Page 8 of Her Bully Alpha (Honeycomb Valley Alphas #1)

I glanced at the time, seeing it was just a little past three. My day had gotten away from me, and I would need to head home in a couple of hours. I didn't love this new schedule that Jay had wanted me to do, but I couldn't argue with it either.

In the past, I worked long shifts and overtime, and I didn't have the best sleeping schedule. Jay and I agreed I could come in as early as seven, but I had to be out by five or six at the latest. I could bring work home if I needed to.

We had treated a rhythm of living, and it was working well for us. We'd had to tweak it a few times after living in the house together for two weeks. I learned Jay slept in, so I was quieter in the mornings, and when I got home, Jay enjoyed cooking dinner.

The first few times I came home to it, I wondered what his schedule was like, and I realized it wasn't ridged like mine was. But there were times he had to slip out late at night for work because something urgent had come up.

I had unboxed my apartment stuff upstairs and turned the spare bedroom into a minus living room plus my office. I redid my bedroom and even had it painted because the colors before were too neutral for me. We painted everything olive green, and I hung up as many pictures as I could.

I quickly learned that Jay was a grumpy person in general. He wasn't cruel or mean, just cranky. He grunted his responses before coffee in the morning, and he had short answers in general. You could certainly tell he wasn't sunshine and rainbows.

There was a knock on the door, and I looked from the clock to the door, finding it was Joshua. He'd been seeing me less after he found out I was married, and a small part of me wondered why. Had Jay scared him a little? Or had Jay been right when he said that Joshua had liked me more than just a friend?

I shook the thoughts off. "Hey, what's up?"

He leaned against my door, crossing his arms as he did. "I was just wondering if you would be staying late tonight. I have a huge pile of paperwork that just hit my desk."

I shook my head. "I can't. I'm actually leaving in a little bit because I have a birthday party to go with Jay, too."

Joshua nodded. "Well, if you change your mind, I'll be here." He gave me another smile before he slipped back into the hall. I sighed, wondering what life would have been like if this hadn't happened. If Jay wasn't in the picture and Joshua had a crush on me,

I quickly shook my head. Now was not the time for that. It couldn't happen even if Joshua did like me. I was married now.

I finished a few papers and left. I arrived at home and headed upstairs to change. I had already picked out a long summer dress to wear to the birthday party. I was not looking forward to it, considering it was with Nessa and Kirk, who bullied me growing up alongside Jay. My stomach was in knots as I thought about it.

I let my hair fall loose from its bun, and it fell in nice waves. I quickly ran a brush through it while I slid my dress on. I grabbed my shoes and made it back out to the hallway. I was coming down the stairs and found Jay waiting. He scanned me and raised a single eyebrow. He looked a little surprised. "That's nice."

I swallowed as I slipped my shoes on as I stepped off the last step. "Well, I felt I should look the part—being your wife."

He frowned. "It's a birthday party, Sam."

I made a face. "And need I remind you of our dinner at your folk's house last week? I don't need to give them any more ammunition against me. So, I need to look nice."

I glanced over him, finding he was wearing a pair of jeans with a crisp blue shirt. His hair was ruffled slightly, but he still looked hot. It was almost effortless for him, almost like he woke up looking that way.

We drove across town to Nessa's house since she was hosting. We pulled up to her house, and I was a little surprised at it. It wasn't some grand house like Jay's or his folks. It was a simple house with a cute little front porch.

I stared at it in shock. "It's cute."

Jay looked at me and shrugged. "It's small, but it works for them."

I scowled and crossed my arms. "What is wrong with a small house?"

He snorted. "The lack of space."

I rolled my eyes, not understanding his view, but I probably never would. The man had bedrooms the size of apartments. He clearly grew up living that lifestyle.

We headed to the front door, and Jay knocked. I swallowed, nervous, unsure of how this was going to go. I didn't really want to be here, but I knew I wouldn't have a choice. I was married to Jay, and being he was the Alpha, I needed to reintegrate myself into the pack whether I liked it or not.

I could hear laughter inside as someone spoke. "Nessa, someone is at the door."

The door opened, and Nessa, who didn't look like she had aged, opened it. "Jay!" She quickly pulled Jay into a hug, and Jay grunted a response. The hug seemed caring as she turned her eyes to me. I expected her to cringe, but she didn't. She smiled, and it was a real smile. Her grey eyes sparkled in happiness. "Sam, it's been so long since I've seen you. Welcome."

I gave a nervous smile in response as Nessa pulled the door further open, revealing a living room packed with people. Some I had seen at the wedding, not that they introduced themselves though. "Kirk is in the kitchen at the moment."

"Sounds good," Jay said, placing his hand on my back and guiding me into the house. I took in the faces, knowing a few of the people from growing up. Everyone was dressed for the occasion, but you could tell Nessa was dressed for eyes to land on her.

She was wearing a stunning light blue dress with an open back. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in beautiful curls down her back. Nessa had always been stunning.

