Page 1 of Cruel Alpha Beast
Prologue - Lacey
The water is cold and refreshing on my feet, perfect on a hot summer day. I stare at the expansive lake ahead of me and consider dipping more than just my toes within its depths.
I look down at my thighs, both thicker than most in all three of the packs that share this valley. I’m uncomfortable about stripping my cutoff jean shorts and old T-shirt before jumping in. I don’t want to give anyone more of an excuse to laugh at me, so I guess I’ll just stay here at the end of this long, wooden dock.
Before too long, I hear the thundering of paws behind me, coming closer with every breath. I turn over my shoulder and find four wolves barreling down the green lawn until they land on the dock. As their forms get closer, I realize just how much I recognize them. One has fur that matches my long, black hair. Another wears a chestnut coat. Then, there was a copper wolf and one with dark yellow fur.
I lean away as the wolves finally approach me. The chestnut wolf is the first to leap from the edge of the dock, vaulting into the air. In a matter of seconds, his fur turns to perfectly tanned skin. He curls his body into a ball and flips through the air, followed swiftly by the three others. They yip loudly, voices echoing off the surrounding trees until their bodies plunge into the lake.
My brother Greg is the last to break the surface. Two years older than me, I’ve always looked up to him. Though at certain points in my life, that admiration has turned into resentment.
He excelled in school without studying, while I spent night after night copying my notes until things stuck.
He was asked to prom so many times that he had to turn people down, while I leaned against the gymnasium walls, hoping maybe Sawyer would finally notice me.
He paraded around the house in his sleek wolf form, while I couldn’t shift to save my life.
Feeling this way about Greg made me feel icky inside, especially since he was the only shifter in the valley who treated me with any semblance of respect. Yes, he was my brother, but it was getting harder every day to compare myself to him.
I’m about to look away from the rippling water when a head pops out from the surface. Sawyer tosses his wet chestnut brown hair back, revealing a face molded by the gods. His lips curve into a smile, which glows under the sun’s powerful rays.
My breath catches in my throat. What I would give to have Sawyer smile at me like that someday. He’s been my brother’s best friend since I can remember, but I’m hardly a blip on his radar. Most days, he doesn’t even acknowledge my existence; when he does, he’s far from kind.
Being the lone woman unable to shift in this valley, I’m used to the looks of judgment. I’m used to the confusion and trepidation. And I’m very used to the scorn and derision.
Greg has often stood up for me, but he can’t always be where I am, and I certainly don’t want to cramp his style. I mean, his best friend is Sawyer, who was first in line to be the alpha of our small town. His other closest friends, Ellis and Jasper, will one day lead the neighboring towns in Roseville, too. My brother is thick as thieves with his friends, but I wonder how he would feel if he knew how awful they were when he wasn’t paying attention to me.
Sawyer is the worst of the three. He knows exactly how to hit me where it hurts. He once whispered in my ear that I was anembarrassment to our pack, that when his father stepped down as alpha, he would exile me, even though there were several non-shifters living peacefully in the valley.
Still, I can’t help feeling that no matter what he thinks of me, at least he isthinking of me.
As the four young men in the water laugh and splash each other, I notice that Sawyer is staring at me in that way—the one that makes me feel like maybe I’m not crazy for thinking there could be a chance.
I’ve caught him staring at me like this many times before. Long, lingering gazes when he thinks no one is watching. His hazel eyes fix on me, tracing my curves from top to bottom. He licks his lips like he’s hungry, like tasting me is the only thing that will satisfy.
He could have his pick of any girl in the valley, but I’ve never seen him stare at the others the way he stares at me.
“Lacey!” Greg calls out to me. “Why don’t you join us?”
My lips part as I consider his offer. I could go back to our house and change into a proper bathing suit. Or I could just stay here, knowing my place.
“Oh, come on,” Sawyer protests. “You really want your sister to tag along? What are we, eight years old again?”
My heart sinks into my chest. I look down at my knees, chewing on my bottom lip.
“It’s a million degrees out here,” Greg retorts. “Why can’t she swim with us?”
“Because we’re hanging out.”
“Still not seeing a reason why she can’t hang out, too.”
Before Sawyer can figure out how to insult me without arousing my brother’s anger, I pull my feet from the water and clumsily stand up. “It’s fine. I was just going inside, anyway.”
“No, stay,” Greg calls after me.
“Have fun with your friends,” I tell him, waving a hand as I slip my feet back into my sandals.
I catch Sawyer casting me another lingering look before I turn on my heel, but it does nothing to quell the disappointment spreading throughout my body. No matter how much Sawyer might want me near, he’ll never admit it.
