Page 23 of Bullied Mate

But then again, that would be admitting guilt, wouldn’t it? And I wasn’t guilty of anything.

Not by my standards.

After a brief silence, Raven patted my shoulder. “I understand. It takes a lot for someone to admit when they’re wrong even when they can’t entirely see it.”

She left before I could protest. The lobby stood eerily silent around me as I shoved my hands into my pockets and stared after my alpha.

Galanthia was long gone. I knew because her rosy scent had faded.

And I missed it so much that it made me sick.

Chapter 8 - Xavier

When I reached the health center, Bethany was already collecting my mother from her hospital bed. Leo hadn’t yet been collected from Andres, but I was prepared to pick him up on the way home so long as Bethany would help me along. The moment I crossed the threshold into the room, my mother lit up. It was like the 4th of July on her face, an expression so deeply rooted in our connection that it defied the pessimism I’d felt back when I left the gym.

Thoughts of Galanthia stuck to the back of my mind, clinging for dear life like a sailor lost at sea. I wanted to cut the line clean so it wouldn’t bother me anymore. But then what would I do with all the other feelings? Drown in them?

Nah, I didn’t want to do that.

Galanthia had left me feeling weak. Not many people had accomplished that in my life, so I had to give her credit for it.

Bethany allowed me to step in to continue helping my mother to her feet.

“Have you been out to the garden today?”

I always made a point of asking this. Bethany was a good nurse and took great care of my mother. But I sometimes felt like my mother could use more fresh air. Certainly being out in the garden would be conducive to her health, however much it might be failing.

Playfulness sparkled in my mother’s eyes. “How do you know when I haven’t been outside?”

She was lucid today. That meant the walk home would be without too many issues.

“I know because I can read your mind.” I kissed her forehead. “I just think it’s good for you.”

There weren’t too many things that I argued with my mother about. One of those things that cropped up often was the way that I treated her while she was sick. And if I knew anything about my mother, I knew that the look on her face was an indication of her preparing to present a debate to me about whether or not I should be concerned with how much fresh air she was getting.

Just as the lines in her mouth started to twist, I chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to get upset if you haven’t been outside yet. We can always get air on the walk home.”

“Where’s my little helper?” Leo had a knack for helping. That much was true. But it was a toss-up whether or not he should be around his grandmother while she was particularly ill. “You know I like seeing you, but I like seeing him a lot more.”

More amusement danced over her features. What a lovely look to see on her face compared to the usual droop and drool. Some color had returned to her eyes too. What should have been pale was now igniting like a planet being born. I wasn’t sure which was more fascinating—seeing what cancer did to a shifter or watching her recover from each bout.

In the corner of the room, Bethany gathered all the knickknacks and items that my mother had probably hounded her to bring. Among them was a birdhouse that we had carved when I was much younger and much more naive about the reality of the world. Funny how nice things like that wounded the heart just at the sight of them.

Merciful gods, I had to make someone laugh before I got depressed. “I’m surprised she didn’t demand the entire curio cabinet. Do you need any help, Bethany?”

That button nose in her desert features wiggled. “I think I need one of those fancy eternity bags that Etta keeps going on about.”

“I think a lot of us could use more things like that in our lives. Lucky for you I’m made of muscle.”

Her eyes wandered expectantly down my form. Now, there was nothing wrong with Bethany checking me out every so often, but it did get on my nerves when I’d made it clear to her that nothing would happen between us.

I had enough problems coming from Galanthia. I didn’t need them coming from Bethany as well. Besides, she was my mother’s nurse. There were certain structures and rules around that. Or there should have been, at the very least.

At last when her eyes met mine, her smile widened and she said, “Thank the very Goddess that you are.”

Yeah, there wasn’t much getting around that, was there? The best thing I could do right now was just loop an arm around my mother’s waist and haul a bag over my shoulder. The three of us shuffled to the door, moving like a horde of zombies through the lobby and out into the remaining afternoon sunshine. Leaving the gym early meant having a bit more sunlight over our heads.

Flowers lined the path on the way back to my mother’s house. Every so often, I paused to allow her a moment to inhale the beauty that grew freely around us. Sometimes I wondered if she missed working in the garden. But I knew her knowledge would carry through me and extend to my child, who I knew would be ecstatic to see his grandmother walking around.

---