Chapter 3

The next day, I went to my usual part-time job at a coffee shop.

My job was simple. I put on a mascot costume and handed out flyers at the entrance.

The midday sun was brutal, and the thick costume trapped every bit of heat inside.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I pulled off the oversized mascot head and crouched in the shade to drink some water.

“Jenna?”

A familiar voice came from behind me.

I froze and turned around.

My parents, Hunter, Aaron, and Lydia were standing a short distance away.

Aaron’s Alpha parents were with them as well.

Hunter and Aaron’s hands were full of shopping bags. I didn’t have to guess who they were for.

When Mom saw me drenched in sweat, there wasn’t a trace of concern in her eyes. Only embarrassment and anger.

“Jenna, didn’t I give you money? You’re the daughter of an Alpha and a Luna. Dressing up like this and handing out flyers in public, are you trying to make people think our pack mistreats you?”

My grip tightened around my water bottle.

“My allowance is one thousand dollars a month. My rent is nine hundred and fifty. How am I supposed to survive without a part-time job?”

Hunter frowned and shoved me hard.

“Watch your attitude! Is that any way to talk to Mom?”

Aaron stood beside Lydia, his expression conflicted.

After a moment, he finally spoke in a lecturing tone.

“Jenna, you’re too sensitive. Lydia only gets a thousand dollars a month too. Whenever she runs out, she asks Luna Megan for more, and Luna Megan has never refused her.”

“You never asked, so of course Luna Megan assumed you had enough. This is your fault. You should apologize to her.”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

Lydia’s one thousand dollars always arrived on time, sometimes even early.

Mine was different.

Every month, I had to remind Mom again and again. She delayed it over and over until the very end of the month, then sent it over as if she were doing me a favor.

If I had actually asked for more… would she have given it to me?

I already knew the answer.

No matter what I said, they would only accuse me of being ungrateful and immature.

So I simply picked up the mascot head again.

“Just leave. You’re keeping me from working.”

The heavy mascot head came down over my face, plunging everything into darkness.

The next second, someone shoved me hard from behind.

“Don’t bully Mom!”

The mascot head was bulky. Even a light bump was enough to hurt.

This shove sent me stumbling forward. My forehead slammed into the hard inner shell of the costume, and my vision instantly went black.

I braced myself against the wall, dizzy for several long moments. Not a single person came to check on me.

Instead, Mom grabbed Lydia’s hand first, “Lydia, are your hands okay?”

Hunter frowned.

“You know how thick that costume is. Why would you push her? What if you hurt yourself?”

Aaron gently comforted her, “It’s okay. No one’s blaming you.”

While they all crowded around Lydia, I staggered away.

My face was wet. I couldn’t tell whether it was sweat or tears.

By the time my shift ended that night, my forehead had swollen into a large bump.

Thankfully, it was payday.

With the twenty-five hundred dollars I’d just been paid in cash tucked into my pocket, I headed to a food truck.

I wanted to treat myself to a roast beef wrap and an Americano.

Just imagining the savory flavor made me swallow, and for the first time all day, I smiled.

I handed the cash to the vendor.

Instead of taking it, he grabbed my wrist, “What’s with you, kid?”

Holding up one of the bills, his face darkened.

“You look like a decent girl. Why are you passing fake money?”

He glared at me.

“Tell me. Where did you get these counterfeit bills?”