Page 7 of Her Bully Alpha (Honeycomb Valley Alphas #1)

I pulled in front of my parents' house and glanced at Sam in the passenger seat. She was rubbing her hands together nervously, and her left leg bounced. She had put on a different outfit when she got home. It was a simple, deep green dress that went to her ankles. She had paired it with black pumps and a black jacket. She looked stunning, but seemed a little moody since this morning, so I hadn't commented on it yet.

"So, how many people are here?" she asked, looking at the other cars parked there. I could see my brother’s and a few others, who I guessed belonged to my cousins.

"My parents and my brother. His car is here. Seems my folks invited my uncle and his kids."

She nodded and opened her car door, hopping out. I followed her, and we headed to the front door. Sam walked right next to me, her face black.

I didn't bother knocking and opened the door. My family's house was a lot like my own, but larger and more extravagant. They lived in luxury, and everyone knew it when they first arrived at the house.

As soon as anyone walked in the spacious house, it took people's breaths away, but Sam looked almost offended. Her nose crinkled up slightly, and her eyes scanned the entryway.

"Something wrong?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She shrugged, pulling her jacket off. "I will never understand the need for so much wasted space."

"Jay, I'm so happy you could make it." We turned as my mother made her way towards us from the living room. She was wearing a long cream dress, and her hair fell flat around her face. "We were starting to think you were going to be late."

"Sorry," Sam apologized, offering my mother a smile. "It was my fault. I left work late and made us fall behind on schedule."

"It's alright, dear." My mother offered Sam a soft smile in return. "We were just getting a little worried. Jay is normally the first person to arrive at these events."

She wasn't wrong. I liked to be early, just in case. It always looked better to be the first person to arrive. My father had always expressed that if you were early, you were on time, but if you arrived on time, you were late.

My mother pointed us toward the dining room, and we headed after her. I glanced at Sam, watching her eyes take in the space. She looked unmoved.

We stepped into a huge dining room where everyone was already seated. My father sat at the head of the table, looking irritated. To the right of him were two empty chairs where I presumed Sam and I were to sit. Then there was Charlie, my father's brother, and his three children, Samuel, Sasha, and Sven. Samuel was married, but his wife was not here tonight, and I wondered why. Sven was engaged to a woman sitting to his left, looking amazed as she looked around the dining room.

"Welcome," Sasha said, looking at us eagerly. She was the only one smiling as we walked into the room. "You must be Sam. Welcome to the family."

Sam looked utterly shocked at this and looked at me, confused for a second before giving Sasha a tight smile. I watched her fingers pull together, her fingers tightly intertwined.

"You're late," my father grunted, his arms crossed as he stared at us. "Extremely late.”

I shrugged at him, now wanting Sam to feel bad about this. And we weren't late anyway.

I pulled a chair out for Sam, allowing her to sit first. "Mom said dinner was at six. It's five thirty."

He grunted and looked at my mother, who was taking her seat next to him. She softly chuckled and waved a hand. "We're just happy you guys made it. I know this was short notice, but I thought it would be nice to get to know Sam."

"So, Jay. How's married life?" Samuel asked with a smug smile on his face. I could tell he was proud. Being the eldest of my uncle's kids and married to a powerful she-wolf, he was probably sitting on the totem pole above me right now. Samuel had always been a huge asshole trying to be the best out of everyone.

I wanted to smack that smirk right off his face because I knew how badly his wife wanted kids, and it wasn't happening. Maybe that was why she wasn't here tonight. Why be a smartass when your world isn't perfect either?

"And where is your wife tonight?" I asked in return, tilting my head slightly. If he wanted to be a dick, I could too. "And if we want to ask about marriage, how's the baby-making game going for you?"

I watched Samuel's eyes narrow slightly, and his right hand curled into a fist. Clearly, I struck a nerve.

"This isn't a fight, you two," my uncle spoke up, irritated at us. He was a lot like my father, which explains Samuel's arrogance most of the time. But Sasha and Sven were nothing like him. They were both a little more down to earth.

"So," my mother cleared her throat. "Samantha.."

"Just Sam," Sam offered. "Only my parents and my boss call me by my full name."

My mother softly smiled. "Sam, what do you do?"

Sam shifted in her chair and glanced at me momentarily before answering. "I'm an audit associate."

My mother's eyes went wide. "Wow, that's an interesting job. You must be busy."

Sam nodded. "It's a lot of work, but I like it. I'm working up to be a senior auditor, but that will take a while."

"Have you always worked?" my father asked, narrowing his eyes on Sam. He looked at her like she was something to be figured out, and I didn't like it. I didn't know where this protective side came from, but maybe it was part of Henrik's threat.

Sam nodded, keeping her cool. "I have. I've had a job since I was sixteen. I actually owned my own house before this. I worked hard for what I had."

My father didn't respond, but normally, that was because he was a little impressed. Had she impressed him, or did he think it was stupid that Sam worked so hard?

"I don't think any of us have done that," Sasha said, looking at her siblings.

"Your family has money, doesn't it?" my father asked, looking at her confused. "So, why work?"

Sam looked back at my father and shrugged slightly. "I guess I didn't want to have to depend on that money. While my family does come from it, I didn't want to need it to survive. I wanted to stand on my own two feet."

The door to the kitchen opened, and a maid walked in. She held a few plates, and I quickly realized it was dinner time.

Everything was put out, and everyone was quick to serve themselves. Sam looked unsure of what to eat but put some food onto her plate. My father watched her with hawk eyes, and I felt my foot bounce under the table.

"Your father was from up north, right?" my mother asked. "I know Diamond is an old last name up there."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, they own half the town. They actually bring in a lot of money, and my brother and I both have an inheritance from it."

