Ashley a beast within

***

"Did you go with the hunters again, Lexi?" She heard their mother ask her half-sister, Lexi Lane, the very moment she entered their small bungalow house.

From the sink where she was washing the plates, she took a swift glance at what was happening in their living room from a small opening in the furniture were their books where placed. She saw how Lexi rolled her eyes before she looked at their mother and pasted her faked smile – covering her irritation towards their mother's possible interrogation. Well, it was more of a litany, perhaps.

Shea mentally heaved a deep sigh as she continued washing the plates instead. It wasn't new to her anyway. Her half-sister was truly stubborn, and she always did what she wanted to do. She couldn't blame her, though. She was a seventeen-year-old lady with a tough, strong, and independent personality.

She couldn't stay here at the house – and do nothing but household chores and farming – like her. She bit her lower lip as she felt jealousy creeping inside her. She didn't want to feel that way – that she instantly extinguished it away.

Besides, maybe Lexi was just trying to find her mate, too. Unlike her, she couldn't do what she was doing – lurking in the woods, being with a lot of male wolves, and socializing with them.

Shea swallowed the bitterness that was trying to resurface inside her. Well, she was happy that she could be of help with her mother in the house.

"Mother, we didn't even go another mile away. So, spare me with all of those sermons now, please. I am so exhausted." Lexi tried to act as if she was pleading for their mother to leave her alone.

Sandra, their mother, let out a deep sigh and squinted her eyes at Lexi. It seemed like she wouldn't let her off the hook just like that. Well, Sandra might have already reached her limit. Lexi was becoming more and more liberated at that.

"Stop going out with them! They are all bad influences!" Sandra annoyedly reminded her again.

However, this time, Lexi felt so rebellious that she angrily stood up and faced their mother's irritated face.

Sandra was taken aback because of that.

"At least, they are teaching me how to become stronger, Mother." She sardonically stated.

Before she crossed her arms – and smirked evilly.

"Unlike someone I know, who is trying to be strong, she is the weakest among all of our pack." She continued mockingly.

Shea bit her lower lip. She knew that Lexi was talking about her – teasing her – once again.

"I can't believe that after all this time, she just couldn't make her inner wolf strong. She can't even shift in a snap nor remain in her wolf form for five minutes." She sarcastically added – as she wickedly looked at her with a vicious smile pasted on her face.

She let out a deep sigh. She was so aware of the fact that she was really a weak wolf – the weakest to be exact. But she was trying her best to shift and remain in her wolf form.

However, she just couldn't do it.

And she was totally embarrassed because of the fact. Not to mention that everyone in their pack were truly belittling her already.

And now, Lexi... again. She was constantly telling her those things – but it was as if it was her first time again. I just couldn't ignore her nasty remarks.

"Lexi!" Sandra instantly called her, but Lexi just stood up and proceeded to her room without even saying anything.

She even rolled her eyes at me – as she stomped her feet, making Sandra know that she was also as annoyed as her.

Sandra let out a loud breath as she frustratedly held her head – couldn't find any other possible way to straighten out Lexi's hard-headed attitude.

Shea felt like she had been part of her mother's problems once again. She knew somehow that Lexi had been holding grudges against her – which she didn't know for what reason. She always did that to her – pointing out her mistakes, her weaknesses, and always finding a way to humiliate her.

"Leandro, Lexi went out with the hunters again." Sandra told her husband about Lexi's escapades a while ago – the very moment he entered their small house.

But like any other time, Leandro just gave her a proud smile. He wasn't even bothered at that. Instead, he was supporting Lexi for being out there in the woods – hunting and socializing with the other male werewolves.

"Great. What did she catch this time?" He smilingly inquired – as if it wasn't that dangerous to be out of the pack's territory.

Her mother's face grimaced just by hearing about what he said.

"Leandro, Lexi is a woman! And those friends of hers are bad influences! Have you seen who she is with? She's with the son of our Alpha! I already told her that they were doing things that they were not supposed to do! The other packs are already too mad at us." Sandra angrily explained.

But Leandro groaned at his wife's litanies.

His face darkened – as his nose crinkled while he looked at her.

"Stop this nonsense, Sandra! I trust Lexi and I know that she knows what she is doing." He snapped at her – with his eyes squinted into thin slits.