A Wolf Scorned by Taylor Spratt
Amira
Life in the hole had been anything but a walk in the park. There were bullies, beatings, and just generally being ignored by others.
I’d always wondered what it would be like for everyone to know my name, for me to be popular, with more friends than I knew what to do with.
But as I sat on the edge of my bed, watching Kalisia and Mandi playing tug of war with a party dress, I began to realize that popularity had its drawbacks.
“She’s wearing the black one.” Mandi planted her legs wide and heaved at her end of the dress. “It suits her eye color.”
“No,” Kalisia bared her teeth and yanked the dress from Mandi’s hands. “She’s wearing the green one. It’ll make her hair pop.”
“Guys, guys. Relax.” I jumped up from the bed and turned to point at the fifteen plus dresses that lay scattered across my bed sheets. “Miles brought several choices of dress for me to choose from for tonight’s party. I’m sure we can agree on one of them, right? It’s not such a big deal. I can just wear any old one.”
I’d meant to calm the girls down, but by the way they now both looked at me, I’d clearly done the opposite.
“‘Any old one’?” Mandy repeated as if the words left a bad taste in her mouth, and she looked at me from the side of her eye. “This is your debut to the entire pack. Literally everyone will be here. You have to look your best.”
She did have a point. I’d never had many opportunities to dress up back in the hole. The Blood moon shifters had made such an effort to welcome me today, I really could put in some effort.
I pursed my lips and perused the pile of dresses on the bed. “How about that one?”
I pointed to a dazzling, purple dress on the edge of the bed.
“Uh- try it on and let’s see.” Kalisia snatched the dress from the bed and handed it to me before scooting me into the bathroom.
I put it on and opened the door to show the girls.
“Oh. My. God.” Was all Mandi could say as I twirled around.
Kalisia’s eyes popped from her head and her jaw draped to the floor. “Okay girl, you’ll be having the wolves running to you like a big juicy steak if you wear that.”
“A steak? Nah, she’ll be a whole buffet in that little number,” Mandi snapped her fingers.
“So you guys don’t think it’s a little too revealing?” I pulled at the bottom of the dress, trying to tug it down but it wouldn't budge. It was a lovely dark purple dress, but it barely went all the way down my thighs, not to mention the fact that there was a deep V cut in the back.
“Girl, you’re rockin’ that dress. Besides. The fellas like when a girl shows a little skin,” Kalisia nudged me in the arm then proceeded to whisper in my ear so Mandi couldn’t hear. “The fellas include the Alphas, just so you know.”
Kalisia and I shared a laugh, and Mandi scratched her temple in confusion.
*Knock* *Knock*
“You guys okay in there?” Miles said from the other side of my bedroom door.
“We’re okay,” I yelled while trying in vain to pull my dress down.
“We’re fine but we’d be better if you’d come join us, Beta Miles,” Kalisia said flirtatiously before swinging her hips over to the closed door.
“Ah, I’d love to join you lovely ladies. But the Alphas need to be at the dance early, so I’m going to go ahead with them. Will you be alright coming along when you're ready?”
“I drove here so that’s not a problem,” Mandi said and Kalisia cut her eye at her, disappointed that Miles wouldn’t be coming inside.
“Okay then, see you ladies at the dance.” The sound of Miles walking down the hall reverberated throughout the room.
“Way to go, Mandi. We could have gotten him to hang out with us,” Kalisia folded her arms.
“Relax, we’ll see lots of hot guys at the dance. Cool your pussy till then,” Mandi stuck out her tongue at Kalisia, and Kalisia did the same in return.
These girls were so full of life. I loved being around them, being part of their group. But still….
“Um, guys, if I bend over even a little, I think people will be able to see my panties.” I arched my back to peer at where the hem of the dress barely covered my butt.
“Sounds like a winner to me. You're a part of the hot girl crew now, Amira. Don’t worry. We’ll take you under our wing,” Mandi waved a hand, showing her beautiful and long pink nails.
Well, I guessed that was that. These guys may have been a bad influence but damn, did they rock.
Over the next hour and a half, Mandi and Kalisia picked out their dresses and shoes. We put on our makeup while dancing to songs I’d never heard but instantly loved.
Leaving my room in a mess of rejected outfits, and filled with a cloud of perfume almost too thick to see though, we flew down the stairs. We jumped into Mandi’s convertible and hit the road.
It was just the three of us, playing music as loud as the radio could go, cruising down the open road and breathing in the fresh night air. My soul sang to the beat of the music as I leaned my head back to watch the thousands of sparkling stars overhead.
