Chapter 30 Scarlett in the Park
2113 Words
Chapter 30
Scarlett in the Park
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Joseph
When I stood back from Louise, I couldn’t help but admire how adorable she looked in my jacket. It suited her—I suited her. My hand instantly went to her shoulder. When she didn’t flinch, my fingers caressed her smooth skin. The sensation was heaven. My eyes were gold—they turned that colour when Louise caught Zodiac’s attention as much as mine. And with the scent of cancer gone, her presence was an addiction.
“No…” Zodiac snuffled as he started pacing in my mind. He was Jekyll and Hyde all over again. “She’s cute... but is she Luna material? ... What will our clan think? We need to meet her wolf!”
Louise flashed me another coy smile. I couldn’t help but smile back. It was contagious. The thoughts fluttered away, and visions of claiming her flashed through my mind. Zodiac was momentarily calm.
I traced my fingers under the strap of her singlet top and across her neck where the mate mark would go. She didn’t pull away. Zodiac threw his head back and howled, then froze. He had done the same thing during a game of Cluedo when our hands touched and again with Blackjack when my hand brushed hers.
“Joseph?”
My hand regretfully fell away from Louise as I spun around to see Maddison behind me, wearing a tight-fitting knitted blue dress that showed off every curve. A crooked smile formed on her plump lips. “I found you...”
“Maddison,” I swallowed as I spoke her name. How did she find me? Only Josie-Anne and Kingston knew where I was; they would never tell.
“I have to talk to you...” She ran up to me and grabbed my hands. She glanced behind me at Louise in the wheelchair and shuddered. Her reaction made Zodiac unfreeze and start pacing. “It’s important... Can we speak in private?”
“I’m kind of busy,” I admitted, glancing back at Louise. She had turned the chair on an angle so she could listen. Her brown eyes were wide. “I can’t leave ... we were about to grab ice cream together ... and talk.”
“It’s about us...” She whispered, caressing my hands.
“Us?” I squinted at her. Something was different. “What about us?”
Her eyes flashed from a dark red to a deep yellow. Only wolves could do that after their first change.
“Yes, us ...” she beamed. “It’s my birthday. My wolf appeared this morning!”
That explains the eyes. I studied her from head to toe. She had filled out, grown taller… and curvier. She was finally of age. But I knew she wasn’t my mate, or I would have smelt her the moment she entered the hospital. And Zodiac wouldn’t have just vanished.
Maddison bounded on the spot. “She’s so excited that you’re taking us as your chosen mate… She convinced me to tell my parents!”
“What the f**k!” I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. “You told your parents?”
“Yes!” She inched closer to me. “My wolf, Sivanah, is very persuasive.”
I could see a hint of her wolf in her eyes. She was no submissive Omega. I could tell that instantly. Where the hell are you, Zodiac? What can you tell me about her wolf?
“My parents are so excited!” She nearly squealed. “They want to meet your parents right away!”
Louise exhaled a skipped breath behind me.
My vision began to blur as I glanced back from her to Maddison, who was practically glowing. She was attractive, even more so now that her wolf was awake… But what did that matter? Zodiac, where are you?!
“Joseph…?” Maddison fluttered her eyelashes at me. “Is everything okay?”
“No... you had no right to do that!” I brushed my hair back and glanced at Louise. The hurt in her eyes winded me. “Louise, this is not what you think...”
“B-but you said...” She stammered, her jaw tense. A fierce kind of fury was brewing. It was the same look she had given me a few times before. For an Omega, it was powerful.
“I’m sorry...” Maddison continued, oblivious to Louise’s reply. “My wolf won’t wait!”
“You still had no right!” I turned back to Maddison to catch an adorable pout that threw me off-guard. The expression of puppy eyes was not lost on me. “How did you even know where to find me?”
“I figured you would be here… with your little friend.” She caressed my arm hypnotically. Louise grumbled under her breath. “So, I went to the floor where I left you the other day… and found two Omegas who told me where I would find you.”
Louise sucked in a sharp breath. My heart faulted. I wanted to hold her and never let go.
“Louise, please...!” I dropped Maddison’s hands and faced her. “I promise–”
“An Alpha promise!” Louise spat sarcastically. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. “Your Alpha promise is weak! All your promises are! Why I even believed...” she paused, wincing. “And to think I was–” she trailed off.
“Please believe me,” I pleaded to her. Her sneer hardened. She was hurt, and it was my fault again. I stepped back. Why do I always hurt her?
“Anyway...” Maddison sang, fluttering her eyelashes. She took my arm and pulled me closer with surprising strength. I gaped at her in disbelief. She continued talking. “Papa suggested we organise the mate bonding ceremony a week or so from now.”
“Maddie, f**k! Stop…” I lowered my voice. “This is not the place to discuss this!”
“Joseph?” Mum called out from behind Maddison.
“Mum!” I stared at her wide-eyed. My heart faltered when I realised, by the gleam in her eyes, that she had overheard everything Maddison had said. “What are you doing here?”
