Page 71 of Plus-Size Bullied Mate

Even in his wolf form, that fury beneath it all is still there, but now it’s wrapped in humiliation as he pushes himself up.

He got what he came for in the very worst way. He wanted to show his pack that he could challenge Hunter, draw him out, and demonstrate the vulnerability he’d been trying so hard to manipulate since the first time he lost.

What he demonstrated instead is his incompetence and lack of self-control.

Where he wanted to prove himself as a worthy alpha, and one who could operate under his own set of rules without being scrutinized by the others, he submitted. Now, he has no choice if he means to stay alive.

Hayes doesn’t shift back or offer anything more than the silent acknowledgment through his eyes. It’s telling of the pride still there, and how he’s desperately trying to cling to it.

He turns, and the wolves at the perimeter read it immediately. With their own pack-link signal, they start pulling back in quiet surrender before disappearing into the trees.

Our wolves push them. Rather than attacking, they stay right on their heels with just enough pressure to keep them moving and to guide them back the way they came.

Cliff lingers at the tree line a moment longer, in his own wolf form, and I feel his gaze on us before he falls in line behind Hayes.

Then they’re gone.

The sounds of the chase extend into the trees, getting quieter as they move with the charged barks and yips of victory. Dom passes me going the same direction with an unhurried stride, and he glances at me in passing with an expression that takes me a second to read.

He looks both surprised and approving, then he’s beyond me and in the trees with the others.

With no one else around, the clearing settles into silence, which feels like open relief in the wake of something significant.

Hunter isn’t far as he looks at me, and I look back.

The mud has soaked my paws while the cliffside wind pulls at my wet fur, still smelling like the storm in a way.

We’re the only two people left in the clearing, and through the bond, something moves between us. It’s more like an unorganized jumble of lingering fear, relief, and whatever else I can’t place right now. Everything we just experienced condenses down to a few emotions and lingering thoughts, but in the wake of it all, I’m just glad that we’re both here and safe.

While Hunter looks at me with an expression I can’t read, I shift back.

When I do, I see the cut on his shoulder more clearly, along with the exhaustion on his face post-fight. But regardless of how tired he is, he doesn’t seem worn down. Rather, he’s keeping himself together, likely for both our sakes.

I notice my shaking hands too, along with the mud on both of us, yet none of it seems important enough to dwell on.

None of that controlled authority exists in his expression now, having melted down into whatever concern he has left.

He’s across the distance before I’ve finished taking a breath, and his hands find my face the way they did in the storm. He checks me over carefully, with all the attention required to assess potential damage.

“You’re okay,” he says, and it comes out less like a question and more like something he’s telling himself. He needs that reassurance just as much as I do.

“I’m okay,” I confirm, softening in his hold and savoring it more than I ever thought possible.

His hands are still on me, moving from my face to my shoulders, then to my waist in a grounding hold. He’s looking at me with the full weight of whatever just moved through the bond, and I can’t take my eyes off him either.

With it all said and done, I can feel the weight of what I did. The fact that I crossed a clearing in the middle of a fight and helped take down an enemy alpha because I couldn’t stand the thought of Hunter getting hurt.

I don’t know what to do with that information yet, but I do know that I don’t regret it, and I never will.

Still, I can feel what that decision earned me: the ability to stand in this clearing with him and acknowledge the living, breathing connection between us. It’s loud and satisfied now, and I know Hunter feels it too.

I can see the recognition of what I did and what it means on his face, along with the words neither of us uses.

Instead, Hunter pulls me closer and presses his mouth to mine, pouring in everything we had to hold back until now.

His warmth surrounds me, but after everything, I’ll gladly drown in it.

Chapter 28 - Hunter