Alpha Betrayed: A Dark Shifter
Defiant Princess Chapter 8

JULIET

“Let me go, you piece of shit!” Layla’s shout ends in a scream, the terror in her voice making my stomach twist.

“Let her go and I’ll do you both,” I lie, hoping the monsters will go for it. “She’s just a kid. You don’t want a kid, right? You’re just a sick f**k, not a deviant.”

Buzz Cut’s smile widens. “Aw, how sweet. She’s willing to sacrifice herself for her new friend. Isn’t that sweet, Ferris?”

Ferris curses. “She bit me! Don’t bite, bitch.” A slapping sound follows, and Layla cries out in pain, but I don’t look away from Buzz Cut.

He’s the one in charge and my only shot at sparing Layla.

“I’m sweet to my friends, but filthier than you can imagine in bed,” I say, willing him to believe it, to look into my cold, dead heart and know there isn’t anything I won’t do. “Let her go and we can have a good time. Or we can both bite the shit out of you and give you marks that will be hard to explain away at the luau tonight. The faculty wants us all to be a big happy family, after all.”

Buzz Cut hesitates for a beat, then exhales a soft laugh. “Let the other one go, Ferris. Crazy Eyes is right. More fun to share a bad girl who will do what she’s told. You like to take orders from your betters, don’t you, Crazy Eyes?”

“Love it,” I deadpan, not glancing Layla’s way as she runs behind me, making sniffling sounds.

“Juliet, please,” she whispers, but I shake my head.

“Run, Layla. Run and don’t look back. It will be okay.”

She mumbles something that sounds like “nothing is okay,” but a beat later I hear her swift footsteps racing away through the leaves. Soon, she’s far enough away that I doubt even guys this big and fit could catch up with her, and a little of the tension eases from my shoulders.

It’s swiftly replaced by a chunk of ice forming in my core as Ponytail—Ferris, the other guy called him—ambles over, until they’re both looming over me like twin devils on my shoulders, offering only terrible choices.

And then Ferris says, “Take your clothes off, bitch. Let’s see if you’re as scrawny as you look or if there might be a little cushion for the pushin’, after all.”

The phrase is deliberately crass and debasing, but it still makes my l*p curl.

Buzz Cut sneers. “You think you’re too good for that kind of talk, Crazy Eyes? Spoiler alert: you’re not.” He steps closer, until my nose is nearly brushing his chest and my body begins to vibrate with the silent demand to run. “You shouldn’t even be at this school, but since you are… Since you’re lucky enough to mooch off all the money hardworking wolves have invested in Lost Moon, the least you can do is show some gratitude and spread your legs with a smile.”

Bracing myself for how ugly this is going to get, I tip my head back until I catch his gaze and drawl, “Or you and Ponytail could jerk each other off like you were planning to all along. That’s why you came all the way out here, right? So, the two of you could be alone?”

I don’t like using anyone’s sexuality to shame them—I don’t care who people f**k as long as they’re f*****g other consenting adults—but I know wolves like these two. And I know nothing pisses them off more than someone insinuating they’re anything but raging straight Alphas who live to eat raw meat and bang as many “bitches” as they can get under them in their lifetime.

As expected, Ponytail’s face flushes a mottled red and Buzz Cut’s gaze sharpens to a weapon. “Say it again,” he whispers. “Say something stupid like that again and see what it gets you.”

And because I’m that girl, the one who refuses to let men like this rule me ever again, I whisper back in my most condescending tone, “It’s okay, Big Guy. I won’t tell anyone. You can even let Ponytail bend you over a gravestone if you want. I’m sure your a*****e is twitching with excitement just thinking about it, isn’t it?”

Before I can blink, his hand is around my neck and I’m off the ground, clutching his fat wrist as I struggle to breathe. I kick his stomach as hard as I can while I’m at it, knowing I probably don’t have much time among the conscious to inflict my damage.

As tight as he’s holding me, I’ll be out cold in a couple minutes.

