Page 19 of The Wolf's Bullied Mate
My heart beat erratically. Blood shimmered in my ears. My wolf paced in my soul, agitated.
“Pauline, this is Oliver Norton, the Beta of the Moondust Hollow pack,” the agent introduced ‘Hope30’ to me. There waspride in her gaze as she looked at him. She was probably thinking the agency had made a good match.
I opened my mouth to say something, but I had no idea how to put my fear and confusion into words. One thing was certain—I didn’t want anything to do with this man who had made me suffer a decade ago. He had ruined my perfectly good high school life. He had acted as my friend, made me fall in love with him, and then destroyed everything by making the whole school call me a freak.
Now he was supposed to be my husband and maybe even my mate? Ha, ridiculous.
I didn’t want to have anything to do with Oliver.
I didn’t want to be here—not in Moondust Hollow and certainly not in front of this house that looked like it was made of hopes and dreams but could end up being yet another prison.
Being shackled to someone who had instigated so much of my abuse was no better than continuing to suffer under the cruelty of my parents, Jeffrey or Lone Bite.
Panic rose in my heart. I was now so far away from home and in front of the man I least wanted to see.
When Oliver Norton gave me a warm smile, something snapped inside me. I took Ray into my arms, relying on my wolf-shifter strength. Before anybody could stop me, I turned around and ran.
Where I was running, I didn’t know.
I just wanted to get away; away from Oliver, the arranged marriage, my resurfacing memories of his cruel words, my wish for a better future with Hope, which was now shattered into pieces.
Why did life give me things only to ruin them and prove to me that they weren’t anything like they seemed? I had wanted to have a future with this man in this beautiful house, but realityhad shown me my dreams were built on lies. Over and over again, life beat me down, leaving me sore and bruised.
When would my suffering end?
I squeezed Ray tightly. If not for my child, I would have stopped knowing how to go on long ago.
“Pauline!” A man’s low voice called after me. The sound was a pleasant rumble, bringing the image of water on the rocks to my mind. I knew who was calling: Oliver.
I turned my head to look behind me. Sure enough, he was running after me.
I put more strength into my legs, wishing to run faster. I didn’t want him to catch up to me. I didn’t want to explain why I had bolted. He didn’t deserve the truth from me.
Just as I turned the corner into another street, I felt something familiar coming; a flash of white, a pressure in my head, a ringing in my ears.
Not now.
A vision the sole reason why Oliver had called me a freak of nature back in high school.
I had to stop running. I couldn’t move forward if I couldn’t see anything in front of me. The sight of the vision in my mind overtook all my senses.
I had lost. Oliver would catch up to me. Even if I wanted to try and keep running, I couldn’t risk endangering Ray by doing so. I might trip and fall, injuring him.
I stopped running and let the whiteness and the shimmering take over.
In the vision, I heard howling in the distance, a short distance, too close for my comfort. Someone was chasing me as I held Ray in my arms, just like I had been doing while running from Oliver.
When I stole a glance behind me, I saw six giant wolves chasing me through the familiar town of Fairlake, where the Moondust Hollow pack resided. Why I was here, I didn’t know. Somehow, though, I did know that the wolves wanted my son and me.
I had to run. I had to protect my child.
I couldn’t shift into a wolf and fight them. What could a weak wolf like me do against six huge enemies? Besides, to shift, I would have to stop moving and put down Ray. I wouldn’t risk him leaving my arms.
There was only one person who could save me—Oliver.
The me who was seeing the vision didn’t want Oliver to be the one to protect us. I didn’t know why I should rely on someone who made me feel so afraid. Yet, the woman in the vision, which had to be me in the future, was dead set on getting to Oliver and somehow knew he would fight off the wolves for her.
“Oliver!” The me in the vision called out in a panicked voice.
