Page 32 of The Wolf's Bullied Mate
Yet, I couldn’t forget what he had done to me as a teenager. He had called me a freak of nature, and the whole school had caught on, calling me that term and other names, too. Oliver had done nothing to stop the abuse from spreading or to prevent everyone from hurting me.
He was at fault for me being weak and broken in the first place. Jeffrey, my parents, and the rest of Lone Bite had just deepened the breach that I had already carried in my soul from what I had suffered here originally. They had found weakness, laid bare everything I lacked, and made sure I knew I didn’t belong.
“Did I do something wrong?” Oliver arched his eyebrows.
He was so perceptive, so thoughtful—no wonder he was the beta now. Why hadn’t he been this kind and caring back in high school? Why had he only changed for the better now, when the damage had already been done and when nothing could fix what had happened?
Unable to handle the storm suddenly brewing in my heart, I got up, took my book, and walked away. Once again, just like the day we’d met after talking on the app, I was solving my problems by running away from them. Running away had always worked for me, so why not resort to it again?
Oliver got up from his seat, too, and walked towards me.
I turned around, holding up my hand. “I don’t want to talk about it. Leave me alone.”
Oliver’s expression fell, and his shoulders slumped, but he let me walk away to my room.
When I sat down on my bed, I couldn’t believe I had just acted like such an asshole. I was repaying him for what he had done to me as a teenager, but my ‘revenge’ didn’t feel right. I didn’t like the idea of making him suffer. I only wanted the safety and warmth promised by Oliver’s embrace. I was afraid though, afraid his adoration was just a lie… afraid that one day he, like Jeffrey, would turn around and tell me he didn’t want me after all.
I had been so miserable when I had moved away from Moondust Hollow at eighteen. Living in Lone Bite hadn’t been much better. Now I was back with my old pack, and everything was so complicated.
All I wanted was peace. What did I have to do to secure my safety and happiness?
Chapter 10 - Oliver
The day after Pauline walked away from me was Ray’s first day at the kindergarten. We had agreed previously to pick him up together, so although Pauline hadn’t spoken to me since our ‘fight,’ we walked hand-in-hand into the building. The kindergarten was within walking distance from home, just ten minutes away.
I glanced over at Pauline, trying to judge her mood. She seemed lost in her own world, not even sparing me a glance.
What had I done wrong?
I analyzed my behavior so far, but nothing problematic came to mind. I had helped her get a job, and I had found Ray a place in the kindergarten—of course, I wasn’t demanding her gratitude for those favors; I had been happy to do them for her. I had also extended my protection to her and Ray as my wife and her child. It was my alpha nature to care for those I considered mine.
Despite being my wife, Pauline wasn't really mine, though, and neither was her child—at least not yet. I had spent a lot of time over the past few days getting to know Ray better. I really wanted to be a dad to him. The kid didn’t deserve to grow up without a father figure, and he was such a sweet child. I would have had to be evil not to want to care for him like he was my own.
Pauline completely ignored me. There was no way to tell what she was thinking. Her face was blank, devoid of emotion. Was she still upset with me? Or was she now beyond caring about what I felt?
It stung to be treated this way. I wanted to do better for her. I wished she felt more comfortable with me so she could feel free to speak her mind.
Maybe one day she would. Until then, I would just have to keep trying to get her to open up to me.
After walking the full distance in silence, we arrived at the kindergarten. Pauline’s face brightened like the sun when she saw her child. Ray ran into her arms, and the two of them hugged. I tried not to feel left out of their small world. When Pauline let go of him, though, Ray turned to me and gave me the sweetest smile.
I smiled back at him, proud to be acknowledged.
“Let’s go home,” I extended my hand to him.
Ray took my hand in his own and grabbed Pauline’s hand as well. Walking between us, he chatted happily about his day. From what he said, I gathered that all the children had welcomed him with open arms, and he was happy with their company. The teacher had praised him for his coloring skills.
“Do you want to be an artist one day, Ray?” I asked him.
“I do!” Ray’s smile brightened.
“I haven’t shown you his drawings yet. I brought them with me from our old pack,” Pauline finally said to me. She had a soft smile and talked to me like she hadn’t just spent the day ignoring me.
I decided not to question this small mercy. “I’m very curious to see Ray’s drawings.”
“I’m going to be an amazing artist,” Ray exclaimed.
“Do you know that both luna Aria and alpha Ryder are artists? Alpha Ryder was a student at the same atelier as luna Aria when they were younger. They learned art together,” I said to Ray.
