Alpha's Bullied Fox

Acceptance

Darcy

This gorgeous hunk of a man looks at me in the most loving way anyone has looked at me. But I can’t help the fear I have building up that he is about to reject me. Why would someone like him want something like me? I am trash.

‘Quit saying that,’ Kaya chimes in. ‘He and Neo want you.’

‘Neo?’ I ask her.

‘His wolf.’ She replies.

I look into his amazing blue eyes and then look down as shyness comes over me. I study my hands and the floorboards.

“You don’t have to be shy,” His deep voice says to me. He is so gentle and kind to me. There is no way in the world he would want me.

“A-a-a-are you going to reject me?” I ask softly.

His hand runs down my cheek, and I shudder from the tingles. No one has ever made me feel this way. And I am so afraid that he doesn’t feel the same. He was only defending me because it was the honorable thing to do.

‘Quit doubting yourself,’ Kaya whispers.

“No, of course not. Why would I do that?” He asks so gently.

Tear well up in my eyes and look up at his handsome face. “Because I am trash,” I say and burst into tears. His strong arms wrap around me, and he pulls me to his hard chest. I lean into him, enveloped by his warmth. I ignore the pain when he touches my back. The wounds are healed over, but the pain still lingers.

“Shh, please don’t cry, Darcy,” He says my name, and it makes my heart swell with hope. He kisses the top of my head and holds me. “What did they do to you?” He whispers.

We stay like this for several minutes, and I can’t believe how kind he is being. ‘He just saved you from that asshole, Felix. He already loves you,’ Kaya commented. That just made me cry some more. I pull back to gaze into his eyes and can’t help but smile. He smiles back at me, and I blush.

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” He says to me and brushes hair from my face, and I blush. He leans down, and I anticipate another kiss and close my eyes.

“THERE YOU ARE!” I hear Aunt Jean screech, and Nathaniel pulls away from me. I open my eyes to see her storming towards us. Her brown hair bounced as her thin legs carried her. Aunt Jean looks at Nathaniel. “I am sorry about Trash, Alpha Nathaniel,” she says to him as she stops on the steps of the gazebo.

Nathaniel stands up and looms over her. He is taller than Felix and more muscular. “What did you call my mate?”

“Mate?” Aunt Jean bursts out laughing. “What did you do to piss off the Goddess?”

Nathaniel pulls me to his side and holds me tight. “Who are you?” He asks her.

“I have the misfortune of being her aunt.” Aunt Jean sneers at me.

“Are you the gamma’s mate?” Nathaniel asks her, and she nods. “Well, my father is paying whatever money you feel she stole so she can come home with me,” He states.

“You actually want her?” Aunt Jean laughs and walks away. “Good riddance.”

I bury my face in Nathaniel’s chest and sob again. He holds me tight, and I look up at him. “Are you really going to take me away from here?”

“Of course. You are my Luna.”

My eyes widen. “L-luna?” I feel myself pale.

“Well, yeah. I am going to become Alpha of Whispering Pines next year and that means you will be my Luna,” He laughs softly and sits on the bench. He pulls me onto his lap, and I can’t help but lean against his warm chest.

“B-but-“ I trail off. “I can’t be a Luna.”

` He laughed softly, filling my heart with warmth. “Why not?”

“I’m trash,” I mumbled sadly.

He holds me tighter. “You are not trash, Darcy. Please stop saying that.”

‘Why does he want me?’ I cry out in my head. “I am not a wolf.”

“I know what you are, Darcy,” He whispers in my ear. “And I do not care. I want you.”

I looked him in the eyes. “You know what I am?” I ask him with slight fear.

“A fox,” He whispers again, and I start to tremble. “It’s okay. Don’t be scared. I will keep you safe. My whole pack will,” He says softly, and I can’t help but stare into his eyes again. He looks down at me. “Can I kiss you?”

“You can try, but we keep getting interrupted.” I smile, and he leans down, and I close my eyes in anticipation again. His lips brush against mine and tingles spread through my body, and I let out a moan. Then we make contact, and everything around us is lost. He runs his hand down my cheek, and I shudder and let out another moan.

He chuckles lightly. “You are so cute with your little moans.”