I shove one foot into his chest, leveraging my h**s back far enough that I’m able to get my other foot up between us. My next kick connects with his jaw, sending his head jerking back. He curses, his grip on my throat loosening just enough for me to claw his fingers away and squirm free.

I fall to the ground in an ungraceful tangle, gasping for air, certain I’m about to be tackled by both of them.

Instead, I feel air woosh over my head. I have a split second to smell wolf, new wolf, and realize we have company, and then Buzz Cut is on the ground.

Shoving my hair out of my face, I scramble to my feet to see Alexander, the beefy redhead from this morning, pounding Buzz Cut’s face in. But Ferris is already gripping his shoulders, trying to pull him off.

Alexander is massive, but so are these guys and it’s two against one, he’s probably going to lose this fight.

On instinct, I spin, grabbing a chunk of what might have once been Tobias Zion’s stone torso and lifting it over my head. I bring it down hard on the back of Ferris’s skull. He stiffens, then slumps to the ground and stays there, making me wonder if I’ve committed murder again.

“Do they kick you out for murder?” I hear myself asking aloud. “Or is it okay if it’s self-defense?”

“What the f**k?” Buzz Cut shoves Alexander off him and crawls over to Ferris. His eyes are bloodshot with rage when he screams at me, “What did you do, bitch? If he’s dead, I’m going to kill you. I’m going to f*****g end you.”

“He’s fine, I can hear his heartbeat from here, and you’re not going to do shit,” Alexander says, taking my arm in a firm, but gentle grip, as he backs toward campus. “If you get caught roughing up a girl, no matter what dorm she’s from, you’ll be out of here.”

“Do you have any idea who my father is?” Buzz Cut seethes.

“Yeah, you’re a big shot with a rich daddy,” Alexander says. “And I don’t care. You’re going to leave Juliet and every other woman on this campus alone or the cell phone footage I took before I tackled your a*s is going straight to the president’s office and you’ll be out, no matter what your last name is.”

Alexander turns, putting his arm around my shoulders. He waits until we’re a good ten feet away before he whispers, “Walk fast, but don’t run. Like any other predatory piece of shit, running gets assholes like Beck riled up.”

“Okay,” I say, more shaken than I expected to be. After all, getting terrorized by giant men was my life for a long, long time.

So f*****g long…

But I thought things were going to be different here. I really did. I thought I was going to be safe. Or safer, anyway.

That’s the only reason I can think of for the tears streaming down my face and the hitch in my voice as I murmur, “Thank you. For helping me.”

“Anytime,” Alexander says, the kindness in his voice making the tears flow faster. “I should have done a better job of warning you to stay in public places this morning. Even legacies like Beck don’t dare pull that shit where a teacher might see. That’s why I volunteered to be an orientation counselor, so I could keep things like this from happening. My sister wasn’t so lucky our freshman year. Some wolf jumped her by the beach and crushed her feet with a rock. She hasn’t been able to get on toe shoes since and ballet used to be her life.”

I look up at him, my throat tightening even more at the pain on his face. “I’m sorry. And I’m sorry we didn’t listen this morning. It’s just so hard to know who to trust.”

Alexander rubs a gentle hand up and down between my shoulder blades. “Well, me snarling at you didn’t help, I’m sure. I didn’t know who was coming through the woods, so I went on the offensive. It’s my default these days.”

I pull in a breath to respond when suddenly Ford appears around the next curve in the path, a look of such violence on his face that I freeze and take an instinctive step back, even though I know the violence isn’t for me.

Alexander lifts his hands into the air. “I’m helping, not hurting. If you want to kick a*s, the two guys who attacked her are back there, but I wouldn’t advise it. Thanks to Juliet, one of them’s already unconscious, and the other one knows his a*s will be in a sling if he tries anything like that again. And you’ll get kicked out if you hurt them without provocation.”

