The Alpha and The Lost Princess

The Bullied Freak

  Calliope's POV

The piercing alarm on my bedside table jolted me from the wonderful dream I was having. With an annoyed groan, I rolled over and slapped the cursed clock. Sighing, I tried reliving the dream I had just been wrenched from. But all I got were vague images. I closed my eyes again as I tried to recall the blue-eyed man I often dreamed about. I was running through the forest looking for him when pounding on my bedroom door shook me awake.

"Calliope!" My Aunt Juniper called to me. "You are going to be late again!" She shouted.

I groaned and looked at the clock. I had fallen asleep for twenty minutes more. Sighing, I sat up. "Sorry, Aunt Juni."

"Well, hurry up. Breakfast is ready."

I sighed and got out of bed and got dressed quickly in jeans and a t-shirt. I had showered the night before so that I would have hot water. I was not a morning person, so I was always the last one up. I tried brushing my shoulder-length reddish curly hair, but it just made it more frizzy. Sighing, I put on a hoodie deciding to hide my hair. I grabbed my backpack and walked out of my room. My cousin Nora was walking out of her room also.

She looked down at me. Being almost a foot taller than me, of course, she had to look down. At 5'0" tall, I am the shortest one in the house. Nora was three years younger than me but still taller at 5'7". She was like the picture of perfection too. She has long brown hair that is silky smooth with blue eyes that looked like sapphires. Today she is wearing a short black leather skirt and a red crop top. "Morning, Cal." She greets me.

I smirk at her. "Your dad is so not letting you out of the house like that." I referred to my Uncle Richard, who is the Beta of the wolf pack we live in.

She shrugged. "Daddy, left early this morning on a mission with Alpha Thomas."

"Oh right," I said as we ran down the stairs. My cousin Chad was already at the table chowing down on pancakes. He is a year old than Nora and the next Beta of the pack. He is over 6 feet tall with the same brown hair as Nora, but he has green eyes like my aunt and me.

"Morning, losers," Chad mumbled and then eyed his sister. "What the hell are you wearing?"

Nora and I took our seats at the table. My aunt had cooked up the usual bacon and eggs with toast and potatoes. I grabbed some toast and eggs as I wasn't a fan of bacon.

"I am wearing clothes, Chad." Nora stuck her tongue out at him. She poured herself some coffee and took a sip while not eating anything.

"Why aren't you eating, Nor?" I asked her with concern.

She shrugged. "I am just not hungry."

"Nora, eat something," Came her mother's voice as she walked out of the kitchen. My Aunt Juniper, or Juni as everyone called her, stood with her hands on her hips. She was only two inches taller than me and had somehow produced two tall werewolf children despite not being a werewolf. She also had curly hair like mine, but it's strawberry blonde in color. "And what are you wearing?"

"Mom! Its fashion," Nora whined.

"I don't care if it is fashion. Go upstairs and change," My aunt barked as my cousin scoffed.

"Mom!"

"Momme one more time, Nora Lynn," My aunt stepped towards her daughter. "You have five minutes. Go!"

Nora whined and slunk out of her seat and stomped her way back upstairs.

Aunt Juni took a deep breath and sat beside me. "Eat, Calliope." She said to me.

I had only been nibbling on toast and a piece of fruit. I wasn't feeling hungry either. I never did in the morning as I hate school. It was an eight-hour-long torture fest to me. I was constantly bullied by the younger members of the pack for not being a werewolf. The worst bully of them all was Harley Devins, the future alpha of the pack. His girlfriend Jocelyn Olsen was the second-worst.

It baffled me that Harley was such a wretched asshole while his parents and sister were always nice and treated me like any other pack member. His sister Myra was one of my only friends. Her brother gave her a hard time about being my friend, but Myra often told him to f**k off.

When I was two, the coven I was born into was attacked. My aunt and I are the only survivors. She was only seventeen, and my mother had told her to take me and run. And run she did until she ran into the territory of the Forest Moon Pack. They were not happy to have a witch stumble into their territory, but when the Beta saw that she was his mate, they let us stay. Some pack members were not happy to have a witch as their beta female. But because of my uncle, they treated her with respect and took out their anger on me.

