Page 17 of Her Bully Alpha

We stepped into a huge dining room where everyone was already seated. My father sat at the head of the table, looking irritated. To the right of him were two empty chairs where I presumed Sam and I were to sit. Then there was Charlie, my father's brother, and his three children, Samuel, Sasha, and Sven. Samuel was married, but his wife was not here tonight, and I wondered why. Sven was engaged to a woman sitting to his left, looking amazed as she looked around the dining room.

"Welcome," Sasha said, looking at us eagerly. She was the only one smiling as we walked into the room. "You must be Sam. Welcome to the family."

Sam looked utterly shocked at this and looked at me, confused for a second before giving Sasha a tight smile. I watched her fingers pull together, her fingers tightly intertwined.

"You're late," my father grunted, his arms crossed as he stared at us. "Extremely late.”

I shrugged at him, now wanting Sam to feel bad about this. And we weren't late anyway.

I pulled a chair out for Sam, allowing her to sit first. "Mom said dinner was at six. It's five thirty."

He grunted and looked at my mother, who was taking her seat next to him. She softly chuckled and waved a hand. "We're just happy you guys made it. I know this was short notice, but I thought it would be nice to get to know Sam."

"So, Jay. How's married life?" Samuel asked with a smug smile on his face. I could tell he was proud. Being the eldest of my uncle's kids and married to a powerful she-wolf, he was probably sitting on the totem pole above me right now. Samuel had always been a huge asshole trying to be the best out of everyone.

I wanted to smack that smirk right off his face because I knew how badly his wife wanted kids, and it wasn't happening. Maybe that was why she wasn't here tonight. Why be a smartass when your world isn't perfect either?

"And where is your wife tonight?" I asked in return, tilting my head slightly. If he wanted to be a dick, I could too. "And if we want to ask about marriage, how's the baby-making game going for you?"

I watched Samuel's eyes narrow slightly, and his right hand curled into a fist. Clearly, I struck a nerve.

"This isn't a fight, you two," my uncle spoke up, irritated at us. He was a lot like my father, which explains Samuel's arrogance most of the time. But Sasha and Sven were nothing like him. They were both a little more down to earth.

"So," my mother cleared her throat. "Samantha.."

"Just Sam," Sam offered. "Only my parents and my boss call me by my full name."

My mother softly smiled. "Sam, what do you do?"

Sam shifted in her chair and glanced at me momentarily before answering. "I'm an audit associate."

My mother's eyes went wide. "Wow, that's an interesting job. You must be busy."

Sam nodded. "It's a lot of work, but I like it. I'm working up to be a senior auditor, but that will take a while."

"Have you always worked?" my father asked, narrowing his eyes on Sam. He looked at her like she was something to be figured out, and I didn't like it. I didn't know where this protective side came from, but maybe it was part of Henrik's threat.

Sam nodded, keeping her cool. "I have. I've had a job since I was sixteen. I actually owned my own house before this. I worked hard for what I had."

My father didn't respond, but normally, that was because he was a little impressed. Had she impressed him, or did he think it was stupid that Sam worked so hard?

"I don't think any of us have done that," Sasha said, looking at her siblings.

"Your family has money, doesn't it?" my father asked, looking at her confused. "So, why work?"

Sam looked back at my father and shrugged slightly. "I guess I didn't want to have to depend on that money. While my family does come from it, I didn't want to need it to survive. I wanted to stand on my own two feet."

The door to the kitchen opened, and a maid walked in. She held a few plates, and I quickly realized it was dinner time.

Everything was put out, and everyone was quick to serve themselves. Sam looked unsure of what to eat but put some food onto her plate. My father watched her with hawk eyes, and I felt my foot bounce under the table.

"Your father was from up north, right?" my mother asked. "I know Diamond is an old last name up there."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, they own half the town. They actually bring in a lot of money, and my brother and I both have an inheritance from it."

I thought of her home and wondered why she didn't use it. Why hadn't she made a better life for herself? Her house wasn't terrible, but it was small, and if she had good money, she could have gotten herself something bigger.

"And you haven't used it?" Samuel asked, looking at her amused.

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