“I have plenty of provocation.” Ford’s gaze doesn’t waiver from mine the entire time Alexander’s talking. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

Before I can answer, Layla bursts through the woods behind Ford, sucking breath. “F**k, you’re okay. F**k. Thank Goddess.” She presses a hand to her chest, wincing. “I guess I need that two weeks of conditioning. Couldn’t come close to keeping up with this one.”

A screech echoes through the air above us. I glance up to see Diana circling overhead, keeping watch on our six.

“Come on,” Alexander says, nodding back toward the main part of campus. “We can talk more back at the quad.”

“You’re not in charge here,” Ford snaps.

“I’m trying to help, a*****e,” Alexander says.

“He is,” I cut in before Ford can escalate things further. “He got me out of there before things got too bad. I owe him, and I trust him.”

“Then why are you crying?” Ford asks in a softer voice. “You don’t cry over nothing. You barely cry at all.”

I swipe at my face, but the stupid tears won’t stop. “I don’t know. Maybe I could use some f*****g counseling or something, but I’m okay. Let’s just go. I’ll feel safer with other people around.”

Layla puts her arm around me as I move past Ford, hugging me as we walk. “Thank you. But you didn’t have to sacrifice yourself for me. That’s not something I expect and not how my friendship works. I want to fight beside you, okay? From now on.”

“Okay.” I swallow and manage a small smile, “Unless I decide I want to save your a*s, then I will. I’m older, wiser, and meaner. Let me use that for the good of those under my protection.”

“And you’re tiny and stuck in your human body and not even a little bit prepared to face off against bullies like that.” She pulls in a breath before adding with respect in her voice, “But you’re also fierce as hell, so I’ll consider being under your protection an honor.”

“Thanks.” I lean against her, letting myself enjoy the support of a female friend for the first time in so long.

Layla really is my friend. So is Diana.

And maybe Alexander and Catherine, too.

I guess there’s one way to replace out.

I look up at Alexander as he and Ford move to walk on either side of us. “I need to get my implant out. Fast. And the doctors here won’t do it.”

“Juliet,” Ford murmurs, a warning in his tone.

But Alexander has proven he’s on our side, at least enough for me to trust him with this question.

“Ford was going to help me with it in the woods tonight,” I continue, “but that’s obviously not as good a plan as we thought. Since the woods seem like a good place for Variants to get assaulted or worse. Any advice?”

Alexander glances at Ford. “Help her how?”

“I was going to pretend to attack her in front of the other wolves and cut out the implant,” Ford says, clearly not happy about sharing the plan, but following my lead anyway. “It would prove to the assholes that I’m on their side and get rid of the implant at the same time.”

Alexander grunts. “So, you’re going in undercover, huh? That could work. But I think we can get rid of the implant without risking real damage. Or the other wolves piling on once they smell b***d.”

“I would have been careful and kept her safe after. Obviously,” Ford snaps. “The last thing I want to do is hurt her.”

“Relax,” Alexander says. “I believe you, man. I got the family vibe from you two right away.”

“That’s not the vibe I got,” Layla mutters, but I elbow her in the side, and she presses her lips together.

Thankfully, the guys keep talking over our heads like they didn’t hear her.

“But I know someone with access to tools and surgical skill,” Alexander adds. “And I’m pretty sure she won’t mind helping us out.” He grins. “Since she’s my sister and one of Juliet’s counselors in Variant house, it shouldn’t be hard to arrange a meeting.”

“And how do we explain Juliet taking her surgery into her own hands to the powers that be?” Ford challenges. “Since she isn’t supposed to know it’s been forbidden yet?”

Alexander shrugs. “Do we have to? I’ve known Juliet all of…ten minutes and it’s pretty clear to me she’s going to do what she damned well pleases.”

“Same,” Layla agrees.

“So,” Alexander continues, “If I learned, after just one afternoon as a helpless non-shifting shifter among a school full of students with two forms, she decided it pleased her to get her implant out immediately instead of waiting for the doctor’s appointment, I wouldn’t be surprised.” He arches a pointed brow at Ford. “Would you?”

