The Alpha’s Bullied Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #1)

Chapter 1 - Mica

Mica’s heart was in her throat as she helped her mother into the town hall. She often did her best to avoid large gatherings of the pack. It had been ages since she attended any of the celebrations unless she was recruited to be part of the serving team. Pack meetings were still mandatory, though, which meant braving the wolves of the Bluebell Valley pack.

“Slow down, we’re not in a hurry,” her mother, Echo, panted.

“Sorry, Mom.” Mica brushed a lock of flame-red hair behind her ear and slowed down, letting Echo set the pace.

When Echo adopted a human girl as her daughter, the pack told her she was crazy. In the years since Mica became part of the pack, they had let her know what a mistake Echo had made time and time again. It was terrible in elementary school, but once Mica’s classmates started to hit puberty, the bullying only intensified.

Mica scanned the gathered crowd, quickly spotting the sleek black ponytail of her best friend, Tess. She already had a spot at the very back of the hall. Grateful, Mica helped Echo hobble toward her. They took their seats, and Mica sighed in relief.

“You look like you’re chewing glass,” Tess whispered to her.

“I might as well be.” Mica wrapped her arms around her waist.

It didn’t help that she was trying yet another new diet. She had always been bigger, but over the years, she’d found food to be the only thing that made her feel better. Add to it the fact that she couldn’t set foot in a gym without someone ‘offering advice,’ and her weight had gotten out of control.

She’d been doing her best to research how to be healthy regardless of what her body looked like. But sometimes the pressure was just too much, and she went on these crash diets that she knew would only make it worse in the end.

Which was why she was dealing with low blood sugar as well as the normal nerves right now.

“Nobody’s going to pay attention to us,” Tess assured Mica, patting her hand. “We’ll get out of here soon enough.”

Echo craned her neck. “I can’t see anything from back here.”

Mica winced. “Do you want to get closer to the front?”

“Yes, that will be best.”

Fighting back a groan, Mica helped her mother get to her feet again. Echo was having a particularly bad day today and couldn’t walk without leaning on her. Their packmates glanced up at them as Mica helped her along the pathway to the chairs near the front.

“There looks like there’s a seat open there,” Mica said, pointing. If she could just get Echo seated, she could go back to Tess and melt into the background again.

Someone sidestepped into their path. Elin, Mica’s former best friend, gave them both a toothy grin. Her doe-like brown eyes skimmed over Mica briefly before focusing on Echo.

“Do you want to sit with me, Echo? I have a seat open,” Elin offered, already looping her arm through Echo’s other arm. “You look like you could use the company.”

“That would be wonderful, dear.” Echo patted her hand. “It’s always good to see you.”

Mica hesitated as Elin helped Echo to the seat. While this was what she wanted, the chance to escape to the back of the room, she wasn’t thrilled with Elin being so close to Echo. Even though her mother knew exactly what Elin had done to her, she never could understand why Mica didn’t just forgive her and move on.

Once Echo was settled, Elin stepped closer to Mica. “There. I’ve got your mother, and you can run back to hide with your friend.”

She said it quietly, but not quietly enough. Echo reached out and grabbed Elin’s wrist. Her eyes grew fiery. “My daughter has no need to hide. She’s a proper member of this pack. She’s my daughter.”

Elin was all sweet smiles as she turned back to Echo. “Of course not! You misunderstood me.”

Mica turned on her heel and hurried back to Tess. She had no stomach for whatever Elin was going to go on about today. And Echo would eat it up. Her mother was never a hugely respected member of the pack, but she’d commanded enough attention to defend her adopted daughter from the bullies. It was never fully effective, but she tried.

Since she had gotten sick, those efforts had grown less.

In the back once more, Mica took her spot next to Tess and sagged into the chair. Nobody was looking at her. Good. There was a commotion at the other entrance, but she didn’t bother paying attention. Instead, she wiped her hands over her eyes, trying to erase the beads of moisture that clung to her eyelids.

“You okay?” Tess whispered to her.

Mica shook her head. “Mom’s getting worse. It’s been two weeks since she was last able to shift into her wolf form.”

Tess gasped. “That long?”

“I finally made her see the doctor but he can’t pinpoint anything wrong with her. It’s like her body is breaking down without any cause.” Mica wrapped her arms around her waist.

