Page 9 of The Alpha's Bullied Pregnant Mate

“No, no. No need to create a scene.” More than the one I already created, in any case. “I’m fine dad. I promise,” she lied.

She was far from fine. She sat up and watched Fannar giving his speech in his calm voice that carried through the hall. She had no doubt that the flashback she had just had was connected to the pain she felt in her neck.

After Fannar had attacked her, she’d had a fever for a whole day, burning and thrashing in bed. The janitor had taken her home to her parents and when she finally woke up, they questioned her relentlessly about the attack.

“I don’t know who it was,” she’d said. “It happened too fast and I was only fortunate that Mr. Andrew was around when it did.”

It was the second time she’d lied to cover up Fannar and she had no idea why she did so. Her parents made her quit the team afterwards, and her mother was paranoid for months.

The attack had left her worried, but nothing else happened afterwards. She continued to avoid Fannar, and eventually it was almost as if nothing had happened at all. Even when her first transformation happened, nothing strange had happened to her, despite her worries.

That attack had happened more than a decade ago, and she’d not as much as remembered it until now. Why was it hurting now, after so long? She watched Fannar bring his speech to a close, and the image of him sinking his teeth into her left her shivering with fear.

Chapter 4 - Fannar

That strange pull was back again, tugging relentlessly at Fannar. He’d first felt it moments before he started his address and had struggled to ignore it while he spoke.

It had stopped as suddenly as it had started, to his relief, but now it was back, even stronger than before. It was almost like a longing, or a craving. He had no idea what to make of it and his ignorance distressed him.

He stopped speaking and searched the sea of faces in front of him, trying to pinpoint where the pull was coming from but his search came up short. There were just too many people present. Was it all in his head?

The wolves watched him quietly, expectantly. He’d planned to keep things short and this sudden distraction was making it difficult for him to put his thoughts together. On a few occasions, he’d caught himself rambling and had had to backtrack.

He rubbed his eyes. “The good news is that the entire affair is completely behind us now. What’s more, we have the word of the chief of the bears that the abduction of our young would stop.

“We have opened up trade with the bears, but a committee has been set up to supervise this and make sure that they keep to their end of the bargain, and we don’t get dragged into any of their illegal activities.

However, it is important that we work together as a community to ensure the continued safety of our own, regardless of what they say. But as far as we are concerned, the war is over.”

Applause rang out from the hall, and Fannar waited quietly for it to die down before he continued speaking. “This event reminded me of what’s important. We are a family. A pack. That means we look after our own, regardless of the surname.

“We fight for each other, we protect each other, we grow together. In that spirit, I would like to announce that there would be a fair at the end of this meeting. There’s food and drinks aplenty, with a host of entertainment.

“The time for worry and fear is behind us. Now, let us make merry. I implore you all to wait around after the meeting, and partake of our first community fair in several months. And with that, I bring this pack meeting to a close. Thank you.”

The applause was louder than the first. For a group of well behaved, reserved people, Fannar did not expect the rowdy cheers that followed his announcement.

Activity sprang up in the hall as people got to their feet. Workers brought in massive tables from a side entrance, and guests made room for them, others joining in to convert the all-purpose hall into a reception area.

Fannar made his way down the steps shaking hands and exchanging smiles with members of his pack as he did so. The pull was closer now and he found himself scanning through the mass of bodies, not knowing what he was supposed to find, but hoping he would recognize it when he saw it.

Something else caught his attention, driving every other thought from his mind. A gray haired woman weaved past people as she made a beeline for Fannar, and he turned around in the opposite direction, hoping to evade her.

Too late. The woman reached out and caught the back of his coat before he could take two steps. “Nice try, Fannar Agdluak. Just where are you planning to escape to?”

Fannar let out a deep sigh and turned around, a phony smile on his face. “Hello, mom. Nice to see you too. I forgot something on the stage—”

“No, you didn’t. You were trying to run away from me!” She pouted.

“Fine mom, maybe I was. I’m sorry.” He hugged her. “I didn’t think you were going to come.”

“Well, I shouldn’t have,” she replied indignantly. “ But seeing how you spend all your time avoiding me and running away from me, you didn’t leave me with much of a choice.”

Fannar sighed again. “It’s with good reason mom, and you know it.”

She eyed him quietly, and then a smile broke on her face. “I guess you’re right. Still, ignoring your own mother? What would your father say?”

Fannar raised a brow. “I imagine he would encourage me, mom.” They both smiled again and the tension bled away. This was an old war between the two of them, and Fannar had learned how to dance around without tripping any of the explosive mines buried underneath.

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