Page 7 of Bullied By the Alpha Wolf

“On your feet,” another wolf ordered.

I pushed up clumsily, my ankle throbbing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know this was your territory. Please, I’m just trying to get away from—”

The warmth of a deep breath skidded across my skin. The other man had gotten right up to me in a blink, and I knew he was scenting me.

“You’re coming from the Williams pack. I can smell it. Well, we have lots of questions for one of Eli’s trespassers. Trust me.”

“No! I swear. I’m not looking to—”

A hand clamped down around my mouth, and my heart rate kicked up all the higher. “You’re coming with us, Williams. Doesn’t matter what you were doing.”

I fought against his hold, but there was nothing that a human could do against a determined wolf. Sweat made my hands slick, and the cuts along my extremities oozed as I tried to break free, my subconscious not caring that it was futile.

“Mmm!”

Yelling against the mitt on my mouth wasn’t doing me any good, but the need to fight, to flee, was too hard to bite down. This couldn’t possibly be happening. I’d just run away from the Williams pack, who wanted me dead because of some fucking drugs, and now I was being captured by some random wolves in the forest because I was just a dumb human who’d wandered into the wrong place.

Again.

Dammit! God fucking dammit!

“Quit thrashing, human.” The arms around me squeezed down—hard. “You’ll be taken to the Alpha. He’ll know what to do with you.”

The pressure ached where the wolf held me tight, and I could feel the bruises forming. It was as bad as being clamped down into an iron cage. And then it got worse; the hold tightened around my middle, smothering my diaphragm.

Stars bloomed behind my eyes, and I knew I was going to pass out soon. No, no, no. This was bad. Do something, Kit!

But there was nothing. Just the emptiness of forced slumber crawling up out of the depths to claim me.

Chapter 3 - Kaiden

I hurried with Lupe to the door, assuring the pack that everyone was accounted for and they could be dismissed to find their meals. Sunny and River could tell something was up, but they nodded respectfully, and Sunny put a hand on my arm as she passed, smiling.

“If you need anything, Alpha, please let me know.”

The pack was so much smaller than it had been under Terrance. Many of the wolves who enjoyed his way of doing things had fled into the woods when I’d killed him, roaming without territories or alphas now. Mutts.

But having Sunny here was worth triple any of those traitors, and I was endlessly glad for her support.

Smiling gently back at her and sending through a wave of appreciation, I nodded. “I will. Thank you.”

When the vestibule was clear, I turned to the front door again. That scent still lingered in the air, and I recognized it even after all these years. My heart hammered against my ribs, the feeling of acid slithering through my veins making my skin itch, my eye twitch.

I didn’t know what to do with this pent-up energy, and my wolf stalked inside me invisibly, wanting to leap free and chase down the source of that scent. My mind circled back to the day my wolf had appeared. The morning of my first shift had come with so much pain and exhilaration and…clarity.

Years of confusing emotions solidified into place, and I realized—not without a heaping dose of regret—why a particular person had infiltrated my thoughts so completely.

“Alpha, we’ve captured one of Eli’s as she was fleeing Williams land. We brought her to you straight away.”

Lupe’s voice was even, but I could sense the excitement bubbling within him. He’d done well for the pack, giving us a lead to work off of. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t know whom he’d brought home.

Frozen in place, I just stood there and watched as Lupe went to the door and pulled it open. Gunner stood outside with a tiny woman held in his grip, and he stepped forward. As they crossed the threshold, that scent swirled higher, and I stiffened.

Wolves had twin scents, two fragrances that mingled together to create something unique. Jet had been pine and leather. MacKenzie was ocean and old paper. I’d been told I smelled like dew and fallen leaves.

Humans did not have two scents.

With just one, I could pinpoint it in an instant, and this human really shouldn’t have smelled so good. It went against everything we’d been taught. However, I realized as I got older that much of our discrimination and regulations about interacting with humans were just based on fear.

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