Page 3 of Cruel Alpha Bully

The fire in front of me crackles, and a sudden rush of sparks spirals up into the sky. One of the elders throws a handful of dried herbs into it, and white smoke billows from the flickering flames. I pull the robe tighter around myself and try to focus on the ceremony. I have to harness my wolf, show that I can control it. This ritual is hundreds of years old and performed by every potential alpha.

Not all of them have made it through. Fasting, sleep deprivation, and hard physical exercise for three days straight have broken many men who wished to be alphas. Some lost the battle with their wolf and shifted during the ritual, becoming locked in their wolf form forever. Some became so exhausted, they couldn’t shift at all. Some died.

I will not fail. I can’t.

The pack needs a strong leader. It is my destiny to be alpha, to lead the pack. This ritual will show my strength as both wolf and man… and reveal my mate.

Today is the last day of the trial. The pack elders got me up at the crack of dawn and rushed me out into the middle of the forest before I was fully awake. I wasn’t allowed to eat anything before they made me run the length of the mountain and return to the sacred fire.

Running the length of the mountain almost completely did me in. Several times, I thought I’d fall and not be able to get up. I had to fight my wolf constantly as the rage and frustration grew. Even half-starved and exhausted, the wolf can run much further and faster than I can.

But that is the test. If you cannot rule the wolf, you cannot rule the pack.

I can barely remember all the details of the last few days, and I’m fairly grateful for it. I do recall on the first day, I was pretty confident. Cocky, even. The hunger didn’t really start to take hold until well into the night. My body was exhausted from physical trials designed to break me. I needed sleep, if not food.

I was ordered to sleep on the cold ground in the forest. That was when my wolf started to really howl inside me. I managed to get comfortable enough to doze, looking forward to recovering my strength in any way I could.

The elders woke me only three hours later. Under the frozen stars, I was made to recite all the old legends and repeat the alpha’s creed.

My memory begins to blur after that, but I remember I had to track and hunt in human form. Even after running down a deer, I had to kill and dress it, but was not allowed to eat it. The blood-rich scent rings in my memory, making my stomach growl loudly.

After that, a night of being hammered with questions about our pack and territory. I have to be able to answer all of them. I have to know all about the members of the pack and the land we rule.

A short sleep… then today. The mountain. Now.

I’m really drifting now. I can barely pay attention to what the elders are saying. It’s a chant, I think, not something I’m expected to follow. Besides throwing stinky herbs on the fire, they are brewing some kind of potion for me. I hope it’s laced with a painkiller or will at least knock me out for a while.

Apparently, the trial doesn’t end until the primal forces reveal my mate.

This is an age-old tradition, and it has never failed. The alpha-to-be is run through a long set of tests to prove his strength over the course of three days. Tests of physical power, heart, and courage as well as willpower and mental control to prepare me for the trance in the final ceremony.

Hours have passed—I can tell by the changing light—but I have no idea what time it is now. The potion has been brewed for me, and I drink it obediently, standing by the fire and staring at the flames.

My bride, my one true mate, is supposed to appear out of the forest. Even though I know the ritual has worked in the past, I have heavy doubts about this. We’re all naked, except for ceremonial robes, and even with the fire, it will get very uncomfortable up here after the sun sets.

The pain in my bones increases sharply as I contemplate another night without sleep or food. The potion tasted like brewed pine needles and is hitting my guts like bad moonshine. I feel dizzy and weak, almost sick. Sweat breaks out across my shoulders and dampens my temples.

Maybe I’ll at least get to lie down and sleep. Surely, my mate will still emerge from the forest, even if I’m knocked out. That might even be how it’s supposed to happen. I could dream about her, only to open my eyes and find my dream come true.

My gaze is lost deep in the fire now as I begin to separate from my body and my physical pain. I’m full of questions that, before this, I’d never thought to ask.

What will she look like? Where, exactly, does she come from? The town isn’t big—does that mean I will have seen her before, maybe even know her name? Does she come from somewhere far away?

How does she know to come here right now, at this moment?

Such a woman would have to be a dream. I’ve purposefully avoided thinking about who my mate might be because I know it isn’t my choice. I don’t want to be disappointed or end up wanting something I can’t have.

I know who I would choose, though.

My mind reels, and my heart thuds hard and fast, feeling like it’s hammering right up into my throat.

Don’t think about it. Don’t think about prom night!

With extreme effort, I drag my mind back to the present moment. The cold wind blowing from the peak feels like it’s rushing straight through my skin, freezing my bones. I’m so hungry, any thought of food makes me weak.

I have to get off this fucking mountain! How long will this take?

When I asked Carson, the elder priest, what happens if she doesn’t show up, he told me that we wait here until she does.

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