I was called a freak and weirdo. I tried to let the words slide off my back because I wasn't going to be in this stupid pack forever. I was now eighteen, and in a week, I would finally graduate high school, and then I could leave. I had been offered a scholarship by a program run by the King and Queen of werewolves. I would work at the palace and earn a little money while being paid to go to college. I wanted to study music to become a music teacher. The palace was far away from this pack. So it was a new start.

"Calliope quit daydreaming," Aunt Juni's voice jolted me out of my thoughts. "Nora!" She called up the stairs as Chad grabbed his backpack.

"I'm ready, Mom," He said to her.

I heard Nora stomping back down the stairs. She was now wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt. "Is this acceptable, mother?" She snarled.

"Yes, it works. Now drop that attitude and get to school." She said while ushering all three of us out the back door of the house. The house was only a five-minute walk to school, so Aunt Juni made us walk on nice days. My uncle being Beta, should be living in the packhouse, but he chose to move his family to a regular house in the pack lands. Primarily because of how others felt about Aunt Juni and me. But he also liked the privacy.

Nora walked beside me as Chad took off running towards school. As we walked away from the house, Nora looked back. "Do you see my mom?"

"No, why?"

She stopped and dropped her backpack and then took off the t-shirt revealing the short crop top. She adjusted it. "There. I am not going to school looking like some frumpy schoolmarm." She eyed me. "No offense."

"None taken. We just have different tastes in clothes."

She picked up her backpack, and we resumed walking. "Well, maybe if you dressed like the rest of us, you wouldn't get picked on so much."

I sighed. "But I don't want to be like everyone else, Nor."

"Suit yourself, Cal." My cousin Nora didn't pick on me at school, but she didn't stop her friends and everyone else from picking on me. She had an image to maintain and didn't want to make a dent in her popularity. She was only fifteen and a freshman but being the Beta's daughter. She was already popular.

My cousin Chad tried to defend me sometimes, but he too suffered from not wanting to ruin his image. He is the future Beta, after all. My only friends at school were the alpha's daughter Myra and Bailey, a warrior in training. No one made fun of me if I was with Myra because she would tell her dad. But if I was alone, it was open season on Calliope.

The school soon came into view, and Nora disappeared into the crowd, pretending not to know me. I pulled my hoodie up, hoping not to attract attention as I weaved myself to my locker. I almost made it when an unseen foot made me trip and fall onto the ground, which elicited laughs from everyone around me. I looked up to see one of my main tormentors, Jocelyn standing with her b***h friends.

"Ooops, did I trip wittle Cawiopeee?" She mocked as I tried getting off the ground. She kicked me in the side, causing me to fall to the ground. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I had to fight to keep from crying. I wouldn't let them see me cry.

"Back off, Jocelyn!" I heard Myra yell at her.

Jocelyn scoffed. "We were just playing with her, Myra. No need to blow a gasket."

"I said back off!" Myra said with her alpha tone. I looked up as Jocelyn walked away from us. She is thin and tall like my cousin. Her bony face was contorted in a permanent scowl. She has fake blonde hair, and her face is caked in makeup. Myra knelt to help me to my feet. "Did she hurt you?"

I sniffled as I picked up my backpack. "No more than usual," I replied quietly. Myra brushed me off. She stood taller than me like everyone else.

"I wish my dad would kick that b***h out of the pack. She is useless." She grumbled as we reached our lockers. "I don't care if she is my brother's main w***e. She needs to be kicked to the curb."

"But doesn't your brother want her to be his luna?" I asked as I got out my books for the first period.

"Not if my mother has anything to do with it. My mom hates Jocelyn." She snorted. I loved Myra. She didn't have to be my friend. But she was. Being an alpha's daughter, she should be in the popular crowd, but Myra didn't give a crap about popularity. Myra was mainly dressed in black and had several piercings and tattoos. She often dyed her hair in different colors. Today it was dark purple with magenta highlights which looked incredible with her golden-brown eyes. She was wearing black jeans and a black shirt with skulls on it.

