Page 51 of The Alpha's Bullied Rejected Mate

The room she chose was small and sparsely furnished. A single bed, a rusted chair, and a portrait of a rune necklace on the wall.

She laid Riley down gently, brushing a lock of his blonde hair from his forehead. Aside from her hair color, which he had inherited, he looked much more like Marcus than she did. She had hoped it wasn’t too evident at first, but luckily, nobody had pieced things together, thanks to the glamor.

***

“Mom, why don’t I have a dad?” Riley questioned one night after she had just finished reading him a bedtime story.

The question had stunned her. She knew sooner or later that he would ask that, especially now that he was growing older and interacting more with his peers.

Her heart ached as she looked down at her son. She moved closer to him as she raised her hands to brush his forehead affectionately.

Sometimes she wondered if she was doing a good job raising him.

She had chosen to work as a kindergarten teacher so that she could be close to him, considering he was a magical child. Although he was still young and his magic had not yet surfaced, she couldn’t help but worry since he was a hybrid.

Hybrids were creatures that were of mixed supernatural lineage. A witch and a werewolf. Just like her son. They were usually uniquely powerful, sometimes possessing additional supernatural powers, due to the magical strength in theirbloodline. And when it came to Riley, he was more than different.

His father wasn’t just any werewolf. He was a Vale. An alpha bloodline of one of the most formidable werewolf packs.

And Marcus himself was an extraordinary werewolf with unique abilities.

It was why she always felt the need to be close to Riley. Young hybrids typically experienced quicker shifts and their powers manifested earlier than those of a normal supernatural child.

And ever since Riley had turned five, she had been more on edge.

It could happen anytime soon.

They lived among humans, so she had been careful, too careful not to send off any unusual or inhumane energy. It was also the same reason she refrained from using her magic in public—to avoid any suspicions and, most importantly, to not send off any magical alert that could attract witch hunters.

Initially, she had refused to allow Riley to have friends from school. Not just because she didn’t have a good experience mingling with her own peers growing up, but because it was too risky. The possibility of anyone coming even a little bit close to them and finding out who or what they were was dangerous.

What if his powers surfaced while he was playing with his peers? Memories from her vision haunted her from time to time.

But recently she had decided to let him live a little. Sooner or later, he would discover his bloodline and the magic that ran through his veins. She knew it was not something she could hide from him forever, even though she wished she could.She wished he could maintain his innocence and not be dragged into the gore of the supernatural world.

However, that was all she could do—wish. It was impossible.

That’s why she had decided he deserved to live out his childhood a bit before he got sucked into his realities.

Things had improved that way, and her son had been happier. He would ramble on about how much fun he was having now that he had friends, and she would be happy that she could give him even a bit of this life, and maybe he could live normally after all.

But sometimes, nights like this, jolted her back to the reality that he could not have the same normal life as his civilian peers. No matter how she tried to ensure he never felt different. And the pain cut through her heart.

She pushed back the tears that threatened to form in her eyes as she raised the blankets higher across his body and tucked his arms into the covers.

“Go to sleep, sweetheart,” she said, ignoring the question he had raised earlier.

“It’s getting late now.” She kissed him goodnight even though she noticed he hadn’t shut his eyes.

But she bolted through the doorway and shut the doors behind her to ensure he didn’t notice the change in her expression as she let the tears fall freely now.

***

Athena reeled out of her memories as she let out a heavy sigh.

Her fingers trembled as she pulled the blanket over his shoulders.. Her throat burned.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, bending her back to kiss him on his forehead.