Page 15 of Her Bully Alpha (Honeycomb Valley Alphas #1)

I flipped through the book, trying to see if there was anything that maybe Sam had missed. I doubted it. She did this type of stuff for a living. But I wanted to be helpful. I felt so far I had failed her. I couldn't protect her from the Council and getting married. I couldn't even get her magic to come out, but I could read these books and try to help her figure it out.

"What are you doing out here?" Sam asked as she leaned against the tree. She looked peaceful as she sat there. The sun fell on her, casting a soft glow over her skin. Her eyes sparkled in the light.

"I was actually looking for you, and I felt a pull to come over here."

Her eyebrows went up. "You did? When did that start? Have you always felt that?"

I had always felt a pull to be near her, but I just figured it was because of the type of person she was. Henrik always spoke about his mother having the same effect on people that I didn't think much about it.

But at the wedding, I couldn't deny it anymore. That pull I was feeling was because she was made for me. Sam was my other half, and my wolf wanted her. Katie had been right when she said she was my mate.

I decided I should be honest with her. "I've always had a pull towards you, Sam. I've just spent years ignoring it."

She looked stunned. "What do you mean?"

Being a human, Sam wouldn't understand the feeling. She wouldn't know what it felt like to feel that ache deep in your chest to be with someone. That pull was like an arrow telling you where to go. It was a guiding light in a dark room.

"I've had it for years, but always pushed it down. I told myself it was just because you were a nice person. There was no way that I was to be with a human. My father always talked about how I was born to be a leader, and a leader couldn't be with a human. So, naturally, I just thought it was something else."

Her face dropped slightly. "I see."

I thought of all the times I felt that pull. When I visited Henrik growing up, I felt that tug to look for Sam. All the times she walked by, my eyes watched her for a second longer than they should have.

I thought of school, and when she sat in the front, I sat in the back. I could watch her. A part of me always questioned why I bothered when she was a human, but I couldn't help it. My wolf seemed quieter when I was in her presence, less grumpy.

And I knew I shouldn't have bullied her, shouldn't have said half the things that I did to her. But I got to speak with her.

"Do you still feel this way?" she asked, tilting her head as she stared at me. I could see she was waiting for me to answer, to be honest with her about what I thought.

"No." I shook my head. "I haven't had that viewpoint in years. When I took my role as Alpha, I couldn't look at humans like that. I was to work with them, be around them all day long. Humans are naturally weaker, but they are still people."

"But you didn't want to marry me," she added, looking hurt. "Because that was how you saw me."

I frowned, knowing she had a point. I couldn't deny that. "I knew how my father would react. It's one thing to work with a human and another…to be mated and have a family with. But I know humans are not simple and a waste of space. I've come across plenty that have earned my respect because of what they can do."

I reach across the blanket, taking her hand. "Sam, I'm not the person I was all those years ago and regret how I treated you. If I could turn back time and change it, I would."

She gave me a soft smile. "I'm starting to see that."

I moved closer to her, sitting down next to her. I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against me. I kissed her forehead, just accepting her presence with me. I knew it was going to take a while before she fully trusted me and fully believed what I was saying, and I understood that. I knew if I wanted this to work, it would take time.

She sighed as she tossed the book aside. "This isn't helping me. I feel like I'm going in circles now."

I smiled. "Okay, let's forget the books. I actually have an idea. I asked around, and a couple of people told me some ways to get it out, maybe. If you're willing to try them."

Sam looked at me, a little surprised. "Really? You asked around? I thought you didn't want people to know yet."

I nodded and slowly turned her towards me. "I just asked questions, but didn't say who it was about. Sit cross-legged." I quickly looked for a stick and handed it to her. "Hold onto this."

She stared at the stick and scowled at me.

"Now, what you'll do is focus on the stick. Put your full attention on it. I spoke to a couple magic users and they said you must bring your magic forward, push it out, and try to force it into the stick."

"They said to use a stick?"

I shrugged. "They said you could use anything."

I watched her take a deep breath and close her eyes. Her fingers tightened on the stick. I could smell the difference in her, watching her really focus. But the magic was still locked up.

Sweat beaded her forehead, and she sighed heavily and opened her eyes. She looked at me, looking defeated. "This isn't working."

"That's okay," I said as I took the stick. I held her hands. "Try again. Just look at my hands and focus."

She stared at my hands, and I could see her eyes focused. But there was nothing.

I went over what I had been told. The people I asked said it takes time and that the older you are, the harder it is to get control over it. Normally, people use their magic at a young age, and by this age, they have pretty good control over it. So, Sam was behind.

If Sam had known she possessed magic when she was younger, she could have been training all these years and had reasonable control over it by now. She wouldn't be struggling lie she was now. I did wonder where she got her magic from. Did she have a distant relative or grandparents that possessed it?

Sam pulled her hands back, looking irritated. "It's not working. I'm just getting frustrated."

"It's part of the process," I said softly. "It takes time. You'll get there."

She looked away, her eyes looking heavy now.

I frowned at her. "What's wrong? Why do you look so disappointed?"

She swallowed, and her eyes looked hurt. "I just want to figure this out. This not knowing…. it's difficult."

