Page 42 of The Wolf's Bullied Mate
In Lone Bite, the beta wasn’t much different from the delta—just another enforcer of the alpha’s will. He wasn’t someone with whom one could discuss problems; in fact, we feared him and avoided him.
Moondust Hollow had a healthy hierarchy. The pack flourished under the wise rule of three friends who worked together to ensure a harmonious living for everyone. I couldsee how happy everyone was in the smiles of the passersby whenever they saw Oliver, and lately—by extension—me with Ray as well.
The wolf-shifters of this pack were grateful for Oliver’s work. I was grateful to see how he handled the situation with the teenagers. His actions gave me hope that maybe Ray could grow up in a healthy environment in this community.
Maybe my own wounds could become healed by Oliver’s kind hand, too?
Confusion rose inside me as my heart grew warmer when I looked at him. On one hand, I wanted to trust Oliver, on the other hand, I feared making a mistake. Yet I couldn’t deny that the feeling of hope had already taken root in my soul.
***
The next day that I was working at Warm Smile, I found myself unable to stop thinking about Oliver. Distracted, I found myself wiping spilled coffee off the floor for the second time since I had started my shift.
“Pauline, could I speak with you?” Lisa said in her warm tone, but my blood froze in my veins regardless. Was it time to get reprimanded?
We went to the back, to the storage room. Lisa leaned against the shelf, and I stood in the middle of the tight space, stepping from foot to foot.
“Don’t fret,” Lisa chuckled. “I’m not going to do anything bad to you.”
“You’re not?” The words escaped my lips before I could stop myself.
“No,” she laughed. “I just noticed that you’re more absentminded than usual today. If you’d like to talk about what’s burdening you so much, I’m all ears.”
I hesitated for a moment. It had been ages since I’d had a friend—besides Oliver, if you could call him that, and Cherry back in Lone Bite with whom I still kept in touch via text messages. I could use a heart-to-heart talk with someone who was present and whom I had no reason to distrust.
I swallowed. I found it hard to even tell Lisa the cause of my worries, but she looked at me and remained quiet until I finally gathered the courage to speak.
“It’s about Oliver…” I started, and then I trailed off.
Lisa arched an eyebrow. “Obviously.”
“Is it that obvious that… there’s a problem between us…?” I asked.
“I mean…” Lisa thought out loud. “Who else could be causing you to worry? You currently care only for two close people: your husband and your son. And from what you’ve told me, Ray is doing great at kindergarten.”
I nodded and bit my lip. “You’re right, Ray’s very happy.”
“So, what’s the issue with Oliver?” Lisa gave me a curious look.
“I’m not sure what I should be feeling towards him,” I paused and then decided to tell her the whole truth. “There was a situation back when we were in high school, if you remember, with bullying?”
“Ah, yes, I do,” Lisa’s expression turned grim. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything for you.”
“It’s fine,” I shook my head. “At least you didn’t participate. You know, the bullying originated from Oliver.”
Lisa’s eyes widened. “Wow, really? I didn’t know that!”
“He said something mean to me, something he thought was just teasing, and others misinterpreted it. But I didn’t know it was a misunderstanding until now. For the thirteen years we were apart, I thought he really had intended to bully me. I neverrealized he didn’t know that the whole school took up his teasing back then and abused me severely,” I explained.
“And now you’re married to your high school bully,” Lisa said.
“Correct. But over the weeks we’ve spent reconnecting, I’ve noticed that he’s matured a lot. He’s a different man than he was back in high school.”
Lisa nodded. “I agree. Oliver does a lot of good for the community. He’s a reputable person now. I remember him back in high school—never thought he would grow up to be so level-headed.”
I chuckled. “Neither did I. And I have to admit, this man that Oliver is now—I’m attracted to him. Madly attracted, even. This is the man I married, and I keep thinking… I want to be more than just a contractual wife to him.”
Lisa smiled. “And that’s worrying you?”
