Page 44 of Alpha's Bullied Mate
I nodded as we approached a man in a sharp suit with a sash that readMayor of Oak Hill. Next to him was a blonde woman in a champagne-colored dress.
“Mayor Hanson,” Aidan greeted, holding out a hand. “Thank you for inviting us tonight.”
“Aidan! Of course. You and your…” His eyes flickered about before he smiled, laughing. “Friendsare quite the contribution to this town. And we would love to welcome—” He turned to me and frowned. “Dakota Shields?”
Of course, the mayor would know me. I was from Oak Hill and had lived here longer than Aidan.
“Hello, Mayor Hanson,” I greeted. He kissed the back of my hand. “It’s good to see you again.”
“I must admit, I never quite expected you to be in the company of Mr Tyrone. However, you’ve both proven to be upstanding Oak Hill community members. Your parents will be delighted to know you’ve come home! I am quite surprised they didn’t mention it when I met with them the other day. Apparently, there’s been some unrest in our neighboring town of Silverlake Valley.”
“What sort of unrest?” Aidan asked.
At the same time, I asked, “You met with my parents?” My hand tightened on Aidan’s arm with worry. “Are my parents here tonight?”
“Not until later, I believe,” the mayor answered with a smile.
“The unrest, Mayor?” Aidan prompted. “Is it anything I can help with?”
“Oh, I believe it’s nothing we mayors can’t sort out between ourselves but it does involve both towns. Anyway, I must continue my rounds! Have a lovely evening, both of you. And Aidan, seeing you settling down with a beautiful woman such as Dakota is wonderful. I hope you two are very happy together.”
Aidan pulled me away quickly. “Is it possible Fenrys has become the mayor in Silverlake Valley?” he demanded.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Either way, it’s him or his mom.”
“This will be to do with his pack,” Aidan hissed.
“To do with me, you mean?” I asked. He nodded, eyes sweeping the town hall, as if expecting to see Fenrys himself.
“Let me keep you close tonight, Dakota,” he murmured, pulling me to his side. I didn’t know how to explain that being distanced from him was the last thing I wished to be. Nevertheless, I let him draw me to his side. Music played overhead and in the far back of the hall, a blue banner hung wall to wall, readingCELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF OAK HILL.
“Champagne?” A server with a tray came around, champagne glasses crammed together. Aidan grabbed two glasses but I grabbed my own. Once I’d downed it, I reached for the second glass he’d taken.
“Wolfie,” he said in admiration. “You can really hold your drink away, huh?”
“My parents will be here,” I hissed. “I can’t face them—I can’t.”
Too late, I realized that, in my panic. I was giving reasons why I hadn’t returned to Oak Hill after the Mating Games. Why I’d accepted the offer to join Fenrys’s pack. Aidan gave me a slow, knowing smirk.
“Oh yeah? Tell me why.”
I shook my head. “Not now.”
“When, Wolfie?”
“I’ve told you to stop calling me that.”
He leaned in, his mouth brushing the shell of my ear. “You didn’t mind me calling you it when I told you to get on the bed the other night. Or when I told you how tight your pu—”
“Point made,” I snapped, flushing warm with embarrassment. Aidan only laughed and slipped an arm around my waist. “I’m not ready to talk about my parents yet. But I’m not ready to see them, either.”
“We’re only showing face here tonight. If anything, the less time I have you here, the better.”
“You really think Fenrys would ambush a function like this?”
“You don’t?”
“It’s a small town. He believes in small-town peace and politics. It’s why the news about Thalia’s kidnapping last year never went public. He silenced Kato’s pack’s story before it got out. Which was why you likely didn’t know about it.”
