Page 18 of Alpha Bully

But what is the alternative? If Callum finds out the truth, he might want Harper to stay with him—especially now he knows she has the magic. But what about me? Do I stay and live somewhere where I’ll never be accepted? Would he want me to leave Harper with him? I can’t see him acknowledging a relationship with me in front of the whole pack…would he deny Harper was his and hurt us both anyway?

The thoughts continue to spiral in my mind as I pull my own coat on, Harper dancing excitedly around my feet. I try to ground myself in her simple joy at a trip outside; I smile at her as she grabs my hand to pull me out of the door, wishing I could bottle some of her perfect innocence so that she may stave off the realities of this world.

Harper continues chattering away as we lock the door and walk down the steps, taking in the beautiful day. The streets are quiet, and I’m hopeful we won’t bump into too many people as the morning rush is over. She's so excited about finding the right ingredients for Callum's cake that she asks questions about what we're going to make it look like, her eyes shining with anticipation.

We enter the beautiful old general store. It's huge, and I don't know where anything is anymore, so we begin wandering the aisles in peace as Harper asks questions about what we're going to make.

A bell jingled above our heads as we stepped inside, drawing attention from an old man sitting behind the counter. He immediately looked up from his newspaper and gave us a nod, obviously recognizing who I was. However, he didn’t say anything, which I was grateful for. He just went back to his reading. Maybe this will be easier than I thought.

Harper spots the rows of ingredients and decorations, pulling me toward the baking aisle. Her small frame is surprisingly strong when she’s determined. We begin to gather the ingredients, ticking them off the list Harper is clutching. I hear the bell jingling, signaling that more people have come into the store, but when I look around, I don’t see anyone. However, I soon hear voices from the next aisle.

"...and I don't know why he's decided to take them in," one of the women says, her voice hushed but still audible.

"It doesn't make sense. She could be working with the rogues, but he’s too blind to see it. That family was never right,” another woman replies, equally hushed.

"Yes, but we all know how stubborn Callum can be. Just like Ralph. I think he’s trying to prove a point to his brothers, handle the whole thing by himself." The first woman sighs. "I just hope this doesn't blow up in our faces."

"Well, I heard it’s not his brothers’ packs that are being targeted; it’s ours. Because ofthem," the second woman offers. "I know there’s a child involved, but the whole thing is making Callum look weak. There’s a few of the men that aren’t going to stand for it."

“Are you going to the meeting? The one Jake is organizing to discuss alternatives?” one of them whispers. I don’t hear the reply, but it appears they’ve moved to the front register, as I hear the old man ringing something up for them.

My heart is suddenly heavy because I fear they’re talking about some kind of meeting that will go against Callum. I can’t believe they’d so readily turn on their alpha. Callum’s father, Ralph, ran this pack with an iron fist; no one would have dared question him. But Callum is still establishing his rule, along with the new divides between his brothers’ packs. Perhaps taking us in like this is more damaging for him than I could have imagined. Harper suddenly tugs on my sleeve and asks if we have everything yet, a small frown forming between her eyebrows when she sees my distraction.

"Everything?" I ask her softly, trying to keep my voice light. She nods emphatically, still unaware of the gossip surrounding us. I give her a reassuring smile, and when I hear the jingle of the bell, meaning the women have left, we head to the front to pay.

I cautiously lead Harper from the store, checking if any of the women may still be on the street and perhaps realize we overheard their conversation. Thankfully, the street is quiet, and we begin to walk back to Callum’s house. We cross the street, and I’m so lost in thought, replaying the women’s conversation in my head, that I don’t even notice Harper tugging on my arm.

“Mama, park!” she beams at me as she finally gets my attention. I glance over and notice the park is empty.

Seeing how enthusiastic she looks, I relent. “Five minutes, okay?”

She looks so happy as she takes off toward the small climbing frame and sand pit. At least with her occupied, I can really consider what to do about what I overheard. The idea of some kind of secret meeting to discuss alternatives to Callum's decisions about the rogues is worrying. They can't take matters into their own hands. It's not right, and it won't solve the issue. The rogues have caused problems for years and need to be dealt with properly, but I don’t want Callum to suffer for trying to help us. Deep down, I know if he was helping almost anyone other than me, the pack wouldn’t have an issue. It’s depressing to note that their animosity toward my family is as strong as ever. I wonder if Charlie ever gets grief over it or if he has sufficiently distanced himself.

I don’t dispute the fact that my parents and other distant relatives were troublemakers. Criminals, really, always fighting or stealing, certainly never conforming to pack life. But that wasn’t Charlie’s or my fault; we never followed their path. I never got into trouble at school. I worked hard—not that it mattered.

Harper calls out and waves; I fake a big smile and wave back, but inside, I crumple slightly. Looking around, the town looks so beautiful as the first fall leaves begin to appear, but I can’t fully appreciate it with the weight of all this hanging over me.

One thing I do know, though, is If I’m going to continue on with Harper to the mainland, I’ll have to decide soon. It would be better to get ourselves sorted before winter. I wish it felt simpler to leave Callum, and I curse myself for the feelings underpinning everything. I wish he hadn’t kissed me. I wish I’d pushed him away instead of sleeping with him. All I’ve done is hurt myself all over again. And the thought of never seeing him again, or Harper never seeing him again, only clouds my thoughts.

My wolf continues to linger on the edges of my consciousness, but I’ve felt her more in the last couple of days than I have in years. Perhaps being near Callum and reigniting the bond, if only from my side, is bringing her back to the forefront of my subconscious. If my wolf returns, I’ll be stronger for Harper. But who’s to say my wolf won’t vanish again if Callum rejects me once more?

I feel like burying my head in my hands, but I know I can’t. I don’t want Harper to be afraid if she sees me falling apart. I have to be strong for her—we’ve come so far. I just need to hold it together a bit longer. In the middle of giving myself a pep talk, out of the corner of my eye, I see some people cross the street seconds before Harper jumps down and runs toward the gate.

“Sara,” she calls out, waving frantically.

I feel momentarily calmer until I realize who she’s with. Charlie. I haven’t seen my brother in years, and even before I left the pack that day, I’d only seen him in passing for a couple of years before that. He did his utmost to avoid being seen with me. I can’t even bring myself to look at him, afraid of what I’ll see reflected back in his face. Disgust? Indifference? Regret? I’m not even sure which would be worse.

“Sara, Sara, look,” Harper calls out as she runs back to the sandpit to hold up some of the toys that she’s found. Sara waves and gives her a thumbs up.

“Have you ever seen anyone as happy as her?” Sara marvels, her eyes shining as she smiles at me. “You’re so lucky; she’s gorgeous. That’s Harper,” she says to Charlie.

For the first time, I risk a glance at Charlie. He’s looking directly as Harper and I catch a small smile tug at his lips. “She looks like a cute kid,” he finally says, glancing toward me and then quickly away again.

“Thank you,” I reply, attempting to keep my voice level. “She’s perfect.”

Sarah steps into the park and calls out to Harper, “Let me push you on the swings.” My heart sinks because I know she’s deliberately leaving me to talk with Charlie, but before I can think of anything to say, she and Harper are already heading to the swings, leaving Charlie and me standing in awkward silence.

As the silence stretches on, Charlie shifts his weight, shoving his hands in his pockets. Finally, he mutters, “Subtle, isn’t she.”

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