2 Bullies

Crystal River Pack

Summer was coming early to the Crystal River pack in central Pennsylvania. The first week of May found many families out in the main park in the heart of the city, Crystal Pass.

An open green space with the occasional tree sat at one end of the large park with the library across the street. A spacious playground and smaller green space were at the other end which was closer to the packhouse. Between the two areas was a grove of trees that covered just over two acres. A jogging path meandered around and through the three elements of the five acres that made up Franklin Park. The path was part of a larger series of paths that wound through and encircled the entire city.

Near the playground, seven-year-old Marie and five-year-old Emily were at the park with their Aunt Kiara. After spending the day with the younger sister, she had picked up the older sister from school and brought them to the park with their friends.

Emily wore a simple princess dress from her latest Disney movie craze. Her light auburn curls bounced as she played Werewolf Tag with some other kids. She was currently the werewolf and was making growling noises as she chased the other kids with pretend claws out. Her shoes had flown off at some point and Kiara had collected them.

Because she was the younger girl, more outgoing, more trusting and much more precocious, it was Emily that Kiara kept a close eye on. Every so often, she would look over at the little girl against the tree with her nose buried in a book that was years above her grade level. But if a seven-year-old wanted to read the entire Harry Potter series in a week, Kiara was not going to discourage it.

Kiara’s blue eyes flicked over to where her niece leaned against the trunk of the sugar maple tree with green leaves and small greenish yellow flowers above her. She sat on grass that was already lush and green thanks to the pack Omega’s and city maintenance crews. Unlike her sister’s unruly curls, Marie had straight dark auburn hair that hung just past her shoulders. Her bright warm honey eyes devoured the words on the page in front of her.

In her young mind, Marie wore Hogwarts robes that were in the Ravenclaw colors. In reality, she wore knee length khaki shorts and a purple HP shirt. Her dark purple flip flops lay next to her, perfectly even with each other.

Turning back to focus her attention on her husband’s younger niece, Kiara did not see the two girls approaching Marie. Or the strange events that followed.

Dee and her best friend, Taylor, both in the same grade as Marie, each grabbed a shoe and ran into the wooded area in the park. The two blonde girls laughed at the girl following them. Both girls wore name brand denim shorts and matching pink BEST FRIENDS T-shirts.

“Let’s throw them in the tree!” Taylor laughed.

“Let’s not,” a new voice said from the shadows as a woman stepped off the running trail.

“You don’t scare me! My dad is a cop! I can do whatever I want,” Dee informed the voice as she prepared to throw the shoe upwards.

A woman with braided pitch-black hair and silver eyes stepped into a patch of light that filtered through the leaves above them. She wore short jogging shorts, a tank top and dirty running shoes. Tattoos covered both arms from shoulder to wrist. One leg had tattoos going just past her knee and the other stopped just above it.

“Give the shoes back,” she told the girls as she leaned against a tree.

“Do you know who my father is?” Dee demanded.

“Please, do tell me,” the woman smiled.

“Daniel Knight!” the little girl said as if it were impressive. To make her point, she threw the shoe, and it caught on a branch.

“And you? Are you going to also try to impress me with your parentage?”

“Stephen Chambers, you tattooed freak,” Taylor said, grabbing the book and throwing it.

Celeste smirked at the two girls. Had the woman been in what she called her ‘Luna Clothes’ the two girls would have easily recognized her. But here, today, during her midday run, many of her tattoos were on display and her hair was pulled back in a tight braid.

She did not look like the well put together professional Luna that appeared at the school and pack events. In fact, she did not look like any other Luna and certainly did not look like an Alpha. Celeste was content with that fact.

Both girls would be too young to have a wolf or any of their senses. If they did, the wolves would be sensing two things - Alpha blood and danger. The German shepherd dog sitting beside her gave a low growl and she gave a command through their mind link sending him home. With a huff of displeasure, he followed the path behind them to the packhouse.

“Alpha,” a woman said, approaching them.

“Thank you, Anna. I was hoping you heard me,” she smiled, and the two girls paled as recognition hit them. “I need Daniel Knight and Stephen Chambers along with their mates in my office as soon as possible.”

“Get the shoe,” Celeste ordered Dee in her Alpha voice. Then turning to Taylor ordered her to “Fetch the book.”

Even without their wolves, they were unable to disobey and did as their Luna ordered. Once all the items had been returned to their owner, and they half-heartedly apologized, Celeste ordered them to go with Anna to her office.

“My mom-.”

“Will know that you’re in trouble as soon as she sees you with my Omega,” Celeste cut Dee off sharply.

Hanging their heads in shame, they walked out of the woods with Anna. Celeste offered a friendly hand to Marie and smiled at her.

“I’m Celeste, but that’s a mouthful, you can call me Aunt Sles,” the woman said as the little girl took her hand.

“My dad would not approve of that, Alpha… Luna,” she replied as they also walked out of the woods and into the bright afternoon sun. Softly, she apologized and hung her head in submission.

Celeste laughed lightly as she hugged the young girl to her side, “I know, it’s confusing. Aunt Sles is so much easier.”

“That’s my little sister, Emily,” Marie pointed at the little princess who was running away from the new werewolf. “And my aunt Kiara,” she waved at the pregnant brunette woman who was standing with a hand shading her blue eyes as she looked for Marie.

Celeste waved at her and saw Kiara visibly relax, “I always wished that they had put Peeves in the movies.”

“He’s one of my favorites,” Marie smiled as Emily ran up to them.

