Page 31 of Cruel Alpha Bully

I reach into the truck for my pack. I’m carrying my own stuff as well as some supplies, while Bae takes the tent and heavy stuff like blankets and cooking gear.

The silence between us feels as tight as a guitar string. Bae watches me adjust my boots and sling my pack across my shoulders as if he’s wondering if I heard him or not.

I turn towards the trail and look up at the mountains. I hear Bailey lock the car behind me and the soft crunch of his boots on the dirt as he walks up to me.

“Ready?” he asks.

I nod, not looking at him as I set off up the trail. I can’t believe this is happening—it was bad enough being stuck in the house with him. Now I’m going to be isolated, out in the wilderness, with absolutely no escape.

At least I could get away from him for a short while when I went to work.

Thinking back, though, being at work did very little to help me escape. All I did was watch him through the front windows, and it didn’t stop him from barging in on me whenever he felt like it.

The trail gets steep very quickly, and I have to put effort into every step. I lean into the incline, taking long, firm strides and feeling the muscles working in my legs and back. As we reach a level platform on a curve of the track, I move over to the side and stop, swinging my pack to the ground as I catch my breath.

Bae searches through his pack and pulls out some cookies and a water bottle, handing them to me. I chew through the cookies slowly, soaking in the incredible views around us. We haven’t come too far up, but the mountains are already rising around us in jagged, snow-dusted peaks. The thick, tall evergreens rustle in the light breeze, and the scent of pine and cedar graces the sweet, pure air.

Deep in the forest, I can hear—and smell—lots of small animals going about their daily routines. The forest is alive, full of wonders to explore.

A sound above us makes Bailey jump. A few rocks come tumbling down the trail, and then I hear people talking.

Bailey takes off his pack and goes to stand at the edge of the track, putting himself between me and the other hikers. He looks calm, but I notice him closing his fists just slightly. If he were in wolf form, he’d definitely be raising his hackles.

Three men appear around the bend a bit higher up than us. They are laughing and joking, shoving each other as they talk. Bae doesn’t move, but he tenses up all over.

“Hey, dude!” one of the guys says to Bae. “You heading up? You guys must be crazy.”

“Yes,” Bailey says softly. “We’re traveling up the mountain. Why would we be crazy, though?”

“Because it’s icy up there, man,” the guy replies. “You’ll be a popsicle.”

“We’re fine,” Bae answers.

The three guys mill around for a second, all of them looking at Bailey, then at me. They look younger than us, but they also look like experienced hikers.

“No place for a lady,” one of the others says, giving Bae a hard look. My husband clenches his fists, and a muscle jumps in his cheek.

“We’re really fine!” I say, getting up and pushing past Bae to stand in front of him. “Don’t worry about us, we’re used to the mountains.”

The guys shrug and start off down the trail. One of them looks back at me, and I hear Bae growl low in his throat.

“Will you calm down!” I turn to him, looking up into his eyes. “They are just kids hiking. They aren’t here to steal your territory—they’re just humans.”

“They looked at you,” the words come out softly as he grinds his teeth together.

“So, you’re going to run around our entire lives, beating the shit out of anyone who looks at me?”

For a moment, Bae looks like he’s about to agree. His body is still tense, his eyes fixed on the point down the trail where the guys disappeared. Finally, he looks at me, and some of the tension seems to leave him.

“I have to make sure you’re safe,” he says, shaking his head a little.

I’m trying to stay mad, but I can’t stop the arousal rising in me at the sight of him so worked up.

The sun sinking towards the horizon grazes the peaks with slanted, golden light. It dances across Bae’s hair and lights up his amber eyes. Intensity seems to crackle around him, a sense of power and strength that draws me like a magnet.

Suddenly, I realize he’s staring at me, really looking at me and starting to smile. I smile back for a moment before grabbing my pack.

“Let’s get going,” I say. “We should get a bit higher before dark.”

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