Falling for the Shrew

Unwanted Guest

(trigger warning-s****l assault)

Rose-

I counted down the days until this pig would finally be gone.  Three more.  Three more days.  I just need to get through three, very long days.  James was proving to be insufferable.  He had absolutely no shame in his character.  At school, all the she-wolves followed him around like sheep in the pasture and he was the big bad wolf.  I sat at my empty table at lunch, watching him flirt with the girls who had flooded his table.  “James!  Look at how big your biceps are!  It’s bigger than my head,” one she-wolf playfully tossed her blonde hair as she gripped his harm.  One by one, the girls took turns complimenting James on his looks as he sat there smiling and enjoying himself.  Every once in a while, he stole a glance at me, no doubt hoping I would somehow find jealousy in this.  The bell rang signaling the end of lunch and I rushed off to class to avoid James’s consistent escort.  I sat in History and noticed James’s empty seat.  No doubt got lost on his way, with the many distractions he had following him all the time.  I soon felt the urge to urinate, remembering the three refills of water I had at lunch.  “Mrs. Emerson?  Can I go to the restroom?” I asked during individual study.  She nodded and handed me the hall pass.  I nearly ran down the hall to the restrooms, which to my dismay were being cleaned at the moment.  I groaned as I knew the next restrooms would be on the second floor.  This time I sprinted up the stairs and down the hall to the girl’s restroom.  I pushed on the door and ran into a stall to relieve myself.  I washed up and walked outside, when a noise stopped me in my tracks.  A faint whimpering it sounded like, coming from the janitor’s closet.  My first thought, was maybe another raccoon like last year when it got trapped in the halls.  I turned the knob and cracked the door slowly, bracing myself in case it pounced at it’s new found escape.  But what I saw next was definitely not a raccoon.  One of James’s little posse girls down on all fours as James mounted her.  She whimpered, holding back moans as James wrapped his hand around her blonde hair and pumped vigorously, relieving himself all over her back.  Didn’t I tell you all men were pigs?  I quietly shut the door and headed back to class, smirking at my own intuition.

“Rose! Wait up!” James called from behind me as I was walking home.  I rolled my eyes and started to walk faster.  He caught up in no time and tried to put his disgusting arm around my shoulder.  I shrugged it off and put distance between us.  “Come on, Rose.  When are you going to lighten up?” he whined.  “Never. I don’t like you, remember?” I said coldly.  He chuckled, “Yes, you remind me every time I see you.”  “And yet you can’t get it through your thick skull,” I replied.  “Well what can I do to get you to like me?” he asked as I burst with laughter.  “Honestly, you’d have to become a whole other person,” I replied with an eye roll.  “You know, you have such a beautiful smile, but those baggy clothes you like to wear, do not show off your nice figure,” he said bluntly.  “That’s the point genius,” I said as we reached the house.  I bolted for my room and locked the door behind me.  I got ready for a shower, undressing and looking at myself in the mirror.  I had let all my hair grow out from my eyebrows to my legs.  I had refused to do my hair and dressed only in the baggiest clothes I could and still, James would not stop gaping at me.  I had made sure to be the messiest eater and the coldest companion, but still I could not get him to leave me alone.  What more could I possibly do to get this moron off of my back?  At dinner, Griselda and the kitchen crew had prepared steak burgers and I made sure to ask for extra onion on mine.  As I chomped down on my burger, causing many disgusted looks from my parents, James tried to pick away a stray hair that had made it’s way into my mouth.  I made sure to thank him with a mouth full of chewed food which made his brow slightly furrow.  I had asked Griselda for an extra plate of onions, which I shoveled into my mouth.  I could see James scrunch his face by the corner of my eye and I smiled to myself.  I had asked for milk for dinner, hoping the lactose would make me flatulent.  As dinner ended, I quickly grabbed a book from my father’s office before I retired to my room as I usually did while James was here.  James popped in behind me, blocking my way to exit.  “Why do you always run from me?  Am I that intolerable?” he asked, sticking out his bottom lip.  “Pretty much,” I answered, trying to move around him when he stepped to the side, again blocking the exit.  I sighed, “Do I Have to remind you what Happened the last time you tried this?” I asked, making sure to emphasize my H’s so he could smell the onions on my breath.  I could see his face stiffen as the scent hit his nose, “Well, my fellas could use a little attention.”  “I think your fellas had enough attention in the janitor’s closet earlier,” I replied, wiping the grin from his face.  “Good night, pig,” I said as I pushed passed him and headed upstairs.

