Page 19 of The Wolf’s Bullied Mate (Moondust Hollow Wolves #2)

A part of me really wanted to tell Oliver about the years of abuse I had suffered from my parents and my former pack.

The other part of me, who had always been told she was weak and insignificant, worried Oliver would think less of me if he found out how miserably I had lived all these years.

So far, I had put up a strong front for him, a mother who had suffered through bullying in high school but somehow remained a functional adult.

Except most days, I didn’t feel like a functional adult at all. Most days, I was barely holding myself together. I acted like a strong mother, but only so Ray wouldn’t see what kind of mess I was inside.

Whenever Oliver looked at me with desire in his eyes, though, I wanted to let go of the act and just be the real me, broken into pieces by life.

I wanted to gather the shards of me together with him and make myself into a healthy person again.

Years of suffering had left me jaded, but when I looked into Oliver’s eyes, I wanted to be the Pauline I had been before the bullying.

I wanted to go back to the simpler times of high school.

Or, if that dream weren’t possible, I wanted to find a way to heal enough for us to move forward together.

Why was I relying so much on Oliver? Why did I long so much for him to help me put myself together, a task I hadn’t been able to accomplish all these years on my own? What made this one man so special that he somehow gave me the one commodity I’d had so little of in my life?

Hope.

Oliver breathed hope into my life, and I wanted to hold on to the hand he had extended to me. At the same time, though, I was afraid that he would pull me to him and let me float in bliss, only to take his hand away again to let me crash back down into misery.

I wouldn’t be able to survive him, leaving me with a broken heart.

Was I developing serious feelings for Oliver? Was it already too late to stop myself from wanting him?

One evening, when I was walking home with Ray after picking him up from kindergarten, I saw Oliver from a distance. There were three young men with him, teenagers, barely out of high school. One of them had bruises on his face, while the others stood with their heads hanging low.

“What have I told you about the anti-bullying policy,” Oliver said in his alpha tone. “The pack has strict laws telling you you’re not supposed to call anybody weaker than you. You’re not to beat anybody up. Is that understood?”

“Y-Yes, sir,” the two teenagers, without bruises, saluted.

“Will I see you bullying anybody again?” Oliver glared at them.

“N-No, sir,” they said in unison.

“I don’t have to remind you that if you’re caught bullying again, you will be expelled from the pack by law. You will become rogues, and no other pack will want to take you in,” Oliver said. “Now go home. I don’t want to witness anything so ugly ever again.”

The two bullies ran off. The bullied kid remained. He looked at Oliver with gratitude in his eyes.

“Thank you, sir,” he said.

“If you’re ever bullied again, please don’t hesitate to let me know,” Oliver said in a much gentler tone.

The teenager nodded.

“Oliver is a hero!” Ray chose this moment to call out.

Oliver turned around, surprise in his eyes. He had not realized we had been watching him.

Ray and I approached him, and the bullied kid excused himself and ran off.

“Is it true? Does the law in this pack really say the punishment for bullying is expulsion?” I gave him a surprised look.

“Yes, it’s true,” Oliver nodded. “I suggested the law. I really wanted to discourage such unkind actions from happening in Moondust Hollow,” he sighed. “Funny, isn’t it? Considering what I did to you?”

I shook my head. “You’re protecting as many people as you can.”

He gave me a warm look. “I’m trying my best.”

“Oliver is a hero!” Ray exclaimed again and hugged Oliver’s leg.

Oliver chuckled and lifted Ray in the air. He put him on his shoulders, and we headed home together.

As I walked alongside Oliver, I looked at him with renewed respect. He had changed a lot since his high school years. He had become much more protective and had grown into a good man, a real beta of a pack.

Being a beta in Moondust Hollow meant something entirely from what it meant in Lone Bite.

Oliver was a protector of everyone who suffered.

People came to him with his problems. They weren’t afraid of telling him about their troubles.

He fixed that pain for them, just like he fixed the old radios in his garage.

In Lone Bite, the beta wasn’t much different from the delta—just another enforcer of the alpha’s will. He wasn’t someone with whom one could discuss problems; in fact, we feared him and avoided him.

Moondust Hollow had a healthy hierarchy. The pack flourished under the wise rule of three friends who worked together to ensure a harmonious living for everyone. I could see how happy everyone was in the smiles of the passersby whenever they saw Oliver, and lately—by extension—me with Ray as well.