We made a party of our own, singing at the top of our lungs and dancing the best we could without falling out of the car seats. All the way through the mountains we sang and partied.
Half an hour later, Mandi pulled up at what appeared to be an open garden right in the valley between two grass-covered mountains.
It was beautiful, and the music was pumping. Fire torches illuminated the night on the periphery of the dance. Red and purple pepper lights decorated the surrounding trees, giving a more festive feel. The scent of wine and rum wafted on the cool night air, delighting my senses and making me more excited by the second.
There had to be about a thousand wolf shifters here, all dressed to the nines. A few were dancing, but the majority were in small groups, chatting, drinking, and laughing.
At least they were until the three of us entered the party. Hundreds of pairs of eyes whipped in my direction, mostly from males. Never in my life did I command the kind of attention that I did right now.
This was new. All the guys who were staring at me actually smiled and nodded to me in greeting. I soon realized I had the attention of more men than I thought.
Callum, Miles, and Syrus had their eyes on me as well. They stood together as a group by a table. The three Alphas were in matching black suits that somehow managed to make them look even hotter than normal.
“Watch out, Amira. If you're not careful the Alphas might become jealous of all the attention you're getting,” Kalisia joked, gently bumping her hip into mine.
“So, who's your date for the night going to be? See anyone you like?” Mandi asked, before pushing her leg though the high split in her dress, seeming intent on catching a few glances of her own.
I took a gander over at the three Alphas and then all the other young men who now ogled me.
“I don’t know.” I looked away, not sure what to do with so much attention.
A group of four guys called to Kalisia and Mandi.
“It’s Dustin and the gang,” Kalisia said, before inviting me to come and meet her friends. Before I could step off, a gentle hand brushed over my shoulder.
“Excuse me, Miss Amira?” I turned to see a gorgeous, blond man smiling at me. He was tall and in his late twenties. His shoulders were wide and body was built like an ox. “My name is Michael. And might I just say how beautiful you look tonight.”
“Thank you.”
He took my hand and kissed it. I felt flattered by his attention but for some reason I didn't feel the butterflies I did with Miles, Callum, or Syrus.
His eyes explored the hem of my dress before crawling back up to my face and he gave a wolfish grin. “Care to dance?”
Someone cleared his throat roughly from behind me and I turned to see Callum towering above me. Callum gave Michael a glare so chilly even I shivered.
“Do you mind if I cut in?” Callum asked.
With a bow Michael excused himself and quickly retreated into the crowd.
“Would you care to dance?” Callum offered me his hand. Kalisia and Mandi gave me the thumbs up, jerking their thumbs so vigorously up and down I thought they’d fall off.
I thought everyone was staring before, but only now were they really staring.
“I’d love to but I’ve never danced before.” I’d probably step all over his feet and crush his toes.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll lead,” he said in a velvety voice and he came up close to me. The delicate scent of his cologne hit me square in the nose and melted my bones with its soothing woodland aroma.
Not being one to wait, Callum took my hand and we moved onto the dance floor like a swan over a moonlit lake. His moves were refined, yet confident, as he twirled me twice and pulled me against his rock-hard chest.
We made eye contact and warmth spread through my body. His eyes glinted in the moonlight, mesmerizing me with their depth and beauty.
His long white hair whipped about as we swung ‘round and ‘round like a merry-go-round. My heart galloped like a racehorse, going faster and faster with every spin.
Tonight was perfect. This was perfect. I never wanted this dance to end.
The world slipped away, becoming utterly insignificant. The only thing that existed at the moment was Callum and me. Our twirling slowed to a gentle back and forth movement.
His eyes remained fixated on mine as if he couldn't look away anymore than I could.
“Who gave you such a revealing dress?” he finally spoke.
“What, you don’t like it?” He twirled me once more before bringing me back into his chest. But this time I sensed a bit of aggression in the flick of his wrist that wasn't there before.
“The moment you walked in all those men were mentally undressing you. My wolf wanted to kill them all.”
“Well, sounds like your wolf is a jealous little guy, isn’t he?” I teased and he squinted his eyes at me in a chastising way. Yet the way he held me to him was so gentle I doubted he was upset.
“He is when it comes to you.”
When it comes to me?
“Oh, and why is that?" I said, glancing away and trying to seem like I was less curious than I truly was.
“I do not know. I am still trying to figure that out.”
His fearsome gaze peered deeply into mine for several wordless moments. The next thing I knew, the song had changed and Callum thanked me for the dance before walking away.
I reached out my hand to stop him, my body acting only on instinct but I didn’t say a word. He was gone.
Applause sounded off beside me and I shifted to see Mandi and Kalisia smiling from ear to ear.