The next day at training, the coach started us on sparing in ten minute intervals.  We switched partners every time the whistle blew.  For my training sessions, I wore an oversized sweater and baggy jogging pants.  It was extremely hot, but I had to look as unappealing as possible after that incident in the kitchen when James first arrived.  I had taken out every opponent when the whistle blew and I found myself face-to-face with James.  I rolled my eyes as he grinned excitedly.  Five seconds in and I had pinned him to the mat when I felt his hand grip the inside of my thigh.  I instantly jumped up and he laughed at the advantage I had just given him when he lunged at me.  He spun me around and had me in a choke hold when I felt his hand grip my breast.  I felt hot with anger and jammed my elbow into his ribs causing him to grunt and release me.  I whipped my leg around and kicked him in the face, where he flew back out of the ring.  Blood erupted from his nose and the coach blew the whistle and ran to check on his injury.  He sent him to the infirmary and then turned to me, “Your father would like to see you in his office.”  I groaned and dragged myself to my father’s office.  “ARE YOU CRAZY? How dare you injure another pack’s Alpha, whilst in my care?” his words like thunder.  “You didn’t even ask my side of the story!” anger filled my lungs as I spat my words.  “You will apologize to him immediately!” he continued.  “Father he groped me during our spar!  I will not apologize to that pig!” I barked back.  “Oh my Goddess, Roselia.  Really?  Now you are making things up?” he replied coldly.  I stood stunned.  Here I had just confessed to being sexually harassed and my father accused me of lying.  I felt hurt and speechless.  “You would think, for one second, that I would lie about something this serious Father?” tears threatening to spill from my eyes.  “I know you don’t want to marry and I think you would come up with any excuse not to,” he replied hesitantly, as if second guessing himself.  A tear finally escaped it’s prison and I wiped it away immediately.  “Are we done?” I asked coldly.  My father simply nodded.  I left his office swiftly and found myself heading for the same spot I had found Aria.

I curl up against the rock and sob uncontrollably.  My father, my once idol and role model, did not believe me.  I began to howl in sorrow when a noise made me stop.  I looked toward to sound of a twig snapping and saw a cautious Aria, hiding behind a tree.  I shifted in my spot, “Hey Aria.”  “I thought that was you,” she said.  I smiled as she sat down beside me.  “So who’s at your pack this week?” I asked her, not ready to explain my problem.  She rolled her eyes, “Eric Racerback, Golden Wolf Pack.  He is the most persistent asshole.  If there was an award, he would win.”  I scoffed, “I don’t know about that, James would win Asshole of the Year.”  We both laughed.  “So, what did he do?” she asked.  I rolled my eyes, “I can take care of myself, it’s my father that I can’t believe.”  I stray tear rolling over my cheek.  “He groped me during our spar, so I took care of it.  Then my father wanted me to apologize and called me a liar when I told him what happened,” I finished with a shaky voice.  Aria shook her head, “Men are assholes.  That’s why I like women.”  Another laugh eases my sorrow.  “Did you at least knock a tooth out?” she asked.  “I’m not sure, but I know I broke his nose,” I reply as we laugh again.  “I swear I have been doing everything I can to seem unattractive and yet he would not back off.  You know I caught the dog in the janitor’s closet with a she-wolf?” I shake my head.  “Pigs,” Aria replies.  “Dogs,” I say.  “Assholes,” we say in unison as we both giggle.  I sigh and lean my head against the rock.  “How is your mate taking all this?” I ask Aria.  “Tammy isn’t the jealous type, but she doesn’t like that he stays in the pack house with us,” she says, “So she’s been sneaking in at night and leaving in the morning.”  I smile, “Well that must be fun?”  Her cheeks grow red as she fiddles with the grass on the ground, “Yeah, you can say that.”  I decide to skip the rest of the day here with Aria as we spend the time talking about our dilemma.  

When I arrive home at nearly sundown, I skip dinner and stayed in my room.  The next morning, I wake up as normal and notice James is absent from training and from school.  When I get home, he is not present either.  At dinner, his chair is empty and my mother answers my unasked question.  “James ended his stay early.  He said and I quote, ‘I do not want to spend another minute under the same roof as your wretched daughter’,” my mother said.  Internally, I jump for joy, but I simply nod to her.  My father had stayed quiet and was avoiding glancing in my direction.  When I looked to Garrison, he smirks and I quickly look down at my plate, fighting a smile that tried to form on my lips.  After dinner as I lay in bed, I smile to myself.  My plan was working, now I just had to do this with the next four suitors.

