the third floor. Across the hall was a woman named Cheryl who was an elder. And, to my understanding, there was a parrot that squeaked when she opened the door. Her neighbor watched her daughter for her. Malaya looked exactly like Nathalie. Almost like a clone. "Come on mini me," Nathalie would greet her daughter with open arms. Malaya was 'turning four'. Something Nathalie explained to me on the way. She'd pick her up and carry her to her apartment with her sitting on her shoulders. "This is my new friend Bea. Will you say hi to Bea?" Nathalie would ask her. "Hi! My names Malaya." Malaya would tell me in excitement before patting her mother on the head. "Mommy guess what Cherrie told me?" "What's that?" Nathalie would ask as she'd bring us into their apartment. "She's going to take me to your work tomorrow for a surprise visit. Oops... I
Matthew's POV: "Are you girls ready?" I called up the stairs. April and Juliette have been up there all morning. I took today off from the station to deal with the funeral. Even though I hate funerals. My tux was fresh smelling since I took it to the local dry cleaners. I checked my watch that was on my dominant right hand. We're going to be late if they don't come down this instant. "It's bad luck to show up late to your loved one's funeral," I grumbled. Especially an alpha's funeral. Suddenly, I heard footsteps hit the top of the stairs. I looked up to see April coming down first. She was in a pencil skirt, vest, and a white blouse. She had a stack of cue cards she was stuffing into a purse. She looked down at me and gave me a teary smile. She looked over her shoulder, "JULIETTE!" Her voice shook the house. She hit the bottom stair and I wrapped an arm around her for a hug. "How are you, little sister?" I