Bullied Mate (The Alpha Shifter Collection Book 17) Read online

  One of the best desserts her mother made. The brownies were also well liked. Mainly with kids.

  After pouring the batter into the large baking tray, Poppy spread it out evenly, picked it up, and carried it to the oven.

  “This is always so fun. I love a big cook-off.”

  Poppy didn’t ask. She didn’t need to.

  Her mother had told her once before that she originally hoped to have a large family. Lots of children.

  Anna loved family events. She celebrated all the festive seasons. Not a year went by as a kid that Poppy wasn’t dressed up for Halloween. Thanksgiving was always fun, but because they didn’t have a large family, Anna often invited many of the pack to join them.

  Staring at her mom now, Poppy felt this … sadness. Her mother couldn’t have any more children because her mate was gone. At least Anna had a sparkle in her eye.

  “You know you’re going to make all the women jealous,” Poppy said. “No matter what they cook, it will never be quite as good as yours.”

  Anna chuckled. “They’ll be fine with it. You know they will.”

  Poppy wiped her hands on the towel. “What else do you want me to do?”

  “Will you head to the store?” Anna asked. “I’m out of eggs.”

  “Will do.” Poppy removed her apron, kissed her mom on the cheek, and then grabbed her purse, heading out.

  Klaus was there. He was always there, lurking in the shadows.

  “You have got to stop doing that,” Poppy said.

  She wasn’t going to give him the time of day. The pack would start to stare, if they weren’t already.

  “Where are you going?” Klaus asked.

  “That’s none of your business.” She headed toward the store. If they didn’t have eggs, then she’d go to the farmer, who always had a soft spot for her mother.

  “I’m the alpha’s son. It is always my business.”

  “Then I guess you can figure it out.” She glanced up as a couple of people called out a greeting to Klaus. He nodded at them.

  They passed a small group of young teenagers, and Poppy rolled her eyes as they started to blush.

  “So, er, have you got a spare room or something?” Klaus asked.

  “Yeah, we always do. You know that.”

  “Right, so, er, I need you, to, you know, only house a woman.”

  “Fuck off, Klaus.”

  He grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. “Look, I’m happy to take this pace with you. Let you get used to the fact that we’re mates.”

  “Keep your voice down.”

  Wolves were known for having great hearing.

  “They’re all busy, damn it, Poppy. Look, I’m happy to go at your pace. Whatever you need, okay? I’m fine with it, but you’ve got to like, meet me halfway. I can’t have a single guy living in your house.”

  “They won’t be living there. He or she will be staying for a couple of days. For as long as our guest pack is with us. This isn’t a big deal.”

  “Oh no? It isn’t a big deal? Then how about I have a single female living in my house?” he asked.

  Poppy hated the feeling that filled her. There was a spark of jealousy and she didn’t like that.

  “Knock yourself out. Maybe it would be good for both of us. You finally finding someone else to be with.” The lies kept on coming. This just made her hate him even more.

  Couldn’t he see that?

  “You complain that I’m a pain in your ass. You’re a pain in mine.”

  She pulled her arm out of his hold, and she refused to acknowledge that it actually felt good with him touching her.

  “Do you think this is easy for me? Trust me, Klaus, it’s not. I’m not going to be a freaking doormat to you. I’m not going to put years of you being a prick behind me just because our wolves like each other. Not going to happen, and I certainly wouldn’t have you near my mother.”

  They had gotten to the store. She stormed up to the cart bay, put a coin in the slot, pulled it out, and headed inside. She figured Klaus wouldn’t follow, but he did. “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “We’re going shopping. I’m coming with you. You’re a newly transitioned wolf. This is normal.”

  She tilted her head back and growled. “Leave me alone, please. You don’t do this with other wolves. Let me have some peace.”

  “Not happening. We’re taking this at your pace. We’re not telling the world what we are. Fine. I’ll live with that, but compromise is all part of life. You’ve got to give me a chance to prove myself to you.”

