The Alpha’s a Bitch: Rise Of The Pack Princess, Complete
By CeraD. Colby
©2014 CeraD. Colby
Book 1: The Alpha’s a Bitch: Rise Of The Pack Princess Chapter 1
It was a nice late summer day, a Friday, just a few hours past lunch time. The kind of day where the sun was just hanging up there in the sky with all the fluffy clouds having a nice long conversation, but it was also super warm and really humid. In other words, a typical summer day in Georgia. But driving along around fifty or so here in the truck with the windows all rolled down, Stephanie didn’t really mind it because the constant breeze blowing all around her felt really good.
Plus she was listening to one of her favorite radio stations – so she was happy – humming along to the music put her in a good mood. And, as it turns out, the two lane road she was traveling on now was lined with trees which not only gave her some additional shade but made the drive much more interesting to look at too.
Stephanie Bennett was a well known, and well loved, mobile veterinarian, practicing throughout rural Georgia and sometimes even in parts of east Alabama. For the most part she spent her days on the road, traveling from house to farm and from city to city. She had been doing this for the last ten years or so since she graduated and got her vet degree. She couldn’t see herself being anywhere else, nor would she want to be. Her love had always been in helping others – especially of the furry critter kind.
Often she couldn’t help but feel a little lonely because in this world of sick and injured pets there was little to no time for anyone else – not even a pet of her own. But she had long ago accepted this as her own form of normal. Even when she was attending vet school she kept to herself, much to the harassment of her peers, and rarely ventured further than her classrooms for fear of being seen by people from her past who had bullied her so long ago.
But she was happy now – at least she thought she was happy. She had acquired the dream job she had always wanted as a traveling vet and she could surround herself with her passion. Unfortunately, she still felt lonely a lot of the time. But she quickly grew to love the traveling and being outdoors and doing something new everyday. After being on the road for so long she couldn’t even envision herself being trapped inside one location all day. Just thinking about the possibility of it made her feel a little depressed and a lot claustrophobic.
Stephanie was so dedicated to her veterinary career in fact that she would devote every hour she could to her job. When she did have a day off, or even the odd weekend off, she often found herself just sitting at home alone wondering what to do with herself next. At least as long as she was at work, or she was on her way to a call, she was with people, or would be soon, and she had grown to love that.
Today, in another twenty minutes or so she would be at her next appointment – a couple of check ups and a few vaccinations for a Lab breeder about fifteen miles outside of Rome. She really liked visiting the area up there – the mountains were really nice to look at, it was a pretty drive and it wasn’t nearly as busy or congested as some of the homes she went to over closer to Atlanta. She wished to herself that she could have calls up here more often.
So, for the time being anyway, she would simply enjoy the drive. She knew the next appointment, her last one scheduled for the day, would be easy and go pretty fast so she might even get done a little early for a change and get back to the office before everyone else had already left for the day. Now that would be unusual! And exactly as planned, 40 minutes later she was done for the day and on her way back to the office. If she took the back roads, she could be there in another 30 to 45 minutes. Nice!
It had truly been a great day – the nice weather was still holding despite the sky growing a bit darker. There were rain clouds forming way off to her right and the grumbles of thunder that she now heard far off in the distance threatened to douse her soon. She hoped she would get back to the office in time to see the techs today – and that she would miss the rain all together. She hadn’t seen the techs in a few days. All of her co-workers, and especially her boss, admired her dedication and kindness and she loved working with them all.
Stephanie had won multiple awards for her duty out in the field which could be seen on display in various trophy cases located throughout the office. She was too embarrassed to take them home so she left each and every one here at work. Turns out, though, that this would be the day her boss finally decided Stephanie’s dedication had gone just a little too far. As soon as Stephanie had entered the door and finished saying her hellos her boss waved her over to her office.
“Hey, good to see you. Come on in. Glad to you see you made it in before I left for the day. I needed to have a little talk with you before the weekend got here,” Steff’s boss, Dr. Bryant, told her as they both sat down.
Her boss continued on after they were seated, “Gum?”
“No thanks,” Stephanie answered.
The boss lady smiled and laid the gum package back down on her desk. “No problem, that’s fine. I don’t need it either but it keeps me from smoking so I always have a pack close by.” Then she sat back in her chair as the other employees milled about outside the door and started leaving for the day, one or two at a time. The sounds of barking filled the air.
“By the way, I know we haven’t talked about this in a while – but you need a vacation,” she announced matter of fact. “You have almost a month’s worth of paid time off coming to you, and I want you to use some of it right now.”
“What? But I don’t want to,” Stephanie protested, though her tone was still full of respect. “I’d rather work.”
“Sorry, lady… time for you to take advantage of some of that time off you’ve been hoarding. I want you to go home and take the next week off. The whole week off… okay? Now scoot – I don’t want to see you anywhere near this office for a week!” Her boss did not give her any choice, and insisted that Stephanie take some time off. Then they both got up and started heading for the back door themselves.
