Mated to Her Bully Read online

  Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2021 Sam Crescent

  ISBN: 978-0-3695-0373-2

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Audrey Bobak

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  MATED TO HER BULLY

  The Alpha Shifter Collection, 11

  Sam Crescent

  Copyright © 2021

  Prologue

  Mabel Little came out of the clearing, grasping her side while tears filled her eyes. This couldn’t be happening to her. There was no way the fates could be so cruel. She refused to believe it.

  The pain she’d gotten from running past a torn branch was already starting to heal, but that was beside the point. The moment she realized what was happening, she’d taken flight.

  Perching on the edge of another fallen tree, she held her side and swiped at her cheeks as the tears started to fall.

  She heard him.

  Knew he was close.

  The rest of their pack would follow, and if she didn’t control herself, it would be another spectacle she really didn’t want to be part of.

  Within seconds, he was there. Lucas Naul. The biggest bully and asshole within the entire pack. It also didn’t help this very same guy was in line to rule. He had Alpha blood running through his veins, seeing as he was the Alpha’s oldest son.

  “You’re hurt.”

  She got to her feet and tried to hide her body, but it was impossible. Even though she didn’t want him to see her naked, there was no helping it. They were both eighteen this month. Both expected to go through the transition from human into wolf. She’d been so afraid, she’d done extensive research, and much to her surprise, there hadn’t been any pain. Just this natural instinct as the moon filled the sky. She’d been outside waiting. Her parents had advised her to remove her clothes before it happened. There was no reason to keep the garments as they were torn into shreds immediately after.

  After finding a private location, she’d stripped down and waited for what was to come. What she’d been preparing for. The moment it had arrived, she’d felt so free. Her wolf was finally out and able to run, to play, to do whatever the hell she wanted to do. Her parents had always told her this was how it would feel. She didn’t realize how thrilling it would be.

  For the first couple of hours, she’d explored the forest, running, freeing herself from the burdens of her human skin.

  Then, it had happened. She’d come upon a scent that had made her stop. When she turned, it had been there, the presence.

  Pulling out of the sick memory, she glared at Lucas. “You stay away from me.”

  “God damn it, Mabel. This isn’t the time for games.”

  She burst out laughing. “Games? You think that’s what I’m playing right now? I’m already healing and I’m going home.”

  “You don’t want to stay and talk about this?”

  Mabel glared at him. “I don’t want to have anything to do with you. I hate you.”

  “That’s not true.”

  She shook her head. “Believe me, it’s true. I want nothing to do with you. Ever.”

  He grabbed her arm, pulling her close, forcing her to stare into his eyes. “You feel this.”

  “No matter what I feel, do you really think I would ever succumb to it? To allow myself to be mated to you? You’re an asshole and the biggest bully there is.” She shoved him away and whimpered, grasping her side. “Whatever this is, it’s a cruel trick, and I want nothing to do with you.”

  “Mabel, you’re my mate. You can’t run from me forever. You can’t deny this.”

  She turned to look at the man who’d made her life miserable for as long as she could remember. “Watch me.”

  Chapter One

  Three years later

  Mabel was tired. This always happened after she’d spent a prolonged period of time in the city. As she rubbed at her temples, her skin no longer felt like her own. The need to unleash her wolf was so strong, but the disaster of what happened on her initiation into the pack had led her to make the decision to continue her education as far away from the Naul pack as possible.

  The small town where they lived was rife with sordid rumors about what happened that night. Her parents had even tried to stop her from leaving, but she’d ignored them. Leaving town not long after your first change wasn’t heard of. You usually needed the pack, and the truth was, she did. She wanted them desperately, but not at the cost they wanted her to pay.

  Being mated was considered the best thing to happen to wolves. To find each other at a young age, a true gift. She didn’t see it as a gift. Far from it.

  It was nothing short of a curse. One she didn’t thank anyone for and didn’t care to either. She wanted to be as far away from it all as was possible.

  More importantly, she wanted to be as far away from Lucas as was humanly possible. With the pack trying to mend their mating, she had no choice but to leave. Even his siblings had tried to help. When his brother and sisters tried to bring them together by making her feel guilty, it had been the final straw of an already long and tedious summer. She’d left.

  That had been three years ago, only coming back for each and every holiday, and then, she made a point of staying close to home or taking out her need to run into the forest. She always knew when he was near, and she’d run far away, or she hid in the house—she really didn’t care, so long as she never saw his face again.

  “We’re here, miss,” the cab driver said. She’d arranged to have a cab waiting for her at the train station.

  The last time she’d waited for her parents to arrive, Lucas had arrived, and well, she hadn’t gone in his truck to get home and opted to walk out in whatever condition it had been in at the time. Now, she didn’t tell her parents what time her train was coming in, instead, organizing a cab ready.

