The Bully's Hated Mate
The Bully’s Hated Mate – Chapter 17

CASSIA’S POV:

I don’t know how long I slept for but when I awoke, I was well covered and on Lucius’ bed.

I looked over to the window, half expecting to replace that it was all some kind of messed up dream.

But the window was still left ajar. The streams of sunlight would have woken me up in an instant if I had still been on the floor, but I was not on the floor.

Wait!

I wasn’t on the floor!

I looked to the bed, realising that I was really on Lucius’ bed, and I had been well placed and covered. The other side of the bed was empty. Well-stretched even, like it wasn’t slept on.

My brows furrowed.

Where the hell was he now?

I stood up from the bed and I fell right back. Using my wolf side like that had taken a good amount of energy from me and the side effects were starting to get to me.

I let it clear for a minute before trying to stand up again. This time, getting it right. I knew he wasn’t in the bathroom, so I didn’t bother to check and having the day so bright like this and on a weekend…

He was probably at the dinning hall by now, having breakfast without me. I decided to have my bathe and go on to join them in the dinning hall.

I walked briskly, having the feeling that I was late for breakfast. I had never been late for breakfast before, and I had never gone to the dinning hall alone.

The least Lucius could have done after helping him last night was to wake me up and make me go with him.

The awkwardness I felt was causing my throat to constrict and my cheeks to burn. I was already embarrassed.

As I got to the double doors, which I knew certainly always made a sound when opened, I began to hear some raised voices, both of which were exceptionally familiar.

But even though my hearing was spectacular, my sight was even more pristine.

I opened the doors a bit, thankful that it didn’t creak at all, allowing me to witness something I had never seen before.

The Alpha had his face red and he was seated. He had drawn his chair farther than usual from the table and instead of eating, had his hard gaze on Lucius.

I began to wonder if maybe he had heard me yelling for Lucius last night. Guilt wore me like a dress, but I was bent on hearing what they were talking about.

“Where did you go last night?” The Alpha crossed his arms, disapproval marking his age old face.

His gaze was fixed and locked on Lucius. Lucius, on the other hand, was forking his lamb roast in an uninterested manner, not the least concerned if he was being talked to or not.

I knew Lucius was a shitface, but I didn’t know to what extent.

“Lucius, you came home staggering and all battered. You’ve been going out at that same time to goddess-knows-where, and you know how dangerous it is to go out with the recent rogues attack. You know!” The Alpha king glared harshly.

Lucius just kept forking the food, not minding any word that sprawled out of his father’s mouth.

“Lucius! Look at you. Your face has wounds all over, you keep clenching your side and you were leaping when you walked in this morning. I saw you leave the palace last night. Where did you go?” It was obvious that he was not going to ask Lucius again.

Lucius finally put the fork down and with something in his eyes, he gave him a stare that was beyond him.

“I went for a walk, Father. Is that a crime?”

How it happened, I didn’t know, but the doors suddenly creaked.

Both of them looked towards my direction. I jerked forward, making the doors creak even louder. My cheeks flamed hot.

“Come in, Cassia.” The alpha bellowed.

I couldn’t go back now when I knew they knew that I had been eavesdropping. I was tempted to stay rooted at the spot, but I didn’t.

With a new level of awkwardness, I pushed open the doors and walked inside gently.

As I moved closer to the table, I noticed the amount of tension that flew from the Alpha’s end to Lucius’ end.

I didn’t want to sit at the middle of this and as though he heard what I said, he stood up.

Lucius took his plate with him, drew the chair back and stood up immediately, shocking the Alpha and myself.

I stopped in my tracks, inches away from drawing a chair out for myself. He baypassed me and walked straight out of the room and towards his bedroom.

I watched him leave.

“Sit down, my dear.” The Alpha held a sadness to his voice as he motioned me to the seat that Lucius had just exited.

It felt weird having to sit opposite the Alpha, and on a chair that Lucius had clearly stormed out of in anger.

I sat down, tucking the chair in myself as a servant girl and boy came to take care of the spots that Lucius had left scattered.

With everything done, a new plate was served to me. It was still the same lamb roast and sauce, and my cup was filled with water and wine.

The aroma greeted my nose happily as my stomach growled in hunger.

The Alpha started to eat, the same time I started eating. It was a weird moment. I have never been at breakfast late. I had never eavesdropped, and I have never had breakfast alone with the Alpha.

It was all so weird, and every minute that ticked by made me want to take my food and follow in Lucius’ steps.

But something made me stay.

“How did you sleep, my dear?” He asked.

