MATED TO THE BULLY

Chapter 4 – Five Years Later: A New Sage

Sage stepped off the car and adjusted her blazer.

The city smelled of rain and asphalt, the kind of sharp scent that made her feel alive. Five years had changed her in ways even she hadn't fully realized until now.

Her hair was cut sleek, her posture straight, and her presence commanded attention without a word. She didn't look back. She never looked back.

The building she entered was tall, glass and steel, shining under the morning sun. Her name on the sign carried weight now:

Winters Enterprises, rival pack to Jaxon's family business. She had built this herself, piece by piece, from the ground up.

The girl who had once trembled at the sight of Jaxon Cole now walked into rooms where her opinion mattered, where people listened.As she pushed open the doors to the conference room, she paused. The chatter died down the instant she entered.

Men and women around the table glanced at her with a mix of respect and something she didn't care to name.

Her gaze swept the room, and then she saw him.Jaxon.He hadn't changed much in height or build—tall, broad, unmistakable. But the arrogance in his stance was tempered by age, responsibility, and something else she couldn't read at first glance. He froze the moment their eyes met, and for a fraction of a second, he looked… human.

Vulnerable.Sage didn't flinch. She didn't allow herself to. She was no longer the quiet girl who had endured his cruelty for years. She stepped into the room with confidence, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor. Every movement was deliberate, measured.

Every glance, every tilt of her chin, radiated authority."Good morning," she said, her voice clear and even. She placed her folder on the table, opening it to reveal reports, figures, and strategies she had prepared.

Her eyes briefly flicked to Jaxon, who had moved his chair slightly back, as if instinctively creating distance."Morning," Jaxon replied, his voice steady, but there was a tension there she hadn't expected. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat.

"I didn't… expect to see you leading this project."Sage raised an eyebrow. "I lead every project I touch. That's what happens when you work hard instead of hiding in the shadows." Her words were firm but not cruel. She didn't need to insult him.

He already knew he had lost the right to speak to her like that.Jaxon's jaw tightened. He wanted to argue, to snap back, to remind her who he was, but he stopped himself.

Every instinct in his body screamed at him, pulled at him in a way he couldn't understand.

The bond—the thing he had denied for years—was still there, stronger than ever, tugging at him, reminding him of what he had thrown away.The meeting began, discussions about the merger, budgets, and strategic decisions filling the room. Sage dominated the conversation with calm authority.

Her ideas were sharp, her reasoning flawless. She didn't need to raise her voice. Her presence alone made the room bend to her direction.

Jaxon had seen many successful omegas, many clever negotiators, but none like her. She wasn't just smart—she was untouchable, precise, and aware of every move in the room. Every glance she gave him felt like a challenge, a reminder of the girl he had humiliated and the woman he had never earned.During a pause, one of Jaxon's colleagues whispered, "She's… incredible."

Jaxon's hand tightened around his pen. He didn't answer. He didn't need to. He was too aware of the fact that she was incredible… and she was his mate.Sage noticed him looking at her, but she didn't break her composure.

She had learned long ago that showing weakness gave people like him power. She would not give him that. Not now, not ever.

She had a plan, a life, and a purpose that did not include Jaxon's approval.After the meeting, as people filtered out of the room, Jaxon lingered. "Sage," he said quietly, catching up to her as she gathered her papers. His tone was low, cautious, unlike the arrogant voice he had used to mock her years ago.

"You've… changed."Sage didn't look at him. She simply adjusted her blazer, clipped her papers together, and said, "We all change. Some of us grow stronger than others." Her words cut through the air, polite but final.

She was not the girl who had stumbled and dropped her notebooks in front of him.He wanted to argue, to remind her of the past, to grovel in some way he couldn't yet admit, but the words died in his throat.

All he could do was watch her walk away, her heels clicking like a heartbeat he could no longer ignore.That night, alone in her hotel room, Sage reflected on the day. She had faced him, seen the effect of her absence, and yet, she didn't feel the fear she once had. Instead, a quiet satisfaction settled over her.

She was no longer the girl Jaxon had tormented. She had built herself from the ashes of humiliation and rejection.But she felt it too—the tug, the pull, the unspoken bond that had never left her. She pressed her hand to her chest, feeling the rhythm of it, steady, insistent.

She didn't know what it meant yet, only that it was there.Meanwhile, Jaxon sat alone in his office, staring at the chair where she had just been.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated and confused. Pride told him to ignore it, but the bond had awakened, and he could feel it clawing at him.

That same pull he had denied for years was here, undeniable, painful, and intoxicating. He had thought time erased her presence, but it hadn't.

She had returned, stronger than ever, and it shook him in ways he didn't know how to handle.Both of them were changed. Both of them carried scars, pride, and determination. And though they didn't know it yet, their paths were colliding once again, and the bond between them had not forgotten.