Bullied by the Alpha (The Alpha Shifter Collection Book 9) Read online

  “You did it on purpose,” she said, not really a question.

  “I had no choice. You were not facing up to the risks. There’s only so much I can do, and I’m not going to have you hurting yourself or the pack.”

  She felt so sad in that moment. This wasn’t her pack yet.

  “This is your pack,” he said.

  Cassie looked at him with a frown. “How did you—”

  “Know? You’re not that hard to read. Your pack did a real number on you, didn’t they?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Yeah, it does. You have to accept what they did; be angry, be fucking furious at them but know it’s only for them. That your anger has a focus point and then you can move on.”

  She moved away as he climbed into the water. She averted her gaze as he removed his boxers, and she kept her back to him. “Is that what you did? You accepted why your pack turned their back on you?”

  “I had no choice. They kept asking me to do things I couldn’t do.”

  “Like what?”

  She looked at him, curious to know the truth. He moved in close, and this time she stayed still, waiting to see more.

  “I wouldn’t submit to the alpha. It wasn’t that he was a bad alpha, I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I tried. Every single time I saw him, I tried to bow down, but no matter what, my leg wouldn’t bend. It was like my will wouldn’t let me. That I was destined to be an alpha from the beginning, and it was why I was rejected from my pack.”

  He didn’t seem sad about it.

  “Are the rumors true about you?”

  Abel burst out laughing. “About me turning a human so I wouldn’t go mad?”

  “Yes.”

  “No. It’s funny though. I know I’m cool and fucking awesome, but that’s not what happened. My parents came with me. They didn’t want me to die as I was their only son. We formed a pack together. Kind of weird being my parents’ alpha, but they were not naturally born to it. I was.”

  “Ah, so that’s how you survived going feral?”

  “Yes. It wasn’t anything mysterious.” He shrugged. “I don’t know if it will work with every single person. I was lucky because I’m a natural leader.”

  She pulled away from him, not liking the draw that his body was becoming. She didn’t look at men for her own physical pleasure. As wolves they had needs all the time. But after being hurt by her pack, those needs had never been a problem for her.

  With Abel near, she wanted him. Her wolf liked being held down by him. His control had turned her on. It had made her feel safe.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “You’re withdrawing.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You also don’t have to hide your nakedness from me. I won’t mock you.”

  “Even though I’m fat.”

  “You’re not fat.”

  “I’m not skinny.”

  “So?” he asked.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “People have their own ideas of fat and thin, beautiful and ugly. I don’t follow the norm. You should see that with my pack. We’re all a little flawed in some way.”

  “My old pack were all thin and beautiful. My hair was either too red or my eyes too green. My hips too wide, my breasts too big. They found fault with every little thing. I hated them,” she said, looking at him. “I thought … I thought about hurting them a lot. About making them feel the way I had.” Tears once again sprang in her eyes. “And I hate that they got to me to the point that I felt that way. I don’t like feeling that way.”

  “When did you first realize your strength? I don’t think it was that one time. You must have kept control of it.”

  She nodded. “It was … erm … not long after I turned eighteen. I was going through their rigorous training. I was forced to run in the woods repeatedly. One day I got angry, and I was sitting on a boulder overlooking the lake. I lost it, and I just brought my hands down in a single strike.” She remembered seeing the boulder, how it split in two, and she’d moved as it fell into the water. “After that I kept testing my strength and watching other people in the pack. I didn’t want them to find out. Of course, I didn’t realize that my wolf has a mind of her own, and poof, she took care of business for me.”

  “I don’t want you to hide that part of you here.”

  “What about your pack?”

  “They’re our pack, and they will admire you. You need to accept that part of you to be able to heal, Cassie. Right now, you’re not healing.”

  He was once again near her, and she closed her eyes. She couldn’t help it. He was so close, and she didn’t want to lose that part of him. His finger trailed down her arm, and she held in a gasp.

  “Promise me you’ll do what I ask?”

  “Will you stop saying nasty comments about my food?”

  He chuckled. “Yes.”

  “Good. It upset me. I’ve not been in the kitchen for a long time. I missed it so much. You started out with nothing but compliments, but then there was always something wrong.”

  “I wanted to prove to you that you needed to be tested. That you needed to understand what was going on with you.” His hand rested against her chest.

  His touch was warm, and she gritted her teeth to stop herself from moaning. She didn’t want him to know that he affected her so greatly.

  “What’s inside here is what counts, Cassie. You need to keep yourself happy, and to know that as a pack we will always have your back. Do you understand?”

  She nodded.

  “Good.” He placed a kiss to the top of her head before he pulled away. She watched him climb out of the pool.

  She averted her gaze as he slid his boxer briefs on.

  His cock had been so close to her, and yet she still hadn’t felt him.

  “You need to get over your modesty while you’re here. There are a lot of men and women who don’t share your sensible ideals.”

  “It’s all just new to me.” She’d always kept herself covered up with her old pack. With the way they treated her, there was no point in getting close to anyone. “Good night, Abel,” she said.

