by Sam Crescent
Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2015 Sam Crescent
ISBN: 978-1-77233-203-2
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Karyn White
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.
ALPHA BULLY
The Alpha Shifter Collection, 5
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
Marshall Briggs sat in English class waiting for the bell to ring to finally let him out for that summer. He was itching to get home and to get out of this hell-hole for the summer. If he could, he’d drop out of school altogether, but his father and alpha wouldn’t let him. His father was the alpha of the pack, and what he said was law. An education was something he demanded of all of his pack, and that included his son, his heir.
Beside him was his best friend, Jack Rowlands. They’d been best friends from birth. No one could separate them. Sometimes chicks tried, but they wouldn’t let them. If some bitch thought they could come between them, then they were mistaken.
Several of his friends were scattered around the classroom, and they were all members of the pack. This was going to be the summer where they finally completed their transition. By the time he returned to school, he’d be eighteen and a full wolf with his place within the pack.
“As this is your last class I want you all to share what you’re going to do this summer,” Miss Kingry said, talking to all the class.
Rolling his eyes, Marshall stared out of the window listening to all the people throw out shit like sunbathing and getting laid, which he liked a lot. He was going to get laid plenty this summer. There was nothing he liked better than sinking into willing pussy. He was only seventeen, but he knew how to fuck. Marshall also made sure he had safe sex with the girls that wanted him. His father had warned him to never bring home any shit like a pregnant girl. He smirked recalling the scolding that his father had given him. Marshall turned back to the class and what they had planned. The jocks were all about training and partying. The cheerleaders were pretty much fucking the jocks, and then there were the nerds with several different groups. Marshall and the rest of the pack that were in school were popular. They got what they wanted, and they didn’t take any shit for it.
“Scarlett, what about you?” Miss Kingry asked.
Now Scarlett, she was different from everyone in the class. She wasn’t part of any group, popular or nerd. In fact, he’d only ever seen her on her own, but then, no one would want to hang around with her.
Before she got a chance to talk others started to fire words out for her.
“Dieting.”
“Eating everything.”
“Piggy, oink, oink.”
Marshall laughed as he stared at the girl the comments were directed at. She was chunky, not overly obese, but bigger than a lot of the girls in school. She had large tits, and even though he’d never admit it, he had always responded to her, which astounded him. He wouldn’t tell Jake or anyone that he responded to the chunky girl as he didn’t understand it himself. Everything else in life he understood and yet Scarlett confused him. She made him feel shit, but he always forced that shit away, and bullied her like everyone else did. It always amazed him, so he’d gladly take on every single guy in the school than spend a moment talking to Scarlett. Jake threw a piece of paper at her head when Miss Kingry scolded everyone for talking and saying shit.
Fisting his hand, Marshall forced himself to calm down. He wanted to hurt Jake for doing what he did, but he stopped himself. This wasn’t normal. Scarlett was fat, pretty but fat, and he didn’t want fat girls.
Scarlett’s face was as red as her name.
He couldn’t help but laugh as other people made fun. Forcing all of his feelings aside, he was able to focus on everything else about her. She was dressed in tight blue jeans and a long black shirt that fell to her knees.
In all of his years going to school, Marshall couldn’t recall her wearing anything other than baggy clothes that were clearly too big on her.
“I said enough or you will all be in detention,” Miss Kingry said. “Now, Scarlett, what are you doing?”
“Nothing.” Her voice was so small. She’d sunk so far down into her chair that it was hard to actually hear her response. Marshall began tapping his foot wishing he knew what was going on.
Jake nudged him and whispered. “Are you okay, man?”
“Yeah, fine. Just want out of this place.” In this last year things had changed with Scarlett. Before this year he could bully her along with the rest of their peers without feeling anything. All of that had changed when he’d seen her for the first time that semester nearly a year ago.
It’s crazy, stupid, and idiotic.
“Scarlett…” Miss Kingry went to say more, but the bell finally rang for the end of the day.
Marshall climbed out of his chair and headed toward his locker.
“We’re out, bro. We’re finally going to be part of the pack and not just some little shits anymore,” Jack said, excited.
Laughing, Marshall grabbed the books from his locker and turned in time to see Scarlett fall.
“Watch it, fatty,” Marshall said, moving out of her way. He was angry at her for confusing him like this, and he was even angrier at himself for being like this around her. At the sight of her his cock started to thicken, and he hated this response to her. The books she was holding fell to the floor.
“I’m sorry,” she said, keeping her head ducked.
“Bitch, you got to learn to stay out of the way.” Jack sneered down at the chubby girl on the floor.
Marshall watched her grab the books, and he noticed her hands were shaking.