I thought of her home and wondered why she didn't use it. Why hadn't she made a better life for herself? Her house wasn't terrible, but it was small, and if she had good money, she could have gotten herself something bigger.

"And you haven't used it?" Samuel asked, looking at her amused.

She shook her head. "I don't get access to it until I'm twenty-five. Per our parents will. I will in about a year."

"Your father was a sharp man, made very smart decisions." My father said, sounding honest. "He's missed. Your brother is holding up alright for the position, but he has large shoes to fill."

I glanced at Jay, watching a flicker of sadness cross her face before she shook it off. She forced a smile, taking a bite of her food.

The conversation went quiet as everyone started to eat. Sasha and Sven asked Sam a question every once in a while, and I could tell she was trying to make Sam feel better. I'm sure they both know just how uptight the guys could be.

"So, Sam, what was your mother like?" Sasha asked, and the entire table went quiet.

I watched as Sam tensed up her fork, pausing on her pork chop. She swallowed, glancing at Sasha. A hurt expression flicked across her eyes before she quickly changed it.

My father grunted, taking the attention. "She was a human. A weak, fragile human that had no reason to marry."

I tightened my grip on my fork and glared at my father. I felt a sudden flare of anger hit me. I knew my father had his opinions, like everyone else in the pack, but even that was harsh. And to say it in front of Sam.

I set my fork down and curled my hands into fists, ready to growl at my father, but Sam turned in her chair towards my father. "What's the difference between humans and shifters?"

My father cackled. "So much."

Sam shrugged, placing her hands on her lap. "And yet you need us to bear children."

The entire table fell silent. My father's hands tightened on the table and I glanced at Sam, who held a very calm expression. "There is no denying that shifters are faster and stronger, but that doesn't mean that humans are less. That they don't deserve as good of a life as you do. I've worked hard and outranked many shifters for my position. I've seen humans outrun shifters and some train better."

I watched my father grind his teeth together.

Sam's eyes grew harsh. "And that doesn't mean we don't deserve love. My father loved my mother with every fiber of his being, and if my father were here right now, he might have punched you for that comment."

The table fell silent, and Sam wiped her mouth onto the napkin, pulling herself up. "If you will excuse me for a moment. I need to use the restroom."

"It's down the hall to the right," my mother said, looking stunned as she looked between them.

Sam pulled herself up and stepped out of the dining room. I doubt she even knew where she was going, but she likely just wanted to leave the room. I didn't blame her. I was surprised she didn't leave it sooner.

I glanced at my father, who shook his head. "Such a stupid child."

I growled at my father, baring my teeth, and my mother's eyes widened. "Stop!"

My father narrowed his eyes at me. "This is my house and in my house...."

"And you have insulted my wife," I snapped back, pulling myself out of my chair. "Do not speak so freely in front of her like that again!"

I hurried out after Sam and started scanning the hallways for her. I found her back near the front, wiping at her eyes. I could see her eyes were red, and she had started to cry.

I stopped a few feet away. "Sam."

She turned towards me, and her eyes narrowed. Her lips curled up tightly as she scowled at me. "What? What do you want to add? Do you have anything you want to say about my family as well? How my mother was weak and fragile?"

I pulled my hands up, not wanting to fight with her. "I'm not here to fight. I just want to talk. Let me apologize."

"And I don't want to talk to you, and I don't want your apology."

I sighed and stuffed my hands into my pocket. I couldn't blame her. If I was in her shoes, I wouldn't have wanted to talk either. But this wasn't how I wanted this to go. I wanted us to be able to at least speak to each other. We were married. "What do you want?"

"I want to go to my home, but you made me get rid of that, so I guess I will go to your house."

I wasn't going to argue with her. Dinner was a shit show, and why I thought it would be better, I didn't know.

We headed home and decided to walk. I could get my car in the morning, and it looked like Sam wanted the fresh air.

As we walked, I realized I hardly even knew Sam. She spoke about her job with a passion, and I hadn't realized she'd been working for so long. She had worked hard to earn what she had, but not a lot of people could say the same. I couldn't even. My father had placed down my first few stepping stones. There was a lot about her I didn't know yet, and I should.

Sam walked a step ahead of me and shook her head. "That dinner went as I thought it would."

"Oh, did it?" I asked.

She nodded her head. "Yes, they were all bullies, just as I suspected they would be. Your mother wasn't terrible, and your cousins were okay, minus Samuel, who seems like a prick."

She wasn't wrong. I should have known how it was going to turn out. I would need to call my mother when I got home and let her know what happened.

"Sam, I'm sorry…"

"No." She turned, glaring at me. "Do not apologize for something you've done yourself! Do not apologize for being just like them."

I paused and scowled. "How am I like them?"

She threw her arms wide. "How aren't you? You treated me just like they have….like I was worth less than you."

I couldn't argue with her. I grew up always being told that werewolves were superior to humans. And it wasn't until I started my Alpha role did I realize that wasn't entirely a fair point. While we were in a lot of things, humans were still people as well. They had accomplishments and, in many ways, could surpass us.

They always weren't having a fricken breeding problem, either.

"I'm sorry," I said softer this time. "And you're right. I didn't treat you well growing up, and I should have. My family views things differently…but that's not an excuse. And I do want us to get along, Sam, believe it or not. We were forced into this, but we could at least be civil."

Her shoulders sank slightly, and she watched me. I knew she wasn't going to just take the words at face value, but she nodded. "Thank you."

She turned and continued to walk, and I followed her. I didn't know what more I could say or do to prove I had changed.

We arrived home, and I watched as Sam made her way up the stairs, taking the left and heading towards her room. I wanted to follow and somehow get her to talk to me. I wanted to fix this. But I heard the door shut and knew it wasn't happening tonight.