Page 3 of The Wolf's Bullied Mate
“There was no bullying,” she said curtly.
I raised my eyebrows. “That’s not what Ray told me.”
“Everything said in this room was the truth,” Mrs. Hammond sighed dramatically. “Tell me, is it a lie that you’re a weak wolf?”
My eyes opened wide. I bit my lip. A wave of shame and uncertainty went through me.
Even I believed myself to be weak in my animal form. I couldn’t deny her accusation.
I lowered my head. “No, it’s true that I’m weak in my wolf form, but—"
“You must learn to do your job as a mother. One who calls themselves a member of our pack should be strong enough that nobody has any reason to bully their child. What happened in this classroom today is all your fault for lacking as a mother and as a member of the Lone Bite pack.” Mrs. Hammond talked to me as if she were explaining a simple truth to a child, all the while eyeing me with disdain.
I swallowed hard. It hurt to hear her opinion of me, especially when I knew many others agreed with her.
A part of me believed her words to be bullshit, but another part of me—the Pauline who had suffered through years of abuse—felt doubts rise. Maybe I really was a bad mom because I was a weak wolf. Perhaps I was weak as a person, too.
My wolf whined in my soul. She tried to comfort me, but I dismissed her nuzzles.
If everyone around me said we didn’t amount to much, that view must be the truth, right?
I gave Mrs. Hammond a nod. “Understood,” I said in a small, broken voice. “Everything that happened was because of me. I’ll do my best to be better. Thank you for taking care of my child.”
A cruel smile appeared on the teacher’s lips, and my heart plummeted even lower in my chest.
No matter what, I didn't want Ray to be kicked out of kindergarten. With my long hours at the dinner, I needed someone to look after him during the day. We lived with my parents, but they abhorred the thought of caring for my son.
“You got pregnant on your own, so you will raise your kid on your own,” Father had told me years ago. “We won’t kick you out of the house as long as you have enough income to contribute to our finances. But we won’t help you either. You were the one who made the choice to lie with a man without mating. Now you have to live with the consequences.”
I still remember those hurtful words my father had said to me five years ago. Mother had taken his side. And they had maintained their conviction throughout the years. Every month, I put half of my income into the family fund for so-called necessities, and the other half went toward Ray’s daycare and, later the kindergarten expenses. I was left with almost no money for savings or other needs, but at least I had a roof over my head and a steady job, and my son whom I cared for so deeply.
Life could have been much worse.
We said our goodbyes and walked home, not talking much.
After walking for a while, we reached our house with its neatly trimmed garden and shabby siding that could have used a fresh coat of paint. Customers passed in and out of the main entrance, which led to my mother’s grocery store on the groundfloor. We went towards the side entrance instead, entering a dark corridor. I turned on the light and helped Ray undress.
Mother poked her head out of the kitchen. “Why are you so late? Dinner’s getting cold,” she said in a prickly tone. Her gaze wandered from me to Ray. She took a good look at my son and scowled. “Has Ray been crying?”
Nothing could escape my mother’s scrutiny.
I nodded. “There was an incident at the kindergarten.”
“Let me guess: it was all your fault because you’re weak and can’t even protect your own kid.” Her sharp words went straight through my heart.
She must have noticed the slight change in my expression because she chuckled.
“Of course, it was your fault,” she said before I could reply. “It’s always your fault. Because you’re so useless.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. I bit my lower lip to keep myself from responding. I was used to this kind of treatment from my parents.
In the end, everything was indeed all my fault; Ray being bullied, my parents’ abuse towards me, Jeffrey leaving me, Oliver and the group in high school calling me names—all the bad things that had happened to me were because I was lacking in some way.
“Mom,” Ray whispered when my mother disappeared in the kitchen again. He tugged at my jacket, and I kneeled to be at eye level with him.
He saw the tears in my eyes and frowned. Then, without a word, he hugged me as tightly as he could.
My tears fell down my cheeks. I didn’t sob, much like I usually did. Instead, I cried in silence.
