HER DOMINEERING ALPHA

Chapter three

Tori

That night, I barely slept, thoughts of Blake plaguing me until the early hours of the morning. When my alarm finally went off, I dragged myself out of bed feeling exhausted.

In the kitchen I quickly threw together a small breakfast, worried about leaving Theo alone for too long. I cracked open his bedroom door to check on him.

My heart dropped. Theo was curled on his side, shaking uncontrollably. I rushed over to see his face twisted in a pained grimace, skin clammy. He was having one of his seizures.

"Theo, can you hear me?" I grasped his trembling hand. No response.

Panic welled up inside me. I knew from past experience there was nothing to do but wait it out. But seeing my little brother - my only family now - suffering tore me apart.

After what felt like hours, the seizure finally passed. Theo's body went still, his labored breathing evening out as he slipped into unconsciousness. I tucked the blankets around him and felt his forehead - still burning up.

This was bad. Really bad. The medicine we had was clearly not strong enough. I needed to find better care, fast. But we were nearly out of money since the move. I ran out to the nearest store, asking for werewolf painkillers, but everything they gave me didn't work.

At last, I could only sit and watch Theo's pale sleeping face, anger and helplessness warring within me. Coming here was supposed to make things better for him. Now I feared I'd made his condition worse with the added stress of the move.

With a painful squeeze of my brother's limp hand, I forced myself to get moving. As much as I wanted to stay with Theo, the only way I could help him was to graduate and earn enough to pay for the treatments he needed.

I arrived at school late, earning a stern look from my teacher. Avoiding the curious stares of my classmates, I slid silently into my seat.

Of course the one empty spot was right behind Blake. I kept my gaze locked straight ahead, but I could feel his eyes boring into the back of my head. My neck prickled with the effort not to turn around.

The teacher began her physics lesson. As she turned to write on the board, a wad of paper hit me in the back of the head. I glanced down to see it had come from Blake's direction. Scrawled across it in neat handwriting was, "How was your walk of shame this morning?"

My cheeks flamed as I heard snickers behind me. Blake and his juvenile friends apparently thought it was hilarious that I'd shown up late. I crumpled the paper tightly in my fist.

The teacher's back was still turned as more paper balls pelted me. Blake and Declan laughed loudly. Even the nice boy who sat across from me, Zach, avoided my eyes. No one wanted to stand up to the powerful alpha and his bully friends.

Blinking back humiliated tears, I kept my gaze fixed straight ahead. Maybe if I ignored them, they'd get bored and stop.

But the barrage continued until the end of class. As soon as the bell rang I hurried for the door, avoiding eye contact. The sound of Blake's snide laughter echoed down the hall after me.

I managed to evade further bullying in my next classes. By the time lunch came around, the knot in my stomach had eased slightly. I poked at my food, not feeling hungry.

"There you are!" Ella slid into the seat across from me, Caleb right behind her. "We looked for you after the party last night but couldn't find you. Did you end up leaving early?"

I shrugged, avoiding their eyes. "Wasn't really my scene."

Sensing my tone, Ella shared a look with Caleb. "Did something happen?" she asked gently.

Before I could respond, raucous laughter erupted nearby. We looked over to see Blake with his arm around a pretty blonde girl, clearly enjoying the fawning attention of her friends.

Blake's eyes flicked to me with a cruel smirk, pulling the blonde closer. "Babe, why don't you give me a little preview of what I can expect later," he purred loud enough for us to hear.

Giggling, the girl grabbed Blake's face and kissed him lustily. My stomach churned with hurt and humiliation. So much for "not the relationship type." Looked like he had no qualms moving on from me immediately.

I quickly dropped my gaze, not wanting Blake to see how much his taunting affected me.

Ella looked back and forth between me and Blake, realization dawning. "Oh Tori," she said softly. "I'm so sorry."

Caleb shook his head angrily. "That guy is unbelievable. Just ignore him, he's not worth it."

I nodded silently, pushing my uneaten food away. Part of me wanted to flee, but I refused to give Blake the satisfaction.

Soon enough the bell rang. I gathered my things slowly, waiting for the crowds to disperse. Caleb touched my arm comfortingly as he stood.

"See you later. And remember, Blake is just a jerk on a power trip," he said. "Don't let him get to you."

I tried for a grateful smile, but it came out more like a grimace. Avoiding the bustling center of the cafeteria, I made my way to class alone.

Just as I reached the hall, a strong hand grasped my wrist and yanked me into a small alcove. I found myself pinned against the wall, staring up into Blake's mocking green eyes.

"Well hello there, sweetheart," he purred, tracing a finger down my cheek. "You're looking a little lonely today."

I wrenched my arm out of his grasp. "Don't touch me, Blake."

He laughed derisively. "Aww, what's the matter? Feeling rejected since we shared a kiss?"

His cruel words pierced my heart. It was my first kiss, but I wouldn't tell him that. So I blinked back furious tears.

"We're meant to be together, Blake," I choked out angrily. "Our wolves belong with each other. Why can't you see that?"

For a split second his cocky mask slipped, hurt flashing across his face. But then the cold mocking expression returned.

"You don't know anything about me or my wolf," he snarled. "Whatever delusions you have in that pretty little head of yours, get rid of them. We kissed once. That's all. I've got plenty of girls just waiting for a piece of me."

He backed away with a last cutting smirk. "Do yourself a favor, sweetheart. Stay away from me. I'm no good for you."

Then he was gone, leaving me slumped against the wall with silent tears running down my cheeks. I was tired of crying over him. I knew he was trouble, that I should keep my distance. But it seemed my foolish heart wouldn't listen.

I was late to my next class. The teacher's reprimand barely registered through my haze of hurt and frustration. I couldn't focus on the lesson, Blake's harsh words echoing in my mind.

Maybe he was right. Maybe I'd imagined some mystical connection between us that wasn't really there. We barely knew each other. I was a fool to think someone as callous and arrogant as Blake could be my perfect mate.

After school, I begged off hanging out with Ella and Caleb, claiming I had to get home to my brother. The bus ride passed in a blur.

Inside, I found Theo's conscious but still very weak. He gave me a wan smile as I felt his forehead. The fever still raged. My worry spiked.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, trying not to let my fear show.

"Been better," Theo's rasped. "How was school?"

"Fine," I lied brightly. "Classes were boring, but I'm surviving."

He saw through my facade, giving me a knowing look. Before he could question me, I quickly suggested he try to eat some soup I'd heat up.

While Theo picked at his food, I tallied up our meager remaining funds with a sinking heart. Even if I skipped school to take extra shifts, we couldn't afford the treatments he desperately needed.

Anger and fear boiled up inside me. We'd been forced to leave our old territory, trusting help from the Alpha. Now Theo is getting worse, and I had no way to help him.

It wasn't fair.