Page 21 of Bullied Alpha Bride (Wolfshade Brides-for-Hire #2)

The drive out to the estate is tense. I’m not entirely happy about being stuck with Kit while we’re having so many problems, but I had to get out of town.

I want to believe I was imagining it, but the feeling of being stalked was too real. An intense aura of threat surrounded my father at all times. All he had to do was glare at me too hard, and I’d start trembling.

And that’s exactly how I felt in town yesterday. I didn’t imagine it.

Even seeing that Kit was close behind me didn’t put my mind at ease. It just made me wonder what kind of stunts my father might pull to stay undetected by others as he kidnapped me right out from under Kit’s nose.

But then he’d be subject to Lycan Law. It rules all the packs. If he took a wedded bride, his entire pack is forfeit. Kit can move against him with the help of every pack in the Range.

Surely not even Father is that stupid?

As I gaze out the window, misery slowly spreads through me. Father isn’t stupid, but he is reckless.

The trees around us get thicker and taller, enclosing the car in a tunnel of green.

I can’t see the sky above or the road ahead, just a never-ending wall of close-knit branches and fluttering leaves.

The early morning light dapples across the smooth dirt road, flickering across the windshield like glowing embers.

I glance over at Kit. His eyes are focused forward, as if he doesn’t dare to look at me. For a few moments, I let my gaze linger on him, watching his muscles bulge as he reaches out to shift gears, the way his long fingers grip the steering wheel.

Suddenly, he looks at me, his blue eyes locking onto mine. A little shock runs through me, but I don’t look away.

I need you, Kit. I have to get through all this crap between us… because I need your help.

The truck hits a small bump, and Kit looks back at the road. I swallow down my anxiety, trying to quiet the torrent of words threatening to burst through my lips.

I came here because I need help. It would be pretty stupid to cop out on that now, especially since I think my father really has found me…

The idea of being back in that town, in Vince’s arms, makes me shudder. Hot sweat breaks out under my arms and trickles down my sides. I remember Father telling me how lucky I was. How once I married Vince, I wouldn’t work in the factory anymore.

I’d just stay locked up in Vince’s cabin, cooking, cleaning, and always pregnant.

The idea makes me physically sick. For a second, I think I might have to ask Kit to pull over, but the trees around us start to thin out. Suddenly, we’re cruising along in bright sunlight. Ahead of us, a long blue streak appears with a rough line of green above it.

The road curves to the left into a circular drive, and that’s when I see the estate.

I’m shocked into complete silence. The place is huge—three stories high, with wings built around a central structure.

The architecture is exquisite, with stone scrollwork and statues worked into every roof corner and wall edge.

Ivy grows wildly against the edges, as if the house has been embraced by the forest.

“You could fit a hundred people in here!” I gasp. “This place is huge!”

“More than that, actually,” Kit says with a little grin.

“Each wing has a suite, with a bathroom, parlor, and a guest room attached. The central hall contains the study, library, and ballroom. Kitchens are dead center. Around the back, there is a series of small rooms intended for the staff to relax in. And behind that, a cottage for the caretakers.”

“You’d need a fucking team of them,” I mutter.

He sighs. “I do, in fact. Susan and Joe are very old now. I pay them far more than I should—Grandfather would have fainted dead away if he saw the figure—but they do so much out here. I know Joe can’t keep up the gardens by himself, and Susan can’t possibly handle all the cleaning.

I’ve spoken to them about getting more staff, but they keep insisting they can handle it.

” He sighed again. “Grandfather may be dead, but so many people are still insanely loyal to him.”

“I think you should just make the decision yourself,” I say. “And get some new people out here. Their comfort and safety are more important than their pride.”

“I agree. I just don’t know how to go about hiring anyone trustworthy. All the people I can think of to do the job wouldn’t want to move out here.”

I take a few steps towards the house, looking up at the high roof. Considering the imposing structure and the cruel old man who used to live here, I expect the place to feel uncomfortable, maybe even spooky. But it doesn’t.

It feels friendly, almost. And… expectant. Like it’s waiting for something.

Thoughts run through my mind, disjointed pieces and parts that haven’t fully come together. I remember how many people in town are homeless or in unsafe conditions while this beauty sits here with empty rooms, desperate for dozens of hands to care for her.

“Would you like to go inside first?” Kit asks. “Or go for a walk around the lake?”