  She paid the driver, giving him a generous tip as she grabbed her suitcase and climbed out of the car, looking up at her childhood home.

  The majority of the pack lived in their small town. There were a few civilians who didn’t know what they were, but that was because after years of hiding, they’d grown adept at conducting their business without anyone knowing. Most of the humans lived in the center of town.

  Her parents owned an old ranch they’d converted into a home. The many acres of forest were used for their own amusement.

  Like all Alphas, the Nauls owned the biggest piece of property within the town and their names were on most of the businesses and places.

  She didn’t mind.

  Duke Naul was a great Alpha. He’d really invested his time and expertise into the pack. It was a shame about his son.

  She stepped up the steps and went to the door, finding it already open.

  “Mom, Dad, I’m home.” She put her case down and removed her jacket. It seemed a month’s worth of snowfall had fallen overnight. It was freezing. Fortunately, her body ran a lot hotter than most humans, so she had to disguise her comfort in extremely cold weather.

  She put her jacket on the coat stand and looked up as her mother, Eliza, came around the corner.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “Oh, honey, I’ve missed you.”

  She hugged her mother close and frowned, pulling back. Then she looked at her mother
and took in the clenched hands, the nerves. “What’s going on?”

  Her father, Gary, chose that moment to come behind his wife. He wrapped his arm around her and she couldn’t help but smile. Her parents’ mating had been so sweet. For the most part, it was the talk of the town. They loved each other so very much.

  Unfortunately, they’d only been given the opportunity to have one child, her. After she was born, there had been too much damage, and according to doctors, her mother hadn’t been able to have any more children.

  “We need you to keep an open mind, okay?” Gary asked.

  “Sure. You’re both kind of scaring me. I’d thought you’d be happy to see me.” She looked between her parents.

  “We are happy to see you.” Eliza grabbed her hand, and before she knew what was happening, she was being moved into the sitting room, and everything became clear.

  Lucas stood there. Beside him was his father.

  This was a first.

  She pushed some of her hair back and quickly bowed her head to the Alpha, showing him the respect he was due.

  “It’s good to see you home and well, Mabel.”

  “I don’t understand what’s going on.”

  Lucas continued to stare at her. Even as she hated him, she couldn’t deny the pull she had to be closer to him. Her traitorous little wolf wanted to be as close to him as was humanly possible, or even wolfly possible. She didn’t know. Either way, she wasn’t going to get close to this … man.

  Since she’d seen him last, he’d grown a lot taller, more handsome in a ruggedly rough kind of way. It was why the girls at school loved him, and yes, he’d enjoyed the many pleasures they offered, or so the rumors were to be believed.

  “Please, take a seat,” Duke said.

  It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but no one ever refused the Alpha.

  She sat down on the edge of one of the chairs as her parents took the remaining seats.

  “We’re here as a … necessity,” Duke said. “We all understand your reservations to officially mate with my son, but this cannot continue any longer.”

  She tucked her hair behind her ear and stared down at the floor, gritting her teeth.

  “You and Lucas recognized the mating.”

  She lifted her head up as he continued.

  “And this prolonged absence is no longer acceptable.”

  “Dad, don’t,” Lucas said.

  “Acceptable?” She laughed. “I don’t recognize any mating with your son. Is it there, yes, but I refuse to fall a victim to it.”

  “Mabel, there is no denying the mating heat.”

  “I have.” She refused to look at Lucas. “And he’s still alive and well. There is no reason for either of us to be mated together.”

  “You’re fated for each other.”

  “And that is a sick, cruel joke.” She got to her feet and glared at Duke. “Is this why my parents were adamant for me to come home early? So you can impose some kind of Alpha crap on me?”

  “Mabel, please, sweetheart,” her father said.

  Duke stood. He was the Alpha, but she wasn’t afraid of him. If this were anyone else, he wouldn’t interfere, but he did because it was his precious son.

  “You dare to defy me?” Duke asked.

  “I dare to defy that you’re asking me to mate to the man who has made my life miserable. We’re not just talking name-calling. The lies, the rumors, the sick, twisted games he played. Did he tell you about the used condoms in my locker? Or maybe the fact he posted my number on a porn website? How about the time he stole my clothes from the gym? Or how he had me convinced one of the nicest guys in the pack had asked me out, only to discover it was a mean joke at my expense?”

  Tears filled her eyes at the memory of the many years she’d come home and lied to her parents about her day. She’d never told them the extent of the bullying. To most, finding out your fated mate was none other than the Alpha’s son was a great time for celebration. For her, it was a cruel twist of fate that made her sick to her stomach. “I will never mate with someone so horrible. If you call me protecting myself defying you, then throw me out of the pack. I’ve been living on my own for a long time. I can handle it.” She wiped at the tears, turned her back, and excused herself, running up to her bedroom.