I feel my face go red as our lips devour each other. His hand moves through my hair, and I relish the contact as we go to deepen the kiss.

“Nathaniel,” A female voice suddenly interrupts us.

He pulls away with a low growl. “Mom!” He says I look at the beautiful woman I ran into earlier.

The woman smiles warmly at me. “Oh, she is beautiful.” She holds her hand out at me. I am still on Nathaniel’s lap. “I am Katherine Ford, this guy’s mother. But you can call me Katie.”

I clasp her hand and manage to smile back. “I’m Darcy.”

“I’m sorry that I interrupted you, dear. But your father was looking for you. We are leaving,” she says.

I climb off of Nathaniel’s lap. “Good, I don’t like it here,” He says to his mother. “Are we not going to be allies?”

Katie snorts. “Your Uncle Patrick just had to pull your father and Alpha Dean apart. So, I’m going to say no.”

“Darcy is coming with us. She can’t stay here anymore.” Nathaniel holds on to me.

“Welcome to the family, dear,” She says so warmly to me.

“Katie,” I hear Nathaniel’s father call to us, and he is walking towards us with several other people. “We have to leave now,” He smiles at me.

“James, Darcy needs to go pack her things real quick,” Katie says to Nathaniel’s father.

“Be quick about it,” He says to me.

I nod and start to walk away. Nathaniel follows me, and we enter the house through the omega door into the kitchen. My friends are waiting for me. Buddy is standing next to his mom with tears in his eyes. I hold my arms out to him.

“I don’t want you to go, Dar.” He sobs. “But you have to.”

“I won’t ever forget you, Buddy,” I say to him. “You can come with us.”

“You know I can’t.” He whispers and pulls away from me. He looks at Nathaniel. “Y-you better be good to her, or I will figure out a way to hurt you.”

Nathaniel smiles at Buddy. “I promise,” He holds out a hand to Buddy. “She is right, though. You can come with us.”

Buddy’s mom, Lydia, shakes her head. “We will be alright here. We are just happy that Darcy will finally know happiness.”

“I have known happiness, Lydia. I have you as friends.” I say to her, and she hugs me.

“Darcy, we have to get going,” Nathaniel says to me.

I pull away from Lydia and lead Nathaniel down to my room. Judy is sitting on her bed as we walk in. Her eyes widen at Nathaniel. I start to put my few things into my backpack.

“Are you leaving?” Judy asks.

“Yeah,” I say to her. I gesture to Nathaniel. “He is my mate, and I am going with him.”

Judy’s eyes widen as Nathaniel holds out his hand. “Hi, I am Nathaniel Brody.”

She just nods and shyly shakes his hand. “Hi,” She squeaks out while checking him out.

“Do they treat you well here?” Nathaniel asks her.

“Yes, Alpha Dean and Luna Kendra took me in when I had nowhere else to go,” Judy tells him. “I don’t know why they are so mean to Darcy. She is nice. So please be nice to her.”

“I will be very nice to her,” Nathaniel waggles his eyebrows at me, and I feel myself turn red again.

I turn away from him and finish my meager possessions into my bag. I sling it over my shoulder. “I’m ready.”

“That’s it?” Nathaniel asks, and I nod. “Oh well,” His eyes glaze over, and he grabs my hands. “We have to go now. My Dad is about to kill Alpha Dean.”

“Bye Judy,” I wave as Nathaniel pulls me out of the room.

“Don’t forget about us,” I hear her say.

We go through the kitchen, and I wave to Buddy, Lydia, and the others. “Bye, guys. We have to go.”

“I love you, Darcy,” Buddy says and looks at Nathaniel. “Not like that dude.”

“I get it,” Nathaniel says.

Lydia hands me a piece of paper and hugs me. “We all love you, dear. Please don’t forget about us.”

Tears well up in my eyes as I wave one last time. Nathaniel takes me out the front entrance of the packhouse. His parents are waiting by an SUV with several others. Alpha Dean is standing to one side with his beta and my Uncle Dieter. My uncle is looking at me with darkened eyes. I shudder as Nathaniel holds me tight.

Nathaniel opens the door of the SUV. “Get in Darcy,” He takes my backpack and places it in the back.

