Page 13 of Betrayed Bullied Mate

When I don’t say anything, she sighs audibly and stomps away. At least, a moment later, I hear her in the bathroom doing what I said. I turn on the faucet in the kitchen and wait while it creaks. It eventually stutters and spits out air and water until a clean stream comes through.

We move through the cabins methodically, airing them out and getting the water running again. I find the linen closets and set out sheets and pillows on the beds. Luckily, the cabins are pretty well stocked, with essentials like flour, canned beans, and seasonings.

Linnea’s running a broom along the floor of a cabin when Percy and Eva return with two limp deer carcasses and a handful of rabbits. Byron looks disgusted by the dead bodies, but Ado is right at home, immediately taking out his knife and starting to clean them up so we can cook.

I assign Eva to the perimeter, tell Percy to keep a close eye on Linnea, and slip away from the team for just a moment to myself.

Chapter 8 - Linnea

Aris slips away from the group as soon as Ado starts preparing the meat. I feel his presence like a homing beacon and can tell the moment he’s getting further from me.

“Where are you headed?” Percy asks when I start in the direction of the large cabin. His golden curls are flopping over his forehead, his bright brown eyes shining at me.

“I—” I start, a blush creeping over my cheeks when I realize I was just going to follow Aris blindly because my body directed me to.

“Let her go,” Bigby says, giving Percy a quick glance. Something unsaid passes between the two men, and Percy shrugs, dropping down onto a tree stump.

“Go on ahead,” he says, “but if you take too long, I’m eating your share.”

Ignoring whatever just passed between Bigby and Percy, I wander away, following the tug in my gut to the largest cabin nestled between the others.

I see Aris’s shoulders tense when I walk through the door, but I keep moving.

“Are we going to clean this one now?” I ask, resenting the fact that he made me prepare the bathrooms but happy to be included. My voice echoes through the room, and I stop to take it in.

The center cabin is larger than the others and features a little desk and living area rather than just having beds. Instead of two twin beds, this one has a large four-poster situated in the center of a bedroom area. It’s gorgeous, and the wood looks hand-carved.

“My dad made it,” Aris says, his voice so quiet I almost don’t hear it.

I was in town the day his dad died and had heard some of the whispers about what happened, but nobody really knows for sure. All the pack members knew was that Varun appeared, claiming he had killed Aris’s dad and that he was the rightful alpha. Nobody could dispute it.

When I turn around to face Aris again, he’s turning something over and over in his hands. It’s a small dagger in a sheath, and tiny red jewels catch the light as it turns. He must catch me looking because he steps toward me, holding it out.

I step back, pulling my hands away, and he chuckles, reaching forward and pulling my palm toward him.

Every time our skin touches, it’s like I’m scorched clean through. My body is practically swaying forward toward him. I have to fight against it, leaning away, reclaiming space.

“Here,” he says, pressing the dagger into my hand. Despite myself, my fingers curl around it. “Keep this. Use it to protect yourself.”

I shudder, hoping I’ll never have to use a dagger on anyone—person or shifter.

“I can’t accept this,” I say softly, my thumb brushing over the sheath.

“I…” Aris starts, then he clears his throat and starts again. “My dad would want you to have it. He always said it was part of our duty to protect others.”

“The alpha’s duty,” I say. I still don’t know what Aris and his team are doing back in Rosecreek, but it feels too obvious that he would be back to claim his spot as alpha. Now that we’re blood-bonded, does that mean I’d be the lady of the pack?

“Yeah,” Aris says, his eyes still on the dagger in my hands. “But also just… Being strong. If you’re someone with more strength, it’s your duty to protect those without it.”

“Is that what you’re doing?” I look up and catch his eyes, which are full of indecision.

“No,” he says, “Yes? My team and I—we’re part of an organization that watches out for alphas like Varun. We make sure shifters adhere to the Maan pact, take care of their pack, that kind of thing. We got a call that Varun has been getting into some serious criminal activity that could get us in trouble with the DEA. We were supposed to diffuse the tension without conflict if we could.”

I laugh despite myself, and Aris raises his eyebrows, clearly surprised.

“Whoever came up with that idea clearly doesn’t know anything about Varun,” I say, “that guy is itching for violence. It’s like he lives to hurt people.”

I notice Aris’s hands clench into fists at his sides, and he tilts his head slightly, nostrils flaring.

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