“Do you have any idea what just happened, Amira?” Kalisia asked and I scratched my head in confusion.
“Well, yeah, I danced with Callum,” I replied and as if what I’d said was silly, Kalisia shook her head.
“Well, duh, but Alpha Callum never dances at parties!” Kalisia exclaimed.
“It’s more than that.” Mandi sidestepped Kalisia to take center stage. “That was his way of marking you as untouchable. That dance was to tell the pack that you are his.”
“What? There’s no way that’s what Callum intended to do. It was just one little dance.” I waved Mandi off. But a quick look to my left was enough to make me second guess myself.
Callum stood, leaning against a high table several feet away. A few revelers separated us but I could still make him out as they came and went.
He silently watched me while taking sips of his drink. It wasn’t just that he was looking, it was the way he was looking. Like he wanted to take me and brand me as his.
I’d seen desire in a man’s eyes before. Mostly in the hole when I’d catch men looking at Riley. But I’d never seen a man’s eyes shine with desire like Callum’s did right now.
“Hey, little wolf. That was some dancing you put down with Callum. If you're not careful you’ll make your Alpha jealous,” Syrus strode up, drink in hand, looking so hot I could practically see the hearts in Kalisia and Mandi’s eyes.
“If you wanna be jealous, then that’s your business.” I turned up my nose at Syrus and folded my arms.
He chuckled, seeming amused by my response.
“Thank you, ladies, for taking such good care of little Amira here,” Syrus beamed his most charming smile at the girls and they melted.
“Anything for you, Alpha,” they said in unison and I groaned.
As if his ego needed any more inflating.
“Would you like to come have a drink with me, little wolf?” Syrus asked, and without waiting for me to respond, those two goofballs, Kalisia and Mandi, pushed me right into Syrus's chest.
“You two have fun now.” The girls made themselves scarce, dissolving into the party goers.
This was the perfect opportunity for me to enact my master plan. Syrus's breath smelled of hard liquor, strong enough that I knew he’d had more than a few.
His cheeks were flushed and he wore an adorable little absent-minded grin on his face. This was going to be like taking candy from a baby. He would tell me all about my grandmother, I was sure of it.
Syrus took me to the bar and ordered me something sweet and peachy. We then found a quiet and cozy balcony to lean against, just on the outskirts of the party.
Syrus bumped his shoulder into mine and asked me if I liked the view. How could I not? In the distance sat moonlit mountains, ancient and majestic. The sky was filled with stars that glinted like celestial silver and gold. I felt tingly inside just looking at it.
“It’s gorgeous,” I said in a daze.
“You sure are,” Syrus said under his breath. His voice was so soft I almost didn't hear him.
“Hmmm, you wouldn't happen to be falling for me, would you, Syrus?” I fluttered my lashes before taking a tiny sip of my drink.
“Of course not. I just appreciate all you’ve done for us.” His shoulders stiffened and his eyes shifted everywhere but on mine.
“Then why do you look so suspicious?” I came in closer to him and tip-toed so that my face went right up to his and he could no longer look away.
“You dare question your Alpha?” He snatched my waist in his powerful grip and drew me right into his embrace. “Now I will really have to punish you for that.”
His voice was a whisper. He rubbed his lips over mine, light as a feather.
He played with my lips, never going further than a brush. His body was so stiff I could feel his resistance, his doubt but also his wanting.
My mouth watered, and pleasure shot down to the valley between my legs in a way that only Syrus could do.
His tongue flicked over my upper lip and I knew his kiss was coming next. So I jerked myself away, freeing myself from his embrace.
He looked at me, surprised.
“If you're so grateful to me, dear Alpha. Then perhaps you wouldn’t mind telling me more about my family.”
The color drained from his face, and he guzzled down what remained of his drink before setting the glass down on the balcony and turned to look at the sky instead of me.
“Please, little wolf. Are you not happy here?”
“Yes, but what’s that got to do with anything?”
“If I told you what you wanted it might change things.”
“Why?”
Syrus took the empty glass in hand and squeezed it so hard it shattered. “Because you may hate me and Callum, that’s why.”
“Hate you and Callum? But why?” My voice grew more adamant and his expression grew more withdrawn.
He rubbed my lip with the pad of his thumb and pulled away. “Please. Don’t ever ask me about this again. It would only destroy us all.”
Syrus turned his back and melted into the crowd
A deep sadness sliced into me like a rusty dagger. This was my last idea and it had failed. Now I had only one other option. I had to find Ragnaron and get him to tell me what I wanted to know. Only then would I find out who I truly was and become whole.