Page 52 of The Wolf's Bullied Mate
So that was what had been worrying her. She was still attached enough to her parents that she wanted them to live. That fact also explained why she had asked me not to kill anybody during the fight.
“I don’t have to kill them,” Ryder thought out loud. “But I do have to punish them accordingly.”
“Maybe… they should become rogues?” Pauline said after a moment of silence.
“You want me to exile them?” Ryder said. He gave Pauline an approving look. “A good punishment. They will lose two packs at once—Moondust Hollow and the now-dissolved Lone Bite.”
Pauline nodded. “I would like that.”
“Alright,” Ryder said. “So be it. They will be put on trial and found guilty of instigating war. Then they will be exiled.”
As Ryder had decided, so he did. A few days later, the Andersons, Jeffrey, and their enforcer friend were put on trial in the main square. The Lone Bite’s beta and delta, whom Ryder asked Caden not to kill, were put on trial there as well. It felt like most of Fairlake showed up to the square that day; even the adjacent streets were filled with people. Many shouted angrily about how they wanted the attackers punished for their crimes. Peace was very important to the people of Moondust Hollow, and so was justice.
After a short trial, Ryder announced the verdict: all of the tried were found guilty of instigating war, as well as bullying and abuse. For all those crimes, he decided they would be exiled and forever wander without the support of a pack.
Being part of a community was very important to wolf shifters. We were pack animals, both in wolf and human form. We lived in tight-knit groups supporting each other—or at least, that was how our communities were supposed to be, though things in the former Lone Bite had deteriorated severely from that ideal long ago.
Eventually, Pauline opened up to me more about life at Lone Bite. She told me about the many abusive practices in the pack, about how the strong exploited the weaker wolf shifters. She talked about her friend, Cherry, and soon asked her to move to Moondust Hollow. For now, Cherry was staying at thecommunity boarding house with many other former Lone Bite wolf shifters eager to escape their old town.
Ryder had plans to introduce many positive changes to Lone Bite, but even still many of its residents had suffered too much abuse and too many terrible memories to want to stay in the town. Those who wanted a fresh start decided to abandon their homes and seek a new and brighter future in Fairlake.
Introducing fresh wolves into the pack here resulted in many of our wolf shifters suddenly meeting their mates, and Aria became busier than ever with organizing weddings.
As for Pauline, she said goodbye to her parents when they left for their exile—they were a part of Lone Bite that wouldn’t haunt her any longer.
“I hope you’re not sad you’ll never see them again. They abused you. You were too kind to them to let them live,” I said. We differed in our opinion about what should have been done with the Andersons and their followers.
“I didn’t want you to have their blood on your hands,” she said. “Besides, I want them to live with their mistakes. That’s harder than just dying, you know.”
“Do you think they will learn from what they did?” I gave her a doubtful look.
Pauline pondered my question for a minute, then sighed. “Probably not. But at least their life will hopefully be more difficult for a while as punishment until another pack takes them in.”
“If another pack takes them in,” I corrected.
“As for your question, no, I’m not sad I’ll never see my parents again,” she said. “I’m relieved. Does that make me a bad daughter?”
“No,” I shook my head. “It makes them bad parents for being so horrible that you’re glad they aren’t around.”
She nodded, and we watched the group walk away into the woods.
I hoped we would never see the Andersons and Jeffrey again. They deserved not to have a place to call home after everything they had done to Pauline.
I took Pauline into my arms. She hid her head in my chest and silently cried. “I can finally let go,” she said.
“Yes,” I kissed the top of her head. “You’re free of the pain now.”
She sobbed quietly, and I hugged her tightly, giving her all of my strength and support.
Chapter 19 - Pauline
Oliver hadn’t been home much the past week. He was busy helping out the people who had moved from Lone Bite to Moondust Hollow. I spent my evenings playing with Ray, sipping tea, and crocheting while chatting with Cherry. Meanwhile, during the day, I worked at The Warm Smile. My life was normal and peaceful, and I felt truly and genuinely happy for the first time in a long time.
One day, I asked Oliver to take the evening off. He agreed, saying he needed some rest from all the excitement. I decided to prepare steak with mashed potatoes, which was a favorite of the both of us.
When Oliver arrived home, the steak sat on the table, warm and ready to eat. I had arranged for Cherry to take care of Ray for the night. Was I hoping for more than a pleasant conversation over dinner? I would have been lying if I’d said otherwise.
Oliver smiled at me and kissed me on the lips, with a featherlight brush. We sat down to dinner, and I asked him about his work.
