Chapter One

The sound of an alarm clock buzzed throughout the small room, a scarred hand appeared from under three comforters and slapped on top, ending the noisy blaring abruptly. A head appeared, a mass of curls going every which way.

A pair of dark amber like eyes opened, they blearily looked at the time. Three am shone red in the dark room. Pushing up, the owner of said eyes maneuvered her way out of the bed, the covers revealing a naked body. Skin a deep mahogany rose was marred by random scars crisscrossing her back.

She made her way into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, not bothered at all by the four dead rabbits lying on the floor.

Laticia 'Argo' Bellamy, referred to by friends as Argo, and Laticia by others glanced down at the frying bacon, making sure it wasn't burning. Seeing it wasn't done yet, she went back to beating the eggs in the bowl.

Pouring them into another bowl, she placed the bowl back down and wiped her hands on her apron. Turning to the coffee maker behind her, she reached forward and pressed the button to get it started.

She didn't bother to look up when she heard voices coming from the hallway.

"Dad, can I get the car tonight?" The excited voice came from her younger sister, who'd just turned sixteen the day before.

Chelsey was always excited. Laticia focused on squeezing the oranges into the big pitcher. Her brother liked fresh orange juice in the morning.

"Why do you need the car tonight?" her father grumbled as he finally appeared in their large dining room. His greying hair was close cropped. He was a large man, as alphas were supposed to be. His eyes were narrowed in confusion. "What is wrong with the car your mother and I bought you?"

Her sister pouted, flicking a piece of her perfectly pressed hair out of the way, the shiny doodads on her nails catching the light. "Dad," she said in a whine. "You can't expect me to take my friends to James' concert in that old piece of crap! I'm not Laticia."

Laticia kept her face carefully blank as she turned back towards the bacon, removing the pan from the stove top before it burned.

"I want my friends to like me, and it's not like we can't afford it," Chelsey pouted, plopping down in her seat to his left.

"God, Chelsey! It's true what they say about you..." An annoyed voice cut in from the other end of the room. Laticia's twin brother, Rorik, entered. He was tall and broad. He resembled Laticia's father, but for his eyes... he had their mother's eyes, a soft brown.

He walked in and plopped down in his seat, which was to the right of her father. He leaned back, his brows furrowed in mild annoyance. "Your friends are snobs, and you keep bragging about your wealth to them. Now you're even trying to con Dad out of one of the sports cars. Tsk, tsk. What do you think this is...The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?"

Chelsey glared at him, her nails lengthened slightly from her apparent anger, and the sound of popping came from them breaking into the table. "Mind your own business, Rorik," she growled lowly.

Laticia placed all the food on the tray and walked forward, sitting the tray down. She placed all the main dishes within reach for the others. They barely paid her any attention as she left, and then returned with more plates and utensils.

As usual, with a breezy air, the last one to arrive was Laticia's mother. She floated into the room. Her hair was done up with intricate braids raised in a bun. Her long, lean body was perfectly clothed in a wraparound dress.

She elegantly folded herself into her seat at the table. She lifted her cup high that had been placed by Laticia earlier. Laticia immediately stepped forward to pour the hot steaming coffee into it. Stopping just before the coffee spilled over the rim, Laticia backed away from the table, returning to the kitchen area.

"Ah." Her mother sighed as her hands became busy putting delicate teaspoons of sugar into her cup. "Chelsey, you must not be so rude to your brother. He is to be the next Alpha." She slowly stirred her cup before laying the spoon down. Her eyes were cold when they landed on Chelsey, who kept her eyes stubbornly on her plate. "Do not embarrass yourself with such behavior. You are only a Delta."

As usual, Laticia watched her sister wilt under her mother's calmly spoken words. Later, she watched again as everyone ate and talked about their day to come.

When they all left for their separate activities, she stared woodenly at the empty table.