“Okay, okay… you’d think I wasn’t wanted here anymore,” Stephanie responded light heartedly as they left Dr. Bryant’s office.
Stephanie’s boss walked her to the door locking it all behind them both as soon as they got outside. The rest of the staff had already left the premises. “Steff, I want you to take some time off because I love you and I need you… and I want you rested… remember that… now scoot! Get out of here and start doing something fun before I give you two weeks off.”
Stephanie thought about her job and life as she drove home that day, making the 30 minute trip from the office to her house. She realized that she would feel very lonely until she was able to go back to work after her days off. So now what? She wondered what she would do with her forced time off.
She hadn’t planned anything at all and was completely caught off guard with the instant vacation. But just then, while she was traveling down the road doing about 45 or so, her mind completely distracted by her forced vacation, something huge and definitely not human, jumped out into the road right in front of her truck.
She slammed on the brakes and veered off the road doing her best to avoid striking the creature and to stay on the road too. Thank goodness there was no one else on the road but her at the time. As soon as she came to a complete stop she put the truck into park and got out of the vehicle, wondering if she had hit the thing and just what it might have been.
When she reached the edge of the road and looked down into the ditch, she was surpris
ed to find no big creature there – but instead a man lying in the dirt. A naked man… lying in the dirt. At first she was a bit shocked but then her veterinarian instincts took over and she crouched down beside the ditch to get a closer look at him. He was covered in scratches, gashes, bruises and blood.
Book 1: The Alpha’s a Bitch: Rise Of The Pack Princess Chapter 2
“Are you okay?” she asked the man.
He didn’t respond. His shoulder length dark hair partially covered his eyes which were obviously closed. So she ran back to her truck, turned on her flasher lights and grabbed a blanket and a first aid kit. Then she rushed back and climbed down the side of the ditch to help him. She dropped to her knees beside him, covered him with a blanket and checked his pulse – low but strong.
She began to clean his wounds. She bandaged the ones that needed the most help first. As soon as she felt his skin she realized just how dehydrated he was. He still couldn’t open his eyes, and seemed very, very weak. She knew if she left him long enough to go for help, he might not make it.
Her cell was about out of juice and she needed to charge it so that was no help to her now since she had left her charger at home by mistake. So Stephanie decided that it would be best to take him with her to her house and call for an ambulance from there. She kept a compact stretcher in her truck just in case she ran into a situation similar to this one. So using it, and her training, she was able to hoist him up out of the ditch and into the passenger seat of her truck where she carefully buckled him in.
She drove very carefully to her house and took him inside and laid him on her living room couch. He never once gained full consciousness. Once they were both inside, she took a second to put her cell on to charge so she could make a call in a few minutes and then she rushed back to the injured man. She meticulously dressed the rest of his wounds and washed the man up with a cloth and some water. As she removed the old bandages and began to apply the new ones, she noticed that what earlier looked like cuts, were really more like deep gashes and claw marks. The man was barely breathing.
“Sir? Sir, can you hear me?” she asked gently.
He still didn’t respond. Not really. Stephanie brushed his dark hair away from his handsome yet scarred face and touched his cheek lightly. He turned just a little toward her fingertips. He seemed so vulnerable, so injured, but at least she now knew that it wasn’t her vehicle that had caused all these terrible wounds.
She left him for a few moments and fixed him some broth, knowing that he needed some fluids. As soon as it was heated she put some in a water bottle and headed back to the unconscious man. Gingerly she began to bottle feed him the warm broth, a little at a time.
“You just rest,” she murmured to him. “Everything’s going to be fine. Just drink some of this, and you’ll start to feel better.”
She was surprised when he began to hungrily swallow the soup, as well as a few mouthfuls of water. As she continued to feed him, she thought about what it would be like for him in the hospital. He really only had superficial wounds, only a few stitches would be needed really. As long as he could breathe and eat, he was stable. If she called an ambulance he would be swept up in the medical system, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to guarantee his well-being.
She wouldn’t even be able to see him, since they weren’t family, despite the fact that she found him and was helping him now. So she decided to put off calling an ambulance, and take care of him herself as long as he was doing well. Or at least until he woke up and could tell her a little bit more about his situation. And that is exactly what she did. Over the next day, she took care of him and made sure his wounds were treated, that he got rest, that he was clean, and that he ate something.
On the second night, Stephanie was suddenly awakened by a loud crash coming from the kitchen. She jumped up out of bed and ran into the kitchen to find her new patient, naked again and standing over a mess of various kinds of food in front of the fridge. He was chewing on handfuls of food, grunting and quickly gulping them down as fast as he could. He resembled a wild dog in the way he was eating. But as soon as he heard her step into the kitchen, he froze. Then he glanced over at her guiltily.
“Thank you,” he said swiftly as he dropped the food now in his hands directly into the messy pile already on the floor in front of him. He reminded her of a dog caught in the act of stealing food. It was almost comical.
