Page 12 of Plus-Size Bullied Mate

“You have no idea,” he says quietly, “how close he came to dying tonight.”

My pulse stutters, and without question, I believe him.

I saw the unmistakable rage in his eyes, and even now, every inch of Hunter still feels unhinged. Violence is barely leashed beneath his skin right now, and even if he’s being careful not to touch me, all of that focus is locked onto me anyway.

It should terrify me, and while it does to some extent, confusion is twisting beneath the fear now, too.

None of this makes sense.

Hunter spent years treating me like I wasn’t worth acknowledging, and now he’s acting like he wants to chain me to his side.

“You hated me,” I say before I can stop myself, well aware of the heavy accusation that claim carries. It likely isn’t the place or time for this, but I can’t go anywhere with him.

Hunter freezes, and for the first time since arriving, something in his expression genuinely cracks. The anger subsides long enough to reveal his own confusion.

“I never hated you.”

The bitter part of me wants to laugh, but I keep it in as well as I can. The disbelief must show on my face because frustration flashes across his.

“You were horrible to me,” I mutter, gesturing vaguely because I don’t know what else to do with my hands right now. “And you made everyone else worse.”

His jaw flexes, and after a beat, he mumbles, “I know.”

He doesn’t deny it, and he doesn’t even bother to come up with an excuse either. Somehow, that irritates me more.

When he doesn’t back off, more frustration curls inside me, and I shove hard against his chest. He doesn’t move even a fraction of an inch.

“I don’t care if you’re the alpha now. You don’t get to decide what happens to me.”

Hunter catches both my wrists instantly, without any effort, and the movement sends another spike of panic through me.

I yank hard against his hold, but his grip doesn’t loosen.

“Let go of me.”

“Tessa—”

“Let go!”

Instead of releasing me, he physically lifts me off the ground, and in one decisive movement, I’m draped over his shoulder like it’s nothing.

I make a sound somewhere between outrage and panic at the sudden change, struggling now to regain my bearings.

“Hunter!” I snap, feeling a rush as I’m forced to look down at his heels. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Taking you somewhere safe, whether you like it or not.”

“I am not a sack of potatoes, you psychopath,” I growl out, focusing on being as annoying as possible in his hold now.

Hunter only slings me higher against his shoulder like my added weight barely registers for him.

The humiliation is immediate and absolute, causing my inner wolf to lose her mind, but even as I pound against his back furiously, he starts walking through the forest completely unfazed.

“Put me down!”

“No.”

“You can’t abduct people because you’re alpha!”