Page 45 of The Alpha's Forced Bullied Mate

But that voice came again.They'll keep hurting you, it insisted.If you run now, you can avoid all the hurt.

Hector caressed my face, running his thumb along my cheekbone. “I believe you. I'm sorry I pushed you so hard.”

I turned away, trying to hide the tears that came uninvited. I hated crying and I especially hated crying in front of him because I saw it as a huge weakness. It meant that I couldn't control myself. It meant that I wasn't fit to be his mate. Yet, despite my clear inability to be a good mate, he wiped away my tears quietly. He handed me a water bottle, and then he offered me one of the leftover Mothman cookies. I hungrily munched on it, feeling like I couldn't control my appetite either.

And then the tidal wave started all over again. A great tsunami, a wall of a wave that came just as it had many times before. All the reminders of the things that my family had done to me, the way that they had tried to dictate what I ate, what I didn't eat. The way that they restricted my food. The way they checked my room frequently for snacks or other hidden things. I felt like a prisoner in my own house.

Halfway through the cookie, I stopped eating it and set it down in the center console where it was originally sitting. I wiped the crumbs for my lips. I shoved my hands between my thighs, trying to sit up, fixing my posture so I would look good and not like a fat chump who was just trying to eat her feelings.

Hector rested his hand on my thigh. “I shouldn't have yelled at you like that.”

I looked at him, noticing the genuine apology that sat in his eyes. I reached out to touch his wolfish face, feeling the sturdiness of his jawbone. “It takes a lot of strength to admit that kind of thing.”

He lowered his gaze to my lap. “I don't know. I just didn't want to sound like my aunt.”

I frowned. “I thought she was important to you.”

“Hellno.Aunt Gerta is just a scrawny nobody with beady eyes. She likes to criticize my every move.”

I nodded with understanding. “Where is she now?”

He sighed. “She lives behind the main neighborhood, but she doesn't really talk to me.”

“Why is that?”

“My parents kind of dumped me on her lap because they just couldn't handle taking care of me on the road. My dad is like this washed-up rock star, and my mom is just his reckless junkie enabler.”

I studied the landscape around us, noticing that the gray clouds were starting to drift away. Sunlight broke through in little patches like spotlights illuminating the fields. “Do you know where they are now?”

“No idea. I guess I just thought I could prove myself to them by being better.”

I laughed. “They can't even see what you're doing.”

He took my hand. “I'm aware of that. I just guess that… I don't know. I just wanted their approval still. In a way. Maybe.” He huffed as he sank into his seat. “Whatever.”

“I can really understand that.”

He chuckled and then paused and then chuckled again like he wasn't sure if he should be laughing. “I got the sense that you do.”

“I'm sorry about how I reacted back there in the café. I just miss everybody. That demon isn’t helping.”

“I don't want you to miss everybody. Your everybody should be right here.”

I clenched his hand, feeling the fury return. Magic flowed to the tips of my fingers, snapping Hector.

He yanked his hand back and shook it. “Ouch, that really hurt, Faye!”

I folded my hands together, feeling ashamed of my reaction. “I'm sorry, you're right. I really don't have much control over my power right now.”

Concern drifted into his features as he started the car again. “I can always get into contact with somebody to help you with that if you want.”

I studied his face. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I mean, it's not like you can just get rid of your power or something. If you have to live with it, you should learn to live with it, right?”

“I shouldn't have to do anything.”

“No, but it's still your responsibility.”

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