Diary Entry: 6th Grade

I walk a few steps behind my brother, Leo, and his best friend, Ethan. They don’t bother talking to me—honestly, I don’t think they’d even notice if I weren’t here. The only reason I’m trailing after them is because Mary made Leo bring me. Mary has been my nanny for as long as I can remember, ever since my mom died. She’s more like a mother to me than anyone else in this pack. My father, the Beta, doesn’t have time for me. His only concern is molding Leo into the perfect future Beta. Me? I’m an afterthought.

Mary’s job is technically to teach me “how to behave like a lady,” which, in my father’s mind, means staying quiet and out of the way. But Mary never enforces that nonsense—at least not when my father isn’t watching. Around him, though, I have to act like the silent, obedient daughter he expects.

Leo spends all his time with the future twin Alphas, Ryan and Aaron, and his inner circle: Devin, the future Delta, and Ethan, the future Gamma. Wherever they go, they move as a pack, inseparable. They’re nearly as bad as the girls in this school when it comes to flaunting their status.

The only reason Leo even agreed to let me walk with them today is because Mary forced him. She wasn’t happy when I came home last week with a bruise under my eye and scrapes along my arm. I told her it was an accident, that I just tripped, but she knew better. In a pack where dominance and hierarchy are everything, middle school becomes a battleground. Everyone’s trying to prove themselves, especially the unranked kids who suck up to those born into rank.

Being the daughter of the Beta doesn’t mean anything—not for me. My father treats me like a disappointment, and the pack follows his example. Some even blame me for my mother’s death. To them, I’m not a future Beta—I’m beneath even the Omegas.

“Move it, fatty. You’re taking up the whole hallway,” sneers Stacey, one of the most vicious girls in our grade. “Are you sure you’re even a wolf?”

I shift to the side, hoping she’ll just pass me by. But she doesn’t. Her foot snakes out, hooking between my legs, and I trip hard, slamming into the lockers. My books scatter, and pain radiates through my shoulder and forehead from the impact.

The hallway goes silent as every head turns to watch. My heart sinks as my brother looks over his shoulder, meeting my gaze for a brief second. He doesn’t say anything—just rolls his eyes, shakes his head, and walks away, Ethan and Stacey trailing after him.

Laughter follows in their wake, some kids trying to stifle it, others not bothering to hide it. No one helps me up. No one says a word.

Diary Entry: 7th Grade

The following year, things only get worse.

“Don’t you ever question my authority in front of another student again!” Stacey snaps, ramming her shoulder into me as I stumble through the door leading out to the courtyard.

“I didn’t question your authority,” I mutter, straightening myself. “I told you that you can’t hit people just because they were in your way. It’s not their fault you were late.”

The words slip out before I can stop them, and I instantly regret it. Stacey’s smug expression twists into something far more dangerous. She was late to class because she’d ditched second period to get coffee with her friends. Now she’s mad because third period is taught by one of the only teachers willing to report her to her father—not that it ever makes a difference.

Before I can walk away, Marnie, one of Stacey’s ever-loyal minions, steps out from behind her, sticking out her foot. I trip, falling forward again, but this time Marnie follows it up by dumping the rest of her iced latte over my head. The cold liquid shocks my skin as it soaks my hair and drips down my back.

Laughter erupts around me—first Stacey and Marnie, then the crowd of students drawn to the commotion. My cheeks burn with humiliation as I glance up.

There they are: my brother and his friends, standing just a few steps away, chuckling along with the others. Leo doesn’t even try to hide his smirk.

“Maybe if you trained a little harder and lost some of that baby fat, you wouldn’t be so clumsy,” Stacey says with a snide grin, loud enough for everyone to hear.

I clench my fists, swallowing the anger bubbling inside me. Saying anything will only make things worse. It always does.

Stacey flips her hair over her shoulder and turns to my brother and his friends with a smile. “So, boys, are we still on for the fire pit tonight?” she asks, her voice sugary sweet.

Leo grins back at her, completely unfazed by what just happened. “Wouldn’t miss it,” he replies, ignoring me entirely.

As they walk away, the crowd disperses, leaving me soaked, humiliated, and alone. I gather my books from the ground, brushing wet hair out of my face, and try not to let the tears come. Crying only gives them more power.

I’m used to it by now—being invisible when I need someone to see me, and only standing out when someone wants to tear me down.

But one day, I tell myself, things will be different. One day, I’ll be stronger. Strong enough to leave this pack and find somewhere I belong. Somewhere people see me for who I really am.