  “Why?”

  “There are a lot of people in this pack, Poppy, who would give anything to have a mate. Do you think if people found out about us, they would like what we’re doing?” he asked.

  She hadn’t thought about that. Finding a mate was one of the biggest goals in any wolf’s life. Pack was also important, but a mate, that was the jackpot.

  She ran a hand down her face. Before the transition, she used to wear glasses, but not anymore.

  “Fine. Fine.” The pack would be pissed with her if they didn’t give this a chance. Even if they were to ever make their mating official, which she was so not going to do, the pack would ask questions.

  No one would be stupid enough to assume they didn’t know they were mated. People would be pissed, possibly even angry.

  “Would your dad … punish you?” Poppy asked.

  “I have no idea. I don’t think he’d be happy that I kept this secret,” Klaus said. “A mate for an alpha is important.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yes, oh.” He took a deep breath.

  “I’m … sorry.”

  Klaus stopped. His hand gripped the cart. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Poppy. I get it.”

  “You do?”

  “Well, I didn’t exactly get it, but it would seem my treatment of you over the years didn’t exactly go unnoticed.”

  She frowned. “Who noticed?” This was news to her.

  “A little ten-year-old pain in my ass who thinks she can be a better alpha than me. The one you stopped from nearly getting her leg caught in a bear trap. You know. The one.”

  Poppy laughed. “Bethany.” She was aware of Bethany.

  The young girl was a menace. She had energy for days. The diner and the pack were banned from giving her carbonated drinks as well as candy. On Halloween, they were only allowed to give her fruit and vegetables. Not that it stopped Bethany in any way. She was just this ball of fun. Of course, it got her in a lot of messes.

  A couple of years ago, the pack had been attacked by a random bear. Not a bear shifter, just a straight-up bear.

  It had attacked a young child, and so the hunt had been on. Bethany, convinced that she spoke bear, went on the hunt. Poppy had also been out, mainly to keep watch, and that was how she stopped Bethany from nearly getting attacked by a bear, as well as being caught up in one of the traps.

  “You like Bethany?” Klaus asked.

  “She’s a good kid.”

  ****

  “I need you to do a big, big, favor for me,” Klaus said.

  Bethany bounced her ball one more time, stopped, and turned to him. “It’s going to cost you.”

  “What do you want? I can give you money.” He reached into his back pocket, about to take out his wallet.

  She snorted. “I don’t want your money. All I’ve got to do is ask Mom or Dad, and I can have what I want.”

  Klaus growled. “Fine. What do you want?”

  “To come with you on a run.”

  “Not happening. You know I can’t break the rules, even for you.” He held his hand up to stop her from arguing. “Pack law, Bethany. Even I wasn’t allowed until my eighteenth birthday. I’m not going to break those rules for you. They’re there for a reason.”

  “Ugh, then how about I get to tag along through some of your alpha training?”

  “Dad won’t like it,” Klaus said.

  “Then I guess I’m not helping you.” Bethany dropped the ball, caught it, and then started to dribble it along the path.

  She was good, but then Klaus was the one who taught her how to do it. Her technique was good.

  “Fine. Fine. I will bore you with an alpha class.” Once she realized it wasn’t all about fighting and fun, she might back off from thinking she was the better person for the job. Being an alpha also involved a lot of politics and understanding how to deal with problems in a non-threatening manner. His father’s words, not his. Not everything was about killing.

  Klaus had looked forward to his training. Of course, his dad had started out with all the fun stuff first, which had lasted a couple of weeks. Sparring. Hunting. Training to be the strongest. When Klaus had gotten addicted to it, hungry for it, then his dad had changed tactics, and they went to class, sitting at a desk, talking about the history of the pack, the rules, the meaning behind all of the rules. How to handle difficult situations. Being aware of the lives he had to keep safe.

