Page 12 of The Alpha's Bullied Mate

Echo was sitting on a low chair on the porch when they arrived. Her chin touched her chest, and she breathed deeply. Hayden frowned. This wasn’t the Echo he remembered. She was always energetic, constantly working on some project. He’d never seen her sitting still in all his years unless her hands were busy with something.

Ryder gently shook her shoulder. “Mom?”

“Hmm?” Echo lifted her head, yawning. Her eyes widened, and a smile burst over her face. She hugged Ryder tightly, not getting out of her seat. She spied Hayden and waved him over. “Come here, come here. My little girl finally getting her mate!”

Hayden laughed as he bent to hug her. “And here I was worried you’d be upset that I declared myself without first asking permission.”

“No, no, of course not.” Echo patted his chest. “It’s only natural that you and Mica would end up together. But I’m afraid she isn’t here. She didn’t seem to come home after the meeting.”

“She’s at Hayden’s old house,” Ryder said quickly. “She hit her head, but she’s fine.”

“Oh, dear.” Echo pushed on the arms of her chair. “I should come and be with her.”

Her arms shook as she tried to get out of the chair. Hayden and Ryder shared an alarmed look, and then Ryder stepped behind the wheelchair.

“Why don’t I just push you?” he said quickly.

“You’ve been talking to Mica,” Echo huffed, but relented.

Hayden walked next to them as they headed back to home base. “Mica didn’t actually share much about what was happening with you. What sort of things has she been saying?”

Echo waved a hand in the air. “Oh, she thinks I’m getting old. She bought this chair for me and won’t let me go anywhere without it now. And she keeps saying that I need to get plenty of rest. I swear, that girl is trying to turn me into an invalid.”

By the time she was finished speaking, her voice had grown reed-like and breathless. Ryder’s eyebrows pinched together, and his jaw clenched. Echo was still young; she shouldn’t be this weak. It was as though she had aged fifty years in the time they were gone! A sudden downturn in health like this always had a cause.

And with the demon infestation of this area? It was worrisome.

Once at home base, Ryder got Echo in the living room and sat talking with her. Hayden called Finn and had him check her. They stood at the doorway, looking in. Finn folded his arms, cocking his head this way and that as he studied Echo.

“There’s an influence around her,” he finally muttered. “But no possession.”

“Yet,” Hayden growled under his breath.

The only way to prevent her from being fully possessed was to rid the area of demon influence. It was impossible to know how much time they had until then. He folded his arms over his chest. Mica couldn’t play any more games, not when her own mother was at risk.

As if in answer to his thoughts, the soft sounds of footsteps came behind him. He turned to find Mica, one hand on her bandaged hand and the other against the wall, sneaking toward the door. Hayden sighed as he jerked his chin at Finn, dismissing him. Then he went to Mica and took her arm. She jumped, yanked herself free, and groaned, holding her head in both hands.

“Go back to your room and get ready for the mating ceremony,” he told her. “We’re running out of time.”

Chapter 7 - Mica

After Hayden dragged her back to this room and Ryder reattached the IVs, scolding her all the while for messing with her medication, Mica sat on the bed, thinking. Clearly, she wasn’t going to be able to get out through the front door. First things first, though, she needed a clear head.

Over the years, Mica had primarily been responsible for her own medications. She knew how IVs worked and turned off the feeds. She didn’t trust whatever Ryder was pumping into her. This time, though, she left them in place. That way, she could pretend to follow his commands until she found a way to escape.

Maybe she could go out the window?

Mica dragged the IV line with her as she went to gaze outside. As she tested the window, movement caught her eye. This side of the house was close to the forest, facing away from the road. As she watched, several of Hayden’s team came out of the forest, dragging one of the beasts with them.

Nope.

She wasn’t going back into the forest. And since she couldn’t access a car, Hayden would find her again quickly. That was if she was even able to leave the grounds. Only then did she realize that the entire estate drowned in floodlights. Even if she was able to get out of the house, she wouldn’t get to the fence before being spotted.

Which meant she didn’t have much of a choice. She had to stay. That, in turn, meant that she was going to have to find a way to get out of this mating ceremony somehow.

A knock came on her door and she flicked the IV back on in case it was Ryder. “Come in.”

The door opened. Tess and Echo came in. Though Tess regarded her warily, Mica hadn’t seen her mother this happy in a long time. She beamed at Mica, clasping her hands together.

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