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

Chapter 17 - Mica

The pack took the news of Monroe's possession by a demon reasonably well. At least, none of them went running around flailing their hands in the air, proclaiming they were all doomed. What they whispered to each other was another thing altogether, but Mica didn’t spare the worry about that possibility. For the time being, she focused on taking care of injuries.

Once she was done, Mica sought Hayden out. He was with his team, plotting out their next course of action. Mica found a spot at the side of the room to sit and wait until they were done.

Maverick shot her an uneasy glance but focused back on Hayden. It seemed to Mica he didn’t want her there, but until his Alpha was going to say something, he’d accept it. Hayden hadn’t paid much attention to her entrance into the room except to briefly glance at her.

“That’s enough for tonight,” he said finally. “Tomorrow, we’ll start training the pack on how to fight the beast-demons. Until they’re ready to fight, we’ll have to keep the salt circle intact.”

Mica spoke up. “It’s meant to rain later in the week. How will we keep the circle from washing away?”

“Good point.” Hayden’s eyebrows furrowed.

Derek cleared his throat. “I’ll work on that problem with Tess. She brought it up to me earlier and said she thought she had a solution, but we were interrupted.”

Ryder’s head snapped over, and he narrowed his eyes.

Irritation spiked through Mica as she rolled her eyes at her brother. He shouldn't have rejected her if he was so concerned with Tess spending time with other men. If anyone else noticed his behavior, they didn’t mention it.

“Derek and Tess will work on the problem, then,” Hayden said. “Maverick, you’re on watch tonight. Select a handful of the pack to help. The rest of you, try to get some rest.”

They all bowed their heads. Hayden turned and smiled at Mica. She smiled automatically back, and he came over to put an arm around her. Mica leaned into his side as they left the room. His touch made the exhaustion and fear of the day simply melt away. By the time they got to their room, she was brimming with a new type of energy.

She closed the door behind them, and the two came together. Hayden cupped her face in his huge hands, pulling her closer to capture her lips.

Mica sighed into his mouth, the knots in her muscles relaxing. She ran her hands down the front of his shirt, enjoying the sensation of his hidden muscles. Hayden pushed her up against the wall and pulled her leg over his hip, grinding against her through their clothes. She could already feel how ready he was, and a grin crossed her face.

“What’s that little smirk about?” Hayden asked as he moved his kisses down her neck.

“It’s not a smirk at all. It’s me basking in you,” Mica answered.

Hayden laughed as he undid her pants and pushed them down. Mica stepped out of the fabric, leaning against the door. She watched as Hayden pressed a kiss to her hip and slowly worked his way up, moving her shirt up out of the way as he did so. She loved the passion with which he touched her. It made her feel alive and desirable.

“Hayden, why—” She bit back on the question.

Why he rejected her years ago only to have so much passion in their bed now didn’t matter. Did it?

Hayden undid her bra, kissing along the cup of one as he took it off her. “Why what?”

Mica scrambled for something to fill the empty question. “Why haven’t you asked me for a blowjob?”

“Why would I want a blowjob when I can have you and kiss you at the same time?” he asked.

He grinned at her. With ease, he picked her up and carried her to the bed. Mica held onto him, aware of the vulnerability of being naked before him while he was still fully clothed. He could see every flaw of her body while she couldn’t see any of his. Well, that was disingenuous. Hayden had no flaws.

He laid her down on the bed, his hand between her legs. As she gasped and jerked at his touch, Mica quickly pulled at his clothes. He obliged her, shedding the layers. She caught his hips between her thighs, and he sunk into her. Their kisses grew fiercer as they moved in rhythm, building the pleasure between them.

Mica didn’t want this to end. She never wanted it to end. And if that meant holding her questions inside and refusing to let any of them out? That’s just what it would have to be.

She wasn’t going to give Hayden up. Now that she had him, she wanted to keep him. So she held him tighter, fighting against the pressure building through her. Instead, she kissed him, the way he wanted. And their eyes remained locked open on each other as they continued the dance as old as time.