  Being the alpha wasn’t as easy as it seemed. There was a lot of shit to learn.

  It would also provide his dad with the perfect opportunity to make life so boring that Bethany stopped being a pain in the ass, for however long it lasted.

  Klaus didn’t think it would last long, but at least they’d get a break.

  “Awesome. What do you need me to do?”

  He held his hand up first. “You’ve got to shake on it and pinky swear.”

  “Pinky swear and a shake. Wow, this must be something insane you want me to do.”

  “Do you think you can handle it?” Klaus asked.

  “Totally. I can handle anything.” She snorted, reaching for his hand. They shook hands, firmly. He held back because it was his little sister and he didn’t have anything to prove.
r />   They pinky swore, and Bethany chuckled. “I’m ready for what you need me to do.”

  “I need you to tell Poppy how amazing I am,” Klaus said.

  “Like what?”

  “That’s what I need you to do. You’ve got to tell Poppy how awesome and amazing I am. That she should give me a chance.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “What’s wrong with what I’ve asked you?”

  “Simple. That’s impossible for me to do.”

  “No, it’s not,” Klaus said. “I’m not a bad guy.”

  “Ugh! No, you’re not a bad guy to most people, but for some odd reason, when it comes to Poppy, you’ve been a giant poopy brain.”

  Klaus smiled. “We’ve got to work on your insults.”

  “You’re the only one who can fix things with her. I can try and be adorable, but come on, big brother. How am I going to fix the years of damage you’ve done?”

  He placed his hands on his hips, wanting to have some kind of witty comeback, but he had nothing. No comeback. No … nothing. Just silence.

  Bethany shrugged. “Let’s face it, Klaus. You’re screwed.”

  “You’re …useless!” He glanced up at the house. He didn’t want to be home, so he just took off, heading down the street.

  People continued to say hello to him, and he nodded and smiled in their direction. He kept up the falseness, waving back, smiling. Always being the perfect alpha-to-be, but he felt anything but.

  Inside, he was breaking apart. This was all his fault. He shouldn’t have bullied Poppy. Looking back, he didn’t even know why he did. It was all so freaking stupid. Now he had to pay the ultimate price.

  His mate was there, like right fucking there, under his nose. If his father knew, or when his father found out, there was going to be trouble.

  Running off into the forest, he built up a pace and just ran, trying to escape the niggling doubts spreading throughout him. He had to clear his mind. With the Lionel pack arriving in a matter of hours, loads of unmated men, it was … yeah, he had to keep close to Poppy.

  He charged forward, wanting the earth, the trees, and the wind to distract him, but all he saw was Poppy.

  It was the same no matter where he went. Poppy filled his thoughts. She dominated every single part of his soul.

  The need to mate with her was always strong. Always there, simmering beneath. All he had to do was look at her, and this need rose up in him.

  Even now, as he tried to outrun the memory of her, with his dick rock hard, all he wanted to do was fuck her. To break this divide that was between them in any way he could.

  He came to a stop and panted for a few seconds before he caught his breath, and then leaned up against a tree for support.

  Breathing in and out. Taking his time.

  He closed his eyes, and Poppy was there.

  Her smiling lips. The sparkle in her green eyes. Images of past encounters flashed in his mind. His words stinging, wiping that smile off her lips. Klaus wanted to pound his own fucking face from the nasty shit he’d said to her. Not just about her, but also about … Anna, her mother.

  Anna Davenport was a well-loved and respected woman within the pack.

  Yes, she slept with men, but no one ever spoke about it. During one of his alpha-training sessions, he’d asked his dad about why he accepted it.

  “Son, Anna paid the ultimate price. She lost her mate. Her one true love. That kind of pain is enough to send anyone crazy, but with her daughter and the pack, she found a way to heal. I would never begrudge her what she did.”

  When he said that nasty shit to Poppy, he hadn’t known what her father had done. How he’d protected his own father. Laid down his life for George. Running a hand down his face, he knew he had to do something that would make her realize he was sorry. Not just by words, but also by actions.