It was only a few moments before Kirk stepped out of the kitchen. He had grown a lot, almost as tall as Jay was. He was skinnier but still muscular-looking. It was clear that Nessa and him were still close as he walked over, giving a smile at his twin.

He spotted us and smiled. "Jay! Wonderful that you could make it. And look, you brought your wife. It's lovely to see you again, Sam."

I felt off. This was all wrong. This wasn't how I knew Nessa and Kirk at all. This wasn't a side I knew even existed in them. I never knew they could smile like this and that they would be nice.

I chewed on my lip as Jay spoke with Kirk. I looked around the space again, trying to think of something to do. I froze when I spotted an open door down the hallway from us. The room was a light yellow with a bassinet in the corner.

"Does Nessa have a child?" I asked, not realizing I had said the words out loud. I froze, realizing I had, and frowned.

Kirk shook his head. "No, they have been trying to, but nothing yet."

I frowned, feeling nervous once more. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. That was rude of me."

Kirk gave me a soft smile in response. "You're entirely fine. People have asked, considering she has an entire baby room within eye level of everyone. They have been having a hard time and are looking into getting some help. Nessa was one of the first people to be reported having the virus."

I couldn’t stop the shocked expression in my face. I couldn’t imagine going into a doctor’s office questioning why I wasn’t getting pregnant and to find out I’m one of the first people with a virus stopping my ability.

I glanced at Nessa, taking in her shining smile and the sparkle in her eyes. I had seem so many people distraught about thi,s but Nessa was holding herself together so well.

Kirk followed my gaze. “She holds up well. But she was a mess for a while. Wouldn’t get out of bed and hated herself. Makes them feel like they have failed.”

I chewed on my cheek. I knew that the virus had affected people, but I never realized just how deep. I never cared. I brushed the news off a lot because it wasn’t about me. It didn’t concern me.

I glanced at Jay, realizing he already knew all of this. I could see the hurt look in his eyes before he shook it off. My stomach twisted up, hating how I had brushed this off when this was heartbreaking for so many.

“Have they found any solutions? Tried anything?”

Kirk nodded. “Yeah, there’s a doctor that’s taken over the research and started working with a couple woman. Nessa is one of her clients.”

I was confused when Kirk then pointed. "There she is now. Katie, you made it."

I quickly turned, and my eyes widened as the scientist from before stepped into the house. She looked as perky as ever and almost like she belonged here. She waved as she walked over, and I looked at Jay. "They know her?"

Jay nodded. "A lot of people know Katie. She's been the one researching into the virus and helping couples get pregnant. Nessa told me she spoke to her about a month ago. They have been going back and forth working on a birthing chart. Fingers crossed, Nessa can be a lucky one. A lot haven’t."

"Hello, Kirk. And hello, Jay, Sam." Katie gave us all a big smile.

"You're looking well," Kirk said.

"I'm always well," Katie said with a chuckle. Katie looked at us. "And how is the happy couple?"

I didn't know how to respond to that, but Jay seemed to. "We're fine. So, how has the research been going?

Katie frowned. "It's a lot, but it's been coming along." She looked at Kirk and Jay. "Your sister expressed needing help outside. She asked me to fetch you both. Something about bringing something inside that heavy."

Kirk sighed, and they both slipped away. Katie then turned to me. "So, how have you been with all the change that's gone on in your life?"

It was the first person to ask me, and it threw me for a loop. I didn't know what to say at first, and I was unsure if this was a test. Did she work for the Council? Was she going to tell them if I complained?

She must have understood my pause and offered another smile. "I'm just asking. You guys are the first couple I've paired up like this, so it's nice to know if you've gotten along or not. I'm sure I'll be angering a handful of people over all the science. It took the Council hours of convincing before they even allowed me to start."

I softly smiled. "We're getting along fine. It's certainly a change. It would be for anyone."

She nodded, and her eyes flickered over toward Nessa. "I wish I knew the answer to all this already. It's been almost a year this virus has been going around."

I frowned, not realizing it had been that long. I needed to look into it, start looking back and reading about it. Now that I was married to Jay, it was my problem just as much as it was his.

"I imagine she's grateful you are offering to help her."

Katie nodded her head. "She is. We've been working on a birthing plan for a couple of weeks now. Of course the first hurdle is to get her pregnant."

I watched as Jay stood with Kirk and Nessa. He looked comfortable, but he wasn't speaking. If anything, everyone was talking to him. It seemed people were drawn to him and I wondered if it was because he was an Alpha or maybe he was just that type of person.

But he was grumpy, so I didn't see people just drawn to that for its joy. Was there something I was missing?

Jay locked his eyes on me and raised an eyebrow at me. I felt my face grow red, and Katie chuckled next to me. "You know, for people that certainly acted like they hated each other, you two seem..."

I looked at Katie. "Do not finish that sentence."

She laughed, leaning onto the wall, and wiggled her eyebrows at me. I couldn't help but smirk as I looked away. Jay was not speaking to Nessa, and I wondered if there was more to him than I knew. Did I even really know Jay?