Page 40 of Rejected Bullied Mate

Of course,I thought bitterly.What perfect timing. Just when I thought I might have a breakthrough.

After the attack yesterday, I didn't have it in me to get into another altercation, so I stood as quietly as possible, hoping that they would move on.

"Do you think it's this way?" Francine asked, but there was something different about her tone. Instead of snide mockery, she sounded...scared?

It was enough to make me pause. Maybe they weren't out here looking for trouble.

Curt spoke next, and his voice was also tight. "I don't know. It's been a while since we've been here."

I narrowed my eyes, studying the three of them closely as they came into view. Francine was limping, tears streaking down her cheeks. Curt held her steady as they walked, and Pete lagged behind them, his shoulders hunched. They hadn't noticed me yet, but they were definitely in trouble. I considered the scene, wondering what exactly I should do.

I stood, fingers twitching as I called my magic, ready to strike if they thought about messing with me again. But I knew that something was wrong, and their anxiety was rolling off. Either I could let them continue to wander, or I could speak up and make the first move.

Maybe my heat and connection to Samson made me too brash, but I chose the second option.

"Hey!" I called, stepping out from behind the tree. "What's going on?"

All three of them froze, their heads whipping around to stare at me. Pete snarled, but the sound died in his chest when he recognized me. There was a long stretch of quiet as we stared at each other, but finally, Curt spoke up.

"Don't freak out," He said, lowering Francine to the forest floor. "I know you don't owe us any kindness, but we were out hunting when Francine got bit by a rattlesnake. The Alpha's house was the closest, and we obviously know about your magic now..."

Curt trailed off, letting his words sink in. I glanced down at Francine, who looked even paler than usual. Her leg was swollen, the skin an angry red with the distinctive black striping of a rattlesnake bite.

"Shit," I whispered.

Francine sniffed, wiping tears from her face. "Can you help me?" She asked, her voice frail.

"Of course," I told her, my instincts kicking in. I knew what had to be done, but I still hesitated, looking at the three of them warily. I may have been willing to help them, but they weren't exactly my favorite people.

The memory of the last time we'd spoken came back to me, and I narrowed my eyes, glaring at them.

"I'm not going to help you if you're just going to be dicks again," I said firmly.

"We won't," Pete promised, his voice quiet. "We were assholes, and we know it."

I stared at him for a long moment, letting him squirm under my gaze, before I let out a long sigh. "Okay, fine." I crouched next to Francine and began working on the bite, using my magic to draw the poison from her system. She yelped, her body jerking as the magic rushed through her. I pushed deeper, focusing on the dark tendrils of poison inside her.

"It burns," Francine whimpered, but I ignored her, drawing the poison into my palm. My fingers glowed with silver light, and I let out a breath as the poison gathered in my hand.

"Got it," I muttered, pushing the ball of magic into the air and sending it deep into the forest.

Francine sagged back onto the ground, breathing hard. Her leg still looked bad, but it wasn't as swollen as it had been, and the redness was slowly fading. She reached out and gripped my arm.

"Thank you," she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I don't know what we would have done..."

I glanced at Curt, who nodded in agreement. Pete didn't meet my gaze, but he, too, nodded. A pang of sympathy hit me, and I reached out to squeeze Francine's hand. "You're welcome."

I stood, dusting myself off and ignoring the ache in my bones. I'd used a lot of magic to pull the poison out of Francine, and I needed a moment to gather myself.

Curt watched me closely, his brows furrowing. "Why did you help us?" He asked, sounding genuinely confused.

I hesitated, thinking about how to respond. "Because you needed it," I finally said, shrugging. "It was the right thing to do. You're part of Samson's pack. My pack, too, I guess."

Curt didn't look entirely convinced, but he nodded slowly. "Still, we haven't exactly been kind to you."

I let out a long sigh. "Yeah, you haven't. Ever."

Francine's cheeks reddened, but Curt just shrugged. "We know. And we're sorry. Samson told us everything that happened between you two, and he was right. You didn't deserve to be treated that way."

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