Page 6 of The Alpha's Bullied Mate

“There has to be a reason why Hayden asked for you. There’s so many she-wolves in the pack who would love to be with him.” Tess lifted her head again, a pained smile on her face. “He could have asked Elin. She wouldn’t hesitate to accept him.”

“Elin can have him,” Mica spat. She started to walk again, slower this time. “But I guess there’s one thing I should thank him for.”

Tess’s black eyebrows quirked together.

“He’s made it clear to me that I can’t stay here,” Mica said. Her spine straightened as she came to the obvious conclusion. She’d wasted enough of her life here with this pack. “I’m not going to spend the rest of my life kicking around the edges of this pack, hoping someday I’ll start being treated better.”

“Mica,” Tess yelped in surprise.

“I’m a human. I can go anywhere I like. Other packs aren’t going to attack me like they would a rogue,” she said, the pieces falling together. “Mom needs the car, so I’ll have to go on foot. But nobody will even notice I’m gone.”

“You can’t be serious,” Tess protested. “Mica, this is insane! Where will you go? You have shelter and protection here. If you leave, you’ll have to find someplace that will take you, and there’s no guarantee anyone will treat you better.”

Mica shook her head. “I have to try. I should never have been part of the pack in the first place. I’m not even part of the pack; that’s been made abundantly clear over and over again.”

“Your mother will know,” Tess said desperately. “And what about her? What will she do when you’re gone? You’re supposed to take care of her.”

“Ryder is back. He can take care of her.”

But thinking about Echo did make Mica hesitate. Her mother’s state was so fragile that any huge upsets might make her take a turn for the worse. Could she really leave if it meant maybe never seeing her mother again?

Ryder was home, though. Ryder, who had left the brunt of the work here to Mica for years.

Besides, if she didn’t leave now, when would she have a chance again? Everyone would keep pushing her to be with Hayden. He was more than she deserved, according to everyoneelse. So why wouldn’t she accept him? If she thought her life was awful now, just wait until she told a man no. Just look at what happened to Tess.

Mica couldn’t imagine her life getting worse, and she didn’t want to stick around to see how the pack would punish her for this.

“You have to help me.” Mica caught Tess’s hands in her own. “Please. You’re the only one that can. I need to get away from here; otherwise, this place is going to kill me. I’m going to my house and pack a bag. You tell my mother I’ve gone to my cave until this business with Hayden cools off.”

The cave was up the mountain in the forest, just beyond the Bluebell Valley pack’s border. It was where Mica often fled when things got too bad for her. No wolves of the pack could cross it, but as a human, she was able to cross borders without the neighboring pack thinking anything of it.

“Please,” Mica begged.

Tess nodded. “I’ll tell her.”

Mica pulled her friend into a hug. “Thank you.”

Then she took off again, heading to the house. It was time to leave and put the pack behind her, once and for all.

Chapter 4 - Hayden

Hayden walked along the well-lit road, his eyes skimming over the rows of houses. They were shabbier than he remembered. The yards were a bit more overgrown, the vehicles more rusted. Otherwise, it was all exactly as he remembered from before he and the others left.

The big house at the edge of town still belonged to Hayden, and there was enough space for all of them there, so it was their base of operations until the demons could be rooted out.

Ryder trotted up beside Hayden. His eyes were pinched, indicating that he was upset about something.

“The plan or your sister?” Hayden asked.

“My sister. You should have told me you planned to take her as your mate.”

Hayden shrugged carelessly. “I had to make a spur-of-the-moment decision. Do you disprove of my choice?”

Ryder didn’t answer.

Hayden studied his friend. Out of all the special ops team, Ryder was the one that was closest with what family he had left. His concern for Echo and Mica made him want to come back to preserve this pack. So, were these objections due to Hayden’s choice being unpopular with the pack, or concern for his sister?

He was about to ask when a black-haired woman stepped out of an alley ahead of them. She walked with her eyes on the ground as she headed toward them. It was the woman who had been sitting with Mica.

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