Realms and Rebels: A Paranormal and Fantasy Reverse Harem Collection

by C. M. Stunich

  I turned and walked away. “I don’t want to talk about it.” I honestly didn’t care that I wasn’t literally pack, since I didn’t want to be a werewolf. I wasn’t sure why I’d said that, but the frustration and anger still boiled inside of me. Was I PMSing?

  I walked out of the house and to Nick’s truck. He came out with both of our backpacks and tossed them in the bed. He stopped by me, but I stepped back and waited as he unlocked the truck.

  We climbed in and started our drive to school. “Sarah, I’m sorry about yesterday.”

  I kept staring out the window of the truck. “Thanks,” I whispered.

  He started to reach his hand towards mine and then stopped, pulling it back. “Did you have fun last night?”

  “Do you think they’ll test me again?” I asked softly as I remembered the last time the Alphas had come for a visit.

  The truck swerved into the parking lot and the first open spot available. He unbuckled himself and wrapped me up in a hug, burying his face in my hair. I knew he was trying to comfort me, but I also knew he was comforting himself as well. “I will protect you, Sarah, I promise.”

  “You can’t protect me from Alphas.”

  He leaned back and smiled. “I’m your Guardian, which means I guard you from any danger.”

  I wouldn’t let him get hurt because of me. I refused to allow that to pass. He released me and we walked into school. Since the game was today, I was already wearing my cheerleading outfit, except I’d chosen pants instead of the skirt for now. Nick was wearing slacks, polo shirt, and a tie. He looked very presentable.

  Tom leaned against the side of the cafeteria in the same outfit as Nick and as we walked by, he smiled and waved at me. I waved back and avoided Nick’s glare.

  “I don’t understand why girls swarm him,” Nick grumbled.

  I smiled. “They’d swarm you, too, if you weren’t so glued to my side.”

  He opened his mouth and then closed it. “I’m not jealous of him.”

  “I never said you were.”

  He growled softly at me and then stopped walking. I stopped next to him, seeing his tense shoulders.

  “Nicholas, it’s good to see you,” said a frightening and familiar male voice beside us.

  “Alfred, I didn’t know you were in town yet. Alpha told us you were arriving later,” Nick said as he moved a step closer to me.

  Alfred was short, stocky and the original reason “short man syndrome” was created. He was also the one who’d wanted to kill me and had forced a test on me when I was eight and they’d last come to visit. He smiled at me. “Hello, Sarah. I hardly recognized you. You’ve turned into quite a beautiful young woman.”

  “Thank you,” I said softly. I didn’t want to show my fear to him, but I couldn’t help it.

  He looked at Nick curiously. “So, you’re still her Guardian, are you?”

  Nick nodded.

  “You plan on continuing that after you finally change? Or has she made a different decision?” Alfred asked.

  I moved my right arm forward to touch Nick to comfort him without Alfred seeing. Nick said, “That’s still a year or so off. I haven’t discussed it with her yet.”

  Alfred walked around us, circling like the predator he was. “You two would make a beautiful couple though.”

  “Sarah,” Gary said softly. “You alright?”

  I turned and found the six members of the pack that attended school with us standing in a loose semi-circle near us. Alfred smiled. “Well it seems your friends don’t like me being near their female.” Alfred took a step and then his hand was inches from my face. Fortunately, Nick had seen his move and had his hand around Alfred’s throat and had kept him from touching me. Alfred smiled wide at Nick. “You’re fast, boy. Faster than I remember.” He stepped back and I realized that the rest of the pack had closed in as well.

  Gary pulled me backwards so that I was behind him and surrounded by the others. Humans were starting to come to see what was going on and I didn’t know what to do to defuse the situation.

  “Alfred,” Dad said from behind us.

  The pack relaxed but held their positions.

  “Thornton, I was wondering when you’d arrive,” said Alfred as he moved towards him. He walked closer to me and the pack shifted, keeping me at least two people away from him.

  Dad was furious, but he simply smiled. “I was waiting at the house for you, but when you didn’t arrive and I felt my pack’s fury, I knew you had to be near them.”

