Page 4 of Bullied By the Alpha Wolf

Humans…

The image of warm chestnut curls and deep sapphire eyes bloomed behind my eyes as I shut them. I could see the easy smile and constellations of freckles like they were right in front of my face, the smooth skin and voluptuous curves that followed them.

My gut clamped down, and I remembered the time I’d been so close to those curves, to the shimmering blue eyes that shut for me.

“Goddamn it.”

At once, I had to stand up and pace around. I had been such a royal ass before I got the sense knocked into me, and torturing the one human that I’d ever known to live with wolves was the worst of my previous self’s transgressions.

Regret snaked through my insides like a poison, seeking out every nook and cranny. She’d never deserved what I’d done to her, the awful things that I’d said, and to this day, there wasn’t a moment that went by that I didn’t wish I could take it back.

My V?lva grandmother had once warned me that my actions would drive away my future before she passed. She’d been less than clear, considering all these magical, no-wolf shifters’ visions appeared to be more cryptic than not. But something had vibrated through my bones with her words.

She’d also never been wrong. My grandmother knew my parents would die, scribbling it down because she was too afraid to say anything, and she knew she would die shortly before. So I really should have listened to her more carefully.

Now, I was left with those words ringing in my head, a nagging suspicion in my blood that I knew what she was talking about after all these years but didn’t want to face it.

“You’ll drive away your fate until you learn to accept that you’re not different from anyone. Pride and fear will drown you. Only if you can set hate aside will you, at last, be gifted with a fox.”

I rolled my eyes at her. Grandma was always speaking about weird stuff like that. My parents had said “in tongues” once, but that didn’t make sense. We all spoke with tongues.

“Okay, Gran. I’ll remember. But I think you got something messed up. We’re not foxes. We’re wolves.”

“Oh, you’re a wolf all right, trouble-maker. Go fetch Kenzie. I need help with the herbs.”

I ran off, searching for my sister in the tall grasses that nearly went over my head.

Reality crystallized around me as I stared down at the floor. Fox still wasn’t much to go off of.

“Damn, I’d kill to see you again, Gran. To see all of you.”

The room stretched into quiet again, and I knew that it was going to be getting near check-in any minute. Usually, I wouldn’t have upheld any of Terrance’s rulings. Still, the nightly check-in to assess the pack’s numbers and look for missing members appeared to be necessary for now. There were too many sick and dead wolves cropping up because of that damn drug.

I needed my new pack safe, and I couldn’t trust our pack bond as much as a fully established alpha. We were still learning to trust each other, and while it was there, it needed strengthening.

My steps made the old floorboards creak, and I stepped under the low door frame into the hall that led to the front room. We’d changed a lot since I’d arrived, and this central area was probably the most significant difference in the entire house.

Cleaner and brighter, the dark paint and covered windows had been replaced by light wood paneling and curtains that provided privacy but could be moved to let in the sunlight. It was free of all the previous taxidermy and questionable furniture choices, too.

There had been far too many items that had been gnawed on, and I was so fucking sure that it had not been previously chewed by a dog or something. Nope, all the damage was because Terrance let the wolves run amuck in this compound with no care or respect for their home.

It had been dirty and disorganized. Hell, a warzone had felt more welcoming. And, of course, I knew that in my heyday as a terrible menace, my room had been in a similar state of disrepair.

God, why am I suddenly thinking about the past so much? Ugh, damn transitions. What am I, a five-year-old?

Most of the pack was already in the main area, which was a bit of a surprise. Still, much more so was how the members awaiting me seemed…glad for my arrival. I could sense the wave of relief as I stepped into the room, the pack bond sending me messages of gentle relief that their alpha was there for them.

“Hello everyone.” I turned to Sunny, who was acting as my MacKenzie since I had none here. “Is Lupe back from scouting?”

“Not yet, Kaiden. He should be coming soon, though. He texted that he was on his way back.”

I nodded, subtle relief of my own coating my nerves. Of all the bullshit humans were responsible for, technology was one that I appreciated. Providing cells for everyone and ensuring we could get in touch with each other had been a considerable benefit. Oh, and the look on everyone’s faces when they were given something of their very own was priceless.

“Excellent. Well, I’ll start the check-ins officially when Lupe gets here, but I see you all here now, so you’re accounted for.”

The room returned to a gentle hum of conversation, and I watched as Sunny returned to her mate, River. He’d been a close choice for beta, but I honestly didn’t want him pulling his focus from his mate. It seemed I’d become a bit of a softy since seeing Jet with his own.

Just as I was getting worried, the door in the foyer creaked loudly, and I scented Lupe coming in from the wet autumn air. His booming steps brought him to this smaller room off the central entrance, and he bowed his head as he stepped before me.

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