  “Good night, Cassie.”

  ****

  “You like her,” Carl said.

  Abel looked toward his opponent as Cassie moved toward the dogs. He noticed she loved his dogs and they adored her, following her around the house and outside wherever she went. This time she was doing laundry with Jessica. The other woman kept glancing his way, but he only had eyes for Cassie. She wore a pair of jeans, much like the same she always wore. The large shirt hung down over her ass, and he hated how ugly it looked in the way it covered her up.

  She didn’t have much of a wardrobe, and after a few questions from Jessica, he discovered Cassie had one suitcase with her, and that was all. He didn’t like that. Her old pack had treated her worse than any dog. He wanted to find her pack and take each one of them out.

  “Yes, I do,” Abel said, not caring that his friend gasped. “Why do you sound so surprised? You asked.”

  “I didn’t expect you to be honest. You like her. This is awesome news. Does she like you?” Carl asked.

  “I don’t know. I would settle for her not hating me right now.”

  “Oh, you mean after the Sunday lunch issue. Yeah, I totally didn’t get that. Everything was cooked to perfection. We’re all eating a lot more now than we ever have. It was a shock to hear you be such a bastard. I mean, it’s not that hard to think about. You’re an ass to most people.”

  “Your point being?”

  “You like her, so why be mean to her?”

  “It’s my job to make sure everyone within my pack reaches their full potential. She needed help, I provided it.”

  “Yeah, but being mean has consequences. What if she doesn’t want to be near you because you’re a total ass to her?”

  “We need to work on your training, not on who I like.”

  “But my training is lame. Your love life, or lack the
reof, is totally cool. I prefer talking about you.”

  Abel turned to Carl and sighed. They had gotten close in the months that he’d been part of the pack, and he did consider him a good friend. He was likeable, and he’d seen the scars that covered his body, which had occurred prior to his transition, and those hadn’t healed. At first, he thought Carl had been a spy, only he hadn’t. For a long time, he kept the other man at a distance so that he didn’t get hurt.

  “You need to have an alphess.”

  Abel burst out laughing. “An alphess?”

  “You know, a female alpha. Cassie’d be nice. I don’t think it’ll be good though. You’ve got Jessica, Sarah, and Linda vying for your affection. They want to get down and sexy with you.”

  Abel rolled his eyes. “Again, come on.”

  “I don’t want to attack you. You’ll just make me look bad in front of the chicks,” Carl said.

  “They will find you adorable.”

  “Adorable is not for guys like me. I need to look tough. Maybe you could take one for the team.”

  “One for the team?”

  “You know, make it look like I caught you off-guard?”

  Abel folded his arms and refused to budge on the matter.

  “Come on, man.”

  “Any woman that doesn’t accept you the way you are is not worthy of your attention, and I even mean that about the women within the pack. You’ll fight for who you are, and you will make them see that you are a good mate.”

  “This coming from the man that could have every single female in his bed with just the snap of his fingers.”

  “I don’t want every female.” Just one.

  He didn’t speak his thoughts. There was no need to. For the next hour, he trained with Carl, making sure his friend was able to at least defend himself. By the time they were finished, Carl was exhausted and excused himself.

  Standing alone in the garden, Abel moved toward the brick wall that surrounded his home. His mother had found this place and told him it would be the perfect base for any pack. At first, he’d mocked her, saying it was too big for the three of them. His father had been the first one to pass, but then he’d already been particularly old, nearly a hundred in human years. Humans aged faster.

  Abel felt guilty when it came to his father’s death as he blamed himself. His mother had told him not to worry about it, but without the pack, his father had started to wilt, almost like a flower. He’d not really accepted his son as his alpha, and in doing so, he’d become a shell of the man he was.

  Pushing those thoughts aside, Abel stared down at Elle, his gorgeous Labrador that he just loved.

  He crouched to her level and began to make a fuss as she moved closer to him, her back pressing against his front and her tongue lolling out of the side.

  “You’re a good girl, aren’t you? Such a beauty.” She rolled over onto her back, paws in the air, and he gave her a stroke, standing up as Cassie made her way toward him. She carried a small tray, and it took every ounce of strength within him not to smooth out his hair, or to make sure he looked okay.

  “I thought you could do with a hot drink and a snack.”

  “Sounds wonderful,” he said.

  They moved toward the nearest table. It was cold out, but as wolves their blood ran hotter, so unless it was minus ten outside, they didn’t really feel it.

  She sat down with him, then did that cute thing again where she nibbled her lip.

  “You can sit. I don’t bite unless I have to.” He winked at her, and inside he was cursing himself for even talking right now.

  She chuckled. “I’m sure there are a lot of women here that would love for you to bite.” She placed a cup and a muffin in front of him.

  “I have no interest in them.” In fact, it was really starting to piss him off that they were not taking no for an answer. He didn’t want one of his pack females, well, apart from this woman in front of him.

  “One day you’re going to have to find a mate. Settle down, have kids, that kind of thing.”

  “Why?”

  “The pack has to continue. Without potential alphas from your line, the entire pack could end up dead, or don’t you care?”