“Fucking pain in the ass.” The rest of their peers were laughing as Scarlett did everything she could to get out of their way. Marshall was bored, turning his back on her.
“You’d think she’d go on a diet or work out or some shit.” Jack really had an issue with fat people.
She didn’t say anything to defend herself, moving away from them. Marshall didn’t know why it bothered him that she wouldn’t even fight or say anything. It was like she enjoyed being bullied. Strange girl. Seeing her kneel on the floor before him had his cock responding even more. Gritting his teeth, he turned back to Jack.
“Fatty has gone,” Marshall said.
“I don’t know why she bothers to come to school. No one likes her.”
Marshall didn’t comment. Scarlett had been part of school life, kind of like the seasons. No one really paid much attention until they didn’t have much choice. Thinking about Scarlett, he got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ignoring whatever was going on, he emptied out his locker, and headed out. The summer away from school, from Scarlett, was what he needed to bring his world back into focus.
“Man, when we come back we’re going to be totally different,” Jack said.
Once the change took effect none of them would be the same again. It would change them in undeniable ways. They’d be stronger, their senses more powerful. Marshall couldn’t wait. He’d spent a long time training, getting ready for this moment. His father had instilled into him the importance of being in control. When the time was right, he would be alpha of the pack.
“Come on, let’s go and party,” Jack said.
They
joined up with their other friends who also happened to be part of the pack. Marshall made his way over to his car and turned to see Scarlett standing beside the sidewalk, looking down at her wrist. Usually she had her own car. This time, she was all alone. He wondered what happened to her car. Marshall didn’t realize he’d said anything aloud until Jack commented. “She probably burst the tires with her fat ass.”
He laughed along with the rest of them. Unlike a lot of the girls in school, Scarlett didn’t pay them any attention. He wondered if that was why he was responding to her. She held a challenge no other girl did. Marshall was used to walking in a room and being the center of attention. The girls loved him, flocked to him like moths to a flame. They begged him to allow them to suck his cock. He was a guy and would never turn down the chance to get his dick wet. Marshall did make sure he never screwed a girl younger than he was. He only ever messed around with girls his own age or women who were older.
His father always warned him, telling him to clean up his act. The moment he found his mate, it would change him. His parents were lucky. They’d been childhood sweethearts, and so neither of them had a past they wanted to hide from. His parents hadn’t known they were mated until after the first transition. Once they did no one could separate them. It was a true love story. Marshall didn’t care about his mate. When he met her, he’d care, and she’d learn to deal with his past. Until he found her, he was going to have a shitload of fun.
“Time to party,” Marshall said.
Several girls ran over to them, and he forgot about everything else other than having a good time.
****
Scarlett ignored the commotion behind her. She didn’t need to look to see what was going on. The popular people were screaming and dancing about the end of the year, and then there was Marshall Briggs’s little clique of people who would be preparing for a night of partying. She’d never been to a party, never been invited to a party. Not that she wanted to go. There was no point in going anywhere where you weren’t invited.
She tugged the band out of her hair, letting her hair fall around her. The strands were long and heavy. No matter what she tried to do with the length, it wouldn’t do anything but stay straight. Maybe over vacation she’d get it cut. Her parents had told her they were planning a trip to Italy this year. It had been a couple of years since they last had a vacation with work keeping them busy. Her parents were both doctors, experts in their fields. For most of her life they’d been working in gaining respect and notice within their fields. It had worked, and now they were able to take much needed breaks.
Her father pulled up toward where she was standing.
“Hey, honey,” he said. She heard him unlocking the door for her to get inside. “How was school?”
“I’m pleased it’s over.” She hated school more than anything.
Her weight had always been an issue to all of her peers. She’d tried to diet and exercise. Both of her parents told her she was fine, and they were doctors. Neither of them was badgering her about being fat or developing diabetes.
Shaking her head to try to clear her thoughts she stared out of the window on the ride home.
“Are you still getting bullied?” he asked.
Glancing over at her father, she let out a sigh. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it, Dad.”
“If you want I can talk to the principal at your school.”
“No, don’t do that. You can do anything else but that. I don’t want to have a reason for them to despise me.” They already hated her, not that she’d done anything to earn their hate other than be fat.
He chuckled. “Okay, but if it gets bad and the bullying gets worse, promise me you’ll tell me about it.”
She’d never tell her father what was going on. There was a year left of high school and then she could go away to college. Scarlett had never made friends easily, and that hadn’t changed now.
“Your mother’s making dinner tonight. We’ve got a surprise for you.”
Scarlett smiled. She knew what the surprise was. Her parents were not good at keeping secrets from each other, and they’d not gotten any better when it came to her.