The Alpha had a habit of always asking if I slept well enough, if I rested enough every breakfast. It was a ritual for him and one that I was starting to really enjoy.

But I couldn’t tell him I didn’t sleep all that well last night. Despite the fact that he somehow knew of Lucius’ shenanigans, I wanted to protect him all of a sudden.

“I slept really well.” I lied.

He looked at me and smiled.

s**t.

“I hope Lucius didn’t cause you to stir last night with his vicious groaning and him getting stuck on that tree last night.” He said.

I tried my best to hide the extent of my shock, but he already saw it. He chuckled.

“I love how good both of you are together. It reminds me of when I was your age too, me and my mate. We were out of this world…” He trailed.

“I know you don’t think of him that much, but you have to believe me. From the moment he got you as a mate, something has changed in my son.” He said, his fork and knife resting peacefully on the plate as he took his cup of wine and sipped a good amount.

I, on the otherhand, had wheels turning in my head.

“I know this may be old-fashioned but you really are good for him.”

I smiled awkwardly, wishing he knew how good I was. No good, that is.

“I don’t really think we have that fire, that goodness you think we have.” Where the strength and courage to proclaim that bit of honesty emerged from, I didn’t know.

But somehow, I felt relived having to put that out there in the open. He rested his back on his chair and took a good look at me again.

“That’s what you see Cassia but from what I see, you’re the fire in his bones. You keep him on his toes, and trust me, love translates itself in different ways. You have an effect on my son, one that no other woman I’ve seen him with has. Lucius might be a…troublesome kid, but something has been different with you around. He wasn’t always this way.” He said.

Disbelief clouded my eyes, if Lucius wasn’t like this, then how was he then?

“How different is he?” I asked, wanting to know for sure.

He sighed “Lucius was more or less a…spoilt brat. Forgive my language.”

I smiled at that.

“None taken and for the record, he’s still a spoilt brat.” I responded.

We both smiled at that.

“But he was more arrogant, more cold, more disrespectful and almost disgraceful. ” His eyes took a sad light.

“I felt I failed him somehow, you know. He wouldn’t talk to me, he wouldn’t eat with me, he didn’t want to have anything to do with me, and he was always out, partying, drinking, bringing a lot of disgraceful women to his bed. Whenever I went out on pack official meetings that requires my presence, he would turn the castle upside down and he would be too drunk to recount what exactly happened. He was terrible, ever since he lost his mum. My wife. My mate.” His shoulders slumped, and my heart went out for him.

“He had become a shadow of himself and not until he found you… I believed I had lost him totally.”

“So, you’re saying that replaceing me has brought you some kind of hope?” I asked, wanting to clarify what exactly it was he was saying to me right now.

“Yes. I know it may be odd but whatever it is you’re doing, please keep doing it. Please keep looking out for him and infect him more with your love. I have seen the two of you out in public so much, and I know what it was I saw. You too have a fire, but just a sparkle or a glimpse. It’s beautiful and frankly, even better than what I had with my wife. Help me change him for the better, let him know that I love him. That I care and that I would help him in whatever way that I can, all means necessary. I just want him back. I believe there’s a huge part of the old him still left, he’s just really closed it off.” He concluded.

I sat back, letting my back relax for the first time since I sat down. I took in every word he uttered, feeling sorry for Lucius a bit.

I knew things about Lucius that I would have never ever known if I wasn’t told. I nodded my head at the Alpha and we were back to eating.

Where had Lucius gone to anyway? I asked myself.

Breakfast was done and I said goodbye to the Alpha and went back to my bedroom.

As I got there, I started to perceive that scent that only one person could ever have.

Lucius.

I caught myself eavesdropping again, watching him walk out of the closet with his clothes on his shoulder.

It looked like he was getting dressed and he looked healthy, unlike the blubbering pain stricken mess he was last night.

“You can come in, you know.” He said, his face directly facing the opposite direction of the door.

My cheeks heated again as I was caught for the second time today, eavsdropping.

I opened the doors, casually skipping inside and still keeping my eyes on the broad muscles that identified his back as he stretched a hand into the closet to get something.

My eyes dropped to his abs, circling the muscles that decorated his belly and the ones that spread upwards to his chest.

His broad chest with a sparse of hairs and a truckload of well defined abs. His arms had sharp joints and his skin glistened with strategic drops of water.

I immediately wished I was the drops, hanging beautifully on the sides of his n*****s and the center of his stomach.

I could mentally trace my fingertips on each muscle and I would name them accordingly.

“Are you done drooling?” He asked, snapping me out if it.