  Alfred laughed and put his arm around Dad’s shoulders. “I’ve missed that wit, Brother.” He leaned his head back and smiled at me. “Bye, Sarah. I’ll see you at the game tonight.”

  Nick growled and the rest of the pack kept their eyes on Alfred until he left. I hadn’t felt that scared in years. Mason, one of Nick’s best friends in the pack, reached out and laid a hand on my shoulder. I walked into his chest and exhaled. “He scares me,” I whispered.

  Mason hugged me. “We won’t let him hurt you.”

  Nick pushed his way through the guys to get to me. I let him pull me away from Mason and into his arms. “You okay?”

  I nodded and smiled up at him. “That was pretty cool how you caught him by the throat so he couldn’t touch me.”

  He smiled. “You’re my girl. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  I stepped away from him and let the other pack members take turns touching me in one way or another. Some ran their hands down my arms while others hugged me or gripped my shoulder in reassurance. For us it was nothing unusual, but for the rest of the school population, they watched in shock as seven boys they didn’t know were friends with each other and had no idea how they knew me, walked by me and had somehow protected me. There were bound to be rumors running through the school for sure today.

  Gary and Nick were the last ones left and Gary looked at Nick over my head. “I don’t doubt your ability to protect her, but if the other six Alphas feel the same as Alfred, then you could use some additional help protecting her.”

  Nick clenched his jaw tight and then sighed. “You’re right. I would argue, but I won’t risk putting her in danger just for my own pride.”

  Gary smiled. “I always knew you were reasonable. I figure we can set up groups of two to be near her at all times. This way when you’re across campus, another pair will be near her.”

  “I can be of assistance as well,” Tom said from behind me.

  Gary and Nick frowned at him. “This is pack business.” Nick said.

  Tom smiled and walked forward to kiss my cheek. “This is about keeping her safe.”

  Standing between the three of them made me realize something I’d never noticed before. They were all the same height, same build (Tom slightly thinner than the other two, and paler) and they all had the same incredibly protective looks on their faces.

  “Sarah?” Nick asked in question as I stared blankly at the ground.

  I shook my head and dug in my bag for my bottle of Tylenol. “Headache.”

  “That’s the other reason I came to see you,” Tom said to Nick and Gary. “She’s not getting random headaches just because of stress from the three of us pursuing her.”

  “Two,” I said softly. “Nick still thinks of me as a friend.”

  They ignored me. “What is it then?” Gary asked.

  “Vampire,” Tom answered. “When I made her answer a question truthfully, I felt a power pressing on her.”

  “You did what to her?” Nick stepped forward, hands clenching.

  “You’re missing the point. There’s a vampire tracking her.” Tom rolled his eyes.

  That chilled my blood. Vampires were the creepiest of all of the supernaturals. They had powers that made the werewolves nervous, but the pack refused to tell me anything about them except to say stay clear and call for help if I was near one. Why would a vampire be tracking me though?

  “How sure are you that it’s tracking her?” Gary asked softly.

  “He marked her,�
�� Tom said with such venom in his voice that I turned to face him.

  “What does that mean?” My stomach twisted at the possibilities.

  Nick swallowed nervously. “It means he can track you anywhere you go.”

  “Can it be removed?”

  The three nodded. Gary pulled out his cell phone and sent a text message. “I advised Thornton.”

  My head throbbed again and I dropped the bottle of pills. Nick caught me before I fell and cradled me in his arms. “Sarah!”

  His voice sounded muffled, yet I could see him right in front of me. I felt Nick lift me up and start moving, but I couldn’t hear anything. The pain increased until I had to close my eyes.

  That’s when I saw him.

  He was sitting in a dark room with burgundy drapes covering the windows. I recognized him from somewhere, but couldn’t remember where. He had a face like so many others that you would forget him in a second and yet think you knew him. “Hello, Sarah,” he said with a smile that revealed his fangs. “I’m sorry to be causing you pain, but I need you to come to me.” He reached his hand out and beckoned me towards him. “Let me release you from the pain.”

