Page 10 of The Wolf's Bullied Bride

As they both said their goodbyes, I offered them a gracious smile and watched as they left, leaving me alone in the studio.

I let go of a steady breath after the fact, glad that despite my new start, I wasn’t someone looking in from the outside. I was given the chance to return to the pack—to feel like I belonged to something again.

Finally returning to my work of sorting through the boxes and setting up the place, I felt better about everything. Part of me had been dreading seeing Kai again since I had no idea where we stood since I left.

And yet, I couldn’t ignore the slight apprehension within me. The fear that my unsavory past in the city might come back to haunt me right when things were going well.

I didn’t want to sour my name, not when I was working to rebuild my reputation.

I did what I had to do to get ahead and to learn exactly why I didn’t want to meddle in that world again. Since leaving the city, I had no interest in it. I was in Rose Valley to pursue my dreams and to give my wolf that sense of belonging it desired.

Chapter 5 - Cora

The air felt colder as the seasons started to change, and my walk to work reminded me of how bitter the wind could be.

While forced to bundle in heavy clothes, I didn’t mind once the movement started warming me up. With a coffee in hand already, I took in the familiar sights of town and appreciated how different it seemed already.

I preferred warm weather and brighter colors, but there was no denying the beauty in the quiet peace of how the trees had shed the year’s leaves and foliage. By then, the ground was littered with the dried, crunchy material, and everything took on a much more somber look.

It wasn’t quite the same as walking through freshly grown grass and wildflowers, yet I could handle it in the meantime.

Distracted by it all, I hardly noticed the street I was approaching until it was too late.

I grimaced the moment I spotted that familiar storefront. The window coverings had been taken down, and some obvious work was accomplished on the inside. I knew it was only a matter of time before the tattoo studio opened up.

While that was certainly an accomplishment and would surely do well for the local economy, I couldn’t get over the owner and our past.

I couldn’t believe his bullying still bothered me like it had back then. Even if I wasn’t that same girl anymore, those memories were impossible to escape.

The day Liam left town was the first chance I ever had at healing, but it seemed it wasn’t enough. That ache felt all too familiar, and it made me furious.

How could someone like him treat me so poorly for years and come out on top anyway?

As far as I could tell, he had more money, his business was prepared to have major success, and he was hotter than ever. While I wasn’t bad off with my career either, it was frustrating to know that he could spend his childhood making me his relentless target, and he could have everything and more.

It made that resentment burn even brighter than it had, and I felt ridiculous for even worrying myself over it.

He was back in town, and I needed to accept it. But regardless, it didn’t make digesting that any easier.

Glancing through the window as my curiosity got the better of me, I tensed the moment I saw him already at work. He approached, grabbing a box, just as our eyes met.

We both seemed to settle there, taking in one another in a matter of seconds.

While his cropped black hair and cool blue eyes looked nearly identical as they did before, his face matured into that of a man. He looked more intense than he had the last time I saw him. While his tan remained the same, his muscles were new. Prominent and obvious beneath his dark long-sleeve.

The scar that ran through his left brow piqued my interest.

Liam had been a loudmouth when we were kids, but when I interviewed him for the paper, he seemed more reserved. Like he preferred to quietly observe.

Startled by the sight of him, I pulled myself out of my stupor and kept walking.

This isn’t fair, I silently said to myself, cursing how gorgeous he looked without even trying.

Between his new roguish look and his tattoo studio, he was about to be the talk of the town.

Fuelled by that irritation and deeply rooted loathing, I pushed forward and tried to forget about him.

Something in me had always wished he would’ve just left me alone as a kid. If he had kept his teasing to himself, then there was a chance I’d never have to concern myself with him. I hated him for the long-term damage he caused to my self-esteem, and it felt like I’d never fully be over it.

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