Page 47 of The Alpha's Bullied Mate

Mica froze. “Monroe said he’d push the challenge back a week.”

“We can’t wait that long. My course of action is clear.” He pressed Mica’s palm to his lips. The exhaustion of the day pressed even more heavily on him.

Mica stared at the long, scabbed claw marks on his side from Echo’s attack. “You’re injured. You’ll be weakened. You aren’t ready. You need time to heal. Monroe is strong and clever; he’s doing this on purpose. He’s saying he’ll push back the fight, so you think he wants more time, but—”

“Mica.” Hayden cupped her face in his hands. “This is how it has to be. We can’t keep going without food. And there will always be another fight. I’m not so badly injured right now.”

Mica chewed her lip, searching his gaze. “This is my fault.”

He kissed her, slow and deep. The patter of water on his back was soothing. “It’s not your fault. This is far bigger than you or I. I’m sorry that it’s causing you distress.”

“Hayden…”

He kissed her again. “I need to confront Monroe now, on the original deadline. Before our circumstances get even worse.”

Chapter 25 - Mica

Mica grabbed a washcloth and dumped too much body wash onto it. She focused on the lather of suds, trying to pretend as though she wasn’t shaking all over. This wasn’t right. Hayden should be going into the challenge with full strength. Not healing from injuries like this. It didn’t matter if he was saying that she wasn’t to blame.

She was. He knew it. She knew it.

“I’ve allowed the demons to delay the challenge too long already,” Hayden said.

She glanced at his face. His eyes were closed, face lifted slightly toward the shower head. Was he deliberately not looking at her? Or was it just from how exhausted he was? His muscular body sagged somewhat, as though he was fighting not to lean against the side of the shower.

Mica wiped the dampness from her face and started washing his body. She could be strong for him. He was facing death; even though it made her chest ache to think about it, she couldn’t let herself break down. Not yet, at least. He was strong. The strongest person she’d ever known.

If anyone had a chance against a literal demon, it was Hayden.

When the blood was scrubbed from Hayden’s body, Mica inspected his injuries. They weren’t so bad, right? Little more than scrapes.

Hayden caught her scrutiny and turned her around. She yelped, heat shooting through her body. For a moment, she hoped he’d push her against the shower wall and take her from behind. But when he started to wash her, like she had done forhim, she melted against him. His tenderness was just so intimate—even more intimate than fucking.

They slept entwined in each other’s arms, fully clothed.

Or at least, Hayden slept. Mica dozed off and on, fighting sleep. Every time she started to sink too deep, nightmares plagued her. So she didn’t let herself get too deep, worried that she would disturb Hayden’s sleep. She watched him sleep, struggling with herself.

This wasn’t what she signed up for.

But if she had known what would happen… well, she would make this choice anyway. Her heart ached at the thought of never having had these last three months with Hayden. Never knowing his kiss, never knowing his touch… it hurt her worse than she thought it could.

In the morning, when Hayden stirred, Mica tightened her hold on him. “Go back to sleep,” she murmured.

Hayden chuckled sleepily. “What time is it?”

“Too early.”

He carefully pulled away and grabbed the alarm clock. When he saw the time, he groaned. “I have work to do.”

Mica held him all the tighter. Her heart hammered hard as all the thoughts she’d been wrestling with bubbled to the surface. She didn’t know if it was smart or stupid if telling him would cause him to lose focus…

But Hayden deserved to know.

He couldn’t face Monroe without knowing he would be a father. And some part of her hoped that maybe if she told him…

“Mica, I have to—"

“Hayden.”

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