Desired By My Alpha Stepfather

Visiting our old pack

  Nina
  
  Not again.
  
  My stomach lurched as Mom slammed her fist on the kitchen counter top, rattling the silverware. "The Moon Stone Alpha wants Vince for a meeting. And guess what, you useless excuse for an omega, you're coming too!" Moonstone pack was the pack we moved from, we needed to show them we finally got our life together.
  
  My voice trembled as I dared a protest. "But Mom, what about Kai? Who will—"
  
  Her laughter cut me off. "Who cares about that mutt? We need to show some semblance of strength as a family, and you tagging along is the closest you'll ever get."
  
  "I'm not weak," I whispered.
  
  "Spare me the dramatics, Nina," she spat. "Moon Stone pack and ours have a close relationship and we're not going to allow anything ruin that. Oh, and  gossips might have reached there about your little slutiness, so we have to make a good appearance, thanks to your little... weakness." 
  
  "It's not my fault!" I cried, my voice cracking.
  
  "Of course it's your fault!" she roared. "You're always causing trouble, a liability wrapped in a flimsy excuse for a wolf! Now get yourself cleaned up and looking halfway decent. We leave in an hour, and by the Moon Goddess, you will not embarrass me in front of another pack."
  
  The sting of her words was a familiar ache.  There was no winning with Mom. No amount of effort, no display of strength, would ever be enough to earn her respect. 
  
  Defeated, I rose from the chair.
  
  The visit to Moon Stone pack was going to be a huge battle itself.
  
  Sue.
  
  Her father was Beta there. Meaning? I had to get on a thick skin or prepare to be preyed upon by sweet little Sue.
  
  ****
  
  The rumble of the car engine vibrated through the leather seat. Every bump in the road sent a jolt through my system.
  
  Yesterday's scene in Vince's study replayed with a horrifying clarity. I'd lashed out, hurling accusations of base desires at him .
  
  Now, wedged into the back seat, a stolen glance at Vince in the rearview mirror sent a tremor through me.  The memory of his touch, the way he'd pinned me against the wall, his hand hot on my backside, the unmistakable evidence of his arousal – it was branded into my memory  that terrified me.
  
  My wolf now howled with a different kind of hunger.
  
  Slut.
  
  Tease.
  
  You wanted it.
  
  The image of Vince, his jaw clenched, eyes blazing with anger something else... was it desire?  Heat pulsed between my legs, and I felt a shameful dampness blossoming there at the mere thought.
  
  Mom's voice calling out from the front seat was a distant echo. "Nina!"
  
  "Sweetie, we're here!"
  
  Sweetie?
  
  Yeah, right!
  
  My head snapped up, the world jolting back into focus. The gates of Moon Stone pack loomed before us.
  
  
  ****
  
  The air in the Moon Stone pack meeting room  made my skin crawl. Mom sat perched on the edge of her chair like a nervous wren in a gilded cage. 
  
  Across from us sat Beta Thorne, a man built like a bear with a perpetually furrowed brow. His wife, a woman with a tight bun and a gaze as sharp as a hawk's, sat beside him, their expressions as welcoming as a blizzard.
  
  Vince was the perfect picture of composure. He sat ramrod straight beside my mother. He barely spoke, very unlike Mom's relentless chirping.
  
  "Such a lovely spring day, wouldn't you agree, Mrs. Thorne? Perfect for a stroll in the woods, or perhaps a spot of gardening?"
  
  Mrs. Thorne's lips remained pursed in a permanent frown. "We don't have much time for leisurely pursuits here at Moon Stone," she said, her voice clipped. "There's always something that needs tending to – patrols to be run, borders to be secured."
  
  Mom's smile faltered for a brief moment, then returned, a touch brighter than necessary. "Oh, of course! Pack duties are so important. Speaking of which, Nina here is simply brimming with potential! Did you know-"
  
  Vince cleared his throat, his voice barely a murmur. "Perhaps another time, Sarah. We wouldn't want to intrude the Thorne's busy schedule." 
  
  Mom's smile faltered again, but before she could recover, the conversation shifted. Beta Thorne, his gaze fixed on Vince, asked a question about trade routes. Vince responded with a quiet efficiency. It was clear – withdrawn and reserved, Vince seemed worlds apart from the playful banter we shared in the library.
  
  The conversation continued with polite small talks ruined by Mom's valiant but misguided attempts to connect. She complimented Mrs. Thorne's (decidedly unflattering) hairstyle, asked Beta Thorne about his favorite childhood cartoon, and even attempted to regale them with a story about the time I "heroically" rescued a squirrel from a tree (which, in reality, involved a lot of flailing and a bruised ego).
  
