Bullied by the alpha

“Abel’s not a bad alpha. He’s always very fair, but that doesn’t mean he’s easy to live with. He’s difficult, and he demands excellence. Some people don’t like the idea of working hard, so they have to leave and risk going rogue,” Jessica said.

Cassie Sanders bit her lip, wondering what the hell she was doing here then. She knew the reason, but the more Jessica spoke, the harder it was for her not to wonder if risking going rogue and feral was a better option. She had heard that Abel was a last resort for a pack alpha.

Rumor had it that he was kicked out of his pack as a teen and had no choice but to create his own pack, turning a human so he didn’t go feral. She didn’t know if that rumor was true. Turning humans into wolves was something of an urban myth. She’d never heard it successfully done but knew if anyone could, it would be an alpha.

“What has happened to people who have gone rogue? Have they all gone feral?” she asked.

“We’re designed to be part of a pack. The only person to ever be successful is Abel. He takes in the strays, the wolves that have been kicked out of their packs or banished. Everyone can say all the bad shit they want to say, but he’s got a good heart. It’s just not easy to see. So, what brings you to Abel’s pack?”

Cassie stared at the beautiful woman in front of her as they were heading toward the large house that was Abel’s home. She had to ask for permission to be part of the pack, and if he accepted, she could find her own home, but first she had to spend at least two months within the pack, being part of it so that they could accept her as she accepted them. It was an intense time, but one she hoped to succeed at. She didn’t want to die. Feral wolves were hunted, captured, and killed.

Death was not an option for her.

“My pack expelled me for being fat,” she said, staring at Jessica.

“You’re kidding me.”

Cassie glanced down at her size eighteen figure. She was used to being made fun of, the finger pointing, the constant, endless teasing. They all thought it was funny that she was a fat wolf. How could it be possible for her to be fat? She didn’t know. Before she turned into a wolf, she’d been fat, and every single person within her old pack made her feel that way.

“Nope. They didn’t do fat, so there was no place for me.”

She forced a smile to her lips.

Growing up, she’d cry, and cry some more, but now unless she was having a really bad day, like, the worst day, then she’d allow herself to cry, but not now.

“What did your family think of that?” Jessica’s arms were folded, and she looked pissed.

“They helped pack my bags.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-three years old.”

“When did you transition?”

“Eighteen. They gave me several years to try and lose weight. It was like a game to them, watching me work out, and to do everything they wanted me to do.” She wasn’t unfit. She’d done everything they asked of her, and still they kicked her out.

“Wow, that’s fucking harsh.”

“Were you kicked out of your pack?”

“Yes, I have one green eye, one blue. They felt that tainted the perfection of their pack.” Jessica shrugged. “They were already fucked-up, so I didn’t see a reason to stick around.”

Cassie smiled. Jessica seemed nice, but she’d been wrong before, and that had always ended badly for her.

“I’ve fucking told you to never turn your back on your enemies!”

The loud voice echoed around the hallway, and the hairs on Cassie’s arms lifted. Jessica winced. “That’s Carl. Being part of Abel’s pack comes with a few requirements.”

“What are they?”

“Abel has had alphas and packs come to his territory in the hope of either killing him or making him submit. None of them have succeeded, but because of the threat, he likes to keep everyone at the peak of their awareness. They must learn to fight and to fight with him, beside him.”

“What about the ones that are too weak?” Cassie asked. “Surely there’s no chance of them being able to fight.”

“Carl was kicked out of his pack for being weak, and Abel still makes him train even if it’s to save his own life. Abel doesn’t want any of us to die because he didn’t train us. Come on, you’ll get to see him in action.”

Cassie followed Jessica to a large room that looked similar to a high school gym. The length of the room was huge, and glancing up, she saw the windows were glass, which at night would allow the moon to filter in.

Once inside the room, there were bleachers on either side of the room, but Cassie’s gaze was caught in the center. A man well over six feet tall, muscles aplenty, and one of the fiercest men she had ever seen, stood glaring at a guy smaller than he was in stature. Both of the men only wore a pair of tight shorts and were covered in sweat.

