Page 81 of The Alpha's Bullied Rejected Mate

Athena followed him, her pulse roaring in her ears.

***

Athena caught up with him. The air was cold and quiet, but the tension between them was anything but calm, like the sound of thunder that roared in his ears.

She grabbed his arm and spun him around to face her.

“What the hell was that?”

Marcus didn’t answer at first. He clenched his jaw and ran a hand through his auburn hair, ruffling it tensely.

“He was getting too close to you.”

Her jaw dropped, unable to believe her ears. “What?”

She crossed her arms over her chest in disbelief, “he was talking to me. Helping me train.”

Marcus’s eyes flared. “He was flirting with you.”

“He wasn’t,” she shot back.

“He was!”

“And what if he was?” her voice rose.

Her voice shot up, disbelief cracking through it. “You don’t own me, Marcus. You don’t get to stake a claim just because you’re finally paying attention!”

His expression twisted. “I’m not staking a claim!”

“Yes, you are! You stormed in like a rabid wolf and attacked someone who was just talking to me. Do you even hear yourself?”

“I’m not yours to claim, Marcus,” she continued.

“You don’t get to show up and push people away from me like that.” She let out an exasperated breath.

“I wasn’t—”

“Yes, you were!”

She took a step closer to him and jabbed a finger toward his chest.

“You don’t get to isolate me just because you’re suddenly back in the picture. You don’t get to make me feel small again.”

His face fell.

That stopped her. Just for a breath. The fury in her chest sputtered, softened slightly by the look of hurt that washed over him.

Marcus stared at her, his tone lower, and it almost came out in a whisper.

“So you’re fine with him touching you.”

“So what if I am?”

“He’s not—” Marcus cut himself off, his chest heaving. “You don’t know him.”

Athena laughed bitterly. “And I knew you so well?”

The words landed like a slap to him. Marcus flinched, but he was speaking again. “Athena, listen—”