Page 14 of The Alpha's Bullied Pregnant Mate

She stopped and turned to face him. “Alpha Fannar. My refusal to help you must have come as a shock to you, I’m sure. I’m not inclined to help you. And I also have no interest in helping you fool your mother.”

“Why won’t you help me?”

“Fine. You want to know?”

“Please.”

She laughed. It was such a mean, cold laugh, it reverberated through the mountain. “Tell me. Why would I help my high school bully?”

“What?” Fannar looked stunned and she laughed again when she was the expression on his face. “What are you talking about?”

She shook her head. “I’m inclined to believe you. You really don’t remember… Do you? No, you don’t. And that’s what irritates me the most about all this. You. Don’t. Remember.”

Fannar got out of the car and crossed the snow to stand before her. “Look. I admit that there are things about my childhood that I’m not proud of. I remember being mean to you some in high school, and I’m sorry. I picked on you sometimes, and I yelled at you too, but that was because the sight of you upset me.”

“There you have it,” she said with a shrug. “The reason I won’t help you. I’m glad you understand now. I would say it was a pleasure to meet you, Fannar, but I’d be lying.” She walked past him, trudging through the snow with her short legs.

Fannar got angry. He had had enough of her judgemental and dismissive attitude. “Still, bully is such a strong word. Plus, it was such a long time ago. Why would you hold on to all that?”

She looked over one shoulder and smiled. “Good bye, Fannar.”

He snarled condescendingly. “I didn’t think you petty enough to bring up something that happened so many years ago. What does it matter now? Nothing. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change anything. You best grow up and move past it.”

That stopped her dead in her tracks. She turned slowly and glared at him. Fannar held his breath, waiting for her retort. Her clear gray eyes had turned icy cold. He’d gotten through to her. He wasn’t going to let her speak to him like some piece of shit.

But she said nothing. She just stared at him, her eyes murderous. She turned around and he gasped in alarm. She was about to transform. What would he do if she attacked him? If he remained human, she was going to rip him to shreds.

His other option was to attack her if she attacked him first. And what did that say about him? He was fucked. She was moments away from shifting and Fannar’s mind was racing. He couldn’t get into a fight with her.

“Isla! I’d pay you five grand. Every week. No kissing, nothing. Just be by my side. Just get back in the freaking car!” He was yelling, hoping she could still hear him. He waited and watched her, the hair on the back of his neck standing erect. He had one chance to get this right.

“Are you serious?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“Very.”

She stood watching him a little longer and the whole scene left him feeling agitated. Make up your mind dammit. After an eternity, she said, “Fine.” Isla shouldered past him and got back into the car.

Fannar got in after her. He started the car and drove off, as the silence enveloped them once more. Isla only spoke when she directed him towards her home. He was more than satisfied with the silence in the car. Too much had been said already.

“The next house on the right,” she said when they got to her street. Fannar nodded and parked outside the right house. “Thanks for the ride,” she said in a flat voice and got out of the car.

“I will contact you with details,” Fannar said. He hesitated before adding, “Isla?”

She turned around, halfway up her driveway. “Yeah?”

“I’m curious…. Were you really going to attack me?”

She looked amused. “Attack you? God, no. I was drowning in that snow. I figured it would be better to run home.” She shook her head in amusement. “Attack you… good one.”

Fannar watched her enter her house and found himself laughing. Of course she wasn’t going to attack him. He had barely driven a few yards when he frowned in confusion. The strange longing feeling that had assailed him all day had returned.

Chapter 7 - Isla

Isla shut the door softly behind her, her heart thundering in her chest. She leaned back on the door, and shut her eyes, working slowly to control her breathing. She could still feel Fannar. She didn’t know how, but she could sense his presence acutely.

What was she thinking accepting Fannar’s outlandish proposal? A fake relationship? What in the world was she thinking? It was unlikely they were going to pull it off without fucking it up.

For starters, she hated his guts. He was a bully as a kid, and he had clearly grown more insufferable as the years went by. For the life of her, she couldn’t understand what her parents seemed to love so much about him. Did they not see how much of a jerk he was?

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