Page 21 of Rejected Bullied Mate

I lifted one shoulder in a shrug."I would have been fine if those three hadn't cornered me."

Nayeli's grin widened. "You didn't have any trouble fighting back, though, huh?"

"I can't believe you're a witch," Gwen murmured, looking slightly starstruck, "That's so cool."

I winced. "It's not something I talk about a lot, okay? But you're right, Nayeli. I can handle myself."

Gwen shook her head. "I don't care how you did it, Kiera. Those three are jerks. They deserved it."

I shifted on the couch, remembering how terrified I had been at first. And then, remembering how Samson had calmed me with just a touch. "I just hope they're done trying to mess with me now. I don't want any of that nonsense getting through to Kit, especially rumors from the other kids."

"Speaking of our favorite little pup, he started school today, right?" Nayeli leaned forward excitedly. "Was he pumped?"

I laughed, my eyes stinging with tears at the memory of this morning. "He was so excited. He was up by six. But I made sure he ate first."

"Good," Nayeli said with a nod, "I remember that kid is always hungry. I'll bet he already has all the teachers wrapped around his little finger."

I nodded, remembering how much Kit loved to chat and make friends. It was the main reason why I hadn't put up much of a fight when Samson said that he wanted him to go to the local school with the other shifter kids.

"But I wouldn't worry about any rumors getting to Kit from the other kids there," Gwen chimed in, checking her nails as she spoke, "Samson made it pretty clear Sunday morning that you weren't at fault for the fight, and explained exactly what happened. He told everyone that he didn't want to hear a single negative word about you."

I was stunned, "He did that?"

Nayeli nodded sagely, "Yeah, he definitely did. He even had me call up all the parents in Kit's class to let them know, and he said if he heard anything different from what he told them, then there would be consequences."

I shook my head, trying to clear it. The Alpha of our pack, Samson Jones, had gone out of his way to defend me? That didn't seem like him. "There's no way he did that."

"Why would we lie?" Gwen frowned, leaning forward. "We're telling you this so you know Samson isn't just trying to control you. He's actually making it better for you. And for Kit, too."

I opened my mouth to argue, but I couldn't think of why they would lie to me. "I guess I'm just used to seeing a different side of Samson than the one you two have known your whole lives," I said finally. "I don't know why he would suddenly start defending me, and I don't want to get my hopes up that he's actually being kind."

"He's an Alpha," Nayeli says it in a poisonous tone, as if it explained everything negative about her cousin, "And we all know that he made a lot of fuck ups when he first took over from his dad. He was hell-bent on measuring up to old Zeke, and Zeke was one of the most controlling Alphas around. Samson, being his son, should have been doomed from the start, but I'm telling you, he's changed." Nayeli reached over and took my hands in hers, her touch comforting, helping to ground me. "When my parents died in that car crash two years ago, I was absolutely lost. Samson immediately moved me in here with him and made sure I had everything I could possibly want and all the space I needed to grieve. Now I work for him, I have my own apartment…he saved me, you know?"

My heart clenched. I had known Nayeli's parents had died, but it was heartbreaking to hear the grief still so fresh in her voice.

Gwen nodded along with Nayeli's story, her face full of sympathy. "It's true. It's an open secret that you didn't exactly want to come back with him, but again, he's an Alpha. We're saying it could be a lot worse, and he's trying."

"Trying in the only ways he knows how," Nayeli clarified, "It might not make sense to us, but it's better than nothing."

I looked down at my coffee cup as I tried to process what they were saying. Samson was...trying? That wasn't what I expected. It didn't add up to the picture I'd been painting of him since he'd taken me back to his territory.

But then, he hadn't been around much. And the times he had been, I'd been so focused on myself that I hadn't really paid attention to him. Had I judged him too harshly?

No, I decided firmly. He had hurt me. He had slept with me, and when I'd finally gotten up the nerve to tell him I wanted to be together, he'd cast me aside like trash. He kidnapped me, handcuffed me to a car door…the fact that he was defending me now didn't change what he had done to me.

But it was...something. Nayeli was right about that. He'd accepted me when I explained about my magic and my mother's bloodline, and had allowed me a certain amount of freedom to work and parent Kit the way I saw fit. Maybe he really was changing.

The thought was almost too good to be true, but it warmed me nonetheless.

"Now," Nayeli dropped the seriousness, and her mischievous grin returned, "Did anything else exciting happen once you two got home on Saturday?" She made kissing noises, and I couldn't help but laugh.

It was a real, genuine laugh, and Gwen quickly joined in. The entire pack might still be unsure of me, but these two women were doing a hell of a job making me feel welcome. I still resented being forced back into the Saltfangs, but it was easier with friends.

***

After taking Monday off to properly deal with the emotions of Kit going to school, I was back to work on Tuesday morning. I'd taken the early shift so I would be around to get Kit off the bus, but the business of the early hours had died down by 10 am.

The cafe, Crescent Moon Coffee, kept me busy, which was important. When I spent too much time thinking about myself, things started to get mixed up in my head. Samson, the Saltfangs, my son...

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