Page 22 of The Wolf’s Bullied Mate (Moondust Hollow Wolves #2)

Two days after Caden’s enforcers had reported strange movements at the border of our pack’s territory instigated by the neighboring community of Lone Bite, I found myself standing alongside Ryder and Caden with our forces at the edge of Fairlake.

We had gathered every able-bodied member of the community together to investigate.

Everyone but us had shifted into wolf form—they were all eager to fight to protect our town from Lone Bite’s potential attack.

We hadn’t been able to determine yet why the neighboring pack was breaking the peace treaty we shared.

However, I suspected their actions might have something to do with Pauline.

I shifted from foot to foot, thinking about my wife and her son—I had left them back at our house.

Our home was in the middle of town, so the likelihood of them ending up in danger was low.

Still, the protective alpha part of myself urged me to run to Pauline’s and Ray’s sides to ensure no harm came to them.

“You’re useless,” Caden huffed at me. “Your mind is elsewhere, and I think I know where.”

I glared at him, but I had to admit he was right. My mind wasn’t focused on the fight about to happen here; a fight that was imminent and unavoidable, judging by Lone Bite’s forces being only ten minutes away from where we stood.

“You think Pauline may somehow be involved in this mess?” Ryder arched his eyebrows.

I nodded. “I don’t have proof, though—just a hunch.”

Ryder thought for a moment. “Your intuition has always been on point. Caden and I can handle things here. Go to your wife’s side.”

“Are you sure?” I gave him a surprised look.

“Yes, I want you to focus on fully protecting at least one person. If you stay here, your heart won’t be in the battle. Might as well make yourself useful at Pauline’s side,” Ryder nodded.

“Alright,” I said.

I took off running towards our house. I contemplated shifting into wolf form, but I had no reason to rush to my destination except for a nagging feeling that made me ache to be at Pauline’s side as soon as possible.

I soon found out my hunch was correct.

When I arrived at the house, I saw five people, naked—they must have recently changed from wolf to human form and hadn’t bothered dressing.

They were chopping at the front door with an ax.

The door to the small shed where I stored the gardening tools was open—they must have gone in there and taken the ax I used to cut lumber for the fireplace. There went my front door.

I watched the tallest, most burly man bash the ax even harder against the entrance to my home.

They hadn’t noticed me yet, so I used that fact to gather as much intel as possible.

I didn’t recognize the man at the front.

One of the people was a woman in her 50s who looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t quite place her.

Another man, though, I would have recognized even in my sleep.

He hadn’t changed much in the last ten years.

He was Emmett Anderson, Pauline’s father.

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.