Page 13 of Alpha Bully

Harper has stopped and looks at me almost expectantly. “Yes, of course. This is Harper.” I reach for Harper’s hand, and she comes running back over. “Harper, this is Sara. We went to school together.”

She looks shy for a moment and ducks behind me slightly, whispering, “She your fwend?”

Sara bends down and peers around at Harper. “Yes, I’m Mom’s friend. Shall we stop and have your treat now?”

Part of me wants to tell Sara it’s not necessary and she should just leave. We were friends early in high school, but as the bullying got worse, she wasn’t always there for me. I think it must have been hard for her to risk her position in the pack, too. But she always tried to make sure I had a friendly face to turn to, just like she’s doing now. Realizing that I want Harper to see something positive today, I nod and smile, making Harper sit down before I tear off some of the bun. She devours it instantly, making Sara and I laugh. She doesn’t ask where I’ve been or about Harper’s father. We simply sit and chat; she tells me all the local gossip. I find myself wanting to ask about Charlie, but I just can’t bring myself to find the words. Just the thought of him makes me feel so sad.

As Harper finishes the last of the bun, we stand to say goodbye, and I feel lighter than I have in a while. “Thank you, Sara, I really appreciate what you did back there.”

She bats her hand as if to dismiss it. “I did nothing. I wanted to see you, and they were just in my way.” She laughs. “Can I come see you at the house? And Harper? She’s just so lovely.”

I beam with pride because I know she is. Harper is the shining light in my dark world, and she’s only shining brighter here, however hard that might be for me. I feel wary, reluctant to let anyone in, but Sara looks so hopeful that I find myself nodding. “Sure, yes. As long as it’s ok with Callum.”

She grins and steps forward, wrapping me in a hug. I freeze for a moment, shocked by the contact. Apart from Callum’s kiss, no one apart from Harper has touched me with any kindness in years. The well of emotion causes tears to prick at my eyes, and I have to blink them away before she notices.

As we say goodbye and head back toward Callum’s house, I turn back and wave once more to Sara. Part of me doesn’t want to open myself up to the old memories by reconnecting with anyone else here, and Sara feels too close to Charlie for comfort, but I can’t deny she’s always been kind to me. Seeing how much Harper responded to her was lovely too, and she deserves the best I can give her. We still need to move on if we’re going to have the better life I’ve promised her, but for now, perhaps showing Harper that people can be nice is the best thing for her. For both of us.

Chapter 8 - Callum

While I would rather the pack not suffer continuous problems due to the rogues, I am enjoying the increased patrols. Part of being alpha that I didn’t expect was how much time I’d sit behind a desk making financial decisions, solving problems, and dealing with pack disagreements. The chance to be out and let my wolf run free isn’t something I’m going to pass up. Even the fights are worth it, as I relish the opportunity to flex my alpha powers.

Ralph ruled this island with an iron fist, along with his family. And I guess that included the rogues, too. They were always the scavengers living on the edges of our society, feeding off the scraps. Ignored at best, persecuted at worst, I guess. I never thought too much about them until Ralph’s death, and the attacks started in earnest.

They must have sensed their chance in the ensuing transition period—a land grab of sorts. That’s certainly been the result, anyway, as several landowners have abandoned properties nearer the borders, tired of the attacks and having to defend themselves constantly. Smaller cabins are being inhabited by rogues claiming they have a right to abandoned property. They’re becoming emboldened, and so far, our attempts to crush them are having only limited success. We need to go further.

That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the fight right now, though.

The last of these rogue wolves has been rounded up, and Byron leads the group, taking them down the mountain to be held until expulsion. I wipe the blood from my hands on my leg, enjoying the buzz of adrenaline in my muscles that lasts long after the fight has ended. This particular group of rogues had been targeting a small outer settlement on the northern ridge, great families that had been there for years. Unfortunately, some of the younger wolves are away at college on the mainland, leaving the older folks more vulnerable to theft. Getting rid of these vermin tonight feels good. As alpha, all I want is for my pack to thrive and feel safe; getting these rogue attackers under control is essential to keeping that a reality.

I fall into line with my betas walking down the trail toward town; the mood is upbeat, except perhaps for the miserable and beaten group of rogues at the front. I turn to see Charlie fall into step with me, and I tense slightly, knowing full well what he’s going to say.

“Ava said any more about where she’s been?” he mutters, almost reluctantly, but I know the situation is eating at him. “Whose the kid is?”

I eye him deliberately, finding I don’t like him referring to Harper as justthe kid. “She has a name, you know, your niece. Harper. Sweet thing.”

Charlie runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah, Sara ran into them and said the same. I just don’t know how to handle all this. You know I wasn’t close to Ava.”

I can feel my rage burning close beneath the surface, but I also know he’s asking his alpha for advice, so I try to temper my own feelings as I reply evenly, “That’s not true though, is it? You two were super close as kids; you just made the decision to choose the pack over your parents; no one ever said anything about you ditching Ava.” I feel him bristle at my words but continue. “No reason you can’t make amends now.”

“So this is all my fault, huh?” he snaps.

I want to tell him yes. Actually, it is all your fault. She ran that day because she had no one—afterIrejected her, she had no one. “Do you remember what you said when folk started asking where Ava was?” I reply coldly. “You said she’d decided to leave and didn’t want to be followed. Was that true?”

I already know it’s not true. Ava told me she didn’t speak to Charlie. It pissed me off that he lied then, it’s going to royally piss me off if he lies to my face now, but I’m giving him a chance.

To his credit, he doesn’t miss a beat. “I, uh, lied,” he says, looking down at the trail. “I know it was stupid, but I honestly figured she’d just had enough, and I didn’t want the whole pack talking about her or my folks.”

“So you just abandoned her?” I snarl. “And look what happened to her.”

“Look.” Charlie says, stopping me in my tracks, “I don’t know what caused her to run off; it had nothing to do with me, so someone else did something. I should have done something, but everything was going so well, and folks seemed happy that she was gone. I didn’t want to rock the boat. My own position wasn’t as secure then. I’m a selfish fuck.”

I can hear my own blood rushing in my ears, knowing I’m the reason she ran. I want to punch Charlie in the face, but I know it’s because I’m the bastard that set all this in motion; he doesn’t even know I was fucking his sister. I’m angry at him because I’m angry at myself. But I’m not about to tell him that.

“Sort it out, Charlie. Make things right with Ava,” I say firmly. “The last thing this pack needs is division. It’s time that they see you making things right; they’ll follow suit, and we’ll have more time to focus on keeping everyone safe.”

He stares for a moment and then nods. “Might help if she was a little more forthcoming with where she’s been. With the rogues? That’s really what’s bothering people,” he suggests. “She might be able to help. Sure she hasn’t said anything?”

I glare in response. “I’m sure I would have told my betas had she provided any useful information on that front.”

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