Alpha Doms Box Set: 9 Delicious Stories + 10 Sexy Heroes = 19 Reasons to Indulge (22 page)

I gazed at her aging face, discomfort
settling in my chest.

“
Why is he so worried about
the fat one?” Sarah grumbled to her best friend, Amanda. My wolf
sneered. Her high school immaturity was the only thing saving
her.

“
Who knows? She’s a
disgrace to our pack if you ask me.” Amanda huffed.

“
Is it such a harm if she
misses one meal? Lord knows the girl has enough on her to hibernate
all winter,” Rebecca, another mother, said.

“
I think he feels
obligated. She’s an unfortunate part of this pack, which makes her
his responsibility,” Edna added her own two cents.

Several of the teenage boys began tossing
around jokes about Laina’s size. The worst part, what crushed me
inside, was that many of the adults, the examples of propriety
sitting around this table, quietly laughed with them.

Where had I gone wrong? Where did I slip up
in teaching them to protect their own, to look out for their own?
We looked out for every member of this pack; young, old, big,
small, it didn’t matter. They were one of us. Now I saw their true
colors coming through. No wonder Laina didn’t want to be with me.
I’d allowed them to ridicule her. I’d allowed them to push her
away.

My body began to shake as their words
swarmed me, igniting my wolf, ballooning my distress.

Aaron leaned across the table towards me.
“Bro, you’re blowing this way up.”

“
He’s probably the only one
that cares. Even Mirna said her daughter was a massive
disappointment,” Maxine whispered to my mother, my mother who sat
primly at the table, acting as if nothing was happening.

Brad, my youngest brother stood. He came
around and clapped my shoulder. “Let’s just sit and eat. If she
doesn’t show, we’ll send a few people to look for her,” he
stated.

They were so nonchalant.
They acted as if their worlds weren’t collapsing because of one
loss.
The loss of one was a loss to
all
had been my motto.

My pulse quickened. My veins burned with
something close to acid, though I knew it was my supreme disgust
with my entire pack. I’d never wanted to walk away from my position
so badly. I’d never wanted to punish an entire group of people.

My bones rattled as my wolf thrashed at the
final barrier containing him. I was so close to letting him loose
so he could shred them, so he could lash out at all of them for
turning their backs on his mate, on my mate. Perhaps they could
breathe easily without her, maybe they thought she wasn’t a vital
part of us, but she would always be the most important part of
me.

I shoved Brad off of me. I growled, the
sound echoing throughout the cabin. I slapped one fist against the
table followed by the other. The table shook, everything on top of
it clattering. I glared at each one of them, spearing them with my
eyes, slicing them with my indignation.

“
How dare you defy me! How
dare you dismiss one of our own!”

“
She doesn’t contribute
much,” someone stated.

My ears were burning, my muscles on the
verge of splitting. My pulse echoed in my head, muffling my
supernatural hearing.

“
Says who?” I
demanded.

“
Son, you must admit, she
is the… how shall we call her, the least of us?” My mother’s voice
was low, her words spoken with proper delicacy.

I stared incredulously at her. “Maybe she’s
the least to you, but she’s the most of me. She’s my fucking
mate!”

Gasps sounded all around. My mother paled. I
didn’t even bother looking towards Laina’s family.

“
The loss of one is a loss
to all, right? Well all of you go! If she doesn’t eat, then no one
eats.” They’d officially tipped me over the edge.

Sputters flew. Several of the pack elders
and my family were attempting to calm me, but I was too far gone.
Their attempts to pacify me, to justify their judgments, fell upon
deaf ears.

I’d never felt so out of control. I’d never
been so close to committing mass murder. “Shut up! I’m ashamed of
every one of you. I’m ashamed to be your alpha! I didn’t raise you
this way. I didn’t teach you to alienate any one.”

“
Surely we can do
something,” Ramona said.

“
There is nothing you can
say or do now,” I bit out through gritted teeth. Each exhale was a
loud huff. “Don’t talk to me, don’t look at me, just
go.”