  Excusing myself, I slipped out of the meeting room. The cool spring air felt like a balm on my nerves. My eyes scanned the grounds, searching for a quiet spot.
  
  As I rounded a corner, I spotted Sue and Kai sitting beneath a nearby willow tree, their postures intimate.
  
  Did they even ever have talks? They were always making out.
  
  Just then, they noticed me. Sue's smile, usually reserved for compliments on her fur, morphed into a cruel sneer. "Well, well, well," she drawled. "Look who it is. The lone wolf, taking a walk to clear her head after another failed attempt to impress the my parents?"
  
  My cheeks burned. "I wasn't trying to impress anyone," I mumbled, avoiding her gaze.
  
  Kai, finally disentangling himself from Sue, smirked. 
  
  "Sure you weren't," she said. "Probably just realized you'll never have Kai here, right?" She pressed her lips to Kai's. He wrapped an arm around her, his hand lingering too low on her back.
  
  Disgust churned in my stomach. The sight of their desperate display was almost comical.
  
  "Actually," I said, my voice surprisingly steady, "you can keep him. Consider it a parting gift."
  
  Sue's eyes widened in surprise, the smug smirk faltering for a brief moment. Kai, caught off guard, stammered something incoherent.
  
  "Enjoy yourselves," I added, a hint of ice in my voice. "I wouldn't want to interrupt your little... session."
  
  With that, I turned on my heel and marched back towards the meeting room, leaving them speechless under the willow tree.
  
  ****
  
  Hours later, the meeting ended.
  
  I scanned the grounds. I spotted Sue and Kai. They were practically glued together, their make-out session loud enough to rival a howler monkey.
  
  Mom's chipper voice cut through the air. "There you are, Nina! Go tell Kai it's time to go, we're running a bit late."
  
  Did she seriously not see what was going on? Interrupting their little love fest wasn't exactly how I wanted to spend my afternoon, but with a sigh that mirrored the dying leaves on the willow, I marched towards the oblivious couple. 
  
  "Hey," I began tentatively, my voice barely audible over the sounds emanating from beneath the tree.
  
  Sue, the first to break away, whipped her head around. Her gaze landed on me, and the playful glint in her eyes morphed into a hostile glare. "Can't you see we're busy, Nina?" she snapped.
  
  I rolled my eyes, already regretting the interruption. "Mom says it's time to go. We're leaving."
  
  Kai finally pulled away, a goofy grin plastered on his face. He leaned down and planted a smacking kiss on Sue's cheek. "Catch you soon, babe," he mumbled, his voice thick with what I could only assume was post-make-out euphoria.
  
  Sue pouted, disappointment clouding her previously enthusiastic features. "That's it? You're just leaving?"
  
  "Yeah," Kai mumbled, his gaze darting nervously between me and Sue.
  
  Sue, clearly not finished with our little interruption, puffed out her chest and crossed her arms. "This is unbelievable, Kai! We were just getting started!"
  
  Kai stammered, his usual swagger replaced by a look of awkward fumbling.  "Uh, Sue, I gotta go.
  
  I clenched my fists. This whole charade – the forced goodbye, the lingering looks – it was starting to grate on my nerves. "He has to leave," I said, my voice surprisingly steady despite the anger bubbling in me. "We have a family thing."
  
  Sue scoffed. "A family thing? More like a family bullshit, am I right?"
  
  I refused to meet his gaze.
  
  "See you soon, Sue," Kai mumbled over his shoulder, already backing away.
  
  Sue glared at my retreating figure, her lips twisting into a sneer. "Have fun with your super exciting 'family thing,' losers!" she called after us. 
  
  ****
  
  We finally reached the familiar entrance of our territory.
  
  "Nina! There you are! What in the world were you thinking, storming out of that meeting like a disgruntled pup?"
  
  "But Mom—" I began, only to be cut off by another tirade.
  
  "There are no buts, young lady! You completely disrespected Beta Thorne and his wife with that little stunt. What if the Alpha had been present to receive us, then you would have walked all over him."
  
  "And how exactly are we supposed to behave, Mom?" I spat back, my voice trembling with frustration. "Like fawning fools, pretending to be some happy family when everything is so... awkward? Or let me see, like some picture-perfect family ripped from a storybook? Is that it? Because frankly, the whole thing feels completely staged!"
  
  The accusation hit its mark. Her hand shot out, a stinging slap aimed for my face.
  
  But before it connected, a large hand intercepted hers, gripping it with surprising strength.
  
  It was Vince.
  
  "Sarah," he growled. "That's enough!"