Page 64 of The Alpha's Bullied Mate

Chapter 33 - Mica

Something to fuck?

Mica stared at Hayden, unable to believe what she was hearing. Though the words came from his mouth, she couldn’t believe he’d say such a thing. His expression was closed off, hard. There was no trace of the Hayden she knew. Her belly cramped as she processed his words. Part of her said it was true. Of course, it was. She was just some overweight, human woman. What could she offer someone like Hayden except warmth on cold nights?

But this wasn’t Hayden. He was patient with her. Kind. He’d insisted on her consent before he touched her the first time. Someone looking for a ‘thing’ to fuck wouldn’t have done that.

“What’s going on?” she asked, stepping forward. “Hayden? What happened?”

Hayden rolled his eyes. “What happened is that I’m Alpha now. I have the position I want. And I don’t want you anymore.”

“Then why did you declare me as your mate in front of the whole pack?” she challenged.

Hayden shrugged. “Because those who take the mating ceremony seriously would be shocked if I did not. I didn’t mean it. You served your purpose. And now that I have a child growing in your womb, I don’t need anything else from you. I’ll have my child, and then you’ll leave.”

“Leave?”

“You’re human. I was foolish for choosing a human as my mate. You left me as a single father. It will be such a heartbreaking time for me, but I’ll find comfort in the arms ofother women.” Hayden laughed. “And you will never have to deal with the pack again. Win-win, don’t you think?”

Mica shook her head slowly, trying to make sense of what he was saying. He planned to use her to give birth, then kick her out and never let her see her own child? “I don’t believe you.”

“Because you love me?” he mocked. His eyes were cold.

Mica fell back a step. A bitter taste filled her mouth, and her lungs struggled to bring in air. If being rejected when they were teens hurt, this was too painful for words. He would have done less damage if he had slapped her across the face. He turned his back on her as she stood there, struggling to make sense of it all.

“Leave me. I have work to do,” he said.

I don’t believe you.

She didn’t say it out loud. But it was still true. Despite the feeling that Hayden had just reached into her chest and torn out her heart, she didn’t believe a word he said. How could she? That wasn’t like Hayden! She couldn’t believe that everything they’d shared these past few months was bullshit.

No. There was something else going on. But what?

“Fine,” she breathed. If something was wrong, it was clear Hayden wasn’t going to share. “Fine. If that’s how you feel, you won’t have to deal with me anymore. But I’m not letting you take my baby.”

“My baby,” Hayden interrupted.

Mica shook her head. “Until you’re the one growing this baby, it’s mine. Not yours. I’ll tell everyone I slept with random men in the city if I need to. You’re not taking this baby away from me. But I am leaving. I’m getting away from this pack once and for all.”

Hayden stared back at her coldly. Part of her still thought he’d say something to stop her. But there was no emotion on his face. It was as though her words meant nothing. Her heart sank. Her traitorous, unfaithful heart. She steeled herself; she wasn’t going to let go so easily. His words had been calculated to hurt, and hers to prove he had hurt her.

If he was telling the truth, he’d demand she stay until the baby was born. Right? So… did this mean he was being deliberately cruel to make her want to leave him?

“I’ll tell the pack that I’m going to the city to look out for the wolves at the hospital,” she said. “But as soon as I can get a vehicle, I’m out of here.”

And with that, she turned on her heel and walked away. Her mind churned over everything that they had just said to each other. What the hell was happening?

***

Mica knew she was no brilliant spy. But she had to admit she was pleased with the spy camera she had rigged up. Though there weren’t many cell phones in Bluebell Valley, she got her hands on two of them and installed apps that allowed her to set up one in the Alpha’s house, keep the other with her, and spy on what Hayden was up to.

She expected a secret meeting with the special ops team to explain everything. That the ground was unstable or that more beast-demons were converging on the town and preparing to slaughter everyone. Mica could understand why Hayden wanted her to leave.

Now she lay on her bed, a packed suitcase hidden beneath the bed. She needed to prove to Hayden she was leaving if hedemanded it. Even though she had no intention of leaving. She stared through the phone, her eyebrows knitting together.

“We’ll continue this building project,” Hayden said, leaning over the desk that showed the blueprints Monroe was working on. “But rather than keep this as the Alpha’s house, we’ll turn it into a hospital for injured wolves. Having this addition on will allow for a more comfortable space. Kai, you’ll finish the excavations while the rest of us hunt down the last of the demons.”

“What?” Kai’s forehead wrinkled. “But we still need to find what is anchoring the aura-demons.”

---