Page 104 of The Alpha's Bullied Rejected Mate
She was interrupted as the thunder cracked through the sky again like a whip, raw and loud, seconds before the rain began to hammer the roof in heavy, hurried sheets.
As though the storm itself were attempting to enter, the wind whipped against the windows, causing the panes to rattle. With her hair stuck to her cheeks and the cold leaking into the room from each drop that blew in, Athena hurried to close them.
She turned back to him as she closed the last window. He had stopped close to the doorway, looking up at the storm’s sound.
She offered a quiet, almost queasy smile.
“This is a heavy downpour. Looks like you have to stay over.”
***
The cabin was two-roomed, and Riley was already fast asleep in his room. As if reading his mind, she pointed toward the longest couch against the far wall.
“You can take that for the night. It’s the softest. I’ll go get you a blanket.”
Marcus gave a tight smile and nodded. “Thanks. That will do just fine.”
Lies. It was moments like these that exposed to Marcus how distant he and Athena were despite everything.
Suddenly, she tilted her head abruptly and then burst out laughing.
“I cannot believe you fell for that. Don’t be ridiculous, Marcus.”
He blinked, confused. “What?”
“We’re not strangers,” she said gently, already walking toward her room.
“Come on, it’s getting late, we should get some sleep.” She motioned for him to follow her.
Marcus stepped into her room, like it were his first time being here. It was different now. She invited him in.
He climbed into the bed beside her, making sure to stay on the far side. Outside, it was still raining heavily; he could tell from the way raindrops hit the windows harshly. But inside the room was quieter as they lay there in silence for a long beat.
Then gently she rolled onto her side to face him. “Are you fine?”
He was surprised by the question.
He opened his mouth to say ‘yes’, to tell the standard one-word lie, and let it go.
However, her voice was gentle enough to ask without demanding, and her eyes were patient. The kind that broke down his barriers.
He exhaled deeply. “I’m just… tired,” he admitted.
The kind of tired that sleep couldn’t fix.
Another minute passed, and then suddenly he felt the mattress dip as she inched closer.
Athena leaned into him, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her arms circled his waist as her cheek rested against his chest.
Marcus froze for a moment.
“Riley told me,” she whispered into his shirt, “that hugs help tired people feel good again.”
That undid him.
His breath hitched and his heart skipped two beats—before slowly, so slowly, his body melted into her embrace.
Marcus released a deep breath he didn’t know he had been holding and curled his arms around her in return, pulling her tighter to his chest. His nose brushed against her hairline as he let himself rest into her embrace.