  “Sarah,” Dad whispered. “Wake up, sweetheart. Wake up and come back to us.”

  “I’ll see you soon, Sarah,” the vampire said before my eyes opened.

  Dad’s face was inches from mine. He smiled. “There’s my girl.”

  “Dad,” I whispered just before tears poured out of my eyes. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he picked me up, holding me against his chest as he stood. One plus to having a werewolf step-dad was that he could cradle you like a child against his chest no matter how big you got or how much you weighed.

  “It’s going to be alright, Sarah,” Dad whispered. “The pack is here for you.” He set me down and I wiped at my tears.

  “I would have thought she’d be tougher from her exposure to the pack,” Alfred said mockingly.

  Dad rushed forward and held Alfred off the ground by his throat. “Do not insult my daughter.”

  Alfred’s eyes widened, and I could see the fear in them. That actually made me happy. Dad released him and turned away. I looked around and realized we were on our front lawn and the Alphas were all there. I grabbed Dad’s hand, but he just clucked his tongue once, letting me know to relax.

  “I saw him,” I whispered. “He wants me to…” as soon as I thought it, my body took over. I sprung away from Dad and started to run. I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t alter my course. I couldn’t even speak. I didn’t even know where I was going, except that it was towards the weird pain.

  Nick tackled me, wrapping his body around mine to keep me from being hurt. “Stop. Where are you going?”

  I struggled against him, getting an arm out and punched him in the face. My hand hurt incredibly, but I ignored it as I continued to try to get away from him.

  “She punched me!” Nick yelled, shock in his voice. He twisted me around and slammed my back into the ground, sitting on my hips and holding my hands up above my head, successfully immobilizing me. “Look at me, Sarah!”

  I pushed and pulled and bucked, but he was too strong.

  “Kitten,” he whispered, “Look at me.”

  Something inside of me cracked, like ice melting and my eyes found his. “Nick?”

  He smiled. “Kitten, stop struggling. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Come to me.”

  “Dad!” I yelled in shock and fear.

  Dad shoved Nick off of me and assumed the position Nick had just been in. “You can fight him, Sarah. Just focus on me, the pack, the smells around you and my voice. Just fight him and then we’ll figure out what we need to do to break the mark.”

  “Come to me!” yelled the angry vampire in my head.

  Nick crawled to me, putting his hand against my cheek. “Don’t leave me.”

  I leaned into his hand and stared into Dad’s eyes. I could fight this. I wasn’t a victim, I was a fighter. “Pack,” I whispered. Gary dropped down next to me, touching my other cheek and staring at me. I hadn’t even known they’d come, but soon every part of my legs, arms, and head were being touched by the other pack members.

  The sound of the vampire’s voice slowly faded as I focused on the feel, smell, and sound of those around me. I exhaled as it disappeared and smiled at Dad. “I’m okay now.”

  Everyone moved away from me. “Can I tackle her next time?” Greg asked. “That looked like fun.”

  Dad kissed the top of my head. “You sure you’re okay?”

  I nodded. “Yep. I don’t feel him in my head, and it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  The other Alphas were all staring at us in shock and disbelief. Why? Were they shocked at the packs reaction towards me? Or that I’d stopped the vampire’s voice?

  “We need to go back to school,” I said as I brushed my outfit off.

  Dad sighed. “Alright. I need to discuss this with the others. I’ll see you tonight.” He turned to Nick. “If she tries to run again, you have my permission to tackle her.”

  Greg smiled. “Me too?”

  Dad smiled. “Any of the pack.”

  Seven pairs of eyes swiveled towards me. I took a small step back, and they all tensed. “Dad, you’re a jerk,” I said as I stopped moving.

  He smiled wider. “Boys, give her a five-minute head start and then run after her.”

  I knew he wasn’t joking, so I spun and ran as fast as I could back towards school. I counted in my head as I ran, knowing the others were counting in their heads, waiting for their chance to tackle me. I jumped into the ditch to avoid getting hit by vehicles and hopped over fences like Nick had taught me. I was almost to the school parking lot when I heard the first yell of joy. Damn. They would be on me soon. I ran through the parking lot, weaving through cars with my head down low to confuse the scent trail. I could hear them talking and laughing, but I was at the school’s entrance, so I ran into the courtyard and squealed as I dodged Mason’s tackle.

