Page 10 of The Wolf’s Bullied Mate (Moondust Hollow Wolves #2)

I had to run. I had to protect my child.

I couldn’t shift into a wolf and fight them. What could a weak wolf like me do against six huge enemies? Besides, to shift, I would have to stop moving and put down Ray. I wouldn’t risk him leaving my arms.

There was only one person who could save me—Oliver.

The me who was seeing the vision didn’t want Oliver to be the one to protect us.

I didn’t know why I should rely on someone who made me feel so afraid.

Yet, the woman in the vision, which had to be me in the future, was dead set on getting to Oliver and somehow knew he would fight off the wolves for her.

“Oliver!” The me in the vision called out in a panicked voice.

A big tawny wolf appeared in front of me and Ray. It growled with menace. I wasn’t afraid, though. I recognized the wolf as Oliver’s animal side. I felt relieved. I ran past the wolf, not turning back as Oliver attacked the other wolves.

There was a bite here, a growl there, and then the fight quickly turned bloody. The other wolves fought to kill, but still, they were no match for Oliver’s giant alpha wolf. The bloodshed disgusted me and made me feel relieved at the same time.

In the end, only Oliver stood victorious in front of the enemies.

The vision’s message was clear—only Oliver could protect Ray and me. I knew these words were true, as surely I knew my name was Pauline. There was no doubt that Oliver was my key to survival.

“Hey, Pauline,” Oliver called out close to my ear.

When the vision faded, his worried face appeared in front of me. He had put a hand on my shoulder, something I hadn’t felt happen while in my psychic state.

Oliver shook my arm gently until he saw my eyes focus on him. He smiled softly as if to reassure me, or maybe it was to reassure himself that I was okay.

He already knew about my visions, so there was no point in hiding what exactly had just happened. “I’m fine,” I said. “Vision.”

My voice was parched. I always felt so weak after having a vision.

Oliver noticed I wasn’t feeling well and grabbed me by the shoulders, pulling me to his chest. A blend of sandalwood and smoke, the most pleasant fragrance I had ever smelled, drifted into my nose. I relaxed against him for a moment.

“Is Mom okay?” I heard Ray’s voice from the right.

“I will be in a moment,” I answered.

“Mister… What’s your name, Mister?” Ray’s voice came closer. I saw him tugging at Oliver’s jeans from the corner of my eye.

“Oliver,” I heard the smile in Oliver’s voice. “You can call me Oliver.”

“O-Oliver,” Ray tried the word out. “Are you a friend of my mom? Why were we running?”

“I would like to know that too,” Oliver sighed. He took me gently by the shoulders and shifted me back so he could look into my eyes.

For a moment, we stared at each other, his gaze full of confusion and my own gaze full of uncertainty, too. I would have to explain to him why I hadn’t wanted to marry him… and why I now did want to marry him.

Now I knew that to keep Ray safe, I would have to stay close to Oliver. My child was everything to me. I would have forsaken my own soul to protect him.

So, of course, to ensure Ray’s safety, I would even become the wife of someone who had hurt me in the past.

“I’m sorry,” I said in a small, tired voice. “I don’t know what came over me. I just got so overwhelmed that I ran, and…” I trailed off, unsure how to explain myself further.

Oliver gave me a solemn look. “If you don’t want to get married now that you know the man you’ve been speaking with is me-”

“No,” I interrupted him. “No, I want to marry you.”

Oliver’s brows rose. He gave me an even more confused look. “You do?”

“Y-Yes,” I said. “I really just wanted… to have a moment alone. I was overwhelmed by seeing you after so many years, and by suddenly realizing that… you’re the one I’ve been talking to for the past month.” I blushed. This was the man who had teased me without end.

I couldn’t deny that despite everything that had happened because of Oliver, I still found him hot. I still enjoyed his smell when he was close. I still loved how handsome his face looked. This was the same man whom I had fallen in love with once.

I wouldn’t make that same mistake again, though. Even if we got married, it would only be a contractual relationship, just a means to protect Ray.

“I see…” He didn’t seem entirely convinced by my reasoning, but he nodded.

“Let’s go back to your house. The agent is waiting for us.” I stepped out of Oliver’s arms.

I took Ray’s hand. Ray’s eyes darted between Oliver and me with an intent look. I didn’t know what was happening in his little head, but the gears were turning in there.

“Alright,” Oliver nodded.

We walked together back to his house, finding the utterly confused agent in front of the open door.

“If you don’t want to go through with the arranged marriage after all…” She started, fixing the glasses on her nose.

“We do,” I said before I could lose courage.

“We do,” Oliver nodded.

“Okay,” the agent said, raising her eyebrows. “I’ll explain the arrangement details and then let you make the final decision from there.”

Oliver invited Mrs. Ellen, Ray, and me inside the house and led us to the living room.

The furniture was all made of light-colored wood, and a large leather couch sat in the middle of everything.

The room was cozy enough but lacked a personal touch—there was little in terms of additional décor.

A wooden sculpture of a dog chasing a cat sat on one of the cabinets, but that was it.

Oliver chuckled, which made me look back at him.

“You can decorate however you want,” he had a twinkle in his gaze. He had seen right through me. “I know the place is a bit… lacking right now. I moved here a year ago with the money saved from my job as pack beta. I never felt like decorating just for myself, though.”

He had a soft smile on his lips, and reluctantly, the corners of my lips lifted into a small smile. “I would love to decorate the house.” It was the truth—at my parents’ home, I couldn’t even put a picture frame on the wall. Having a whole house to make my own would be like a dream.

Oliver’s eyes widened. “You smiled.” He then smiled even brighter. I felt as if a bright sun was shining upon me; it was the same way I felt whenever Ray smiled.

My heart thumped quickly in my chest.

Mrs. Ellen cleared her throat. “Where should I sit down?”

The sweet moment between Oliver and I broke.

Oliver directed her to one of the armchairs.

He noticed Ray staring at the dog and cat figurine and decided to give it to my son to play with for now.

Then Oliver and I sat together on the leather couch.

There was enough space between us for me to feel comfortable.

The agent took out a tablet from her bag. “I’ll read the terms of the agreement to you.”

We both nodded.

Having our attention, Mrs. Ellen proceeded.

“The Twin Tails agency has arranged a marriage between Mr. Oliver Norton and Ms. Pauline Anderson. This marriage will bring both parties to live together in Mr. Oliver’s house.

To do so, the Twin Tails agency will arrange the move of Ms. Pauline Anderson and her son, Ray Anderson, from the Lone Bite pack to the Moondust Hollow pack.

The parties will only need to sign this agreement, and all paperwork will be completed by the Twin Tails agency. ”

The agent then proceeded to list the terms of our marriage—it would follow the rules of the pack where we would live, Moondust Hollow.

I remembered that thirteen years ago, back when I had lived there, divorces were frowned upon by this community, but not forbidden.

Given that this marriage was contractual I hoped that—should I not be able to stand being around Oliver after all—I would be able to get out of this agreement.

The rules that Mrs. Ellen read to us stated it should be possible.

I found nothing amiss with the document. Oliver didn't look bothered by anything, though he asked a few questions.

In the end, Mrs. Ellen asked us the poignant question, “Do you want to sign the agreement and enter an arranged marriage?”

“Yes, I do,” I said, this time with much more conviction.

Oliver looked at me, his eyes unreadable. What could he be thinking about at this turning point in our lives? Did he really want to marry me?

“I do, too,” he said, dispersing my worries. “Let’s sign the documents.”

The agent passed the tablet and the tablet over first to me, then to Oliver.

With a few simple strokes of the stylus pen, I sealed my fate.