Page 10 of The Alpha's Forced Bullied Mate

“Did you apologize?”

“Duh, dude. I started with the apology.”

Cliff exhaled loudly. “I don’t think you did it right.”

“How would you know? You didn’t even come with me.”

“You know my parents are weird about the, uh—”

I massaged the bridge of my nose. “You can saywitch. It’s not a slur or anything.”

“Yeah, well, my parents just—”

“Your parents have always been rude to Faye.”

He laughed suddenly, the sound so strangely upbeat amid our serious conversation. That meant he was nervous. “I wouldn’t call itrude, man. It’s not like they abused her or anything like that.”

“Every time I came over, they put her down worse than I did.”

“Then why the hell would you pick on her if you felt so bad for her?”

I gritted my teeth. “Why didyoudo it?”

“She was my little sister. I’m supposed to pick on her.”

“Ergo, I did, too.”

He sighed heavily. “Listen, can we not do this right now? I miss her. I don’t want to debate who did what. I just want her to be safe and happy. We’re starting to deal with a few rogue demon attacks and I’m afraid she’ll get hurt when this cascades down the coast.”

“Why don’t you tell her that?”

“Why don’t you relay the message?” He snorted loudly. “Oh, right, because you got shot down,” hesnickered. “I mean, can you blame her?”

“No, I can’t blame her, but…” I shook my head. “Whatever, that doesn’t matter anymore. I need your help. I think she needs to hear from you, too.”

He took a sharp breath. “I just… My parents won’t like that.”

“I don’t give a damn what your parents like, Cliff. I’m the alpha now, and as your alpha, I’m commanding your help.”

Silence engulfed the line, filling me with an instant sense of regret. This was my best friend I was raising my voice at. I didn’t want to pull the alpha card so early, especially when it had just been handed to me last night.

But this was a matter of respect. This was a matter of preservinglife. How else was I to earn the trust of my pack if they didn’t see me earn the trust of someone who I had hurt so deeply in the past?

“I’m sorry,” Cliff whispered. “You’re right. I should be helping you out.”

“No, I’m sorry.” After calming myself, I added, “You’re preparing your parents. That’s enough help for now.”

Cliff coughed once, cleared his throat, and then shakily replied, “You think so?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

“Thanks. That’s good to hear.” He cleared his throat louder. “So, how are you going to convince her to come back?”

That was a damn good question. As I gazed at the house where Faye lived, I inspected the windows, trying to find her through the silk mesh. Her hands appeared to tug the mesh shut. The visage of her shadow disappeared beyond the threshold of my vision. Even as a skilled wolf, I couldn’t see through objects. But I could tell one thing.

She was considering my invitation.

I knew that because of the way her pupils had dilated. Her skin had flushed with goosebumps, and her scent had sharpened, pheromones filling the air. Most wolves were good at hiding reactions like that, because it was just a polite thing to do in public. But when the attraction was undeniable, it was uncontrollable.

---