I didn't understand.

"Sam, we will figure this out. It just takes time. You have to be patient."

She turned away from me, leaning against the tree. "Imagine you were told you were nothing but ordinary your entire life, Jay. That no matter what you did, what you accomplished, it was nothing compared to what everyone else around you was going to do. The constant belittling, the insults, and the comments. There was nothing you could do but just take them."

I frowned, feeling my stomach twist up.

Her eyes looked away in the distance. "For years, I listened to people relish over my brother. They loved him because he was to be an Alpha, and I was just to be a human. We were born by the same woman, but because I don't have a wolf, I'm lesser of a person." She looked at her hands. "And now I have a chance to be more….to be someone. I can be something better."

I hated the look in her eye and the fact that I had been part of the problem. I reached for her, pulling her chin, making her look at me. "Sam, there is nothing wrong with who you are. You are an amazing person."

I could see tears had built up in her eyes, and I quickly wiped them away. "You are special just the way you are. With or without magic, you have accomplished so much, more than what some shifters accomplish."

She sniffled and tried to break her chin away. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

I ground my teeth together. "I'm not. I don't do that. I say the truth."

She sniffled, and I leaned forward, kissing her nose softly. "Don't cry. You've come too far to cry now. You worked hard to create a beautiful life for yourself. You’re a powerful person and whip smart. I can see how you hold yourself and how seriously you take your job. You're caring, and people look up to you."

And I had taken on part of a role in destroying that. I pulled her from her home and disorganized her life. I threw her back into this world she had tried so hard to leave.

"You do not need magic to make you better, Sam. You are perfect as it is. And people that don't see that are ignorant and blind. They don't realize what sits underneath the skin."

She stopped crying, and her eyes stared back at me. I looked down at her lips. I ran my thumb over it, popping her lower lip open slightly. She made a soft gasp.

"Smile for me. Please." I asked softly, hating to see this hurt expression on her face.

The corner of her lips curled up. "You're something else, Jay."

"You have no idea." I leaned forward, pressing a rough kiss against her lips to prove a point. If no one could see what she was, that would have been okay because I did. She was my wife.

I saw the strong woman that she was. The woman who made a living for herself and started all those years ago. The woman who worked and scraped tooth and nail to get what she had. She deserved the world after everything she had dealt with.

I pulled her closer, yanking her onto my lap. I tossed the books aside, letting her rest on me while I kissed her. Sam kissed me back with just as much want. Her arms rested on my shoulders.

I broke the kiss, leaning back against the tree. Her lips were swollen, and her cheeks were flush. Her eyes looked hazed over as I stared at her.

"You're very persuasive," she whispered softly.

I chuckled, placing my hands on her hips. "I just want you to see what I see. A beautiful, gifted woman who should know her worth."

She leaned back on her heels, and I felt her press against my hard cock. I could see the recognition spark in her eyes, and she glanced down slightly before bringing her gaze back up to me.

She blushed as she bit onto her lower lip. "You know we are out in the middle of nowhere."

I nodded. I didn't care if people walked by and saw her mounting me. I would happily let it happen. "I'm aware."

She glanced down again, her fingers moving from my shoulder to my chest. I could feel her nails over my shirt, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

She leaned forward slightly. "Do you think…if we did it again, my magic would come out this time?"

"I guess there is really only one way to find out," I purred, watching her bit on her lower lip a little harder.

She moved her hands down her fingers, slowly unbuttoning my pants and tugging my zipper down. I watched her, taking her lustful expression.

Sam pulled my aching cock out, and I inhaled sharply as her fingers slid over it. It was almost painful how badly I wanted to sink into her. I was like a horny teenager that couldn't contain his need.

But I wasn't doing anything. Sam was setting the pace on this.

Sam shifted her hips, grinding herself onto me. The fabric of her underwear slid against me, and I growled low.

"No tights today?" I asked, grabbing her hips. I dug my thumbs into her skin, trying hard to let her move at her own pace.

Sam shook her head. "I didn't want to wear them. My dress was longer anyway."

I smirked at that. I still owed her a pair since I ripped her last ones.

Sam moved slowly with each buck of her hips. I could feel her wetness underneath the underwear, and I ground my teeth together.

"You're soaking wet," I said.

She nodded, her head slowly sinking a hand down. "And it's because of you."

I felt her move her underwear, sliding my cock against her entrance. She slowly sat down, sinking herself onto me. I felt her tighten with each inch, her body taking all eight inches of me like she was made for me.

"Fuck you feel perfect," I growled, leaning my heads against the tree. She had hardly moved, and I was so close to busting inside her already.

"Good," she chuckled.

Sam moved slowly at first, but it didn't last long before she was grinding herself onto me. She moaned with each thrust, and I grabbed her hips, pulling her deeper with each movement. She rode me, and it was like she'd done it hundreds of times before.

It didn't last long. The smell of magic filled the space, and I came hard, feeling her tighten around me. Sam whimpered my name as she leaned against me, her body going limp.

I held her against me, hugging her close to me. The smell of cinnamon and sex filled the space.

I felt my heart clench up, knowing I never wanted to lose her. I was falling so hard.