Page 21 of The Alpha's Forced Bullied Mate

He nodded. “That’s it.”

The rain got lighter. The thunder receded, and the flashes of white ceased. Soon, the dampened earth remained with slivers of sun poking through the dusty white clouds. Humid air swirled around us, creating a vortex of warmth that lifted my hair and fluttered it around my face. Hector kept looking into my eyes while rubbing my shoulders, his features totally relaxed and his eyes full of trust.

Trust him.

The wind abruptly stopped. Birdsong returned along with the familiar creak of branches swaying in a gentle breeze. It reminded me of Beaufort Creek for a moment, the only thing different being that there wasn’t the smell of sea salt on the breeze. My heart clenched in my chest as I reached for Hector’s shirt, clutching a handful of the shoulder part in my right hand.

I clenched my jaw as my knees buckled and my head swayed. “I want to go home…”

He caught me before I could hit the ground. As he swept me into his arms and cradled me, I dug my nails into his back. I embraced him like he was my last hope. No one else had been kind and gentle like that with me from my own pack—I meant, from the Silverfang Creek.

Where had that storm come from? It wasn’t like me to lose control. I hadn’t been like this since I was a teen, and it all started with this jerk showing up at my door.

Did he truly affect me that much?

I shoved my face into Hector’s chest and tried to bury the feeling of being stuck, being trapped.

And most of all, I tried to bury the feeling of elation at controlling the weather, of using my power for something so big that it could destroy the entire pack’s town.

I tried to bury that feeling.

But I failed.

Chapter 7 - Hector

That was too weird.

Faye couldn’t do much with her magic. I remembered her telling me some of the things she had experienced whenever I went to stay with her brother one summer. Her hair was down to her ass that year, and her cheeks were like a chipmunk hiding nuts inside them. Those round eyes were sensitive and avoidant, with the rest of her chubby limbs curling into herself like she could shrink by sheer will.

I tried to lose weight,she told me.I just ended up puking all night.

The memory made me ache. There were so many hints that she was suffering from her parents, but I never paid them any mind. I just thought her parents were being normal at the time by trying to get their daughter at a manageable and healthy weight.

But now, looking back, I could see how it tortured her. Every spell she tried to cast to lose weight failed. I thought it was because she was an uneducated witch trying to deny her wolf heritage. Now, I saw that it was less a failure and more a lack of natural skill. Potions weren’t her thing—it was her relationship with her environment. After setting her down, I guided her to the kitchen and sat her at the table, resting my hand on her shoulder as I stood next to her. “You’ll learn there’s nothing to fear anymore.”

She frowned at me. “You don’t know that for sure.”

“I know a lot of things.”

“I know you chased your own tail trying to find me.”

I squeezed her shoulder while Cliff stifled a chuckle. He was at the counter heating up the electric kettle to make some tea. I tightened my lips together, trying not to come off as incompetent—because she was right. After several minutes of checking the cameras, I couldn’t make snout or tail of where she’d gone. All I saw were squirrels running around the house.

Realization hit me like a freight train.She has a relationship with her environment…

I arched my right brow. “The squirrels--was that you?”

Slowly, a smile spread over her lips, one that was too enticing to ignore. Gone were the chubby chipmunk cheeks, replaced by an oval face with dimples that dabbed her wide grin and eyes that lit up with triumph. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You can cloak yourself.”

“Wow, he can observe things. What a relief. I thought you wouldn’t be able to tell that I absolutely hate being here.”

I scooted my hand to the back of her neck, watching her brows bow toward each other as her mouth opened to reveal her plush tongue. The triumph was gone. In its place was a darling set of lips ready to be devoured. My pressure on the back of her neck remained firm and steady, authoritative. Her expression quivered from firm resolve to confused curiosity.

“That’s irrelevant,” I hissed, “because soon, you’lllovebeing here. I’ll show you.”

Before she could say anything, I released her and rounded the table to take a seat across from her. Cliff served our tea, a medley blend of mint, and set the milk, sugar, and lemon wedges in the center of the table. He sat next to his sister, blocking her potential exit through the rear door.

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