Page 49 of The Wolf's Bullied Mate
I didn’t recognize the final two men.
So, my hunch about Pauline being somehow involved in the attack was right. I suddenly recalled her vision. Five wolves chasing her and Ray, me coming to her rescue. The circumstances had changed somewhat from the vision—they were coming after her in our home instead of chasing her through the woods. Probably only my early arrival here had prevented her from fleeing to the trees with Ray in her arms.
I was glad I had followed my instincts and turned to her sooner instead of later.
“Mr. Anderson,” I called out. “Good to see you. What exactly did my door ever do to you?”
The five men turned around, and the one attacking the door stopped chopping at the wood.
The window above the entrance opened, and I saw a panicked Pauline with Ray in her arms, looking down at what was happening.
“Jeffrey,” she called out. “Stop breaking the door!”
Ah, so the man responsible for destroying my property was Pauline’s ex. A sense of satisfaction washed over me. I would have the chance to beat him up after all.
I wasn’t going to let them go without a fight, not when they had already threatened the safety and wellbeing of my mate.
I did already consider Pauline my mate. I saw the faint golden thread between us during our lovemaking. I hadn’t discussed mating with her yet, but we had reaffirmed our feelings. As far as I was concerned, Pauline was mine—not Jeffrey’s or her father’s anymore.
Mine.
“Norton,” Pauline’s father nodded at me calmly, as if he hadn’t just been caught in the middle of a break-in. “You’ve stolen my daughter.”
I shook my head. “I’ve stolen no one. Pauline is not a… thing,” I spit out the word. “So she can’t be stolen. She’s her own person and decided to marry me and leave your sorry pack.”
Jeffrey laughed. “You really want trash like her as your wife?”
I sent a glare his way. He was as good as dead.
Anderson glared at Jeffrey, too, and Jeffrey put up his arms in surrender. “Sorry, Emmett,” he said. “But you know what I think of your daughter.”
“You’re the ones who are worthless in my eyes,” I said. “You never treasured Pauline when she lived with you, but now suddenly you want her back? For what?”
“She doesn’t belong here,” Anderson said.
I laughed at the stupidity of that statement. Right at my side was where Pauline belonged—she had never belonged anywhere else so perfectly.
I pondered, saying something less alpha-like, respecting Pauline’s boundaries, but my wolf pounced and growled in my soul. Possessiveness filled me. I gazed up at Pauline—her pale face, the frightened look in her eyes, the way she hugged Ray to her. I had to protect my mate.
“Pauline doesn’t belong with you. She’s mine,” I growled.
I felt the shift coming, and I let the wolf out, my bones crunching, my skin giving way to fur, my mouth enlarging into a muzzle. The enemies started transforming as well when they noticed my change.
A fight would soon break out, and I would relish every second of wiping the floor with these terrible people.
Chapter 17 - Pauline
Through the open window, I looked down and watched Oliver, Father, Mother, Jeffrey, and the two enforcers from Lone Bite shift into their wolf forms.
Oliver had called me his, and now he would fight to protect me. The wolf in me danced happily. Mate, mate, mate, she chanted. Yes, Oliver was my fated mate, after all. I had to discuss bonding with him when this mess was over.
Worry gripped my heart, though, at the idea that Oliver might not survive the fight. Mother wasn’t anything special as a fighter, but Father and Jeffrey and the two friends they had brought were strong enforcers. The battle would be four trained fighters and Mother against one. Oliver was an alpha wolf, but could he really win against such odds?
There was nobody else around to help him. Everyone was busy fighting the main force of Lone Bite at the edge of town. I had no idea how my parents and Jeffrey had sneaked into the town center. They were craftier than I thought.
Was I really the reason for Lone Bite’s attack or just a convenient excuse to break the peace?
Oliver finished shifting into wolf form, and I prayed to the Moon Goddess that he would finish the fight without major injuries. I remembered the vision I’d had. It hadn’t come to fruition exactly as I had foreseen it—I wasn’t running, not yet at least, and Oliver had come to my side all on his own. What had made him decide to return home and check on me, I didn’t know. I was just so grateful that he had arrived when I needed him.