The wolf-shifters of this pack were grateful for Oliver’s work. I was grateful to see how he handled the situation with the teenagers. His actions gave me hope that maybe Ray could grow up in a healthy environment in this community.

Maybe my own wounds could become healed by Oliver’s kind hand, too?

Confusion rose inside me as my heart grew warmer when I looked at him. On one hand, I wanted to trust Oliver, on the other hand, I feared making a mistake. Yet I couldn’t deny that the feeling of hope had already taken root in my soul.

***

The next day that I was working at Warm Smile, I found myself unable to stop thinking about Oliver. Distracted, I found myself wiping spilled coffee off the floor for the second time since I had started my shift.

“Pauline, could I speak with you?” Lisa said in her warm tone, but my blood froze in my veins regardless. Was it time to get reprimanded?

We went to the back, to the storage room. Lisa leaned against the shelf, and I stood in the middle of the tight space, stepping from foot to foot.

“Don’t fret,” Lisa chuckled. “I’m not going to do anything bad to you.”

“You’re not?” The words escaped my lips before I could stop myself.

“No,” she laughed. “I just noticed that you’re more absentminded than usual today. If you’d like to talk about what’s burdening you so much, I’m all ears.”

I hesitated for a moment. It had been ages since I’d had a friend—besides Oliver, if you could call him that, and Cherry back in Lone Bite with whom I still kept in touch via text messages. I could use a heart-to-heart talk with someone who was present and whom I had no reason to distrust.

I swallowed. I found it hard to even tell Lisa the cause of my worries, but she looked at me and remained quiet until I finally gathered the courage to speak.

“It’s about Oliver…” I started, and then I trailed off.

Lisa arched an eyebrow. “Obviously.”

“Is it that obvious that… there’s a problem between us…?” I asked.

“I mean…” Lisa thought out loud. “Who else could be causing you to worry? You currently care only for two close people: your husband and your son. And from what you’ve told me, Ray is doing great at kindergarten.”

I nodded and bit my lip. “You’re right, Ray’s very happy.”

“So, what’s the issue with Oliver?” Lisa gave me a curious look.

“I’m not sure what I should be feeling towards him,” I paused and then decided to tell her the whole truth. “There was a situation back when we were in high school, if you remember, with bullying?”

“Ah, yes, I do,” Lisa’s expression turned grim. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything for you.”

“It’s fine,” I shook my head. “At least you didn’t participate. You know, the bullying originated from Oliver.”

Lisa’s eyes widened. “Wow, really? I didn’t know that!”

“He said something mean to me, something he thought was just teasing, and others misinterpreted it. But I didn’t know it was a misunderstanding until now.

For the thirteen years we were apart, I thought he really had intended to bully me.

I never realized he didn’t know that the whole school took up his teasing back then and abused me severely,” I explained.

“And now you’re married to your high school bully,” Lisa said.

“Correct. But over the weeks we’ve spent reconnecting, I’ve noticed that he’s matured a lot. He’s a different man than he was back in high school.”

Lisa nodded. “I agree. Oliver does a lot of good for the community. He’s a reputable person now. I remember him back in high school—never thought he would grow up to be so level-headed.”

I chuckled. “Neither did I. And I have to admit, this man that Oliver is now—I’m attracted to him. Madly attracted, even. This is the man I married, and I keep thinking… I want to be more than just a contractual wife to him.”

Lisa smiled. “And that’s worrying you?”

“Yes, it is,” I gave her a serious look. “Because I’m not sure if I can trust him. I’m not exactly someone who trusts easily.”

“Then give it time,” Lisa said. “Observe him until you decide, by watching his actions, that he’s a man worthy of you. You’re already married. It’s not like you’re in a rush or anything.”

“You really think I should give Oliver a chance?” I asked, but I already knew her answer.

It was my answer, too.

“Yes, definitely,” Lisa smiled. “Now, does your heart feel any lighter?”

I laughed out loud, for the first time in a long while, feeling less burdened by all that had happened to me and my intense feelings. “I’m going to give Oliver a chance.”

“That’s the spirit. Now let’s go back to work, and please don’t spill any more of our precious coffee.”

“I won’t,” I chuckled.