Page 23 of Alpha's Bullied Mate
I threw a wild smack at him, catching where someone had split his lip. He winced. “Don’t call me that!” Then I slumped against the seat as he stepped on the gas pedal, and we shot off. We were on the highway before I could realize that we were truly leaving my new home of a year.
“I’ll just run again,” I threatened. “Now that I know they came for me.”
“I don’t care if you know they did,” he said. “They didn’t come to take you back. They didn’t even know we had you. They were checking out the scent of another pack in the area and wanted to make sure we weren’t causing trouble. Jason got mouthy and we promised we’d be gone before midday.”
Despite my resistance to believe him, my heart sank. Had they noticed me gone at all? Was Aidan right? Did they truly deserve my loyalty and trust if they hadn’t even seen me in the house?
“Were any of them in wolf form?”
“No.”
So they wouldn’t have even been able to scent me. From that distance, in human form, they might not have been able to pick up that I was there, but a wolf might have done. Behind us,a black SUV wove in and out of traffic to catch up. My breath caught, glancing back.
“It’s just Dec driving stupidly,” Aidan told me. “He loves driving on the highway at night when it’s empty but forgets basic road safety during the day.”
“Right,” I said quietly. When the SUV was finally right behind us, I saw Declan and Jason riding up front, their eyes on me. Jason gave me a two-fingered salute and a grin.
“They like you,” Aidan said, surprising me enough that I looked at him and straightened to face the front.
“They like taunting me along with you,” I countered. “They like power over people.”
“No, they like that you give me back as good as I give you.”
I didn’t really know what to say to that, so I said nothing.
It wasn’t a long drive to Oak Hill, but we were almost at the junction to come off for my hometown when a car horn sounded, breaking through the tense silence I had created. I gasped, looking up in time to see a car go out of control as we turned off for the Oak Hill exit. The car drifted, starting a harsh jerk, as the rear end of it spun and smashed into the front of Aidan’s car. I screamed, the crash making me jolt as Aidan threw his arm over me. Despite the blaring horns and shouting outside, his eyes met mine with that deep, dark gaze that always held more secrets than anyone else I knew. I couldn’t look away. My chest loosened as I let out a gasp.
It had been instinct for him to not even think of himself. He’d gone straight to protect me. Had the other car done more damage, he could have injured his arm doing that. Could have been injured anywhere.
Did Aidan actually care about me? The realization hit me like a breath of fresh air.
Until I further realized he’d likely only done it to protect me as his leverage against Fenrys. My heart plummeted in my chest, and I questioned why I would even be disappointed. I knew what kind of man Aidan was.
And yet… There had been no hesitance.
He didn’t look away, his eyes searching my face. I could feel his arm stretched across my chest, pinning me to my seat, and I muffled a whimper at the heat of his skin on me.
Chapter 13 - Aidan
Dakota’s chest rose and fell against my arm, which pressed her into the leather seat of my car, and I couldn’t look away from her eyes. I swore something shifted in the green of them, something brighter looked back at me for the first time. Her lips parted, and I could feel myself leaning in, until she cringed back, her brow parting. That bright look in her eyes turned distant, as if she was thinking.
Her moving snapped me back to reality.
What had just happened?
Why did I feel…different.
Like I could suddenly breathe easier. Like even though the front of my car had been bashed in, all I had thought about was protecting Dakota first and foremost.
“Gotta save your leverage, right?” she muttered quietly, and I realized that was why she’d moved away. It could have been any other reason—she had no desire to be near me in the best of times—but I wanted to think she was disappointed by it. I yanked my arm away, and I snarled when I saw the driver getting out of his car.
“Stay here,” I warned her, my voice low, almost a growl. I stormed out of my car and up to the driver, who only held his hands up. “What the hell is wrong with you?” I saw Jason and Declan start to get out, but I waved them off.
“Look, man, I’m sorry—”
I grabbed the man by the shirt collar and hauled him against the side of his car, slamming him back.
“Are you fucking crazy?” I hissed. “You could have caused a massive accident here.”
