Page 2 of The Alpha Wolf's Bullied Bride

Miles chuckles. “That’s not what I’m concerned about, Lila. We both know how the others can be.”

Or how Flynn Lycoan can be,I think to myself, though I don’t say the words. Right now, I’m grateful for being wolf-less and not sharing the mind link that would allow Miles to hear my thoughts about the Alpha’s son, who happens to be his best friend; if Miles knew that I’d borne the brunt of Flynn’s cruelty for years, that probably wouldn't be the case.

I just can't imagine breaking his heart like that, not when Flynn is the closest thing to a brother he’ll ever have.

Not when Miles is stuck being the older brother of the pack’s only wolf-less, low-ranking Omega.

Me.

“I can handle them,” I boast, tilting my chin pridefully so he doesn’t catch on. “I am a big girl now. It’s time I learned how to defend myself.”

“You’re right,” Miles nods, lips curling into a proud smile. “You’ll be twenty-five soon, it’s about time you learned how to stand up for yourself.” He glances at the grandfather clock in the corner and sighs. “I should get going. The others are waiting for me.”

Plastering a huge, forced smile on my face, I see my brother out of our small cottage. Secluded in the confines of the forest, it’s the only sanctuary I have that’s far away from the rest of the pack. As I watch Miles shift into wolf form near the entrance of the clearing, I sigh with a heavy heart, staring forlornly through the wooden-framed kitchen window.

My shoulders drop with the weight of not being able to fulfill my duties in the werewolf pack I was born into. Unlike everyone else, I didn’t receive the ability to shift into wolf form on my eighteenth birthday.

It’s been seven years of pure hell for me. At every turn, I’m belittled for my fate—a fate decreed by the Moon Goddess Herself. One I’ve spent countless nights questioning, wondering why I’m different, and praying that the Moon Goddess gives me an answer. I even discovered a ritual in the Grime—a book of rituals I found in the Blood Moon’s library—that supposedly appeases the Moon Goddess enough to get a clear answer from Her.

That’s what I’d been doing on Sunday night before the pack meeting was called. It was a full moon, and the ritual called for a blood sacrifice of an animal with a silver blade. I’d found a stray hare hopping around the backyard of our cabin, dug up a hole two feet deep, then slit its throat with a blade that glistened under the full moon’s light, chanting the ancient incantation in German.

I’d followed each step meticulously, but the Moon Goddess has remained silent. Defeatedly sighing, I turn my attention to the dishes in the sink, scrubbing vigorously at each plate as tears pool in my eyes and blur my vision.

This is how I spend my days—cooking and cleaning in the quiet cabin that’s void of a mother’s love while my brother spends his time training beside the Alpha’s son without a father’s applause. Because we’ve had each other, we’ve hardly suffered the absence of our parents.

Until now, when I’m faced with the daunting reality that my brother will be gone soon. Wiping the back of my handacross my cheek where a stray tear has rolled down, I sniff and try getting it together.

It’s not like I have a choice.

“Lila!”

I’m suddenly torn from my sulking when a familiar, cheery voice bursts through my thoughts, just as my best friend bursts through the front door. With a bubbling smile and a spring in her step, Valerie rushes forward and flings her arms around my neck.

The relief that washes me over me douses my sorrow as her embrace warms me up. I’ve learned to count my blessings despite the many reasons I have to remain in a state of victimhood, and Valerie’s friendship is one of the things I’m most grateful for, the reason for the smile that tugs my lips right now, even if I can’t hug her back with my soapy hands.

“You have no idea how glad I am to see you, Val,” I sigh as I pull back and grab a towel to dry my hands.

Valerie’s eyes light up. “I know Miles is leaving tomorrow, and I sensed that you needed to be comforted.”

“Sensed?” I scoff, rolling my eyes. “It’s not like that’s possible.” Of course she wouldn’t “sense” my feelings—not when I’m without a wolf.

“Oh, Lila…” Valerie whispers apologetically, her eyes saddening as she places a hand on my shoulder. “I didn’t mean it like that. You’re my best friend.”

“I know,” I sigh. “I’m just feeling a lil’ sensitive, that’s all.”

“Understandably so,” she concedes. “Have you heard anything from the Moon Goddess yet?”

I can’t help but laugh at how absurd her question is. “You make it sound as if She’s a phone call away,” I snort, flinging the towel on the counter as I reach for a clean glass. “Perhaps the Moon Goddess has completely abandoned me. I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Don’t give up hope, Lila. Maybe you’ve just gotta try harder,” Valerie offers with hope laced on her tongue.

I’ve heard that hopeful tone before—for seven years, to be precise. All I can do is sigh wistfully, knowing that there’s no light at the end of this dark tunnel of my fate.

I am a wolf-less werewolf, born to the Hargis family of werewolves in the Blood Moon Pack of Zafra. I am the black sheep of my family, and it’s not just the sheep’s clothing I wear. Beneath the ample layers of vulnerable flesh and cellulite, I’m not hiding a wolf.

I’m as weak and worthless as any ordinary human.

“Try harder?” I lament, taking a sip of earthly spring water that flows through our taps. “It wasn’t so hard for everyone else to receive their wolves. You, Miles…everyone in the pack connected with their inner wolves on their eighteenth birthdays. I’ve surpassed the timeframe of hanging on to hope. I don’t see why I need to try harder.”

---