Page 7 of The Alpha's Bullied Mate

“Tess?” Ryder said, quickening his pace.

Tess’s head jerked up. Her eyes widened, and she stopped dead. Tears glimmered on her cheeks.

Hayden gestured for the others to stop, giving the woman her space. He swaggered closer. Mica had left with this woman; that meant she knew where Mica was now. Hayden needed to claim his mate quickly, before Monroe caused more problems for her.

“What’s wrong?” Ryder asked, frowning at her.

“None of your damn business,” Tess shrieked back. Her wide eyes narrowed to slits, and she balled her hands. “Get out of my way, or I’ll kick you in the balls.”

A couple of the men chuckled. Ryder sent them death glares.

Hayden ignored Tess’s hostility as he stepped up to her. He reached out with the authority born to him with his Alpha blood. “Where is Mica?”

Tess bowed in on herself. Her arms wrapped around her waist as she fought the compulsion to answer. It was unnatural for lower-ranked wolves to disobey an Alpha, any Alpha. She was tough, though, and clenched her jaw shut.

“Where is she?” Hayden asked, this time letting the growl of his wolf into his voice.

“She ran away,” Tess burst out.

Hayden frowned. “Ran away?”

Tess’s hands dropped to her sides, loosening out of their fists. “She told me she was leaving the pack. She thinks she’ll be free to roam through other packlands without being accosted because she's human. But she’ll be all by herself. I tried to convince her to stay, but she won’t. What will happen to her if…?”

She let the question trail off, shuddering.

Running away.

Hayden wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or snarl. That was just so much like Mica! Of course, she’d be dramatic and decide to run away from the pack just to spite him. He had to admire her tenacity, he had to admit. She was quite the spitfire. It would serve her well against the demons once they were mated.

“Go home,” he told Tess. “And tell nobody of Mica leaving.”

She nodded stiffly and scurried off.

Once she was out of earshot, Hayden turned to the team. “We will proceed according to plan. You get the base set up while I go get my errant mate.”

“I should go with you,” Ryder quickly said.

Hayden understood. He might not have ever had a sister himself, but he remembered the protectiveness of his mother quite well. Add to it that Mica was human, and of course, Ryder would want to look after her.

“You have your own mission,” Hayden reminded him. He put a hand on Ryder’s shoulder. “Don’t forget our purpose here. I’ll bring her back to home base.”

Ryder bowed his head, though he was clearly unhappy about the order. He gestured to the others, and they headed away. Finn paused near Hayden. He lowered his voice as he spoke.

“Monroe isn’t the only one with a demon’s influence on him. I counted at least five people in the crowd who were possessed. Others have auras about them but were too weak to know one way or another.”

Hayden nodded. “Then we will have to move quickly. Don’t tell the others yet. I want us to make a plan to combat these possessions all at once.”

“Of course.” Finn nodded, then jogged to catch up with the others.

Hayden turned on his heel, striding toward Echo’s house. He passed by several others on their way home but ignored them. They either stared or bowed their heads and hurried on by. Once at Echo’s house, he stripped down and tucked his clothes into a ball. Ready, he took his wolf form, a huge dusty grey monster.

He stretched out his spine and shook his ruff, enjoying the feeling of being in this skin. His nostrils flared, and he caught Mica’s scent quickly. She’d always had a unique scent. While others in the pack thought she smelled sickly, Hayden was always reminded of fresh-baked bread drizzled with honey.

Her trail led him into the forest. Hayden trotted along it. He’d bring Mica back even if he had to drag her. Her pride wasn’t going to get in the way.

He heard her before he saw her. Her back had gotten caught in a bramble bush and she yanked on it, trying to free it, as other brambles closed in around her. Her face got redder with every pull and Hayden chuckled to himself. No doubt she’d gotten caught up in the thorns because her weak human eyes couldn’t see anything in this darkness.

He took his human form again and pulled his boxers out of the clothing bundle he’d brought with him. Not that it mattered so much, seeing as they would be mates. But women could be strange about nudity.

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