  ****

  Lucas felt the pain.

  He watched her go and hated himself even more.

  “I’m so sorry, Alpha,” Gary Little said.

  “It doesn’t matter,” his father said. “I thought my presence might help the situation, but I fear it has only made it worse.”

  Lucas’s hands clenched into fists. This was the longest he’d been in her company since he’d discovered she was his mate. After that night, which should have been the greatest night of his life, it had all gone downhill from there. Each night that he’d been alone, he knew it was his own fault. By hurting her all those years for no good reason, he’d suffered. There was nothing he could do about it but live with the problems he caused.

  “Right, we better get going,” Duke said. “We will be back, though. Every single day that she’s here.”

  “We’d appreciate that. I know it’s a stressful time and everything. We’re sorry,” Gary said.

  He shook hands with Mabel’s parents and left, following behind his father. Lucas glanced back at the house, unable to resist one last, lingering look, and happened to see the window. The curtain dropped, but he’d caught sight of her. Gritting his teeth, he held his hand up and waved.

  She did nothing.

  To many within the pack, they were sympathetic about what he was going through. There weren’t many records of mates being separated at all once they felt that heated spark between them. When mates finally found each other, it was impossible to be apart. They craved one another from touch to each other’s company. He’d been kept in the dark on everything. Wanting what he couldn’t have. Mabel came and went, and each time he saw her, she never seemed affected.

  The full moons were the worst. Where mates came together, running with each other in the wild, he and his wolf trotted to a spot and stared up at the moon, missing their mate. He’d never felt depression or loneliness like this before.

  She still felt the heat between them, even now. He knew it.

  Mabel had felt it. She still did, he was sure of it, but their past got in the way. The truth was he fucking hated this. His father had always been proud of him. He’d never once failed his father and always proved to be an exemplary alpha-to-be. Now, though, he couldn’t even get the woman who was supposed to be his.

  Duke stopped and turned toward him. “I want you to come here every single day. Bring flowers or chocolates. I don’t care. You get the opportunity to talk to her, you do it.”

  “Dad, that’s not…”

  “I’m your Alpha right now, son. Do you even know what is at stake right now? She has all but dismissed you.”

  “It’s her right to do so.”

  “Never in all the years of my being leader of this pack, or your grandfather, or your great-grandfather has a mate refused to become one with her mate. You think I don’t see the strain it has on you? The need to just be near her? I saw you the last time she was here. You snuck out just to catch a glimpse of her.”

  “I’m doing fine.”

  “And if she leaves again, what then?”

  He didn’t have any answers.

  “Then you will do as I say.”

  “Bombarding her isn’t going to win her over, Dad. I know this woman.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe it is time you started to really get to know her. Had I known you targeted one of our pack, I would have warned you, son. As it is, I’m trying to fix your mess before that girl figures out there’s a loophole that can demand she leave you.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “Figure it out.”

  His father turned away and headed off into town. The last thing he wanted right now was to be surrounded by people who actually felt sorry for hi
m. Taking off in the opposite direction, he ended up on a rundown basketball court on the edge of town. He and his friends hid a ball so they could come out here to think. In recent months, he’d been following in his father’s footsteps, learning the ropes of taking over as leader, as Alpha.

  Lucas was throwing the ball into the basket when he saw his two friends, Ben and Rupert.

  “We figured this is where you’d be,” Ben said, climbing the fence and landing gracefully.

  Rupert opted to use the entrance right next to where Ben scaled the fence.

  “How did it go?” Rupert asked.

  “It fucking sucked.” He grabbed the ball, and for the first time, missed his shot.

  “Damn, that bad?” Ben asked, grabbing the ball and taking his own shot at the hoop.

  “Sitting through another biology test would have been easier.”

  His friends winced. He’d struggled through several lessons through school, biology being one of them. “Whatever.”

  “There’s no way to convince her?” Ben asked.

  “Nope. She sat in my company for maybe three minutes before she told my dad there was no way she wanted to be near me. I think that’s what she said.” He’d been too busy taking all of her in. Her long, brown hair, her beautiful, intense brown eyes. Every single thing about her, he’d been drawn to it. Even her body, and much to his shame, he used to call her chubby and fat, and a cow. Now, he was fucking mortified. His eyes had been truly open, and now he saw curves. Nice big tits, a small waist, flaring hips that he had spent many nights thinking about as he’d worked his cock, trying to gain control of his thoughts. He thought about her shapely legs wrapped around him. Every inch of softness against his hardness. He wanted her so badly.

  There were times like now where he got hard just by thinking about her. Mabel thought she was the only one to suffer, but so did he. Years of hurting her constantly flooded his mind. All the times he could have been nice to her, offered her a hand when she needed it. Instead, he’d made her life miserable, and now, well, she got to make his miserable.