Page 52 of The Alpha's Forced Bullied Mate

Faye managed to raise her hands and grabbed her brother's wrists. She crumbled forward and fell into him. He caught her with practiced ease, making it seem like he had done this so many times. Like a script, they followed the motions. They whispered to each other. They clung to each other.

I tried to hide my disdain as I watched my best friend pull my mate out of a horrible temper tantrum.

How was it that he could do this? I needed to know. After all, she was my mate and I needed to know the things that would make her feel better. I thought I intuitively knew. I thought the mate bond would be enough to keep her from going off the deep end.

Apparently, I was wrong about that.

Cliff and Faye collapsed to the ground. He held his sister like a child. As she cried quietly in his arms, she lifted her head. Her lower lip trembled. “How did you know?”

Cliff closed his eyes. His hair, which was usually tucked back into a bun, was messy around his face. “I can always tell when my sister is upset.”

She gripped his shirt. “You don't hate me for having powers?”

He hugged her tighter. “I could never hate you.”

My chest burst with a desire to run to them. Even as I felt like I'd been one-upped by my best friend, I dropped to my knees beside them both and yanked Faye into my arms. Cliff patted my back as he held the back of his sister's neck. He encouraged herto lean into me. He whispered things to her that I couldn't make out. Maybe they were things that would calm her or that would continue to assure her the damage she'd done could be cleaned up. And she had doneso muchdamage. The fact that the house was still standing was amazing to me.

Fred and Kylie appeared. Each of them bent to see if Faye was okay. A new feeling rumbled in my core, something that made me want to hold on to Faye even harder. It was a protective spirit that I'd never sensed until now, authoritative and dominating in nature. A wolf that yearned to be with his wolf.

I may have failed her this time. But I won’t fail her in the future, I thought.

I looked at Cliff, squaring my gaze right at him. “Get everyone out.”

Cliff jumped to his feet and ushered Kylie and Fred out of the sacked living room.

“Wait,” Kylie argued.

Fred pushed Cliff aside. “We’re not leaving without—”

“You can stay with Cliff,” I snapped. “But you need to leavenow.”

They wanted to comfort Faye as well. They wanted to make sure she was okay. I understood their desire—and I also needed them to understand mine.

Cliff followed my instructions as obediently as ever. Faye didn't seem to know what was going on. Her head lolled as she looked up at me. Her eyes were puffy. Her irises were finally back to their original hazel-brown. The clouds above dissipated, leaving the air thick with humidity like it had just rained.

As soon as everything cleared up, Faye shuddered and clutched my neck. She cradled my face into her throat, whimpering as she tried to wrap her legs around me. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry…” She kept saying it. “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Won't you ever forgive me? Don’t hate me.”

My chest crackled with the beginning sobs of grief. I nuzzled the skin just beneath her earlobe. “I could never hate you for this. Stop apologizing.”

She trembled. “You wanted to hate me.”

“I said I couldnever.” I grabbed her chin. “Why don't you believe me when I say these things?”

Her features twisted as another round of tears came. “I don't know.”

Frustration clouded my thoughts. “What do I have to do to prove my dedication to you? That I'm dedicated to this bond?”

Her lower lip trembled. “You’ll do anything I ask?”

I held her chin firmly, using my thumb to prod her mouth open, to expose her tongue, to allow me a view of one of her most vulnerable parts. “Anything.”

Her pupils dilated as she met my gaze and said, “Take me right now.”

Who was I to deny my mate what she wanted?

Chapter 18 - Faye

Adrenaline circulated throughout my body as Hector claimed my lips. His fingers swarmed my right breast, pinching through the fabric to find my nipple and stimulate it quickly into a hardened nub. Magic flowed through me like a raging river spouting through an uncapped garden hose. I felt like I was bursting with desire and desperately pushed his hand south to the apex of my thighs.

---