Page 23 of The Alpha's Forced Bullied Mate

Silence thickened the air like smog as Faye and her parents stared at each other. For a moment, I wasn’t sure what Faye was feeling. Her pupils had remained fully dilated and her posture was rail straight with her palms flat on the table. I noticed she had quietly scooted her chair back a couple of inches like she was about to stand up.

Sara cleared her throat and opened her arms nonchalantly as if asking for a hug. “Darling, how nice to see you.”

“Very nice,” Simon echoed.

“That shirt is so…” Sara smiled rigidly, hummed, and then clasped her hands together in front of her. “Well, it’s just soyou, isn’t it?”

Another flash of heat rocked my core. I stepped around the table and rested my hand on Faye’s shoulder. “I think it looks cute on her.”

“So cute,” Simon chimed.

Cliff wore a wavering smile with sweat on his brow. He was already starting to panic, and we hadn’t yet announced why Faye was back. As he smoothed his hands over his shirt, he chuckled forcefully. “She just woke up. They had a long trip back.”

“A long trip?” Sara repeated. “From where? A dive bar?”

Simon and Sara shared a hearty laugh while trading a glance that spoke of their disapproval. I kicked myself mentally for not having Faye change into something more appropriate than what I had nabbed her in. But there wasn’t any time for formalities like that.

I squeezed Faye’s shoulder. “She was working at a respectable diner owned by a well-renowned dragon shifter family in Beaufort Creek.”

Simon raised his eyebrows. “Oh? Was she running day-to-day? Managing?”

I gave Faye another squeeze, signaling silently for her to respond this time. If I was the only one speaking, then they wouldn’t accept her speaking for herself.

I had to remember that.

Faye cleared her throat lightly and rested her hand over mine. “I was a waitress. It made me happy just to serve customers. I made a lot of friends, too.”

Sara’s eyes sharpened as she stepped toward the table and nosily examined her daughter’s body. “Did any of those friends tell you to eat well?”

“I ate just fine,” Faye snapped.

Simon chortled. “Well, we can definitely seethat, my dear. You look fit, but you still look chunky. Unlike your mother.”

Sara grinned victoriously as she returned to her husband’s side. “I’ve lost weight and tapered my waist.” She propped her hands on her hips. “Which I see you’ve gained. Were you thinking of me a lot? Maybe my weight transferred to you.”

The Spears shared another well-timed snicker that made my grip on Faye’s shoulder firmer than I intended. Faye dug her nails into my knuckles, prompting me to glance down at her. Just the thought of her suffering again at the hands of her parents made me sick to my stomach. I saw the grief in her eyes, the irritation in the way her jaw clenched as she tried to hold back what I imagined would be some creative insults.

Cliff laughed anxiously. “Actually, Faye has been exercising a lot. She does cross-country, swimming, competitive volleyball—”

Sara snorted. “Are you sure? Your sister was always good at lying. She used those weird powers to make you believe anything.”

Simon snuffed. “With those hips, I don’t think she didanyexercising.”

Faye turned to her parents with an icy glare. “You can’t even see my hips.”

The three Spears stopped chuckling and turned to Faye.

“And besides,” Faye said while standing up, keeping my hand grasped in hers, “you shouldn’t be checking out my body. What afreakything to do to your daughter.”

Simon stumbled over a few syllables.

Sara crossed her arms over her chest as her expression flattened. “How dare you speak to your father like that after all these years. You made us look foolish by running off after Hector proposed.”

“It was afakeproposal,” Sara retorted through clenched teeth. “Did you forget about that?”

Cliff waved his hands. “Hey, the past is buried, right? We should focus on—”

Sara held up her hand to her son, silencing him without breaking eye contact with Faye. “You set it up yourself by pining after him and following him around like a lost puppy.”

---