Page 1 of Tainted Romance

Chapter One

ALLIE

I slumped in the chair, looking up at the stage with a withdrawn feeling I just couldn't explain. I hated pack meetings; no, correction, I loathed them.

My momwas hanging onto every word Alpha Harris was saying. Pack meetings always reminded me of school assemblies. They were just as boring, and they were both held in a massive hall.

Falling In Reverse was blasting in my ear. Mom had given up telling me to take my earbuds out. My eyes flickered to Zane Harris. He was sitting on the side of the stage next to his mother. Like always, he was on his phone, not paying any attention. For an Alpha-to-be, you would think he would.

At least I have an excuse. I was getting out of here as soon as I was twenty-one and free from any commitment to this pack. Pity, it was still four years away. My eighteenth birthday was this weekend, and one year closer to my freedom.

I watched Zane crack a smirk, reading something on his phone. He had midnight black hair, which sort of did its own thing, spiking in every direction. His arms were heavily tattooed, much to his parents’ disappointment I bet.

"Mom, I need to go to the toilet" I hissed in her ear.

"Make it quick, Allie," she shot back, giving me her famous annoyed smile.

This was why I insisted on sitting at the end of the row - it gave me a quick getaway. I walked quickly and quietly out of the hall.

Instead of heading to the toilet, I headed for the back door. This was the pack house, massive and overly impressive.

I slid the glass doors open and the night air was welcoming. Mom and I both knew I wasn't planning on going back in. I would make an excuse like I got lost or something to her later.

I sat down on the first step and fished around in my handbag looking for something to eat. I was always hungry. I personally think mom starved me as a child and now I was making up for it in my later years.

Just because I ate like a horse, didn't mean I looked like one. I took pride in my slim figure, hell, I worked hard enough at it. I ran every morning in human form and then every night I ran in wolf form.

"How about we make it ten?"

My head snapped up to see Zane talking on his phone and closing the door softly. Looks like I’m not the only one skipping the meeting.

"I know, babe, but I can't get away from the parents till then." He sounded disappointed and then chuckled. "Well, I will keep that in mind." He turned around, and his eyes widened slightly when they landed on me.

I smirked smugly and turned around to look out at the gardens.

"Look, I have to go," Zane muttered into the phone, and I heard it snap closed soon after. "What are you doing out here?" He sounded genuinely annoyed. God forbid someone hears his conversation.

"Nothing." I took a bite off the bar I had found in my bag.

"You should be in the meeting." He was now standing behind me.

I got to my feet, knowing I was going to have to find somewhere else to get some privacy. "So should you," I challenged back at him.

"I know you, don't I?" He frowned, trying to place me.

We had been part of the same pack since the day we were born. I had been in all his grades during primary school, and we both go to the same high school and have had numerous classes together. Yet, he still couldn't place me.

He was most likely trying to work out if we had slept together or not. I dry retched at that thought.

"We go to the same school," I informed him, which eased the confused look on his face.

"Oh, so you know me," he said, with that cocky smugness that caused my blood to run with disgust.

"Just because we go to the same school and are in the same pack does not mean I know you. I simply have the awful pleasure of being in the same place as you." I gave him a dry smirk before leaving him standing there, gobsmacked.

Suddenly, the meeting didn’t sound that bad.

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