Page 7 of Cruel Alpha Bully

Carson turns to me, beaming a wide smile that is echoed on my parents’ faces. They look so happy, I don’t dare protest.

My mother hurries over and hugs me. “Welcome home, my darling,” she says gently.

I wrap my arms around her and lean into the hug. “How have you been?” I ask softly.

Mom pulls back a bit, and even though there are tears in her eyes, she is still smiling. “She was ready to go. It was peaceful. We will all miss her, but now we have some very happy and unexpected news to celebrate.”

Oh no.

“You’re going to be with Bae,” my mother says. “I’m so excited for you!”

“I don’t know about this,” my brother Jack says, coming over to hug me as well. “Like, you just got here, and now you’re taking off again?”

“She doesn’t have a choice,” Carson says a little sharply.

“Come on, it’s okay,” Bailey says with a little laugh. “I’ll take care of her, you know that.”

Jack gives him a look. They are best friends, but Jack also knows exactly how I feel about what happened. He has a right to his doubts.

“Let’s head into the kitchen,” Carson says in a reasonable tone, “and have a talk about the specifics.”

“Of course!” Mom says with a great flourish. “I made orange poppyseed cake. Let’s all go and sit down and have something to eat.”

“While we plan the wedding,” Carson adds.

Every shock I felt over the course of the day has no comparison to the one that burns through me at those words. I don’t want to look at Bae, but I can’t look anywhere else. His beautiful golden eyes glow, and his gorgeous lips lift in an almost predatory smile.

My nerves begin to dissipate immediately as arousal throbs through me. I want to protest; I want to run straight back out the door and not stop until I get back to my comfy little apartment in Denver.

But I can’t. I know I can’t. Being separated from Bae would be like losing a limb. As painful as having my heart torn out while it was still beating.

Isn’t that exactly what he did to me, the last time we were standing in front of each other like this?

I could have stayed frozen in place all night if my mother hadn’t wrapped her arms around me, hurrying me towards the kitchen. Father and Carson walk ahead of us, talking loudly about how wonderful this is for the pack. Bailey and Jack fall in behind, as if they are herding me straight into my destiny.

A destiny I can’t escape.

For the rest of the evening, my family plan my wedding without me saying a single word. I can’t speak. I can’t even look at Bae. This could be the worst night of my life.

Or the best.

I just can’t decide.

Chapter 4 - Bailey

The sounds of the forest are crystal-clear to me as I stare at myself in the mirror. My eyes seem to be reflecting the light, giving me a cold, severe look. I know I should be happy, smiling like a fool on this exciting day. Instead, I look like a miserable bastard.

And why not? It’s not like my bride is happy to be here, so why should I be?

The wedding approached incredibly fast. The pack wanted us married as quickly as possible. Gina stayed with her parents over the last few days while I got my house ready for her to move in. It’s not a fancy event by any means. The ceremony is being set up in a huge barn not far from one of our forest cabins.

That’s why I can hear the animals outside so clearly. Well, that, and my nerves. The sounds of the wilderness should calm me, but instead, they only fuel my rising anxiety.

As if I am the one who wants to escape.

But I don’t. Maybe I want to escape this moment, where I feel trapped and almost panicked, but I don’t want to escape this wedding.

Not like Gina does.

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