Page 59 of The Alpha's Bullied Mate

His body was turned again. His eyes were directed toward a figure in the midst of the battle. Monroe’s form, being torn to pieces by the beast-demons.

But there was more.

Wolves all through the ranks of fighters glowed with a red aura. Their forms rippled, the images of the demons moving around them as though puppeteers controlling their puppets. As he howled, his throat and body working without his permission, it all came together. Every last piece of the puzzle.

It wasn’t an aura-demon he was dealing with.

Archdemon.

Mica had figured it out. An archdemon had managed to possess Monroe. And he had dropped to his knees, yielding to Hayden because he wanted the pack united once more. Under a new Alpha, he could possess. That was why the show. And he’d gone after Finn to make sure that nobody would know the truth.

That’s right, boy. You understand now why I say your Mica is my mate, don’t you? Because she’s your mate. And you are now me.

Chapter 31 - Mica

The sounds of fighting slowly faded away. Mica choked back bile. Bodies were strewn across the challenge grounds, but she wasn’t sure how many were pack members and how many were the beast demons. She reached for the door handle. Elin grabbed her arm back and pulled her into a too-tight embrace.

“The time after the battle is always the most dangerous time. We don’t know which ones are faking,” Elin said.

Mica elbowed her in the ribs. “Okay! Fine, I’ll stay in here until Hayden says it’s safe.”

She slumped back in her seat. Every inch of her wanted to jump out and rush to her mate. Elin was right, though. The last thing they needed was this victory to be tainted because a demon got her after they thought it was safe. She was reminded of when Hayden rescued her in the forest—she didn’t want to go through that again.

The bodies of the beast-demons were piled up in the middle of the challenge grounds, and the injured pack members were being tended to when Kai limped to the car. He opened the door and tiredly gestured for the women to get out.

“We need your help now,” he said.

Mica bolted from the car. She raced for Hayden and leaped into his arms. He grunted at the impact. Her arms twined around his neck as she pulled herself as tightly as she could to him. The fact that he was still naked barely registered—everyone was naked. That was just the nature of being in a wolf pack.

“You’re okay,” she breathed. Tears trembled in her voice as she buried her face into his shoulder. He smelled of sweat,blood, and smoke. His muscles bunched under her hands, and for a moment, all he did was stand there, sagging against her.

Slowly, he moved to hug her back.

“Are you hurt?” Mica asked, stepping back.

Her hands remained light on his shoulders as she searched him. He was bleeding heavily in several places, making her wince. It was clear he’d taken a beating between the challenge and the ensuing fight. No wonder he was being so slow! Mica pulled in a deep breath to steady herself and took his hand.

“Come sit down, I’ll patch you up,” she said gently.

His face was a rigid mask, but he nodded. He didn’t say a word as Mica led him to the car and had him sit facing outward. There weren’t any bandages around, so she had to use the strips of torn clothes she found in the dirt to tie around his bleeding injuries. Once they got home, she’d have to clean everything out much better.

Right now, though, her main concern was to stop the bleeding. Given how much was smeared over Hayden’s skin, he must be feeling lightheaded. Although… it was likely that not all of that blood was his.

Mica glanced over her shoulder as she worked. Elin knelt near Finn. He still lay motionless, but she was binding his injuries. Mica’s stomach hurt. That meant he was still alive, but after the way he’d been trampled, he had to be terribly injured. He hadn’t even shifted back to his human form.

“I’m sure he’s going to be okay,” she said, catching Hayden’s gaze lingering on Finn.

“He might be.”

It was the first thing he said. He sounded exhausted, as if he was going to fall over at any moment. It made Mica wince. She glanced over the battleground again. This time, she found Spencer kneeling in the dirt. He clutched Monroe’s body to his chest, sobbing over him. The sight made her flinch again.

“Why did he yield?” she murmured. “Mom was so certain that it was an archdemon possessing him. Why would an archdemon give up, though?”

Hayden grunted. “What makes Echo think it was an archdemon?”

“The demon possessing her.”

“Ah.” Hayden nodded. “That makes sense.”

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