The mate he called fatass

Chapter 1 The Word That Broke Me His hand was still on my cheek when he said it. Warm. Heavy. The same hand that pulled me forward under the full moon only a minute ago. The bond had lit up between us in gold light. Fated mates. The Alpha King’s heir and me. Then his lips curled. “I reject you, fatass.” The words hit like a blade. The bond snapped inside my chest so hard I almost screamed. It felt like someone ripped a live wire straight through my heart and left the ends burning. My knees gave out. I stayed upright only because his fingers still held my face. Laughter exploded around us. It crashed over me. Loud. Cruel. I felt every eye crawl across my body. Across the soft curve of my stomach under the thin top. Across my thick thighs. Across every part of me they had always hated. The moonlight made it worse. It showed everything. My throat closed. Heat flooded my face so fast my eyes stung. I would not cry. I refused. But the pain in my chest kept pulsing, ugly and sharp. Riven let go like I disgusted him. He turned away without another look. His friends clapped his back. Craig bent over laughing. “Damn, Prince. You really said it out loud.” “Had to,” Riven said, voice easy. “Goddess must have been drunk that night.” Someone yelled, “At least the pretty sister is still available!” My sister Selene stood three steps away. Perfect body. Perfect face. She looked at me with pity that felt worse than hate. I could not move. The broken bond kept tearing at me from the inside. Every beat reminded me the Moon Goddess had given me to a man who just called me fatass in front of everyone I knew. An older she-wolf muttered, “Poor thing. Always the heavy one.” Her friend answered, “She should have known better than to hope.” I forced air into my lungs and kept my face blank. The same empty look I had worn for years. Riven raised a drink like the rejection was entertainment. People cheered. The sound made my stomach twist. Selene stepped closer. “You should go home, Maya. You’re making it worse by standing here.” “Thanks for the advice.” She sighed. “I’m trying to help. You know how they get when they smell blood.” “I know exactly how they get.” Craig shouted again. “Hey, chubby! You gonna cry or what?” Riven did not stop him. He did not even glance my way. The bond pain spiked. It folded me forward. I locked my knees and stayed up even though my whole body shook. I needed to leave before I broke in front of them. I turned. The crowd parted. Some stepped back like my size might touch them. Others stared and whispered. “Look at her walk.” “No wonder he rejected her.” “Bet she eats enough for two wolves.” I kept my eyes on the dirt path. One foot. Then the other. My chest felt like it was splitting open with every step. Halfway there my legs almost failed. I stopped under a big oak and pressed both hands hard against the bark. The pain would not stop. A twig snapped behind me. I spun around. No one. Just shadows and moonlight. The laughter from the clearing still reached me. I walked faster. Footsteps followed. Soft. Controlled. I stopped and looked over my shoulder. A man stood at the edge of the trees. Tall. Broad. Dark hair. The young Alpha who transferred in last month. Theo. He was watching me. Really watching. Not the way the others did. “What do you want?” My voice came out rough. He stepped into the moonlight. “You shouldn’t walk alone right now.” “I do it all the time.” “Not shaking like this.” His voice was low. “You’re still feeling it.” I let out a short breath. “You mean after getting called fatass in front of the whole pack? Yeah. First time for that one.” He didn’t look away. “My name is Theo.” “I know who you are.” “I know who you are too.” He stepped closer. “You’re the only one who didn’t look down when he said it.” The words landed differently than anything else that night. I crossed my arms over my stomach. I hated how aware I became of my own body under his eyes. Theo’s gaze never dropped. He kept it on my face. “The bond pain will get worse before it eases,” he said. “You shouldn’t be alone when it peaks.” “I’ll manage.” “I know you will. But you don’t have to.” I waited for the joke or the change in his expression. It never came. More laughter rose from the clearing. Theo’s jaw tightened. “Come on. I’ll walk you home.” “Why?” “Because I don’t like how they looked at you. And because I can’t stop looking at you either.” My stomach flipped. I nodded once. He fell into step beside me. Close enough that his arm almost brushed mine. My chest still burned from the bond, but something else started burning too. After a while I spoke. “You saw the whole thing.” “I did.” “And you still came after me.” “I couldn’t not. You stood there while they laughed. Most people would’ve folded.” I glanced at him. When he looked back, our eyes held longer than they should have. “They’re going to talk about this for months,” I said. “The fat girl who got rejected by the prince.” “Let them. They didn’t see what I saw.” “And what was that?” “Someone who didn’t break. Someone I wanted to walk home.” We reached the cottages. Mine was the last one on the left. Theo stopped at the bottom of the steps. I climbed two and turned. “Thanks for the walk.” “Anytime.” His eyes stayed locked on mine. “If the pain gets bad tonight, my cabin is the third one past the training grounds. Door’s unlocked. I’ll be awake.” I nodded, throat tight. He stepped back slowly. “Goodnight, Maya.” “Goodnight.” I watched him disappear into the trees before I went inside. I locked the door and slid down to the floor. The ceremonial top came off. The bond pain rolled through me in a slow wave. I pressed both hands over my heart and tried to breathe. Outside the pack was still celebrating. Somewhere in that noise Riven was laughing. I thought the night was over. A soft knock sounded against the door. Three slow taps. I stood, pulled on a hoodie, and opened it a few inches. Theo stood on the porch. Something hungrier lived in his eyes now. “I know I said goodnight,” he said. “But I couldn’t leave it like that.” I opened the door wider. “Leave what?” He stepped closer. His scent wrapped around me. “I watched him reject you. I watched them laugh. And I decided something right there in that clearing.” My pulse kicked hard. “What did you decide?” “That man is a fool. And I don’t let fools keep what they throw away.” The words hung between us, heavy and charged. Theo stood close enough that I felt the heat from his chest. I was painfully aware of every soft curve under the hoodie. He didn’t look away. “You don’t even know me,” I whispered. “I know enough. I know what I saw. And I know what I want.” The broken bond twisted. Pain mixed with something hotter. Theo stepped closer. “Does it still hurt?” “Yes.” “Show me.” I should have said no. Instead I let my hand fall. The neckline of the hoodie slipped. The red mark where the mate bond had tried to form sat high on the curve of my breast. Theo’s eyes locked on it. “He touched you while he said those words,” he said, voice rough. “I saw it.” “Everyone saw it.” “I wanted to break his arm.” He lifted one hand slowly. When I didn’t move, his fingers brushed the edge of the mark. The contact sent a jolt straight through me. My back hit the doorframe. He followed, crowding me until his chest almost pressed against mine. “You’re shaking,” he murmured. “It’s the bond.” “Is it only the bond?” His thumb traced the mark, then slid to the side of my neck. The touch was warm and rough. He didn’t pull away from the shape of my body. “I can smell him on you,” he said. “It’s fading. Good.” “Theo—” “Tell me to stop and I will. But I don’t want to. And I don’t think you do either.” My hands found the front of his shirt. He leaned in until his forehead rested against mine. His breath brushed my lips. The space between us felt thick and charged. The bond throbbed harder. Pain and need twisted together. My knees went weak. Theo’s other hand settled on my waist. His fingers sank into the soft give of my side and held on. “You are not what they called you,” he said against my mouth. “You are not a joke. And you are not staying in a pack that treats you like one.” I turned my face just enough that our lips almost touched. For one long second I thought he would close the last inch. I wanted it so badly it scared me. A loud snap of a branch broke the moment. Theo’s head jerked up. His body went rigid in front of mine, shielding me. His eyes flashed gold. Footsteps. Heavy. Familiar. Riven’s voice cut through the night, low and furious. “Get your hands off my mate.”