"I am so ready for this week to end."

Myra frowned. "But then you'll be leaving me."

It was true. Myra was remaining at the pack after school ended to train the new warriors. Few others in the pack could match Myra in training. Even her brother Harley had a hard time beating her. Sometimes I thought that Alpha Thomas should name Myra alpha. She would be so much better at it than Harley.

The bell rang, and we ran towards our first-period class, algebra. We took our seats towards the back with Bailey, our other friend. Bailey was another outcast but a kickass warrior like Myra. The teacher got the class started and the rest of the morning went by quickly. At lunchtime, I sat with Myra and Bailey outside in the grass. It was our usual spot to eat lunch away from the drama. I was still sore from being kicked by Jocelyn this morning, so I pressed my hands to the ground and drew healing energy from the earth, and my bruises healed themselves.

It was one of the few abilities as a witch I had. I couldn't do any spells or conjurings like other witches. But I figured out how to heal myself using either trees or the earth. I had to be careful not to use too much energy as there was a mark on my hip that would glow hot, and I would pass out if I used too much. Aunt Juni told me the mark was there to disguise my identity from our enemies. She said the people who killed my parents were still after us. So the marks were designed to conceal our true identities. She would never tell me why we were hunted or by whom. The mark kept me from doing too much magic, which kept us from being found by our enemies.

"Hey, Cal," Bailey brought me from my thoughts. "Are you going to the party on Friday after graduation?"

"Probably not Bails," I replied. Parties were not my thing, especially when they were full of my bullies.

"Oh, come on, Cal. It will be fun," Bailey begged. She wasn't bullied like I was and liked to party. I know the unmated males like it when she went because she wasn't picky about whom she slept with.

"Maybe for your Bails, but you know how parties go for me."

She sighed and looked at Myra. "You aren't going either, are you?"

"Nah, there is a killer band performing at Club Rainbow, I would rather see," Myra replied to Bailey. "Besides, we all promised to hang at the lake on Saturday. Just us three before you two abandon me." Myra folded her arms.

Bailey was going to the palace as well as I was. She was going to train to become a royal guard. It was her dream to serve the king and queen. King Cassius and Queen Jemma were kind and generous rulers, which is why so many young wolves wanted to work at the palace or train as royal guards or warriors. "You could come to Myra. I am pretty sure you would be accepted into the program."

Myra huffed. "My dad needs me here."

"We'll be back for visits," Bailey leaned against her. "Won't we, Cal?"

I shrugged. The only people in this wolf pack I cared for were the two of them and my family. "Maybe," I mumbled. The bell rang, and we got up from our spot and threw away our trash. I dreaded the second part of the day because I had no classes with either Bailey or Myra. It was left to the wolves alone, literally.

After saying my goodbyes to my friends, I made my way to the next class after lunch, English. I snuck into the class, took my seat in the back, and pulled my hoodie over my face, hoping no one would notice me. But that was shattered as someone kicked my foot, and I looked up to see Harley sneering at me. "I heard you got Jocelyn in trouble this morning," He snarled at me.

Ignoring him, I kept my head down. That only made him mad, and he slammed his hands onto the desk. "Hey! Freak!" He yelled. "Look at me! Did you or did you not disrespect your future luna?" He snarled.

Slowly I looked up at him into his golden-brown eyes. Myra's eyes were warm and friendly, whereas Harley's were sinister and evil-looking. He was tall like everyone else with black hair. He would almost be handsome if he weren't such a sadistic asshole. "No, I did not disrespect Jocelyn. She tripped me and then kicked me."

"You lying freak." He growled.

"Ask your sister for the truth," I told him, trying to sound bold.

His hand balled into a fist, and he looked poised to punch me when Mr. Farris walked in. He lowered his fist and glared at me. "This isn't over, freak." He walked over and took his seat beside his best friend, Brandon. They both glared back at me as Mr. Farris started the class.

I shuddered and tried to ignore them. After class, I scrambled out before Harley could notice. I reached my locker unscathed, but it didn't last long as someone slammed my head into the metal doors. I felt blood trickled down my forehead as I was hit two more times. I sunk to the ground and got kicked in the side. I looked up to see Harley sneering at me. He spat on me and kicked me once more.