  Kids were outside, since it was passing period and I had to dodge around them to make it through. Cherry stepped into my path, “What is going—”

  I pushed her out of the way and yelled, “No time!”

  Two others tried to tackle me, but I leapt over one and stopped quickly to make the second misjudge. “Sorry Keith and Bryan.”

  I was almost to my second period when Nick tackled me. I yelled and laughed as we rolled in the dirt and then came to a stop right in front of the door with me on top of him, his arms wrapped protectively around me. He and I laughed loudly, but I could hear some of the other pack groaning in disappointment.

  “Dang! He got her again!” Gary said in exasperation.

  Nick brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear, and my fast beating heart began thumping wildly for a whole other reason. Nick’s nostrils flared as he took in my scent and then his eyes widened when he realized what I was feeling.

  “What are you two doing?” asked Coach Brown angrily.

  I stood up off of him and brushed myself off. “Sorry.”

  Nick brushed off his pants and adjusted his tie. “We were just playing.”

  “Go to class,” Brown ordered us with a scowl.

  I kept my face hidden from Nick’s as I walked inside my classroom. As the door closed, I heard him sigh loudly and say, “What the hell am I going to do?”

  That was exactly what I was thinking.

  Class went by slowly, but it gave me time to calm down. With the Alphas coming to town, Alfred’s weird behavior, and now the vampire, I was freaking out. Plus, the fact that I might have realized I did view Nick in a more than friendly way was not helping matters.

  What was I going to do about…all of it! If Nick did like me, then why wasn’t he telling me? Or trying to date me? It made no sense to me, but then again guys in general didn’t make a lot of sense. How was Dad going to remove the mark? I hoped it wasn’t going to be painful.

  The bell rang, and I shuffled outside to find Mason
and Bryan waiting for me. I smiled at them. “I’m not going to run, so get those smug looks off your face.”

  They laughed, and I walked between them towards the cafeteria. A lot of people were looking at me strangely, and it made me sad. We’d kept the fact that we all knew each other a secret from junior high until now, but it looked like the cat was out of the bag.

  Cherry stepped in front of me, and both Mason and Bryan pushed me backwards. I rolled my eyes at them and stepped forward. “Hey, Banana.”

  She stared at Mason and Bryan, eyebrows raised. “What’s going on?”

  I shrugged. “Nothing. Just testing out the muscle around here.”

  Mason and Bryan smiled, but refrained from laughing. Cherry grabbed my elbow and pulled me to the side. “Sarah, what’s going on?”

  “Just sampling the different boys at the school.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “Do not lie to me, Sar-bear.”

  “Sarah!” Nick called in exasperation. “Come on.”

  I smiled apologetically at Cherry as Mason put his arm around my shoulders and led me away from her. Nick looked me over, and I folded my arms across my chest. “I didn’t get hurt from the classroom to here. Stop fretting, you old lady.”

  Mason and Bryan walked away, waving as they left me in Nick’s care. He stared at me a moment and then turned. “Come on. I’m hungry.”

  I followed him and kept my eyes down. I shouldn’t have though, because that’s how I ran into Tom. I started to fall and he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me up and against his body. “Careful.”

  I blushed and stepped away from him. “Sorry.”

  Nick pulled me away and growled. “I look away for one second and you get into trouble.”

  I pointed at Tom. “He’s not trouble. He’s your friend.”

  Nick smiled. “He’s my friend, but he’s totally trouble. You should stay away from him.”

  Tom smirked. “I’m not trouble, I’m fun. Perhaps Sarah wants to have fun.”

  “She has fun with me,” Nick said defensively.

  “Yes, I saw your game of catch the rabbit earlier. I was thinking she might enjoy a more private setting.” Tom turned towards me. “Would you like to go to a movie with me Monday?”