Page 11 of The Alpha's Bullied Pregnant Mate

Isla turned from Fannar to his mother, and then back to him again. She’d only managed to blurt out the one word. She hated how stupid he was making her look and she didn’t trust herself to say anything else without sounding like a complete moron.

Nothing could have prepared her for the kiss. Of all the unlikely things in the world that could have possibly happened in that hall, getting kissed and caressed by her long time bully and alpha of the pack was not one of those things. And that list is goddamn long.

She had no idea what game he was playing. She felt a surge of panic as the thought occurred to her that this was probably just one more of those cruel pranks he used to play on her when they were children.

She hated herself for agreeing to attend the meeting. She felt humiliated and wanted the ground to swallow her up. She wanted to vanish into thin air and disappear from the face of the earth. Unfortunately, none of that happened. She was stuck with these two crazy people.

She’d not planned to stay for the celebration that followed the meeting. There was that pain in her neck, and she didn’t feel comfortable being so close to Fannar. She was on her way to the library when he’d stopped her, and planted a kiss on her lips.

And now the asshole is calling me babe?

Shockingly, the kiss had soothed everything inside her, cooling the fiery burning in her bite scar. That was strange, but not as strange as how thoroughly she had enjoyed it. The feel of him pressed up against her, gripping her firmly as his mouth made love to hers.

It had left her feeling both breathless and stupefied, her anger and hatred of him disappearing like mist on a sunny morning. She had been so wrapped up in it that it had taken her several moments to properly process what Fannar had just said to his mother.

Whatever this was, she didn’t want no part in it, but too much time had already gone by since the kiss, and all she could do was watch to see how it played out. Whatever this is.

Fannar’s mother had been just as shocked as Isla, evidently, but it had taken the woman a shorter time to recover, and she was now watching Isla and Fannar critically. Isla may have lost her wits temporarily, but she could see that whatever Fannar was selling to his mother, she wasn’t buying it.

She wondered what was going through the former Luna’s mind. What was she thinking? What was Fannar thinking? She couldn’t wait for them to be alone so she could remove herself from whatever this was. After giving him a firm talking to first, of course.

“That was a rather lovely kiss, if I do say so myself,” the former Luna said, a hint of amusement in her voice. “Quite dramatic, sure, but what’s one to do with you young people. Anyways, it’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear girl.

“I’d love to know more about you, and more importantly, how in the world you managed to convince this rascal to settle for one woman.” She turned to face her son. “You should bring her to meet the family, son. Dinner, maybe?”

Fannar blinked, his smug smile disappearing from his face. “Uhm, I don’t think she’d be able to make it, mom. You see, she’s quite busy and… uhm… it’s going to be really tight for her.” He looked at Isla hopefully. “Right, babe?”

Speaking was the hardest thing for Isla to do at the moment. Her mind was still reeling and she was struggling to gather the remnants of her brain that was scattered in the wind. “Er, yes. I’m kinda busy...”

“Nonsense,” the former Luna said with a wave of her hand. “You both don’t have much say in the matter. See you soon, my dear. Fannar… Good for you. You do know how to pick them.” With one last demonic smile, she turned around and walked away.

Fannar and Isla watched his mother depart silently, both with their own thoughts. She turned to him. “What the fuck was that about?”

He glanced at her and started walking towards the exit. “Come on.”

“Answer me, dammit!”

He spun on her and hissed. “Not here. I’d explain everything, just not here. Okay? You can ask all the questions I’m sure are tumbling around in your pretty head.” He smirked. “I have to admit, I’m surprised you can even speak at all.”

Without waiting for a reply, he turned around and walked away, leaving Isla to glare at the back of his head as he went. She was not surprised to see that he was still the same arrogant, annoying bastard he had always been. Actually, it was a relief. The only sane thing in an afternoon filled with nothing but chaos and madness.

She followed behind him, and pretended not to notice the eyes that turned to watch them leave. Yeah, that’s one more embarrassment for you guys to giggle and gossip about. I wish you’d all just leave me alone.

Fannar was waiting for her outside when she got out of the hall. The sky was clear, and a soft wind blew down from the mountains. They crunched through the snow to the few trucks parked outside the building.

He led her to a monster of a vehicle parked at the end and held the door open for her. Isla got in, and remained quiet even when he got into the car and started the engine. They sat down quietly for a long moment, and Isla was struggling not to have a panic attack.

He put the car in gear, and eased into the sleek road.He drove slow, and she didn’t mind—any faster and she’d probably go insane. She had no idea where they were going, and she didn’t bother asking. A million questions ran through her head, and she didn’t know which one to ask first.

She stole a look at the man sitting in the car beside her. He looked so different from the wiry, attractive kid he’d been in high school. He’d changed a lot since then, but then again so had she. They’d gone along their different paths and she had worked hard to make sure those paths never crossed again. She’d been successful thus, until the madness of today.

He was attractive as a boy, but nowhere near as hot as this man sitting beside her. She understood his mom’s statement now that she sat so close to him. He must have had to keep the women away with a ten-foot pole.

Power radiated from him, battering against her senses, but not threatening her. Shockingly, her wolf felt perfectly safe and at ease in his presence. He was still the alpha, after all, and she was still a part of the pack.

None of those could change the fact that this man was the reason she was an outcast in her own town. She couldn’t look beyond that in good conscience. Could she ever forgive him for ruining her childhood? She didn’t think so. She looked out the window, hoping he hadn’t noticed the pain and hurt in her eyes.

The silence in the car stretched until it became awkward, neither Fannar or Isla making any attempts to talk about what had just happened. Maybe the silence was awkward for her alone, she thought. Frost Peak wolves were beyond comfortable with long stretches of silence.

---