"That's for humiliating Jocelyn." He snarled before walking away.

I sniffled as I sat on the ground for a moment. There was no one willing to defend me. Everyone else just kept walking, including my own cousin Chad who just gave me a sympathetic look. I would tell my uncle or Alpha Thomas about the attacks, but that only made things worse. I slowly stood up and gathered my books, and hobbled into a bathroom. I looked at my face in the mirror. I now had an ugly knot on my forehead that was bleeding. I lifted my shirt to look at my bruised ribs. Sighing, I would need to heal myself again after school before going home.

It was just easier this way. I kept my pain secret from my family and the alpha so I wouldn't experience worse. The last time I told Luna Julie what Harley had done, he retaliated by breaking my leg. Something I couldn't heal without passing out. When my Uncle Richard asked what happened, I lied. I lied to my aunt. I lied to everyone. I needed to just lie low for one more week.

The rest of the classes went by without more trouble, and I quickly made my way outside to the treeline. Stopping, I looked around and then pressed my hand on a large tree. I channeled its life force into me to heal my sore ribs and bruised face. Warmth spread through me and take away the pain. My mark began to heat up, so I let go of the tree.

"Calliope!" I heard Nora calling for me. She always knew where to find me. She walked towards me. "Hey, can you cover for me?"

"Why?" I asked her.

"Sean Reynolds asked me over to his house, and I am supposed to be studying. Can you tell my mom I went to Rachel's to study?"

I sighed. Sean Reynolds was the son of a warrior and very much a ladies' man. He had a new girlfriend every week. I didn't want to see Nora get hurt. But she had the biggest crush on him. "Nora," I started. "Why don't you just text your mom?"

"My phone died." She replied.

I snorted. "You owe me."

"I know." She smiled at me and looked back towards the school. "I gotta go. Sean is waiting."

"Fine, don't be too late."

"Thanks, Cal." She waved and ran off.

Shaking my head, I picked up my backpack and started walking home. I was lost in my thoughts when I felt something smack my shoulder. I jumped and took a defensive stance. I may not be a wolf, but Myra and Bailey had taught me some moves. There was deep laughter as I turned.

Chad walked up to me. He had thrown a rock at me. "I was calling to you, but you ignored me." He smirked.

I punched his arm. "So, you threw a damn rock at me?"

"Yes," He snickered. We walked together in silence. "So, what was up with Jocelyn this morning. She said you got her in trouble."

I rolled my eyes. "I did nothing to that b***h," I spat out.

He held up his hands. "I am just repeated what I heard."

"The b***h tripped me and kicked me, and then Myra jumped in and ordered her away. But of course, it's my fault I get constantly beat up."

Chad sighed. "I hate that b***h. I wish Harley would find someone else."

"He isn't any better than her. They deserve each other." I responded to my cousin.

"Harley is an asshole. I'll give you that." He laughed. "He's still my friend, but he is an asshole."

"You are only his friend because you are going to be his beta."

Chad shrugged. "Yeah."

Most alphas and betas grew up as friends in other packs. But Chad and Harley were not close like other alpha and beta duos. I know Chad didn't really like Harley. Which is why I wished he would defend me against Harley. Despite not being close, Chad refused to go against the future alpha, which made me grateful to have Myra.

We reached the house and walked in. I trudged up to my room, dropped off my backpack, and then went back downstairs to the kitchen. Aunt Juni was preparing dinner and singing. I sat on a stool at the counter.

"Hey, kiddo," She greeted me. "How was school?"

I shrugged while grabbing an orange from the fruit bowl on the counter. "Same old s**t show."

She turned to me with a lifted eyebrow. "I'm sorry you hate it there so much."

"Few more days, and I'm gone," I said while eating my orange.

Aunt Juni sighed heavily. "I hate that you are leaving, Calliope. I promised your parents that I would always keep you close."

"I should be safe at the palace, shouldn't I?"

