Page 20 of The Alpha's Bullied Mate

“It doesn’t matter. If I’m going to be an Alpha, it means I have to go get her. Every act of sacrifice and aid to one another will weaken the demon’s hold on the area,” he said.

It was a strange phenomenon, but he supposed it had something to do with aura-demons' ability to take hold of people. Those who were kind and happy had a harder time taking that initial possession than those whose mental defenses had already been lowered. However, once that foothold was in place, it didn’t matter how strong a person was.

Mica straightened and threw back her shoulders. “What do I need to do? I can help.”

“We need someone to plan out harvesting lumber from the forest and build shelters for the refugees,” he said. “And we need someone to organize a trip to the city for food. Canned food,” he added sternly. “As well as a way to consolidate our funds to feed everyone until this is over. Although, if I do end up facing Monroe, that won’t be necessary.”

“So what can I do to help fight the demons?”

“Echo.”

Mica flinched. “What about my mother?”

“On our last mission, Derek and Blayke were able to photograph several thousand pages of old documents regarding demons. We haven’t had a chance to study them, but yes, If you can transcribe them, then you can find out more about the demon influence making Echo sick. It’s not possession, not even a foothold.” Hayden released her hands, though they were still cool. “We need to find out more about what it’s doing. Can you do that?”

Mica nodded, her expression growing more confident. “Yes. I can do that.”

Chapter 11 - Mica

Hayden and the special ops team were ready to leave far earlier than Mica thought was possible. Her heart slammed as she saw them heading down the front path from the upper-floor window. A sudden, wild fear seized her that this was the last time she’d ever see Hayden. She couldn’t let him leave like this.

Was it a weakness on her part? She didn’t even care. Not right now.

She shoved the window. “Wait!”

Not waiting to see if they stopped, she raced down the stairs. She burst out the door, relieved to see that the group had come to a stop. As she drew nearer, her stomach clenched. There were so many people looking! How could she know he wouldn’t pull away, proving to everyone that they weren’t true mates?

So when she reached them, she ignored Hayden first. Instead, she hugged Ryder tightly. “Be careful. I’m out of my depth with Mom.”

Ryder patted her back. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

Mica nodded. A whirl of emotions swept through her as she stepped back. Though she intended to completely ignore Hayden, she found herself drawn to him against her will. His brown eyes met hers, so dark and serious. Her heart skipped a beat.

Without letting herself doubt, she cupped his face in her hands and drew him to her. To her surprise, he didn’t jerk himself from her. Their lips kissed. It was soft and light. Mica molded herself against him, desperate and full of things she couldn’t say aloud. Hayden’s arms wrapped around her, pullingher even tighter. He answered her kiss with a ferocity that surprised her, teasing her mouth open.

A guttural growl rumbled in his chest as his tongue thrust into her mouth. Mica whimpered as heat washed through her.

Someone in his group cleared their throat. Hayden sucked on her lower lip a moment longer before he withdrew. His eyes were dark with lust, nearly paralyzing Mica. Did he really want her? Was there more to Hayden choosing her as his mate than she realized—more than he admitted?

“Come back,” she whispered. “Promise me that you’ll come back. We still need our honeymoon, after all.”

He pressed another light, lingering kiss to her mouth. Mica groaned with the desire for more. His hands cupped her ass and squeezed briefly before releasing her. “I’ll be back, Mica. You can be certain of that.”

He smirked, making her heart flip again. Then he turned on his heel and walked away. Mica clenched her fists at her sides, wondering if this was a good idea after all. But when the image of Elin’s terrified eyes drifted through her mind again, she hardened her resolve.

So now, all she could do was keep herself busy while she waited for Hayden and his team to return. Those of the pack who had come to swear allegiance to Hayden watched her warily. She keenly felt every eye on her. What was she meant to say? She was the mate of their Alpha…

Mica, who everyone had disdained for so long, as she turned and gazed at the familiar faces of the pack, saw more than one who had tormented her in her life. A feeling of power swept through her as she saw the unsettled looks in their eyes. She was the Alpha's mate. Now, they would obey her or face Hayden'sdistrust. She was primed to get vengeance, something she had longed for in the past.

But she also knew what it meant to be powerless. She knew what it was like to have people come at her from all sides. And she knew her actions here would set the tone for the pack's actions to come.

The Alpha’s mate was meant to be a guiding light for compassion. Monroe had never let his mate take that role. She had been too powerless in herself to create a pack with compassion, to counter Monroe's innate violence. Mica wasn't sure she could lead and show compassion in the areas where she was needed most. But she could try.

“All right,” she said, letting her voice carry. “We have work to be done. Joseph, you’re a carpenter. I want you to select a team to harvest some trees and build a lean-to against the side of the house. It doesn’t have to be pretty, only functional and safe. We need a place for everyone to sleep out of the weather.”

Joseph, one of the most popular men her age until he lost an eye in a fight, tightened his mouth. For a moment, Mica thought he was going to tell her to go fuck herself. Then he bowed his head. He didn’t verbally acknowledge her, but he did turn to start selecting his team.

Food was next. Mica gathered the women and got a good sense of the funds they were working with. Then, she selected the strongest men to accompany a handful of chosen shoppers to the city. They’d take a big cargo van and load it up as much as possible.

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