Page 31 of Alpha Bully

I brush the comment away. “There was nothing heroic about it. I didn’t save her; Callum did.”

The doctor scoffs. “You took on three male wolves on your own. Put one down and carried on fighting. There’s not a wolf in this clinic that doesn’t think you’re a hero fighting for your daughter like that.”

“Damn right,” the nurse who sat with me earlier, Becca, says as she enters the room. “Now, let’s get those bandages changed so you can get into your own bed to rest.”

Back at Callum’s house, I’m sore but healing fast. I'm grateful I can manage enough to help Harper get ready for bed. I can see how worn out she is; no child should go through all that she has. I pull the covers back and let her climb into the bed we share, tucking her in while I put some pillows behind me and lean back.

Almost wordlessly, she curls up and closes her eyes as I begin to tell our usual bedtime story. Only this time, there’s a twist. I begin to tell her about how her daddy is the most powerful alpha on the island, and he loves her more than anything in the world, how they’re going to practice her magic in the meadow, and we’ll all play in the tall grass. As I talk, I can feel the last of the tension leave her body, and the sound of her breathing evens out. I softly stroke her hair. “Sleep tight, my little angel. Know that your daddy is right downstairs, and the whole pack is out tonight to protect you.”

With patrols taking place around the clock, I know that much is true. Having Harper safe in her bed means everything tonight, and as I slip from the bed, I go to look out the window and see the guards stationed around the house and down the street.

Feeling grateful for the security of the pack, I go in search of Callum and find him in his office, just finishing a call. I hear him saying goodbye to someone as I approach the door, and he jumps up when he sees me coming, rushing to help me sit down in one of the chairs by the fire. “You shouldn’t be walking around,” he grumbles.

I chuckle. “You know I’m nearly healed,” I say, but he still looks skeptical. “Okay, it does hurt, but I can walk around. I think I ache from shifting more than anything.”

“Did you have any signs your wolf was coming back?” he asks.

I nod. “She’d been getting closer ever since we—” I pause, blushing. “She’s been closer recently, but when they attacked, she just broke through.”

“For Harper,” he nods. “You really are a super mom. I’m so glad you protected her like that; if they’d taken her straight away, Malik would have had longer to extract her magic.”

I can feel the tears welling as he speaks, and I brush them away. “I’ve never been so scared, I thought they were going to kill her,” I sob, the tears breaking free. “I thought we’d never see you again.”

Callum crouches down in front of me, my head falling onto his shoulder as emotion consumes me. My wolf howls in distress at the memory of telling Harper to run, knowing I couldn’t hold them off for long. In my distress, at first I barely notice the waves of calm that seem to be coming from Callum as he simply holds me. It’s only after a minute that I realize those feelings are coming through our bond.

After a moment, he leans back slightly, lifting my chin with his hand. “You feel it too,” he says quietly. “The bond.”

I nod as time stands still. “I do. It’s been in the background for a while. But I feel it stronger now.”

“It’s always been there,” he replies. “I’ve just been a fool not to let myself feel it. Not to let myself have what I’ve always wanted.”

I shake my head. “You don’t have to say these things because of what’s happened or because of Harper,” I say. “I won’t take her away from you. I know she’s safer here in the pack, with her dad, and I want her to be happy. But you don’t owe me anything.”

“I love Harper, but I’m talking about me and you,” he says, his wolf staring back at me through the shifting Amber in his eyes. “I love you, Ava. I love you and Harper.”

I search his face for a hint of deception, but all I see is hopeful honesty. In my mind, I remember those weeks we spent together when the rest of the school was at the tournament, and our bond developed until he threw it away in the blink of an eye.

“You rejected me once, Callum, how do I know you won’t do it again?” I ask. “I would rather you be honest. I don’t think I would survive it if the bond were broken again.”

He dips his head, taking a deep breath. “I was scared. I knew my father would never accept you, and I never wanted to challenge him. We lived in constant fear of upsetting him,” he begins. I knew some of it, everyone knew what Ralph was like, but I couldn’t have known the extent of it. “When he died, the pack was fracturing, and they expected me to step up, and I panicked. I acted just like him when all I ever wanted to do was be your mate. I have no excuse. I just ask for your forgiveness.”

“You could never be like Ralph,” I say, lifting my hand to cup his face.

“I fear that’s exactly what I’m like,” he replies, “but you and Harper make me want to be better. I want to be a better man, wolf, and leader. But more than anything, I want you. I want us to be a family.”

Tears roll down my cheeks, but this time, they are happy tears; I can feel his sincerity shining through the bond, and it almost takes my breath away. “I love you, Callum, I always have. And you are already a better man and a better father.”

He kisses me hard, the salt of my tears drowning in the sweetness of his embrace. I grip his shoulders as he deepens the kiss, drawing me to him as though he’ll never let me go, though careful of my wounds.

“I will spend forever making sure you feel my love,” he says, and I find myself believing him.

Chapter 20 - Callum

Standing at the door to the pack hall, I pause for a moment and watch the chaos unfolding before me. It seems as though the whole pack is here, filling the space with bustling activity. There may be thick snow on the ground outside, but it’s actually a bit too hot in here with all the people rushing around and the heaters turned all the way up.

Charlie spots me and waves, walking over with a huge basket in his hands, looking as lost as I feel. “I have no idea what to do with this, " he says, gesturing to the basket.

I stare at the thing, bursting with ribbons. “Well, I don’t know,” I laugh.

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