She nodded and turned back to the stove. She was preparing pork chops and other goodies for dinner. "You should. It's just hard because you are the only family besides my mate and the kids I have. We are the last of our spe- coven." I think she had almost said species.

"Did you almost say species?"

"No, I misspoke." She replied quickly. "Can you set the table for me? Your uncle should be home shortly."

I nodded and got off the stool. "Oh, by the way. Nora went to Rachel's to study."

"Sure she did," Aunt Juni mumbled. "Where is she really, Calliope?" She turned her green eyes on me. She may be short, but she looked fiercer than the werewolves when she wanted to.

I shrugged. "I'm telling the truth, auntie."

"Don't untie me, Calliope."

Chad walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "Hey, Mom. What's for dinner?"

"Do you know where your sister is?" My aunt turned to him.

He shut the door and leaned against the fridge with a bottle of Gatorade in his hands. He took a long swig. "I thought I saw her get into a car with Sean Reynolds."

The front door opened as my aunt slammed her spatula on the counter. My uncle Richard walked in. He smiled at us until he saw my fuming aunt. He was at least a foot and a half taller than my aunt. He had the same color of brown hair as Chad and Nora with brown eyes. He sighed heavily. "What's wrong, Juni?"

"Your daughter ran off with that, Sean."

My uncle growled. "That's the last thing I need. My daughter with that man whore." He ran his hand through his hair. From the looks of the dirt on his camouflage pants and black t-shirt, he had a long day. "I just worked all day in the sun with Tom inspecting the perimeter, and I come home to this."

Aunt Juni shrugged. "I'll go get her. Calliope can finish dinner." She started out of the kitchen.

"Juniper!" Uncle Richard called after her. "I'll go get her."

My aunt stopped and looked up at him. "Let's get her together."

"Fine," My uncle sighed heavily.

"Calliope, dinner," She pointed to the stove. "Everything is almost ready. Please plate it and wait till we get home with Nora."

"Okay, auntie." I smiled at her. I didn't mind the cooking part. It was the trying to keep Chad from eating it all before she got home part, I didn't like. Werewolves had voracious appetites, and it was hard keeping them from devouring food when they were starved.

"We'll be right back," My uncle called as he followed my aunt out the front door.

I went to the stove to work on dinner while my cousin walked out of the kitchen. Twenty minutes later, I plated up dinner as my aunt and uncle returned with my angry cousin. She was crying and yelling at her parents. I set the food on the table as I listened to Nora stomp up the stairs.

"I AM NOT HUNGRY!" She yelled before slamming the door to her room.

"FINE!" My aunt screamed at her.

I laughed as my uncle and Chad walked into the kitchen. I said nothing and sat in my seat at the table next to Chad. My uncle sat at the head of the table and looked at the food.

My aunt joined us a moment later, looking angry. "This looks good, Juni." Uncle Richard said to her. She just grumbled as we dug into the food. We ate in silence, and then I helped my aunt clean up the kitchen and put away the leftovers. I walked up the stairs and knocked on Nora's door.

"Go away!" She shouted.

"It's me, Nor."

"Come in." She mumbled, and I poked my head in.

"I'm sorry you got in trouble. I didn't tell your mother where you went, honest."

She rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter. Sean won't want me now. My dad had to go all Beta on him. So now he will be afraid to even look at me."

I sat on her bed. Her room looked like a typical girls room. Lots of pink and guys posters. She was into pop music and most pop culture. "It's for the best, Nora. Sean is a man whore."

She sniffled. "I don't care. I finally get a date with him, and my parents had to ruin it."

"I'm sorry, Nor."

She shook her head. "Thanks for not ratting me out."

"You are welcome. Wait, how did you know I didn't rat you out?"

She snorted. "It reeks of Chad."

I laughed. "Yeah, it was Chad. He saw you get into Sean's car."

"Figures." She mumbled. "Anyways, I just want to be alone now, Cal."

I nodded. "Okay, there is leftover food in the fridge for you. I managed to save a couple of pork chops for you."

"Thanks," She smiled and sniffled.

I stood up and walked out of her room and into mine. I sat at my desk and got started studying for the finals all week. Just five more days of hell left.