He turned to face her and Stephanie noticed just how sharp and quick his movements were. He seemed awfully spry for a man who had been barely breathing the day before. But he was still buck naked.
“For everything…” he added as he looked down at the bandages on his arms. When he looked back up at her, she noticed that his eyes were a startling shade of blue, so light in fact, that they were almost white.
“You’re welcome,” she said shyly, lowering her eyes. She motioned for him to stand still as she went and retrieved a sheet from the couch. She handed it to him when she re-entered the kitchen, trying not to make him feel too uncomfortable standing there in his birthday suit.
“Here is a sheet to wrap around you… are you still hungry? Come over here… have a seat and let me make you something to eat,” she murmured as she slowly moved past him since he had not yet wrapped himself in the sheet.
She cooked him a steak she just happened to have in the freezer, knowing that with his blood loss it would help him regain his strength. She also knew it would take a bit to defrost so she put it in the microwave, set it to defrost and used the rest of that time to clean up the mess in front of the fridge. The wounded visitor just sat at the kitchen table watching her every move, a thin sheet now covering his privates.
As soon as the defrosting and cleaning were done she went to work cooking the huge T-bone. Normally a steak like that would last her 3 or 4 meals – she figured maybe half that many for him. Who knows… the way he demolished the food she already on hand, he might just eat the whole thing.
But when he smelled the meat cooking, he sighed in anticipation just like a dog might do, waiting eagerly for a treat. She could imagine him wagging an imaginary tail almost. That’s really cute, she thought to herself watching him out of the corner of her eye.
Once done she brought him the plate of steak and handed him a few rolls and a glass of sweet tea. He looked up to smile at her as she handed him the food. She did her best to avoid looking directly at him. She was so used to being lonely, she wasn’t sure just how to talk to this new stranger in her home.
“Let me look at these while you eat,” she offered and began to check the bandages on his body, while he ate his food.
As she peeled back the bandages one by one, she began to discover that the wounds that were so deep not long before, were now almost completely healed. Stephanie bit into her bottom lip, keeping this discovery to herself, but she wondered what could be different about this strange man, that could make him heal so fast.
Book 1: The Alpha’s a Bitch: Rise Of The Pack Princess Chapter 3
“How did this happen?” she asked in a soft voice as she sat down at the table across from him. She didn’t want him to think that she was pushing him.
“I don’t remember much,” he frowned as he took a sip of his tea.
“Well, what about a simple one like what’s your name?” she inquired casually.
“I honestly…” he hesitated and shook his head slowly. “I’m just not sure.” Stephanie heard alarm bells ringing in the back of her mind and she eyed him with a new sense of skepticism. She was wary of him and wondering why his circumstances were so strange.
“Are you a criminal?” she asked cautiously. When he didn’t answer right away, instead, stared down at his empty plate, Stephanie pushed forward. “Are you just lying to me? Is that it?”
“No, please,” he leaned forward and she sat back in her chair slightly, feeling a little startled by his closeness. “I would never lie to you, not after all that you’ve done for me. I’m so grateful that you helped me. I would do anything
in my power to repay you.”
Stephanie shifted uncomfortably and ducked her head to disguise a blush that began heating her cheeks. His voice was so full of conviction that she found it hard to doubt him. When she finally stole a glance up at him, she found him waiting to meet her eyes with those ice blue orbs he had been blessed with.
“Well… you need a name,” she said quietly. “Your eyes are stunning… the color I mean – they’re so blue. Almost like ice. Let’s see… cold, winter, ice, frost, Jack Frost? How about Jack?”
“Jack,” he repeated and a slow smile grew on his lips. “That sounds perfect.”
Over the next couple of days of Steff’s unexpected mini vacation, Jack and Steff grew closer. Each day he healed and felt a little stronger. The moment he could, he offered to help her around her little house any way that he could. Stephanie found his eagerness to repay her to be sweet, and enjoyed spending time with him.
One afternoon, three days after the accident, he began working in the backyard. She watched him through the kitchen window as she cooked them both dinner. He moved swiftly, clearing out the untended gardens and planting new flowers. He removed tree limbs, cut the grass, and worked very hard.
She smiled as she watched his fluid motions, admitting to herself that she felt happier than she had in a very long time. She watched him work for a little while longer, and then returned to cooking. When he finally came inside the house, he was excited to show her what he had done.
“Come see,” he smiled and offered her his hand.
Stephanie hesitantly took it. He didn’t seem to notice how nervous she was as he pulled her along behind him. Jack told her all about the new flowers he had planted and then introduced her to the new stone path that he had just made for her.
“It’s beautiful,” she said and sighed with admiration as she looked at her clean and newly groomed backyard. She had been so busy with work that she never bothered to take proper care of it. Now it seemed like a lovely place to spend some free time. “Thank you so much.”
The Alpha's a Bitch: Rise Of The Pack Princess Complete: A Paranormal Werewolf Romance Page 1
