Page 20 of Rejected Bullied Mate

"I...don't want to lie to you about what happened. They were your wolves, and I used my power in your territory, so it's your right to know. But I didn't mean for it to happen, okay? I just felt like I had no other choice."

I nodded, on high alert now that she was ready to talk, but not wanting to interrupt her out of worry, she might clam up again.

"My mother wasn't just a shifter," she finally admitted. "There is witch blood on that side of my family, but the power skips generations, which is why you never knew about my mother. She appears to be just a normal shifter."

I leaned against the counter, arms crossed, grappling with this new information. I had slept with Kiera, been closer to her than anyone else, and I hadn't known she had magic. "You've been able to use it this entire time?"

"Well..." she sighed, "When my witch magic didn't manifest, and neither did my ability to shift, my parents just thought I was a failure all around. It wasn't until I presented as an Omega that we realized it might have something to do with my magic being stunted, but it didn't truly manifest until that night we slept together..." Kiera gulped, looking away, "When we knotted."

I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe. All I could do was stare at her as she revealed her secrets and try to comprehend them.

She bit her lip and continued. "That's part of why I left. That's why I took Kit and ran away. I knew that if you found out about my magic, you wouldn't hesitate to use me for your own purposes, and I didn't want that. I didn't want my power to be used by the same man who had so carelessly cast me aside..." She trailed off, shaking her head, "I wanted to protect myself, and I wanted to protect my son from the same fate. Being used."

Was that really what she thought of me? That I would use her for her power?

Kiera let out a long breath, "So there you go. You've got all the answers you need now."

I stared at her, the reality of her words sinking in slowly.

She'd run away because she thought I'd hurt her. She'd run away because she thought I would use her. She'd run away because she wanted to protect herself.

And the worst part of it was that I couldn't blame her. Most Alphas would do anything for power, and an Omega with witch blood would be more valuable than gold. Kiera had no idea if I would have used her or not. My fists clenched, anger welling up inside of me. Not at her, though. At how this all had played out.

"Kiera. Fuck. This is a lot."

"Imagine how I feel," she snapped, before softening again. "If it makes you feel any better, it refuses to let me use it against you. The magic, I mean. It's so entangled with our mating bond that even when I wanted to defend myself against you bringing me back here, I couldn't call it up."

I didn't tell her so, but it did make me feel a little better. It was more proof that I was right to claim my mate, and that she was meant to be mine. "You did the right thing fighting back, Kiera. They won't see you as just my Omega now. You've proven you're strong in your own right. This is still a lot to take in, but at least it keeps you safer."

Kiera leaned back in her chair and blinked a few times as I continued.

"You’re with me now. We’re a pack. And my pack will respect you. If they don’t, they’ll have to answer to me. You don’t have to hide anymore.”

Her posture shifted slightly, the defensiveness melting away, replaced by a flicker of something like hope. She opened her mouth to say something, but I placed a finger to her lips, silencing her before she could speak. "Enough for tonight," I told her, brushing my fingers across her cheek before letting my hand fall away, even if I was dying to touch her more. "I think I've heard enough world-shaking revelations for a while. Drink your cocoa, mate."

Kiera looked like she wanted to argue—when didn't she? But slowly, she lifted her mug to her lips and drank. I grinned, satisfied. Above us, the red moon started its descent, and while I hadn't gotten to run beneath it like I planned, it was possible that what I gained tonight was more valuable by far.

Chapter 9 - Kiera

Monday morning was shockingly quiet, considering everything that had happened over the last few days. Saturday had been the disastrous red moon ceremony, and I'd spent Sunday recuperating and getting Kit ready for his big day—attending school with all the other shifter kids.

He'd gotten on the bus a few hours ago, and I'd managed to wait until the bus was out of sight before bursting into tears. Samson, who had apparently maxed out his capacity for emotion, had awkwardly left, telling me he had pack business to attend to.

Now that I had collected myself from Kit leaving, I was enjoying a rare moment of solitude. The usual chaos was missing—the shuffling of toys, the constant hum of the TV, Kit’s loud and ever-enthusiastic chatter. I wasn't used to the silence, but if I didn't keep busy, I would start to feel suffocated by it. My son was smart and strong, and I knew he would make a lot of new friends today. Friends just like him...even if some of them had already had their first shift.

I put that thought quickly out of my mind. Kit had plenty of time to figure the shift out. Just because it never happened for me didn't mean it wouldn't happen for him.

I was sipping my coffee, flipping through a paperback, when I heard the doorbell ring. I froze at first—back in Portsmouth, every visitor made me panic, thinking it was someone just like Samson there to drag me back to the pack. But there wasn't much reason to worry since that had already happened, and this was Samson's house. Few people could threaten an Alpha.

I cautiously opened the door, but relaxed immediately when I saw it was Nayeli and Gwen on the other side.

"Sorry to bother you, Kiera," Gwen said quickly, "But we wanted to check in on you. See how you're adjusting."

"Adjusting..." I sighed, running a hand through my hair, "Well, I'm still alive. So that's good."

"Just alive?" Nayeli grinned, pushing past me into the house. "Come on, we all saw your little show at the bonfire. You can take care of yourself." Samson's cousin was loud and unapologetically upbeat. She'd only just lost her parents a few years ago, but she seemed to see the brighter side of the world still. I let the two girls make themselves comfortable in the living room before joining them.

"How was it?" Gwen asked. "Was it scary?"

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