“How’s my car?” Scarlett asked. From the moment she passed her driver’s class she’d had a car. Over the weekend she’d broken down and had to have a tow.
“Not good news. It looks like your engine overheated, honey. We’re going to have to go looking for a new one. It’s not a problem. I intended to buy you a new one, anyway.”
She liked her old car, but there would be no talking her father out of buying her a new car.
They pulled up outside of their large house. It was a five bedroom house, and her parents still needed to work on filling the other two rooms.
Walking inside, she was pulled into a hug from her mother.
“Hey, honey, how was school?”
“Fine. I can’t complain.” She could complain, but she hated putting anything on her parents. They’d been through so much to give her a good life.
“Okay, go and get changed out of that horrid outfit. We’re having a special dinner.”
Laughing, Scarlett made her way up to her room. Her mother always believed jeans and a shirt were horrid clothes. They were the clothes she had always been comfortable in.
Closing her door, she moved toward her window overlooking the large forest area that surrounded their town. It was a wonderful place to live with a large lake, and plenty of fun activities to get involved in. Scarlett had never ventured into the forest. She had nightmares of wolves, darkness, trees, all of it.
Her window was partially open, and as she stood looking out over the view a breeze drifted into the room.
Mate!
She frowned at the sound. Glancing around the room she wondered if someone was outside her bedroom.
“Mom, Dad?” She opened her bedroom door, looking outside. Scarlett called them again.
“What’s the matter, dear?” her mother asked, coming to the bottom of the stairs.
“Were you upstairs a second ago?” Scarlett pointed behind her.
“No. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just thought I heard something.”
“No, you were alone, honey. Get dressed, we’re waiting for you.”
Nodding, Scarlett walked back into her room closing the door. She went to the window and slid it closed, feeling the breeze brush across her body. Wrapping her arms around her waist, Scarlett shivered as she overlooked the forest. She’d never been a fan of the dark or of scary movies.
She moved away from the window as an image of a white wolf came to her mind. Scarlett stopped to look back at the scenery. No, she was imagining everything. There were no such things as ghosts, wolves, or zombies. She was losing her mind. No wonder Marshall Briggs and all the popular kids at school bullied her. Shaking her head, she made her way toward her closet. Going through her clothes, she looked at the blue cocktail dress her mother had given her months again.
Closing her eyes, she held onto the fabric of the dress.
“Move out of the way, piggy.”
“You’re so ugly. You’ll die a virgin.”
“Fatty.”
“Wide load.”
Shoving all of the humiliation aside, she grabbed the blue dress from the wardrobe. Without looking in the mirror, she put on the dress she’d refused to wear.
Mate!
Frowning, she looked around the bedroom, wishing she would stop hearing that one word.
“You’re going crazy, Scarlett. Next year it will all be over and you won’t have to worry about a thing.”
One year left and then it was onto college where she could forget about the likes of Marshall Briggs and his creepy best friend. With her pep talk over, she smiled. Life would be good soon.
Chapter Two
The pain was something he’d never forget. Marshall’s bones shattered into thousands of pieces, burning hot iron coursing around his body as the fire built to a fever pitch. Slowly, the pain sta
rted to ebb away as if it hadn’t even been there. Collapsing to the ground, Marshall turned toward the warmth of his mother, Carla, who was pressing a towel to his forehead.
“He’s in pain, Luke,” she said.
Opening his eyes, he saw his father smiling. “He’ll be alpha one day, Carla. The pain is necessary.”
“None of the others have had this kind of pain.”
“They’re not alpha like our son. This will teach him respect, understanding, and it will make him a better alpha. This is what is necessary for all of us who lead.” His father spoke like the alpha he was. Soon, one day, Marshall would take over. He was the eldest son. “I’m proud of you, son.”
Marshall smiled up at his father, wishing there was something he could say. The pain was too great. The fire was already building within his veins for another bone breaking transition.
“When you find your mate this will all be worth it, son. I promise you.”
He shook as the heat gathered inside. For some strange reason Scarlett entered his mind, but he immediately pushed her image aside. Closing his eyes, Marshall tried to focus on something else. His mate. She’d be so beautiful and worth every second of this pain. Once he transitioned he’d be able to protect her from everything. He’d be big, strong, powerful. His little, private obsession over Scarlett would come to an end.
“That’s it. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.” He listened to his mother and father as they coached him through the transition.
There wasn’t a way for him to contain the screams as his body started to break. Bones crunched together, and his whole body shook. Opening his eyes he saw his skin rippling as fur started to sprout out of his pores. Lifting his head, he released a growl, staring up at the sky wishing for something to take the immense pain away. He hated this, despised it, but there was no stopping what was happening.