***

Chirping birds just outside of the window woke Mica in the early morning. She sleepily buried her face into Hayden’s chest, unwilling to get up just yet. Their naked bodies pressed together, soft and warm in the cool morning. Being in Hayden’s arms always made her feel safe and secure. His strength seemed to seep into her, giving her everything she needed to face their situation.

The previous night’s activities had kept them up quite late. Mica hoped she wouldn’t be too tired to perform her duties today. Not that there was a lot to do. A month had passed since Monroe last attacked the house. He’d kept his distance since then, but they couldn’t quite figure out what he was up to.

Hayden had attempted several times to go after him but was always driven back. Lately, the pack's main focus had been dedicated to keeping everyone fed, sheltered, and dealing with interpersonal disputes.

Maybe Monroe was just waiting them out.

As she lay in Hayden’s arms, Mica’s mind went to a question that was even less welcome. What was between them? They were mates, and Hayden was always eager for her, but Mica didn’t know what he felt besides lust. She didn’t want to ask, didn’t want to clarify things between them—because he was probably only doing what she asked him.

Lying. Making Mica believe that he loved her. Hayden really was a good liar, and Mica didn’t want to destroy this illusion he had created.

She was certain that his lust for her was true. You couldn’t kiss someone like that and not mean it. Even if his main drive was to have children with her, she couldn’t imagine he’d get so hard from her naked body unless he really wanted her. And their sex life was plenty satisfactory. She hadn’t known that sex could feel so good. He seemed to know her body as well as she knew it.

Mica knew he was more experienced on that front than she was. She thought it would bother her, but as it turned out, she didn’t care. It was just a part of him, one that directly made her life better. So why should she be bothered?

Her life hadn’t been great, but it was always better when he was here. But with Monroe and the demons, how long would he be here? He was strong and could take down the beast-demons with what seemed like ease. But Monroe? The Alpha was strong, and everything she’d read showed that the aura-demons made a person stronger. Just how strong was Monroe now? Strong enough to kill Hayden?

A dark thought crept into Mica’s mind as she lay there. She didn’t have to stay to find out. As a human, she could leave him. The mate bond might prevent wolves from ever parting ways, but she had that option.

She could just go away if she wanted to. But she didn’t. Even if she was terrified about the future, she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Hayden now.

Hayden stirred, sighing heavily as he did so. His arms tightened around. “Is it morning already?”

“Yes, unfortunately.” Mica traced her fingers across the soft smattering of hairs on his chest. “Did you have a good night?”

He cracked open one eye and gave her a crooked grin. “Maybe not a good sleep, but it was a great night.”

Mica giggled softly, pleased with his response. “Are you going after Monroe again today?”

“Yes.” Hayden’s expression sobered. “He’s evading me. Even though he still has the majority of the pack on his side, unpossessed. They seem to be getting restless for this Alpha’s fight. I don’t know what he’s after.”

“Maybe he’s just afraid of facing you.”

Hayden smirked. “Maybe.”

“At least Monroe isn’t trying to take a new mate anymore,” Mica murmured.

“Hmm. Yeah.”

Mica propped herself up on her elbow. “When you’re Alpha, what then? You’re here to stop the demons, but once you’re the Alpha, you will have to be the Alpha. So what sort of things are you planning for the pack?”

Her stomach cramped at the expected reply—that he’d set someone to have control in his absence and go back out fighting the demons in different areas.

Hayden surprised her. “I have a few plans to make things better for everyone in the pack. The divisions have always been too strong for my liking. The first thing I’ll implement is finding more exports so the pack can earn more money, and for every working member to earn a wage.” He shrugged. “I don’t think that the lowest-ranked members of the pack should be forced to do so much manual labor for nothing but so-called ‘protection’ in return.”

Mica thought about her own life. How often was she made to spend hours baking and cooking for Monroe and his circle, and the only payment she had was ‘Be grateful we allow you to be part of the pack’ and their leftovers?

Once more, she saw just how different Hayden was. Warmth swept through her, and she leaned up, pressing her mouth to his. The warmth turned to heat as she trailed her hand over his form, dipping below the blankets at his waist. Hayden growled into her mouth as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her atop him.