AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER 33
Iwatched Madeline’sexpression shift and change as she listened to my words. Despite the fact that my face hurt, and I was pretty sure I had some cuts on my back from the broken mirror, I was so fucking happy to see her. So happy that Ric could have probably gotten a couple of more licks in on me and I wouldn’t have cared.
The two weeks since I’d last seen Madeline had been some of the worst of my life. Rio and Adair had been busy with the primaries, which had gone incredibly well and Adair would be on the ballot in November. Unfortunately, Adair was having problems being happy about it because an integral member of our pack was missing. Madeline had turned her phone off, and she never returned to her apartment after that night. After trying everything, I finally gave in and called Aria, who was on vacation in Cancun with her pack. Her omega, Tibby, had snatched the phone from my law partner, and had raked me over the coals for daring to hurt Madeline. Tibby had called me a few choice names that had included the phrases: ‘limp-dicked,’ ‘soggy biscuit,’ and, most interestingly, ‘Paul Revere’s bitch.’
At the end of it all she had told me that I was damn lucky that Madeline liked me so much, or she’d have had Cobb lock me away at an FBI black site—which I was pretty sure didn’t actually exist. But Tibby had said it so confidently that I didn’t want to take the risk.
Finally, she told me what resort that they were staying at in Cancun.
So, I’d bought the first ticket to Mexico and closed down the office for the week. I made sure that our most time-sensitive cases were being handled by competent lawyers, before I hopped on a plane bound for Cancun.
I’d actually been in Cancun for two days, which was about as long as it had taken for me to finally work up the courage to walk to the villa where the packs were staying and ring the doorbell. Unfortunately, I wasn’t counting on the door opening and a very angry alpha smashing me into a mirror in order to protect his sister’s honor.
But it made sense, especially now that I knew Madeline was pregnant. As soon as I had heard the words my heart jumped with excitement over the idea of watching Madeline’s stomach swell with my pack’s child, and I also realized just how much work I needed to do to win her trust.
To start with, she would need to know my whole story.
“I’m the product of my mum and an alpha pack that she was sure would bond with her and welcome her into their influential fold. I was supposed to be her ticket into a cushy life in the upper echelons of London society.” It felt strange to say it out loud, especially since it had been so long since I’d toldanyonethe full story.
“When she told them that she was pregnant...they weren’t especially pleased. They kicked her to the curb, and she never forgot it. When I was little, she was neglectful at best. She kept having children, but with different beta fathers. I’m actually the oldest of eight.”
Madeline blinked at me in shock at the number and I grinned. “I have only child energy, don’t I?”
She nodded. “I always figured that you were an only child, you’re selfish enough for it.”
Ouch, but it was definitely a fair jab coming from her.
“Nope, I took care of my little siblings until I was eighteen years old. Then I went to Uni on a scholarship and was finally able to look out for myself. Anyway, my mum didn’t necessarily ever care about me, but after I presented as an alpha shehatedme. I was a constant reminder of the pack that abandoned her.”
“So, because you were an alpha, she treated you poorly?” Madeline asked as she put two-and-two together. I could see a hint of anger in her brown eyes and it emboldened me to continue.
“She only really acknowledged me when she was drunk, other than that she pretty much ignored me. It wasn’t like she was much of a mother to my siblings either, but there were little moments of affection for them at least.” I said with a shrug. I was trying to act nonchalant, as if I wasn’t flaying my emotional insides open for her to peruse with those pretty brown eyes of hers.
“Do you still talk to your siblings?” Madeline asked as we took a fork in the pathway that would lead us to one of the many beaches that the resort boasted.
“Not really, the lot of them felt like I abandoned them when I moved away to Uni. I really only check in with them on birthdays and holidays, but I think the wall between us will always be there.” The last time that I’d spoken to one of them had been during Christmas when I called to check on my youngest sister. She was fifteen-years-old now, and had spent the entirety of the phone call giving me one-word answers.
After that, I’d finally made the choice not to be the one to reach out first and see if any of them actuallywantedto talk to me. There had been radio silence from them ever since.
“I don’t really talk with my older siblings either, other than Ric of course. I hardly know my older brothers, and I hadn’t seen my parents since I was twelve...other than at the party.”
“I didn’t know that, my brain was fucked that night, and I jumped to conclusions.” Between Charlotte and my own issues, it was more like I’d leapt off of a thousand foot cliff into an ocean of stupid-ass accusations.
“You treated me like you had no idea who I was. Even if there wasn’t something going on between us,” she gestured between the two of us. “I would still expect you to treat me with more respect than that. You’ve known me for almost eight months now. You should have known that I wouldn’t be secretly plotting with my parents to trap you guys.”
With that, Madeline plopped down onto one of the benches that sat along the edge of the beach and crossed her arms over her chest. At some point in the last two minutes, she’d reminded herself that she was still angry with me, and I needed to try and make things right before I lost the chance.
Sitting down next to her, I gently pulled one of her hands into mine. “I am so sorry, Madeline. I knew that I was wrong the minute that you walked away from me, and I actually tried to follow you but Charlotte got in the way.”
“What is Charlotte to you anyway? She cornered me in the bathroom and told me that you thought all beta women were ‘hangers-on’ and ‘golddiggers’—her words, not mine.” Only the wobble of Madeline’s lower lip told me just how much Charlotte’s words had affected her. I mentally cursed Charlotte. I hoped that she woke up every morning for the rest of her life with hang-nails on each of her fingers that were impossible to get rid of.
“Charlotte was my girlfriend when we were in secondary school. She was a late bloomer—she presented when we were eighteen—and I thought that she would be the woman that I would give a bond-mark to.” Madeline stiffened and began to pull away, but I held onto her hand even harder before continuing.
“She was stringing multiple packs along at once, looking for the best deal that she could get. When she found one, she kicked everyone else to the curb...except for me. I think she fancied me enough that she wanted me to join her new alpha’s pack. But neither I, nor the pack had any interest in being around each other. So, when I moved on to Uni, I focused only on my studies and eventually I met Adair and decided to form a pack with him. Unfortunately, Charlotte is an absolute nightmare of a human being and likes to randomly show up to wreck shit like the chaotic bitch that she is.”
My words were definitely harsh, but they seemed to work because Madeline’s stiff shoulders finally relaxed.
“I should have never let her get to you,” I admitted. “I should have followed you to the bathroom and blocked her from going in.”