There were nearly a hundred people within the gym watching the fight.

“Why are they all watching?”

“We have to,” Jessica said. “It’s what Abel demands. This is not even a full house right here. There’s rarely all of us here at one time. He doesn’t do anything without a reason. You must defend, train, and prove yourself. No one will ever best Abel, and that’s fine, but he wants you to be able to keep yourself safe.”

Cassie’s gaze couldn’t move as she watched the smaller guy charge at the man. She winced as the larger man reached out, gripped the man’s neck, lifted him up, and slammed him back down onto the mat.

If they were human, the force of the impact would kill them.

“Will Carl be okay?”

“Carl has a fast healing ability. It’s why he was expelled from his pack. His ability to sustain damage and be right as rain within an hour freaked them out. They decided he wasn’t a wolf at all but a monster.”

“Everyone that’s here, they’ve rejected their pack in some way?” Cassie asked.

“Or they’ve gotten thrown out. We’re a mixture, Cassie. I hope you can handle that.”

“I don’t mind.” She folded her arms and winced as Carl yelled for time.

“You don’t get fucking time. No one will give a fuck if you’re on the battlefield. You’ve got to learn to keep on fighting, and not give up.” Abel charged toward the man, and Carl scurried away, and when he crossed his arms in front of him, curling up in a ball, Abel stopped.

“Please, I need time,” Carl said. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He rocked in a ball.

“We know Carl was hurt a lot because of his healing abilities. Out of all of us, he’s the one that is taking the longest to train.”

“Hurt?”

“They would use everything they could find to see how far his healing went. The scars on his body are the ones they gave him before he was able to turn into a wolf. After that, the scars they tried to carve into his body always healed. Those are there now, but the worst ones are in his mind. So much pain for him to deal with.” Jessica looked sad, and Cassie understood why.

She herself had been starved. That had been some of the tests they had put her through. The entire pack had made it a joke. They chained her up, only allowing her freedom toward the full moon. Without any food, she’d been weak, but even still, her weight hadn’t left her. She was still the chunky girl at the end of the year.

After that though, she had spent more and more time away from her family. Seeing the look of disgust on their faces hadn’t been enough for her to sit at their table to eat dinner. The more time she spent away from the pack, the happier she was. Of course, that all changed when it came to the full moon and they all wanted to hunt.

They had treated her like a rabbit and had attacked her every chance they got, but no matter what they did to her, leaving her for dead, she always healed.

She rubbed her arms when she recalled that last hunt, and she imagined the painful reasons they’d expelled her. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she watched as Abel offered his hand. The power he exuded was still there, only this time, it showed kindness, which took her by surprise.

“We will continue these sessions. You understand, Carl. This is not cruelty to you.”

“I know. I need to be strong.”

“You have to be. In this world, there are so many people who will want you to fail. You cannot allow yourself to do that. Not even once.”

Carl nodded and walked away.

She watched as Abel lifted his head, scenting the air, and his gaze moved toward them.

“Who is that?” Abel asked.

She didn’t like the sudden fear that gripped her.

Abel was one of the largest men she’d ever seen, and the thought of being near him filled her with dread.

****

Vanilla was one of Abel’s favorite scents, and the moment the mystery woman had entered his gym, he’d known about it. She stood just a little behind Jessica. She was rather plump for a wolf, but she was there. His own wolf inside him gave a little growl of approval.

“Hello, sir,” Jessica said, coming forward, her hips swaying seductively. Several of his pack females had wanted to mate with him, only Abel wasn’t interested in them. He liked his women to be … sweet. He didn’t have time for women who fought their way into his bed. He wasn’t looking for a weak woman, per se, just one that didn’t look like they wanted to tear each other apart for his affection.

It was part of the wolf trait though, at least among those that had been removed or rejected from their pack. They became more primal, more in need of mating.