“You have a lot of pictures on you,” Emily said as she took the hand that Celeste offered.

“I do,” she agreed. “My mate says I’m going to run out of space. Don’t tell him, but he might be right.”

“Luna,” Kiara inclined her head.

“Kiara, you look like you’re ready to pop!” Celeste said. “How much longer?”

“The doctor is saying five more weeks. The healer said seven.”

“I hate to say it but go with the healer. My friend, Sammi, says that the last six weeks are the longest decade of your life.”

“I agree with that statement.”

“I believe that these two belong to you,” Celeste kissed both girls on the head. “Why don’t you go over to Mother Mae’s and have some ice cream. I’ll let her know you’re coming.”

“Are you going to join us?” Emily asked and at the gentle nudge from Kiara added; “Luna.”

“Not this afternoon, I need to go take care of an issue. And I have to go to another pack tomorrow. How about I meet you for lunch on Monday?” Celeste suggested.

“Really?” Marie asked.

“Oh, yeah. My best friend has such a crush on your dad,” she grinned. “Anything to make the bestie jealous.”

Celeste was still thinking about how Jill was going to be jealous over her lunch with the Hot Firefighter Dad that her friend had been crushing on ever since they had met at the pack picnic two years ago. On her way to the packhouse, Celeste reached out to Mae and let her know that the two girls and their aunt would be coming over for ice cream and to put it on the Alpha’s tab.

“They’re in the conference room,” Anna said, standing as Celeste entered the outer office and headed for her own. Celeste was not big on formalities, but knew that with people watching, Anna would have to insist on the formal interactions between Omega and Alpha.

Just like all the offices on the second floor, the furniture and built-ins were made from cherry wood. The walls in all four rooms of the Luna’s office suite were pale blue. The trim and accents in Anna’s office were crimson red that matched the pack colors. When Celeste had told her assistant that the office could be in her own colors, Anna explained that her wolf was a crimson red.

When Wyatt had the offices done for Celeste without her knowing about it, he had followed his mother’s floor plan and made the office closest to Anna’s the informal office. When she had been pregnant, the office had bothered her and she had them swapped around. Now to get to her inner sanctum, you had to go through Anna’s office since the hallway doors to her office now required a key to open.

“Have them write an apology letter,” she instructed as the two girls’ parents arrived. “Make sure that I’m clear for the next hour or so.”

“Yes, Luna,” Anna smiled at her boss as she grabbed up two notepads and pencils already on her desk before she entered the conference room that was opposite Celeste’s private offices.

“Please, step into my office,” Celeste moved out of the doorway and motioned for the two couples to go ahead of her.

They entered and waited for their Luna to tell them to sit in front of her ornate desk. The trim and accents in her private offices were her signature sapphire blue.

Her hellhound, Teuf was currently in his German shepherd form as he entered the room and went to lay on his overstuffed bed. Before he settled, his eyes flashed red, and smoke billowed from his snout. With his warning issued, he lay down for a nap.

Celeste motioned for the four parents to sit down in her guest chairs. Once again, she was grateful to have such a thoughtful and organized Omega as her assistant. Instead of her usual two, there were four chairs. Her standard two were cherry wood and blue padding and two with padded arms that were pulled from the conference room.

The Alpha is on his way, Anna told Celeste through the mind link.

Still in her running gear, she let the two well-dressed couples sit in uncomfortable silence as she retrieved a refillable water bottle from her small refrigerator before sitting behind the large desk. The outer door opened, and Alpha Wyatt entered, eyes only for his wife as he approached and gave her a light kiss before standing behind her chair. His message was clear, he was supporting his Luna.

“I’m sure you know why I called for you to be here.” Celeste said as she linked her fingers with her mates on her shoulder.

“That other girl, you know there’s something wrong with her,” Daniel Knight declared. “Has to be, her mother abandoned her pups. What she-wolf does that?”

“And because of something she has no control over, you think it’s okay for your daughters to bully her?” Celeste continued.

“Her father is a low-level Beta, and her mother was Omega born,” Stephen Chambers pointed out. “She needs to learn her place in the pack.”

“I see,” Celeste nodded. Wyatt squeezed her hand in support, and she could sense his predatory smile behind her as she went in for the kill. “What the fuck makes you think that you can teach your daughter to be a fucking bitch? Maybe we need to evaluate your parenting skills.”

The Luna stood to her full height, just over six feet without her heels, letting her hand drop as she braced herself on her desk and leaned forward. Her eyes glowed and fangs extended slightly as her claws scratched the top of the desk.

“Angel,” Wyatt said to his wife’s wolf, “please don’t damage the desk. That’s more work for Anna.”

The claws retracted but the fangs remained just as Angel remained at the front of their mind and in control of their shared body.

“Maybe you should be reminded of your place in the pack,” Angel growled. “I will be reaching out to your supervisors. The actions of your children reflect back on you and on the pack. I think that a three-week suspension should remind you of your place.”

She snarled as both men started to open their mouths to object. “All of you will report to Gunny Williams tomorrow morning to receive community service assignments. Your daughters will report to Anna, and they will do whatever she assigns them.”

The four parents looked at the Alpha, meeting his eyes. His own wolf, Demon, pushed to the front and he snarled at them, baring his teeth. “YOU DARE TO CHALLENGE MY MATE?”

Four heads dropped in submission and offered their throats to show that they were no threat to the Alpha or his Luna.

“Get out.” Wyatt growled. “Your daughters will be brought home when they have finished their apology letters.”