Page 3 of His Bullied Fated Mate

We went home, and Troy started cooking dinner. I sat at the island and watched him. Troy was an amazing cook who just knew how to cook everything perfectly. I enjoyed spending time with him.

“Why did you reschedule your meeting?” I asked as I opened a soda.

He shrugged. “Because I didn’t feel like having it today.” He stirred some melted butter in a pan.

“Isn’t it important?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “For your future?”

He shrugged. “How about we talk about you? What were you and Riley doing?” His eyes looked up at me, and I could see he was trying to figure it out.

I paused the soda for a split second before I shrugged. “He was offering me a ride home.”

Troy shook his head. “And I don’t believe you.”

“It’s the truth.”

He frowned. “You know I go to the same school. I hear everything.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, and in two years it won’t matter.”

He froze, and I watched the way his shoulders tensed. “You…still planning that?”

I had told Troy my plan to leave. He hated the idea but respected my decision. If anyone saw what I dealt with, it was him.

“The human girl that’s dragging her family down? Yes, I still plan to leave.”

“That’s not true,” he snapped, anger crossing his face.

I frowned. “But that’s how everyone sees me, Troy. Is it wrong that I want to go somewhere else and live a normal life? Just be…me?”

He frowned. “I just can’t imagine a life without you in it.”

“I’m not dying. I want to move.”

“That’s how it will feel.”

“Troy, you're a little dramatic. I’d still come home.”

He laughed at this. “No, you won’t. You will avoid this place like the plague.”

I didn’t want to tell him he was right. I didn’t really plan to come home often. I didn’t know if I would ever want to come back.

“Quit rescheduling your meeting. It's to talk about your future, and I'm sure about what you have to do to become Alpha.” He cringed, which told me I had been correct.

I sat outside on the porch after dinner and stared across the yard. I heard the front door open, and I turned as Dad stepped outside. He smiled at me as he walked closer, sitting down next to me. He sighed as he wrapped an arm around me, pulling me to him. “You didn’t talk much at dinner.”

I shrugged. “Didn’t have much to say. Same old stuff.”

He nodded, and we fell silent. We softly swung in the wind as I looked around the space. The neighborhood was quiet. No kids in the street, no animals being heard. It was peaceful.

“Your mom is worried about you.”

I leaned against him. “I know.”

He kissed the top of my head. “I know you have a hard time. That being human is hard in a pack. But I have no doubt you’ll find your place. You just have to get through school. The real world is so different from school life.”

I gave my dad a soft smile. I wished his words were true. I wanted to believe that things would click into place and that I would feel that I belonged. But that was only in books.

“I know. I’m fine.”