“Let’s bring our bags in,” I answer. “Then you can show me around.”

As we approach the front door, a small old woman with dark gray hair appears in the doorway. She looks fragile, but her steely blue eyes fix on me with a powerful, determined gaze.

“Hello there,” she says, smiling. “I hear you’re the new luna, my dear. I’m Susan, the housekeeper.”

“Nice to meet you,” I answer politely, holding out my hand.

Susan shakes it in a firm grip. Then her lip trembles, her eyes tear up, and she throws her arms around my neck.

“Thank heavens Kit finally found himself a nice girl!” she cries, squeezing me tightly. “I’ve prayed for this day. Alisha would be so happy.”

“Grandmother never seemed to offer strong opinions either way, on anything I ever did,” Kit replies dryly. “I don’t imagine she’d throw a party for me.”

“Most likely not, young master, but she’d have been happy all the same,” Susan states. “I knew her well, waited on her personally, and she told me a great many things she never told anyone else.”

I see Kit’s eyes darken a little, but he doesn’t say anything. He just gathers up all our bags and gestures for Susan and me to go in ahead of him.

The hallway is wide and long, with incredibly high ceilings. I take slow steps as I follow Kit, looking around in wonder at the paintings, tapestries, and statues that decorate the area.

“I’ll leave our stuff in the library,” Kit says. “Did you want to stay in one of the guest rooms or in one of the suites?”

“Take me for a tour,” I suggest. “And then let’s decide.”

Kit leaves me standing in the foyer, where two separate staircases sweep up in different directions. After a few seconds, he emerges from the entrance to the library and takes my hand.

“I’ll be in the kitchen,” Susan says. “I’ll have a nice dinner ready for you when you get back.”

“Very kind of you, Susan,” Kit says. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, young master. Off you go.”

Kit squeezes my hand and gestures at the staircases. “North or south?”

“Ah… north, I guess.”

“The royal suite. Let’s go.”

I keep my hand firmly wrapped around Kit’s as we head up the stairs. The size of the place has me feeling a little intimidated, and it feels good to have him close.

Kit leads me up past the first landing to the second level. The suite is massive, with its own parlor, living room, bathroom, and a gigantic bedroom. Standing at the massive window on the east side, I have an incredible view of the lake and the mountains beyond it.

“This place is amazing, Kit,” I gush.

“Yeah. The suites are incredibly luxurious. At the other end of the floor is a section of guest rooms, and the top level is an attic. It’s jammed wall to wall with junk that’s been stored for the last hundred or so years. It would take decades to go through it.”

“The view is beautiful.”

“It is. Grandmother loved it.”

There is a hint of anger in his voice, though, and I turn around to see a dark look on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I’m sorry. I was just remembering things from when I was a kid. My grandparents never appreciated the beauty of this place. The views, the architecture—they were completely oblivious to it.”

I frown. “That sucks.”

He shrugs. “It’s what they were like. Did you want to stay up here?”

I turn and look out the window again, a little shiver trickling down my spine. “It’s… nice. But I don’t think I could sleep in here. It’s so big, I kinda feel like a bug on a picnic blanket.”

Kit laughs softly. “I know what you mean. I usually sleep in the study or the library.”

“Let’s go check those out,” I suggest, going over to take his hand. “I think that sounds like a great idea.”

Kit leads me back to the landing and down the stairs. To the left of the main staircase is a wide archway where Kit disappeared with our bags earlier. We go through it.

I pause so suddenly in the doorway, Kit drops my hand. I look up and around, my jaw hanging open as I stare like a struck deer in a snowstorm.

“I’ve never seen so many fucking books!” I exclaim, gazing at the stacks and stacks of shelves, all of them stretching almost to the ceiling.

“Yeah,” he chuckles. “It’s my favorite room, although the study is high on my list, too. Did you want to have a look?”

“I’m not much of a reader,” I admit. “It might be why I’m so overwhelmed by this.”

Kit chuckles softly. “Don’t worry. There’s a TV in the study.”

“Good. I can’t survive without my action flicks.”

“Did you want to take a walk outside?”

“Sure,” I answer, following Kit back down the hallway. He’s picked up his pace a little, and I have to trot to keep up.

“Do you get visitors out here?” I ask. “Like, does much of the town know where it is?”

