Page 44 of Forced Plus-Size Mate

I’m standing in the driveway, watching Amanda go and feeling more lost than I ever have when my phone buzzes in my pocket.

We need help!

It’s from Bae.

Where are you?

My mom’s place! Hurry!

I barely remember to lock the door before I leap into the truck and roar down the driveway. I gun it when I hit the street, burning rubber down the road.

Even though this sounds potentially devastating, I’m relieved to have a distraction. I wasn’t looking forward to sitting around by myself, trying to figure out what I did wrong.

I know what I did wrong. I can’t ever take it for granted, no matter how comfortable Amanda seems with me. I ripped out her heart and tore it in two. I need to own that.

As I put my foot down on the gas and tear through the back streets, I remember those wonderful months I spent with Amanda back in high school. Suddenly, I’m seeing all of it from a completely different perspective, and it makes me feel like an utter piece of shit.

We often hung out at her house because her mom was hardly around. Sometimes we went for walks to the river or lake. But we were never together at school. We never went on a date, and I never held her hand in public.

I was so afraid my parents would find out. They had me so well-trained, so scared of disappointing them. It was only onceI lost Amanda that I realized I truly didn’t give a fuck what my parents thought.

After school, we’d spend long hours in her bedroom, listening to music and talking about our favorite movies. She played around a little with a guitar. I said she was good, but she didn’t believe me.

It was fun having the little house to ourselves and sneaking kisses behind the gym. The whole time, I thought she was just being totally chill with the situation. And backing me up because she wanted to help me get around my parents.

I told her once high school was finished, we could be together and it wouldn’t matter anymore. But, if anything, the pressure got worse. My parents wanted me to go to state tryouts and college interviews in big cities. If I couldn’t make an impact on the pack, they wanted me to be out in the world, measuring my success by money and power.

As I approach Carla’s house, a groan rips out of my throat, and the ache in my chest is so bad, it feels like there’s a blade stuck through my heart.

And right in front of the whole school… I dumped her. I panicked. I always intended to find her later and explain, but by the time I went looking for her, she was already gone.

I grip the steering wheel so hard, I can hear it crack a little under my fingers. Even if I could have found her after that, I have no idea what I would have said.

There are no words that can heal that wound.

It wasn’t until the next day when I was standing in front of my parents while they decided my future, that I realized I didn’t give a fuck what they wanted. I ran from the house, I ran from the pack, I ran from the entire town.

Months of solitude cleansed me, stripping away all my superficial layers and leaving nothing but my raw, unadulterated self. I discovered a strength inside me that I’d never known, as well as a newfound purpose.

Amanda did the same thing when she went into the woods with her witches. Both of us returned to our very base nature.

As I pull up to Carla’s house, I can hear screaming from the backyard. I leap out of the truck and tear around the house, fearing the worst.

Bae is struggling on the ground, gasping for breath. His daughter, Natalia, is kneeling on his chest. Her cousin, Gray, bounces on Bae’s stomach. Little Dana is tugging on his shirt, giggling as she tries to climb on him as well.

A bloodcurdling scream rips through the air as Caleb comes hurtling out of the forest in his wolf shape, racing at top speed. Jack and Rider are hard on his heels, chasing him down. Peter is sitting on the ground near Bae, wearing a troubled expression as he rocks Isla back and forth. Kyle is sitting on the back steps, observing the scene with a look somewhere between utter joy and complete horror.

“Are you guys okay?” I ask, looking around.

“Do I look okay?” Bae shouts. “Get over here and help me.”

“Don’t you dare!” Natalia shrieks. “He said if I got him down, he’s going to buy me a pony!”

“If you got me down byyourself,” Bae yells. “You enlisted Gray and poor baby Dana in your schemes.”

“Gray wants to ride the pony, too,” Natalia says, crossing her arms across her chest. “And I’m not responsible for Dana. She’s a baby.”

“Yeah, Kyle, who is responsible for Dana?” Bae yells helplessly.

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