The Alpha’s Bullied Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #1)

Chapter 7 - Mica

After Hayden dragged her back to this room and Ryder reattached the IVs, scolding her all the while for messing with her medication, Mica sat on the bed, thinking. Clearly, she wasn’t going to be able to get out through the front door. First things first, though, she needed a clear head.

Over the years, Mica had primarily been responsible for her own medications. She knew how IVs worked and turned off the feeds. She didn’t trust whatever Ryder was pumping into her. This time, though, she left them in place. That way, she could pretend to follow his commands until she found a way to escape.

Maybe she could go out the window?

Mica dragged the IV line with her as she went to gaze outside. As she tested the window, movement caught her eye. This side of the house was close to the forest, facing away from the road. As she watched, several of Hayden’s team came out of the forest, dragging one of the beasts with them.

Nope.

She wasn’t going back into the forest. And since she couldn’t access a car, Hayden would find her again quickly. That was if she was even able to leave the grounds. Only then did she realize that the entire estate drowned in floodlights. Even if she was able to get out of the house, she wouldn’t get to the fence before being spotted.

Which meant she didn’t have much of a choice. She had to stay. That, in turn, meant that she was going to have to find a way to get out of this mating ceremony somehow.

A knock came on her door and she flicked the IV back on in case it was Ryder. “Come in.”

The door opened. Tess and Echo came in. Though Tess regarded her warily, Mica hadn’t seen her mother this happy in a long time. She beamed at Mica, clasping her hands together.

“Oh, you haven’t started to get ready,” Echo said. “Where’s your dress?”

“I’m not wearing a dress,” Mica answered. She turned off the IVs again and folded her arms. “I can’t believe that you’re letting this happen! I don’t want to be here. And you—” She glared at Tess. “You told him where to find me.”

Tess bowed her head as she shut the door behind them. “I was worried about you.”

Mica was too upset to admit that she did the right thing. If she hadn’t, then that beast-demon would have made a midnight snack out of her. But unless Tess was here to help her figure out how to stop Hayden’s scheme, she didn’t want to hear anything she had to say.

“You’re upset,” Echo said. Her dark eyebrows rose in surprise. “Whatever are you upset for?”

“Because I don’t want to be Hayden’s mate, and everyone’s acting like it’s a given without even asking me!” Mica threw her arms into the air.

Echo folded her hands in her lap. “I will revoke my permission if you really don’t want to. But he is giving you a high honor, asking you to be his mate when he means to be the alpha.”

“That’s the problem. He didn’t ask. He just said I would be his mate.”

Echo sighed. “That’s just how men are. It was his way of apologizing for rejecting you and asking now that you be his mate.”

Mica bit her lips together to prevent herself from exploding out that it wasn’t an apology. It was how men acted here. They made all the decisions and the women were meant to just fall in line. Mica didn’t know how they stood for it. Maybe it was just an innate part of being a shifter, a part she simply didn’t have.

“You can’t let the past get in the way of your future,” Tess said, coming to sit next to her. “Hayden has more pack support than you realize. We’re tired of Monroe and his ways.”

That was true. Monroe had been acting more and more out of character lately. And if what Hayden said was true, and he was possessed by a demon, that meant he’d only start acting worse. “But that doesn’t have anything to do with me. Hayden can pick another mate.”

Tess grabbed both her hands. “If you were the Alpha’s mate, you could make a real difference in this pack, Mica. You’d have an influence that people like you and I just don’t get. Do you realize how much better you could make things for those of us who are on the outskirts?”

“But they’re not my responsibility. You mate him,” Mica added. “If anyone is going to be able to actually do anything, it’s a wolf shifter. Not a human like me.”

“Hayden didn’t choose me,” Tess answered.

Echo shook her head, frowning. “Mica, if this is just about doubts, then you need to decide to be strong. We have been here long enough to know nobody else will take you as a mate.”

Mica ran a hand through her hair. She’d never felt more helpless. Was there nothing she could do? Her mother said she’d revoke her permission if Mica didn’t want to have Hayden as a mate, but then she turned out and said this! Was being unmated truly worse than being mated to a terrible person?

“I’m going to talk to Hayden,” she said, standing. With a few quick movements, she disconnected the IVs again. The needles were still taped into her arm, as she didn’t want to risk ripping open the muscle, but the lines dangled toward the floor.

“Are you sure you should be moving around?” Tess asked anxiously.

Mica ignored her as she strode from the room. It was easy to find Hayden; he was in the largest, grandest room of the house. He was getting dressed in a suit as Mica entered.

“You should be getting ready,” he said without looking at her.

“Why do you want me as your mate?” she asked.

Hayden turned toward her, his expression impassive. “I already told you. I need a mate, and you wanted to be my mate before I left. You’re the easiest choice.”

“Hardly the easiest, considering I tried to run away,” Mica snapped. “Why don’t you go pick someone like Elin? She was always throwing herself at you. Considering how she reacted when you declared yourself toward me at the meeting, she’d be more than happy to take you up.”

Hayden finished tying his tie and turned to her. “I chose you, not Elin.”

“That doesn’t tell me why you want me instead of her.” She gestured at herself. “Just look at me! I’m fatter now than I was when you left. I’m bad-tempered. I swear like a sailor. You don’t want me.”

He rolled his eyes. “I already said I don’t want a mate, Mica. But if I must have one to be the Alpha instead of Monroe, then you are the one I will have. I won’t argue about this anymore. If you are looking for me to be romantic, you’ll be disappointed. I don’t do romance. I will never read you poetry or buy you flowers just because I was thinking of you. This is for a purpose, and there’s nothing romantic about that.”

“At least we agree on that,” Mica muttered.

Hayden grabbed his jacket and pulled it on. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but you have reason to do this, too.”

“The demons,” she supplied, shivering.

“Echo.”

Mica stiffened. “What does my mother have to do with this?”

“This sickness that she’s been going through? It’s because of the demons. If my team and I can’t remove the influence of demons in the area, she will die.” Hayden’s voice was hard, his expression unmoving.

Mica searched for any sign that he was lying. A chill stole down her spine. He was completely serious. So if she didn’t go through with this… Her shoulders started to slump, so she purposefully squared them. Even if she didn’t have a choice with this mating, there were other things she could take control of.

“To be true mates, we need to consummate the mating,” she said.

He nodded.

“If I go through with this, then we will consummate. But I will never have sex with you again. You won’t ever touch me.” Mica lifted her chin, her heart hammering. What would he say? How would he react?

To her surprise, his expression didn’t change at all. “Very well. If that is what you need to agree, then that is what we shall do.”

Disappointment hit her hard in the stomach. At once, she was furious with herself once more. Why should she be disappointed that he was finally respecting her decisions? This was what she wanted, right? It would protect her mother and the pack.

She turned on her heel and headed back to her room. Best to get this over with as soon as possible.