“
Damn it. I told you you
should have given her away,” Roberto grumbled as he
stood.

My wolf poked through. Before I knew what I
was doing, I’d slammed Laina’s brother against the wall. “You want
her gone? Well, I want you gone. I won’t allow her to be demeaned
by her own flesh and blood. You and your family have twenty-four
hours to vacate.”

His eyes widened in terror. “You… you don’t
really mean that, right? I mean, I didn’t really mean it.” I loved
how he suddenly became a squeaking mouse despite being two years
older than his sister.

I growled, moving to mere inches from his
face where I could stare him down. “Try me,” I snarled low and
menacing.

“
We’ll do better with her.
Every family has their issues,” Mirna sniveled.

I let go of Roberto. He tumbled down, his
ass smacking the floor as I spun towards her. “You should look up
the definition of family. You’ve treated your daughter, my mate,
like anything but. You think I don’t hear you? You think I’m
oblivious to your snide remarks, to the way you humiliate her with
your spiteful comments. My failure was not doing something about
this sooner. My disgrace, that I’ll have to live with forever, is
knowing that I allowed her to be bullied by the ones I dedicated my
life to protecting. I can’t blame her for rejecting me. I don’t
even blame her for finally running away.”

“
We could do far more for
this pack than my daughter ever will,” Rupert stated. “As the
alpha, you have to understand the importance of choice.”

“
I value choice as much as
I value integrity, ethics and morals. I want no one without them to
represent me, the same way I refuse to represent those without them
anymore. If that means I lose half the people here, then so be it.
When questioned, I could consciously explain why I released you
all. But come your day of atonement, you’ll be groveling when your
mistakes are slathered before you.”

Rupert put his arm around his wife. Tears
streamed down Mirna’s face, but her indignant expression ruined the
sentiment.

Roberto lifted from the floor and went to
stand behind his mother. “Come on, Mom. I don’t want to stay where
we’re not wanted.” He no longer cowered but rather played the role
of a rebellious teen, which wasn’t attractive on a twenty-eight
year old male.

“
If anyone else doesn’t
agree with my stand, then leave with them,” I ordered.

No one moved a muscle. They all stood,
scared straight as they watched the scene unfold in horror. Perhaps
this was their day of atonement. Perhaps this was the night that
needed to happen in order to make them learn. My job was to teach
them, to guide them. There was no better way to mold them than with
example and discipline.

I ground my teeth, flexing my jaw as I
glared at Laina’s family. Despite what I’d done, I knew I’d still
failed her. That’s what hurt the most. Not their actions, but my
own.

It was going to take a lot to earn my place
beside her, particularly when she deserved so much more than I’d
ever given her.

“
Shit. I’m sorry, bro.”
Aaron scrubbed his face. I heard the apology in his voice, but it
was too late. He’d already made his true feelings known.

“
Save it,” I
snapped.

Slowly, the pack began filing out of the
dining room, making their way back to their homes around the
central compound.

I watched as Amanda’s dad yanked on her ear,
tugging her through the crowd. “You cost me my meal. You’re in deep
shit little one,” he grumbled.

“
It’s Laina’s fault for not
showing up,” she whined.

I wanted to shake each and every one of them
the way my body shook with a fury comparable only to a category ten
hurricane, which was too far off the charts to define.

I turned away from them. Every step weighed
me down further. I sank into my chair at the head of the table. I
stared emptily at the food lining the center of the table. I didn’t
doubt most of the pack members would go home and eat, which was why
I didn’t bat a lash at dismissing them.

I ran my hand through my hair, yanking on my
roots. It felt like the bottom had been pulled out from under me. I
wanted to chase her. I wanted to hold her, to whisper a thousand
apologies to her as I snuggled in bed with her… after thoroughly
claiming her.

Fuck! That’s where I’d gone wrong. Damn it,
the alpha commanded a certain level of respect; therefore, so did
his mate.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on feeling
her, on sensing her. She wasn’t near, but she wasn’t far. I took
several deep breaths, hushing my wolf as we sought the essence of
her soul in the air. When serenity was the only thing that
registered, I knew she’d escaped for solace.