  “I care. Don’t get all on your high horse. I’m very much aware of what can happen, but I have no interest in the women that have thrown themselves at me.”

  She nodded. “I get that. Have you thought of using a dating website?”

  “I’m not using a dating service. I have no interest in human women. When I’m ready, I’ll find a woman perfectly fine on my own.”

  All this talk of finding women, mating them, was not putting him in a good mood.

  “Sorry. I only wanted to cheer you up.”

  “I’m perfectly fine. Shall we talk about you and your potential mate?”

  Her face just dropped. Any hint of a smile vanished. “I have no intention of ever mating. I’m so sorry for invading your time.” She picked up her muffin and her coffee, moving away from him.

  Abel watched her go and didn’t bother to call her back. Running a hand down his face, he was pissed off right now.

  He was interested in her.

  Cassie was the only woman who’d ever gotten under his skin in such a short time, and yet, here they both were. She was trying to find him another woman while he wanted her.

  This entire thing was just too funny for words. Actually, it wasn’t funny, not even a little bit.

  “Fucking ridiculous.” He peeled back the small wrapping that encased his muffin and took a large bite.

  He didn’t have a clue what he was doing to do with that woman. If she kept trying to set him up with other people, how was he going to be able to deal with this attraction?

  She was way too skittish, and it pissed him off.

  Cassie brought out the protective side within him, and all he wanted to do was go and murder her pack. These feelings had never consumed him before. He should be thanking her pack for kicking her ass out so she came to him.

  Glancing down at Elle, he watched his dog lick her lips, eyeing the muffin.

  “It’s got chocolate in it, so you’re not having any. What should I do, huh? Should I ignore her?”

  Ignoring her wasn’t an option. She was everywhere. Her scent had become part of the house.

  From his vantage point, he watched as a couple more of the pack began to leave. They were putting their bags away in the car.

  When they spotted him, they gave him a wave, and he acknowledged them back. His home was more like a hotel. People came and went when it suited them. Of course, he could demand their presence whenever he wanted it.

  There was always some of his pack around him at all times. Since his mother passed, the house had seemed very lonely.

  Rubbing the back of his neck, he got to his feet and made his way inside. He could just now imagine his mother finding his predicament hilarious.

  Chapter Five

  Cassie glanced into the basement where they kept the secured and locked rooms. For several nights she’d been dreaming of this place, and it was driving her crazy. She looked behind her and saw no one else was watching. Closing the door, she kept the light on as she made her way downstairs toward the main doors.

  Each night she dreamed of Abel. Him holding her hard as he pulled her downstairs. No, not pulling, but leading her. She wasn’t scared either. His hand was always around her wrist, and within her dream she held a hint of excitement.

  At the last step, she looked around each of the rooms that were there for feral wolves. They were empty. Jessica told her that they’d all be alerted if there were feral wolves on the property. Glancing into each of the rooms, Cassie’s gaze landed on the one at the back of the stairs.

  Abel hadn’t wanted to show her that one, and yet in her dreams this was the one that he led her to every single time.

  Standing in exactly the same position she did in her dream, she tried to peer inside, but there was no use.

  She knew this was Abel’s r
oom, that he trusted the pack not to go inside, but her curiosity got the better of her.

  Reaching out, she took the key from the lock, holding it within her grasp. He always, always opened the door.

  She flicked her thumb across the tip of the key and took a breath. “It’s just a door.” Placing it into the lock, she twisted it around as her heart raced.

  Every single night she always woke up when the door opened. She didn’t have a clue what was behind this door, and she couldn’t stop herself.

  It was like she was being led inside. Reaching in, she found the switch and turned it on. Before she could pull away, she entered the room and closed the door.

  What she saw … surprised her.

  There was a large bed at the end of the room. Black, silk-looking sheets lay on the four-poster bed. She saw the chains attached to each post. Stepping into the room, she saw cuffs hanging from the ceiling, and she reached out, touching them. This was a BDSM room, only it wasn’t. There weren’t any toys, whips, or floggers. She saw some dildos on a shelf with lubricant placed next to it, but other than that, nothing.

  She moved toward the other wall that held a spanking bench, and she gasped as she heard the door open. There Abel stood in the doorway, watching her.

  His anger was clear to see, and she just kept on staring.

  “I have a few rules in my life and in my pack. Leaving this room alone and keeping it private is part of those rules. Did you not get the memo?”

  “I got it.”

  “Then why the fuck are you here?”

  She winced at the aggression in his voice.

  “You can’t follow simple instruction? You can’t read? What is it?”

  “It’s not that.”

  “Then why the fuck are you invading my room?”

  “Because for the past week I’ve dreamed of this place.” There, she’s just thrown it out. She didn’t want him to know that he’d played a huge role in all of her dreams. Licking her lips, she leaned against the spanking bench.

  It was actually a very modest room; not much in the way of equipment, but it looked spacious, sexy, closed-off. She noticed the mirrors around the room so that he’d be able to see what he was doing from all angles.