“You found your mate!” She gushed. Her eyes were so bright, and her smile so large that I was not getting through to her. “This lovely lady is your mate!”
“Well... I did ... but it’s not exactly right... I mean...” I fumbled for my words, but they failed. Please help me, Zodiac!
“Where are you from, dear?” Mum asked Maddison.
Maddison grinned. “I’m a Beta from the Sunset Clan…”
“The Sunset Clan!” Mum clapped her hands giddily. “Oh, that’s a strong pack!”
I glared at Maddison. “Wait, this...” There was no doubt Maddison would make a good, strong Luna, but not like this! “This is not the time and place for this conversation...” I massaged my forehead. s**t! This is going from bad to worse!
Louise sniffled behind me.
I turned to see tears in her eyes, but she was fighting them back. “Louise, wait ..” I tried to reach out to her.
“This is a sign ....” Maddison grabbed my arm and pulled me back against her. “We’re going to make a beautiful couple!”
“Stop, Maddison!” I demanded. I faced Louise, but the look in her eyes made me recoil.
“Just leave,” Louise demanded as she wheeled her chair back, knocking the ice cream from the hands of the cashier. “Just leave!” she lowered her voice to a snarl. “Now!”
I sucked back the violent pain her words had caused. How was it possible for an Omega to do that to an Alpha?
“You heard her,” Maddison whispered in a low, feral growl as she linked her arm through mine. “Let’s go. Your mum wants to speak to us away from prying ears.”
“No, f**k!” I brushed Maddison away. “Louise, I didn’t plan this…”
“Lies,” Louise spat back at me, turning her chair away. “Stay away from me!”
“Wait!” I reached for her again, but Mum caught my hand this time and spun me around. She hadn’t even noticed Louise. How?
“Joseph, when were you going to tell us? A strong Beta mate... The Alpha will be impressed!”
“Mum, stop!” I demanded as I tried to escape her hold.
“Excuse me…” With a paralysing scowl, she released me. Her wolf, Lilinoe, emerged in her eyes, and she was not the Luna to mess with. “What’s more important than this? My son – the future Alpha of the Mist clan, has found a mate!”
“Why are you even here?” I growled back at her.
“It’s the first week of the month,” Mum continued matter-of-factly. She took Maddison in her arm. Maddison linked her fingers through mine. “Your Dad and I come here during the first week of every month to give the newest pack members our love and blessings.”
Suddenly, we were out of the park and further away from the girl I was growing to care about more and more. I glanced back. Louise was wheeling herself away, and I wanted desperately to run over to her and help.
“But you know that,” Mum chuckled matter-of-factly. She threw her arms around me, disrupting my view. “Can you believe my luck when we caught your scent... then found you with your mate!”
“Mum, this is–”
“Wait,” she stood back, and concern flooded her eyes. “Why are you here?”
I gestured a thumb back at the coffee truck. “I was getting an ice cream with–”
“A friend,” Maddison interjected. She pinned me against her side. “They just came out of surgery a couple of days ago. He was checking on her recovery. Isn’t Joseph such a good Alpha already!”
“I see,” Mum glanced around. I followed her gaze. Louise had vanished. When she didn’t see anyone, she returned to me. “Who is it?”
“No one,” Maddison waved off the conversation.
I growled under my breath at her. “She is my–”
“Little Omega friend,” Maddison interrupted with a smile.
I glared at Maddison. I wanted to put her in her place, but this was a hospital. I had to remain in control. Maddison winked at me and then continued to smile—a distracting smile.
“Well, good...” Mum breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought maybe Maddison was sick. That wouldn’t look good for the son of the Alpha to have a sickly mate.” She fanned her flustered face. “Your dad would have a meltdown!”
“Why?” I squinted at her, trying to understand. “Would such a thing be so bad?”
“Yes, it would,” Mum replied solemnly. “The Moon Goddess chooses our mates for three main reasons – to strengthen us, to give us an heir, and mould us to be the best werewolf we can be. A sick mate would do the opposite. Our pack would suffer...”
I shuddered. I had known this would be the case, and Zodiac had warned me, but it still hurt.
“If you had a sick mate,” Mum exhaled, continuing to fan herself. “And a rival pack found out…” she trailed off.
A pang of guilt and heartbreak gripped my chest. Any relationship with Louise was doomed. I swallowed, lessening the collar of my shirt. That desire to return to Louise was as strong as ever, but Mum’s warning was clear. My parents will not accept her!
“Well, you don’t need to fear, Luna...” Maddison defended. “I’m perfectly healthy.”
“Wonderful...” Mum gushed over Maddison.
“We have to reject our mate.” Zodiac whimpered, finally returning to my mind. ‘For the pack… for our future!”
I glanced from Mum to the park once more. I couldn’t see Louise anywhere. Louise... I’m sorry... I have to think about the future of the pack. I waited for Zodiac to reply, but he had vanished again, leaving my heart heavy with sorrow.
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