  He headed back to the main town, charging through the trees, not hitting a single one as he walked, making his way to where he needed to be. Rushing with all of his might. The moment he had a clear view of the town, he slowed down, attempting to catch his breath as he walked closer.

  The town was busy. The pack was making their last preparations for the Lionel pack. Klaus had a desire to tear it all down. To tell the Lionel pack to fuck off, that their unwanted mates weren’t welcome, but that wouldn’t be diplomatic.

  His father had worked hard to make them a respected and cherished pack. Where no one wanted to take their territory.

  Klaus was aware that not all packs were like his father. Some were built on fear and control. This pack was built on community.

  He saw Anna outside her shop, standing on a ladder. No one was helping her, but he understood why not. People were so busy, and he went to her, quickly holding the ladder in place.

  “Mrs. Davenport, this is not safe,” he said.

  She chuckled. “Hello, Klaus. Mrs. Davenport is way too formal. Call me Anna. And I know it’s not safe, but I have to get this right. Ah, there, see.” She climbed down off the ladder, and they stepped back. “All aligned. Perfect.”

  He stared up at her shop sign and shook his head. She’d been straightening the letters on her shop.

  Klaus had been given this job to do by his father a few days ago, but he hadn’t gotten around to it. “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “Klaus, we all get busy. Don’t worry about it.”

  Chapter Four

  Poppy gripped her shoulders and tilted her head from left to right, then back again. She ached from all of the baking. What was more, her mother had asked for her to drop off some of the baked goods at the alpha’s main house, where Nicole was apparently waiting for them.

  The large house came into view, and she saw Bethany in the front yard, bouncing a ball and then aiming it for the hoop.

  She clapped her hands as soon as the young girl scored. “Well done.”

  Bethany spun around. Her eyes were wide. “Poppy.”

  “Hey, Bethany. Is your mom in?”

  The young girl looked toward the house and then back at her. She nodded her head, but there was something about her that Poppy wasn’t sure about. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah, of course. Everything is fine. You know, just out here dribbling my ball. Not making negotiations for alpha training or making deals with my brother.”

  Poppy stopped and then smiled. “O-okay. Sure. Should I knock?”

  “Right, you want to take those in because of the whole, pack visit. Yeah, I’ll get that.”

  Bethany was acting oddly.

  Poppy followed Bethany as she opened the door. “Mom, Poppy’s here with a delivery.”

  She stepped into the house as Nicole came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands. “You are a real lifesaver. Your mother, tell her I owe her one.”

  Whenever the alpha and his mate needed some emergency cooking, they often asked her mother for help.

  Nicole was gifted in many ways, just not in the kitchen, and there had nearly been a war with a different pack as they felt she had given them all food poisoning on purpose. They hadn’t. Nicole’s cooking wasn’t great, not even by a little.

  So very gross.

  The pack would still try her food if it was potlucks or festivals, but they would be sure to only try a little bit. Not to hurt her feelings.

  Walking into the kitchen, Poppy was aware of Bethany sticking around.

  “No problem. Mom said if there is anything else you need, just give her a call.” She unloaded the bags and then put her hands back to her neck and shoulders, easing out the tension.

  This was Klaus’s house. She’d been here many times before. Dropping off food or gifts that Nicole had ordered. Each time, she had always been nervous about encountering Klaus.

  This was different. She wasn’t worried about him potentially saying anything nasty.

  They had been able to avoid being seen together closely by either of their parents. She didn’t know if the alpha, Klaus’s mother, or her own mother would be able to detect their … bond. Not that they were actually bonded.

  Far from it. There was the potential for a bond. A bond she didn’t want.

  “Are you looking forward to the pack arriving tomorrow?” Nicole asked.

  “Come on, Mom, why would Poppy care about a pack arriving tomorrow?” Bethany asked.