She could have her solace tonight, but come
tomorrow, she was going to be mine. Part two of my off-the-cuff
plan was to finally claim her. She was going to surrender to me in
every part of her life. It was the only way I could assure her
equality; it was the only way I could fully protect her.

My wolf howled in agreement. His persistent
scratching slowed for a brief moment. His draw back confirmed that
this was the best move. My wolf and I rarely agreed, but we would
always do what was best for her. She was our common ground, as
nature intended her to be. She was the one who would balance us;
she was our unity. The beauty to my beast.

—

Chapter Five

LAINA

I rolled over. The cool grass tickled my
cheek. I smiled, taking in nature as she woke. She was
breathtaking. The mist that rose up over the mountains veiled her
glory before the sun revealed her splendor.

I stretched, birds chirping in the distance
fully awakening me. The river thrashed about; it was the equivalent
of Earth’s own lively music.

I inhaled deep; Mother Nature’s breath
invigorated me. It stilled my heavy heart and soothed my limbs.

Standing to my feet, I did a final sweep of
the area. I didn’t get out here much. I wanted to enjoy every
second before I had to face reality again.

I stood there a little while, absorbing
nature’s harmony. Feeling the minutes tick by, I sighed, knowing I
couldn’t put it off forever.

I gazed at the forest. The leaves created a
thick brush that kept the floor from basking in the sun’s light.
With one last glance back at the mountains and the river below, I
sprinted towards the trees.

It was about an hour before I crossed onto
pack property. The sun was high in the sky by then. I’d learned to
appreciate these last few days of warmth before cooler days of fall
took over and the sun disappeared for winter.

I headed for my family’s home, a small
three-bedroom house on the eastern perimeter of the pack’s
property.

I stood quietly outside the front door,
listening closely for them. I strained my ears for their
heartbeats, for their movements, for Papa’s soft snores, but was
met with silence. I frowned, pushing open the door and stepping
over the threshold.

I worried my bottom lip as I headed for my
parent’s bedroom. Throwing open their door, I was met with naked
furniture and stark walls. Fear pounded in my chest, churning my
stomach.

I ran to their closet and slid the doors
open. Nothing. There was nothing in there. It was as if they’d
disappeared.

I was on the verge of vomiting as I dashed
across the house to Roberto’s room. I stormed through his door, but
was met with the same emptiness. I tossed open his closet doors,
but it was all gone. Tears stung my eyes as the realization dawned
on me. They’d left me. They’d finally left me.

My wolf howled long, sorrowful whimpers. We
were family animals; we thrived off of those lifelong bonds.

Dazedly, I wandered to the kitchen in search
of a note, a letter, anything. When I found nothing, not even
silverware, I ambled to my bedroom. My hand hovered shakily over
the knob. It was my last hope.

I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead to
the door. Regret washed through me. I knew I’d been a
disappointment to them. I knew my weight was an embarrassment to
them. My chest constricted as the truth stabbed my gut. I should
have been the one to leave, not them. I could have made a life
outside the pack amongst the humans. I could have saved my mother
many dirty looks, saved my father many scrutinizing glares over how
he’d raised me; I could have saved their reputations within the
community. I’d been selfish to stay.

Taking one final breath, I thrust open my
bedroom door. Nothing had been touched in my personal space;
likewise, nothing new was present. They really had just up and
left.

I batted at the disappointment, the
desperate ache settling in my core. I knew I wasn’t the ideal were
daughter they’d wanted, but I wasn’t the worst of the lot. I could
have been a rebellious nightmare to raise.

Anger breached the outskirts of my emotions.
I quickly tossed it aside though. In the end, it wasn’t their fault
that I ended up the size I was. Likewise, it wasn’t my fault that
they weren’t strong enough to handle the backlash with the same
dignity that I did.

I sighed. I knew there was only one person I
could make this right with: Jayson. I feared going to him, but I
had no other choice. He would be the only one willing to tell me
the truth; he would be the only one who would help me get them
back.