The muscle in Ford’s jaw clenches into a tight little ball that twitches for a second before he grunts, “No.”

Alexander has the grace to hide his smile behind his hand as he tucks his shaggy red hair behind one ear. “Then that’s settled. We’ll call off the behind the museum meeting for now, and I’ll ask Catherine to pull Juliet aside during the after-party. In the meantime, you and I should go over a few things, Ford. If you’re going undercover, you need to know what you’re getting into.” The last of his grin vanishes as he adds, “It might change your mind. They’re even more f****d up than they seem at first glance.”

“I have experience with f****d up,” Ford says. “I’m pretty sure nothing they can do will surprise me. Disgust me, but not surprise me.” He glances my way. “I’ll make sure Juliet and Layla get home safe and meet you behind Lupine dorm.”

“We’re almost to the quad,” I say as we circle around the pond at the edge of the smaller lawn with no sign of pursuit. “We’ll be fine. You guys should go. Find a place where you won’t be seen before those two get back.”

“She’s right,” Alexander says, glancing up at the sun. “And I have a counselor meeting in half an hour. They’re training us on how to talk to you guys about safe s*x.” He cringes. “It’s going to be awful. I’m pretty sure no one on staff has f****d anything but their hand since the 90s.”

I know for a fact that isn’t true since Natalie confessed to banging my dad, but I’m not ready to share that with Alexander or anyone else. I promised Natalie I’d keep her secret and thinking about my dad in that way is too gross for words.

So instead, I say, “Good luck with that,” and lift a hand to the boys.

Alexander nods toward a small white marble building on the other side of the pond, telling Ford they can chat behind the staff mausoleum. Ford follows him but keeps his eyes on me until the last possible second, trying to communicate something telepathically that I can’t understand.

But apparently Layla thinks she does.

“He feels like shit,” she says as we hurry through the trees between the two lawns and aim ourselves for our dorm. “He wanted to be the one to save you.”

I frown. “It doesn’t really matter though, does it? I’m okay, he’s okay. All’s well that ends well.”

“It matters to him. Because he’s got it bad for you,” she says, giving my arm a soft squeeze. “He was already on his way into the woods when I was running out. Almost like he knew you were in trouble.”

I exhale. “I’m always in trouble lately so it was probably just a good guess. And he doesn’t have it bad for me, we just…have history. Weird history.”

“Weird history like how?” she asks. “Like he was in love with you when you were still underage and it got kinky when it shouldn’t have and now it’s weird between you two, even though you’re full a*s grown?”

I shake my head, shooting her an incredulous look. “Um, no. Not at all. Not even close. Why would you think that?”

She shrugs with a little grin. “Just guessing. I’m getting a strong off-limits vibe with you two. I’m not psychic or anything, but I’m not not psychic, if you know what I’m saying. I get feelings. They’re vague a lot of the time, but they’re almost never wrong.”

Great. An almost psychic roommate. Like keeping secrets wasn’t hard enough for me already.

“But you don’t have to talk about it,” she says. “And I won’t pry if you don’t want me to.”

“I don’t,” I say gently, but firmly. “I just want to get this implant out, learn how to shift, and get ready for the trials. Personal stuff can wait.”

“It can. It doesn’t always,” she says, watching Diana zoom into our room through the open window, “but I hope for your sake all stays quiet on the interpersonal front.” She shifts a worried look my way. “You think those two in the woods are going to do like Alexander said and leave us alone?”

For a second, I consider lying to her, just to ease her mind. But Layla isn’t stupid, and I need to save my meager lying skills for when it really counts. “Not a chance. But I’ll watch your back.”

“And I’ll watch yours,” Layla says, casting a glance over our shoulders before adding in a more chipper voice. “But at least they can’t f**k with us at a party with the entire staff and all the counselors around. Tonight, we get to relax and have fun.”

“Fun,” I agree, though I’m not sure I even know what that is anymore.

Maybe tonight I’ll replace out.