She thought being the only human member of a wolf shifter pack was the worst thing that could happen to her. Yes, she was ashamed by the thoughts that she wished Echo had never adopted her. It would have been better for Mica if she had been adopted by a human family, where she would have felt like she belonged.

But this was even worse than feeling like an outcast.

Watching the mother she loved slowly disintegrate made her wish she could believe in the Moon Goddess. Then, at least, she could pray for her mother’s recovery. Then, she could feel like she was doing something rather than just waiting.

Tess put an arm around Mica’s shoulders, squeezing lightly. “At least you’re not alone anymore, right?”

Mica’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, since Ryder’s back.” Tess stared at her, her blue eyes widening. “Wait. You mean he hasn’t come by the house?”

“Where did you get the idea that Ryder is back?” Mica asked. Her voice started to rise.

Tess nodded across the room.

Mica twisted in her seat. Her heart dropped, the air disappearing around her. Oh, Ryder was back. She quickly found her adopted brother, standing near the other entrance along with a handful of other tall men. But Mica didn’t spend long wondering why he hadn’t come to see her and Echo yet.

Her eyes were drawn to the man standing at the forefront of the group. Hayden.

He was just as handsome as Mica remembered. Tall, with muscular arms folded across his chest as he spoke to Alpha Monroe’s beta. He wore a black T-shirt that stuck to him like a second skin, showing off his toned body. Mica’s mouth went dry as she stared.

“You really didn’t know that they were back?” Tess whispered. “They came in last night. I heard they’re in Hayden’s old house on his parents’ acreage. I would have thought for sure… but I guess Ryder doesn’t care about anyone but himself; why would he visit his sick mother?”

“Shhh,” Mica told her, forcing herself to turn toward the front of the hall. Her heart thrummed in her chest, her hands twisting into each other.

No. She was not going to dwell on how handsome Hayden was. She wasn’t going to think about him at all. And as for Ryder, well… when he finally came around the house, Mica would hold her tongue for Echo’s sake. That didn’t mean she’d forgiven her adoptive brother for running out on them years ago.

“He’s got Blayke, Maverick, and Kai with him,” Tess continued in a whisper. “But I don’t know those other two. That one man has hair as red as yours.”

“Shhhh,” Mica hissed again. “Stop staring.”

“Everyone’s staring. They’re not going to pay attention to me,” Tess answered.

Mica sent her another glare.

Tess shrugged and turned to the front of the room.

Great. This day just kept getting better. First, this stupid pack meeting had to happen. It wasn’t as though any of the announcements would be for Mica anyway. No, it didn’t matter what festivals or celebrations were planned. It didn’t matter what work orders there were or if there were any improvements to the pack infrastructure.

That was the thing about being an outcast like her and Tess. Things would never get better for them.

But Hayden was back. There was a time when she would have run over to him right away to welcome him home. But that was before he broke her heart and humiliated her in front of the entire pack. It had been the best day of her life when he left the pack to join the special ops.

If only he had stayed gone!

Alpha Monroe took the podium. Mica tried to focus on him. He droned on about some construction project he planned near the town center, but Mica’s head kept twisting away from him, and toward the one person in this hall she didn’t want to watch.

Hayden and the group of wolves around him remained standing near the entrance. He leaned against the wall, a smirk on his face. It was too far to see his eyes, but Mica could imagine the arrogant gleam in their liquid brown depths.

She jumped as someone slipped into the chair next to her. Elin tossed her hair.

“Looks like Hayden’s back,” she purred. “Echo was just telling me that Ryder hadn’t come to see her yet. You think it has anything to do with you?”

Mica’s hands clenched in her lap.

“It must be hard for him, to have his little sister crushing on his best friend. Especially when he’s so obviously out of her league—”

Tess growled. “Shut it, Elin.”

“I’m just teasing,” Elin answered with a laugh.

Mica opened her mouth, but the words got lost on her tongue. Hayden started to walk forward, the six other wolves following after him like soldiers following their leader. Which they were, she realized. Her heart started pounding even harder, as though she somehow knew what was happening.

“Alpha Monroe,” Hayden called out. His voice boomed through the hall.

Monroe narrowed his eyes at him. “Hayden. What are you doing, interrupting me?”

“I challenge you for the leadership of the Bluebell Valley Pack,” Hayden said. His shoulders threw back, and his chest puffed out. “I want to be Alpha.”