Page 5 of The Alpha Wolf's Bullied Bride

The others can laugh and dig at me all they want; it’s not like I haven’t heard it all before. “Baby elephant” is the least brutal of their taunts, while his adding fuel to the fire is worse than I thought it would be.

My heart races at the speed of light as I frown at Flynn in particular. The tips of my fingers tingle with a sudden urge to reach out and question why he’s making fun of me.

I know why, but my heart feels restless. Unexplainably so. I know I shouldn’t have spoken that word out loud when I’ll never be fit for the Alpha’s son. I shouldn’t be feeling drawn toward him, like a magnetic pull is compelling me to take a treacherous step forward that threatens my steadiness.

I purse my lips, unable to say another word that might get me into more trouble, and not brave enough to stand against the future leader of the Blood Moon Pack. The consequences of speaking against the Alpha’s son might be as terrible as getting cursed by the pack’s leader.

Cynthia steps forward, towering over me like a hot flame licking at my already dampened spirits. “You might be in love with Flynn, baby elephant. But everyone knows that I’ll be the next Luna of Blood Moon. Don’t you forget that,” Cynthia grates out as she stabs a finger in the center of my chest.

I gulp hard, flicking my eyes over at Flynn in a last-ditch attempt to validate what I thought I felt for him, what I thought I sensed. Instead, he comes over and places his arm over Cynthia’s shoulder.

I shouldn’t be feeling this way, jealousy coursing through my veins as Flynn gazes at her, sending acrid bile rising in my throat.

“When I return from special ops training,” he begins telling Cynthia before turning his disdainful eyes back on me, “no one will ever be mistaken again.” He plants a kiss on the top of her head, his eyes never leaving mine. “When I become Alpha, I will make you my mate and Luna of this pack.”

The ringing in my ears becomes painful, slicing through my eardrums just as my heart feels as if it’s being squeezed in my chest—squeezed so tightly, then released to beat unsteadily as if it’s about to thud right out of my chest. The pull forward is strong, and it makes no sense that I feel this way.

I shouldn’t feel anything for Flynn Lycoan, not when he’s out here belittling me. I shouldn’t feel anything for the Alpha’s son when I know that I’m just a lowly Omega without a wolf.

I’ve never felt this way before, a deep, inner compulsion blurring my vision and setting my pulse alight. The words I feel compelled to say in my defense dangle on the tip of my tongue, against my better judgment, but still present enough to have me questioning my sanity.

I open my mouth, a tiny squeak leaving my lips as I bite back the intense urge to tell him how I really feel. I've had enough mockery for one day, and I just want to hide and never see the light of day again.

It’s the tiny squeak that has them laughing at me again, Flynn scoffing as he glares at me.

“Whatever you think you feel,Omega,”he spits as if my rank is poisonous on his tongue, “I will have you know that you’re delusional. You’re nothing to me, and you never will be.”Flynn lifts a finger and points it in my face. “Just to be clear, I, Flynn Lycoan, reject you, Lila Hargis, as anything to me.”

Those words cut deeper than anything I’ve ever heard; not just to my ears, but the pain slices through my chest as if Flynn Lycoan just stabbed me through the heart.

The weight of his clear rejection momentarily freezes me in place, the rest of the group joining in to mock me about my thoughtless confession.

“Who does she think she is?”

“Has she taken a look in the mirror lately?”

“An Omega claiming to be the future Alpha’s mate? What a joke?”

This time, the ringing in my ears is all their mockery, the jabs they make now that they have more reason to make fun of me. I see Flynn for what he truly is, the trance finally wearing off so that I can see clearly.

I can’t take it anymore. I just made the biggest fool of myself while Flynn Lycoan, my brother’s best friend and future Alpha of Blood Moon, glares at me contemptuously, his lips quivering with disgust.

Not only am I the pack’s overweight, wolf-less Omega, but I have just been publicly rejected by the pack's future alpha.

My life is doomed, and all I can do is run away in a fit of tears while the taunts of the pack follow me into my cabin, even after I’ve thrown myself on my bed to sob into my pillow.

Chapter 1 - Lila

Propping the basket on my hip, I take a moment to soak in the sweet, soft rays of the sun as I allow my eyelids to drift closed. My lips are naturally curving into a smile of appreciation when the warmth kissing my cheeks is suddenly gone.

My brows furrow as I’m forced to open my eyes abruptly. The peaceful moment is lost when I find myself faced by Cynthia and her friend, Gloria.

“I love what you did with your hair,” Cynthia praises with a smile as she reaches out and strokes the back of her hand along the shorter locks of my blonde hair.

A shiver courses down my spine then, only because I’d forgotten that Cynthia could be nice when she wanted to. Even though I haven’t been able to experience her kindness in almost ten years, I can’t help but hang on to the belief that change is possible.

“Th-thanks,” I murmur under my breath, still slightly wary of her as she retracts her hand.

“Pleasure,” she smiles, exchanging a glance with Gloria before turning back to me. “Are you on kitchen duty today?”

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