Page 46 of Forced Plus-Size Mate

“Everything looks pretty peaceful, too,” Jack replies. “At least for now.”

“I’ll have to go around soon,” Bae says. “Just to get a feel for things. But at the moment, it looks like everyone’s having fun.”

“Except you,” Kyle says to me, nudging my arm. “What’s going on, buddy?”

“Oh,” I say hesitantly. “I don’t think I want to talk about it.”

“Sure, you do,” Peter answers. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here. And even if you weren’t, we’d beat down your door and make you talk to us.”

“What did I do to deserve such good friends?” I chuckle, shaking my head.

“Seriously, man.” Bae turns to me, locking his eyes on mine. “I have firsthand experience with your situation, and I want to tell you—hang in there. You have to.”

“My situation wasn’t the same as yours—”

“Oh, really?” Bae snorts. “I think you’ll find it frighteningly similar, actually. If you’re anything like me, then you’ve been beating yourself up over it for years. But I’m telling you, now it’s time to stop. You have your chance. Don’t blow it.”

“It seemed like things were going great!” I exclaim, finally cracking. “Up on the mountain, she got so close to me, and I thought…”

“Out of town,” Rider says, nodding. “She felt comfortable in the wilderness. It’s probably more what she’s used to, from what I heard.”

“You are, too,” Bae agrees. “Maybe another camp, with just the two of you?”

“She was pretty frosty to me this morning,” I say. “I don’t know if I’d want to suggest it.”

“Eyes up, boys,” Kyle hisses with a low whistle. “Something’s cooking.”

All of us look up immediately, and I can see people gathering in a tight knot on the other side of the yard.

“What happened?” Bae asks in a low voice.

“Nothing yet,” Kyle mutters. “But there was some tension, then two people started getting in each other’s faces. I can’t see who.”

“We should get over there,” Jack suggests, standing up.

“Wait,” Bae says, putting a hand on his arm. “If we charge in there, it could start the fight. Let’s just watch. I won’t let anything happen.”

Even though Bailey has given his order, Rider stands up and moves toward the trouble. He doesn’t directly approach the conflict but obviously wants to be nearby.

Agitated shouts begin to rise above the murmur of the crowd. Now, all of us are up and moving. The group is getting bigger. With everyone standing so close together, it’s hard to see what’s actually going on.

“We aren’t going to allow this!” a male voice shouts. “You shouldn’t be here. You have no right to be here.”

“They have every right to be here. I’m questioning your right, though.”

It’s a female voice, but I can’t tell who it is. A sick wave of anxiety is starting to seep into my guts, and I want to hurl people out of the way to get into the center of the circle, but I’m still very aware of Bae’s order.

He’s right. Someone aggressively shoving in there could light the fuse.

“If you have a problem, then take it up with me,” says another female voice.

And it’s familiar.

“How dare you, witch!” the wolf roars. “Everything was just fine until you came back. We will run you off this mountain just like we have before!”

The crowd tosses in front of me like the angry waves of a violent ocean. The people part slightly, giving me a clear view of where the argument is happening.

It’s a wolf—a big one, from the Decker pack. He’s in full threat mode with his shoulders high and fists clenched as he glares at the source of his hate.

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