“Not really,” Kit mutters. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” I reply. “I might want to grab my phone in a sec, just to tell the others where I am. We left kind of suddenly.”

“I texted the council members,” he says, his voice tense. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Maybe not, but I’d still like to tell Misha and Kate personally.”

As we go through the front door, Kit walks out into the main drive and spins in a little circle, his nose high.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Just checking for any strange scent. The manor was purposefully built here so it could be easily defended.”

“So, your ancestors were worried about being attacked?”

“The Range wasn’t always peaceful, Lexa.”

I hadn’t known that—I don’t know much history at all—but the way he’s looking at me, it’s as if I should know exactly what he’s talking about.

Why is he getting weird?

He keeps staring at me. I stare back, frowning at him.

“Should we go over to the dock?” I ask, gesturing towards it.

He nods. I reach for his hand, but he ignores me.

“The deck has a complete view of the surrounding area,” he says. “Only the north and east slopes have thick cover, and the lake separates us from them. No one can get to the manor without being seen.”

Kit gives me another hard, searching look, and a spark of nervousness flares in my guts. I’m not sure if I want to shrink away from him or angrily confront him, but I know if he doesn’t cool off, I’m going to explode, one way or the other.

What the hell is going on? We both felt so comfortable when we first got here. Now I say I want my phone so I can text the girls, and he’s getting pissed with me?

We walk up the dock, a cold wind whipping across the lake to stroke me with freezing cold claws. I keep my arms wrapped around myself, feeling more miserable by the second.

I was ready to tell him everything—again—and beg for his help, but now I’m even more scared than I was before.

I wonder if I can disappear into the manor and live there without anyone ever finding me. The place is certainly big enough.

It’s preferable to try to run into the mountains, only to freeze to death.

Kit stops at the end of the dock, his head high. He has his nose to the wind again, and his eyes search every horizon.

“Can we get back soon?” I ask. “It’s getting cloudy and super cold.”

“Want to get your phone, do you?” he asks softly.

“Well, yeah. That and a few other things. I could use a warm drink, too.”

Kit turns around to look at me, his lips twisted downwards as if he’s fighting against a torrent of words. His eyes are hard, and he slowly clenches his fists. I take a very slow step back.

“Kit, what’s wrong?” I ask.

He shakes his head, and his face crumples a little.

“Okay,” I say. “I’m going back to the car to get my phone. If you want to stay out here, then—”

“You have to text your lover, don’t you?” he snaps. “Why did you even agree to come out here if you need him so much? Were you really going to hook up with him behind my back, right here at the manor?”

I gape at him for a moment. “What?” I finally demand, shaking my head. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Oh, come on,” Kit scoffs. “You keep pulling back from me when I’m trying to connect, as if someone has your heart already. You’re so confident in bed now, so you’ve obviously had experience.”

“Excuse me?” I shout, my voice roaring out of my throat. “I haven’t fucked anyone since you. After my night with you, I was too fucking scared to!”

Kit sighs. “Look, Lexa, I saw you, okay?”

“What? Saw me when?”

“In town, yesterday,” he says slowly. “I was coming to find you after the meeting, and I saw you go down that side alley. There was a guy following you.”

“What?” I choke on the word, my chest locked up tight. “What are you saying?”

“I knew it,” he grumbles, shaking his head. “I can tell by your face you already know. Just tell me the truth.”

“Kit,” I whisper, my voice dying in my throat. I step forward and grab his upper arms, forcing him to look at me. “Are you serious that you actually saw someone following me?”

“Yes,” he says. “I saw it, Lexa. You don’t have to lie anymore.”

A horrible feeling rises through my guts and up into my chest. It’s a sick, twisted bubble of tension, with claws of absolute terror that start to rake at my throat as I struggle to breathe.

“Was he tall and wiry, with black hair pulled back into a ponytail?”

“So you do know him,” Kit says bitterly. “That was definitely the guy.”

“No,” I moan, clinging to Kit as tears pour down my cheeks. “Oh my fucking God, no. He found me… he fucking found me!”

Confusion clouds Kit’s eyes as he watches my face. He doesn’t say anything, but I can tell by the shock on his face that this wasn’t the reaction he was expecting.

“Kit,” I say, wiping tears from my cheeks. “That wasn’t my lover, you goddamn fucking fool. It was my father .”