I climb into the SUV, and a large black-haired man climbs in next to me. I look up at him with fear, and he smiles at me. “Hello Darcy, I am Tim, the Beta of Whispering Pines,” He holds out a hand. Nathaniel climbs in on the other side, and I am sandwiched between the two men. “I am also his uncle,” Tim nods at Nathaniel.

“Hi,” I say quietly as the SUV starts up. Nathaniel’s parents are up front talking. I lean against Nathaniel as we drive away from the only home I have ever known. A black wolf runs beside the car as we drive through the woods. We pass the house I used to call home, and I shudder. Tears well up in my eyes, and I don’t know why I will miss it here.

“It’s going to be alright, sweetheart,” Nathaniel says to me. “Rest now. You are safe.”

“I’m safe,” I whisper. We reach the border, and the wolf stops following us. I know it's Felix when he lets out a mournful howl. I feel nothing for him. He treated me like trash, and I am not trash anymore.

‘We are free,’ Kaya says to me.

“So, what happened, Dad?” Nathaniel asks when we get out onto what I assume is a highway. I have never been out of the pack, but I have seen pictures of highways.

His father takes a deep breath. “Well, things took a turn into the abyss after you left the office. Patrick came in, and I told him about your mate and how she was being abused,” James paused. “I’m sorry, dear.” He smiles at me.

I just shrug.

“Anyways, I told Alpha Dean that I no longer wanted to be associated with a pack that treats members the way Darcy was being treated. Alpha Dean denied any wrongdoing and well-“

“Patrick had to pull you two apart,” Tim laughed. “That s**t was hilarious. You got f*****g Dean good, James.”

Katie turned to glare at him. “Tim,” Her eyes darted to me. They were the same blue as Nathaniel’s.

“You and Nathaniel have the same eyes,” I tell her.

She smiles at me. “He is the only one of my children that does.” She reaches out to me. “I have three others, and they are going to love you.”

“I don’t know,” I say quietly. “No one really loves me.”

“My son loves you already. I can tell,” Katie says to me.

I glance at Nathaniel who’s face is red. “Do you?”

He nods slowly. “I didn’t think love, at first sight, was real even with mates, but yeah,” He smiles and kisses my lips.

“Eww, I am sitting right here,” the beta says.

Nathaniel glares at him. “Then stop looking.”

Katie slaps Tim’s knee, and he laughs. “What? I don't want to watch my nephew make out with his mate. It’s bad enough when I catch my son making out with his mate.”

“Oh, has anyone heard anything about Bella?” Nathaniel asks. He looks at me. “Bella is my best friend and cousin Zach’s mate. She went into labor earlier.”

“No, nothing yet,” Tim replied. “Sam was supposed to call when something did-“ He trails off when I hear a phone ring. “Hold that thought.”

“Sam?” I say out loud.

“Sam is my brother’s,” Katie points to Tim, “mate. Zach is his son and Nathaniel’s cousin. Bella is Zach’s mate.” Katie explains. “We are all pretty tight-knit.”

I nod as Tim talks to someone on the phone who I assume is Sam. He hangs up the phone. “Bella had the pup. A big healthy boy they named Logan.”

“Way to go, Grandpa,” James says with a laugh. “Grandpa. Ha!” He laughs again.

“It’s not that funny, James,” Tim mumbles.

I sit and listen to James and Tim banter back and forth while Katie and Nathaniel laugh. This is the family I have always wanted. I just hope they are being sincere. What will they do when they find out that I am a fox? Nathaniel says he accepts me. But will the others? I feel tired and lean into Nathaniel and soon find myself dreaming of my white fox being chased through the woods by the dark brown wolf.

“Darcy,” Nathaniel interrupted my dream, and I opened my eyes. “Hey, cutie, we are home,” He says, and I sit up. Everyone else is out of the car.

“Sorry,” I say to him.

“It’s alright. I liked having you sleep on me,” Nathaniel smirks. “You drool, by the way,” He winked and wiped my chin. Clasping my hand, he helps me out of the vehicle, and I lay eyes upon the Whispering Pines packhouse for the first time.

Alpha James is standing proudly with a smile. He reaches out his hand to me. “This is Whispering Pines. Welcome home, Darcy.”