Page 29 of The Wolf's Bullied Mate
“I need to go to work,” I groaned. “But I’ll be back in the evening.”
She nodded again and patted my arm gently. “I’ll be home with Ray.”
The thought that she’d be waiting at home when I returned warmed my heart.
I remembered the first time I had seen her, back in high school. Her long red hair covered her eyes as she looked down at the book she held. I tried to guess what she was reading but couldn’t. The book looked thick, so my guess was something fantasy-related.
Then she shifted in her seat and looked out of the window; that was the first time I saw her face. She had beautiful petite features, including a pointy nose and so many freckles that she almost seemed to have stars dusting complexion.
I stared at her, mesmerized.
She closed the book slightly, interested in something that was happening outside. From the sound coming through the half-open window, a soccer match must be going on in the school field.
So not only did she like to read fantasy, but she also liked sports.
I finally caught sight of the title of the book she was reading and recognized it immediately—a comedic, feel-goodfantasy, one in a series of over forty books. I had read all of them in the past. It was fascinating that the two of us had the same taste—assuming she was enjoying the book, of course.
I had to find out.
I approached the gorgeous girl and put on my killer smile. “Hey, do you like the book you’re reading?”
She looked at me, disinterest changing to a glimmer of attraction. Hope bloomed in my heart; I hoped she felt the same magnetic pull I felt for me. We were too young to find our fated mates—that discovery usually happened at twenty-two—but if I had to imagine who my lifelong partner would be, I would have picked someone like her. Someone pretty and smart and fascinating.
“I do,” she said softly.
“I’ve read that series before. The main character is really something else. How did he…”
Before I realized what was happening, I was going off on a monologue about the protagonist's virtues. When I noticed that I was the only one talking and she was just staring at me, I suddenly closed my mouth. I knew I must be blushing darkly, like a kid seeing his first crush.
Then she gave me a small smile, brightening my day like I’d never felt before. Screw stars—the freckles on her nose were small suns, and when she looked at me with her eyes twinkling in amusement, I felt like I could fight the world for her.
I had fallen for Pauline completely and utterly on the first day we had met…and now she was my wife, and everything felt right with the world.
Chapter 9 - Pauline
The next day, Oliver took a day off work to spend time with me and Ray. We left the house in the morning to walk around town. The buildings and infrastructure had changed a lot since I had moved away—everything was modernized. Yet, I still recognized the old streets I had frequented as a child and teenager.
Ray, on the other hand, took in the sights wide-eyed. The town was new to him, and he commented on the amount of greenery compared to what we’d had at Lone Bite.
“The late alpha, the one who ruled the pack before Ryder, wanted the community to be more integrated with the nearby woods,” Oliver explained. “Since we’re a community of wolf shifters, the forests are part of our nature. We live in towns as humans, but there’s no reason why the towns shouldn’t resemble the natural world around us.”
Ray asked him a bunch more questions, and he was very interested in the concept.
At some point, Oliver paused in front of a cozy-looking coffee shop. Through the windows, I could see a beige and brown interior. Some people were inside, but it wasn’t crowded; the place seemed popular, but still quiet enough for people to talk comfortably inside. The nameplate above the entrance said ‘Warm Smile.’
“This is luna Aria’s shop,” Oliver gestured to the café. “Though now that she’s luna, Lisa is taking care of the place instead.”
“Lisa? Lisa Davis?” I remembered a friend with that name from my teenage years. Could it be her?
“The one and only,” Oliver smiled. “Do you want to meet her?”
Lisa was one of the few people who had not actively participated in my bullying, though she’d done nothing to prevent it either. I didn’t consider her much of a friend anymore, though I supposed it would be fun to meet her again. If I wanted to find my place in the Moondust Hollow pack, I needed to make friends beyond Oliver.
“Sure, let’s go in,” I nodded.
When we entered the café, the smell of fresh coffee and sweet cakes drifted into my nose. For a moment, I imagined what it would be like to spend more time in such a place or even to work here. It was a far cry from the disgusting atmosphere and oily scent of my previous workplace, the eatery in Lone Bite.
However, I considered the likelihood of me ever working in such a cozy place low.