I am running through the forrest in the morning as I always do.  I don’t even remember waking up.  I notice it is getting dark fast and decide it is time to head home.  When I turn to head back, the trail is all twisted and turned and I realize I don’t know my way back home.  I start to panic and can hear the hammering of my beating heart against my rib cage.  I feel my breath become ragged as I struggle to breathe.  I cough and heave and fall to the ground, desperately trying to catch my breath.  The smell of fresh rain fills my nostrils as I look towards the heavens for the forest’s replenishment.  But my sight does not meet the night sky and instead I gaze into a pair of beautiful golden eyes.  A big body of muscle towers above me as the smell of rain soothes my panic.  His hand extends out to me and I grasp it firmly when I feel the electric shock radiate through my body.  He picks me up slowly and the trickle of electricity instantly steadies my erratic heart.  His gaze bores into my soul as I find my self eyeing his luscious lips.  His face slowly inches towards mine as I feel myself holding my breath, bracing for impact.  His lips crash into mine like a tidal wave of electric sparks and ecstasy and I instantly awake, panting and drenched in sweat as I lay on my bed.  

My alarm goes off and I whip the sheets off of me and run to the bathroom to wash the sweat from my face and neck.  Why am I having these dreams?  I don’t understand it.  I know he has a girlfriend and I have no type of interest in him and yet my subconscious wants to ravage him.  What is going on with me?  Perhaps, I have been single for far too long and my body’s primal needs were starting to surface.  I was, of course, reaching marking age, after all.  Although the average age for a person to gain their wolf was twenty, there were always early or late bloomers, in rare cases.  Once a wolf was marked, their heat would start within the following two weeks, lasting a few days and reoccurring every six months or until you fell pregnant.  Part of me wanted to just f**k somebody to get this over with, but I always found being around men so infuriating.  I wanted to know what all the rage was about.  Was s*x really that good?  I’ve heard it was even better when you found your fated mate.  The tingles when your skins touch, like an electric pulse throughout your body. Their scent that could instantly calm you or drive you completely rabid with lust.  The pull, like an internal GPS, that made it possible to always know where they were or when they were near.  Being internally connected to them that you are able to feel their emotions and sense their nerves, almost as though they were projecting them onto you themselves.  When they were hurt or in danger, you would know instantly.  It sounded almost magical, really.  Imagine having s*x with person who holds the other part of your heart and soul, the person that the Mood Goddess herself created in her image, just for you.  It was probably the most amazing thing in the world to have that person in your arms and be able to show them how much they meant to you. But being so intertwined with someone, the other half of your soul, came at a high cost.  If something ever were to happen, such as death, it would almost always mean that you would also die of heartbreak.  Usually, mates who have children and one partner dies, the other partner will keep surviving to care for the children, but they will be incredibly depressed.  

It was really sad to know that Fated Mates were a rare thing now.  No one really knows why it started happening.  Some have suggested that maybe we angered Moon Goddess and she was punishing us.  Others said it was probably all the fighting between packs which made it nearly impossible to find your mate as they were probably killed in battle or belonged to rival pack which was forbidden back then.  Then, slowly, they just died out because the intended mates were not bearing the intended offsprings and this changed Moon Goddess’s plan for us.  The Council had been around for hundreds of years and we had abided by their rule, that is, until the Land War.  Those rules went out the door and it was each pack for themselves.  My father took over the pack when my grandfather, his father, died in battle and then my mother became pregnant.  She nearly died having me and was told she would never be able to bare another child.  I knew she was upset that she would never be able to produce a male heir, more upset than my father was.  He was grateful that we both survived after almost losing everything he loved.  Shortly after, he ended the war.  He gave up the land his father died trying to claim.  My grandmother always said my grandfather was a headstrong, arrogant man and she never held anything against my father for his decision.  Land was never more important than lives.  I think it was more of a male thing, honestly.  To be so blinded by greed that you would put your pack through the destitution of war to claim a piece of earth.  Most of the Pack Alpha’s at that time, were also unmated.  I think this is what made The Council so adamant about marriage.  But I am a woman, I would not go feral with power like these testosterone driven men.  Which made why having to prove myself to them was so important.  I was, after all, the first Alpha female heir.  What reason would they have to deny me a position as Pack Alpha alone?  I had a structure of strong Betas, Gammas, Warriors who would back me up and protect me when and if the time came, same as a male Alpha, minus the testosterone raged feral wolf.  So that was the plan, take over the pack alone, prove myself to all these stuck up wolves.